ESC 2012 - Pastora Soler wants to return to Eurovision!

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

I'm not 100% calm yet but I have to blog! Pastora wants to return! Amazing news right? Well not next year! Dear God what have I done? I've been saying that I want her in ESC since last September, finally in December we find out she's the spanish representative in ESC 2012, she goes to Baku, I'm not there. Today she says she wants to come back but not next year! Next year the ESC will be in Sweden, I'll go to my first ESC and she won't be there!! AH COME ON!! :'( Here's the full article from esctoday.com.

Anybody knows how to make an online petition? Do something people!!! Make her come back next year!!! I want to meet her!! God damn that thing called luck! -.-

ESC 2012 - The Grand Final! EUPHORIC victory for Sweden!

Photo: Thomas Hanses (EBU)

 

 

Should I say it? Ok, ok. I don't know where to start! There! I said it! Aaalright... I have a lot to say about last night. But we'll take it one at a time.

I can start by saying this. We had the best Eurovision in many, many, many years! Song-wise! Because there were a lot of other problems but only those who were there can tell you more details about this. The worst part of the night was once again the hosts! Honestly I don't know what's worse. 2009's hosts or 2012's hosts? I won't comment the opening act coz to be honest I didn't really pay much attention to it. So let's make a few comments for each country.

1. Sweden 372 - Damn damn damn! A few more points and she would have broken Rybak's record! At least she made a new one! 18 12pts! Really I don't have anything to say here! You know that this was my winner (well Spain was too!).
2. Russia 259 - Switch Russia with Spain please! The grannies ended up way too high! I was expecting this but I wanted them somewhere between 15 and 20. I adore the cute granny but the song didn't deserve a second place!
3. Serbia 214 - Željko did a great job! I'm fine with Serbia finishing 3rd even though for me, it's too high coz I had other favourites that I wanted to see that high.
4. Azerbaijan150 - No. Just no. What is Azerbaijan doing in the top 5? In the top 10? That was an ok song but quite indifferent. It should be around top 15. Lower? And kill me for saying this but Sabina performed like she was high... :S
5. Albania 146 - Well 5th place is way too high for this one IMO! I think this is the best place Albania achieved since their debut. Good for them but I really don't like the song. Rona has a great voice but the way she performs "Suus" is too screamy for my taste.
6. Estonia 120 - Another song I didn't want to see in the top 10. You know I don't like it. You know I find it boring.
7. Turkey 112 - Why is this in the final in the first place? AND a top 10? I don't get you Europe. Sometimes I really don't!
8. Germany 110 - Another one finishing too high. Roman was good, the song was nice but 8th place is too much if you ask me. I wonder if it was his cute face that put him there.
9. Italy 101 - First of all I have to admit one thing. Nina performed suprisingly well in the final! :O In the rehearsals she was really bad! But what was that last night? Kudos Nina! I think I'm fine with Italy in the top 10. I would be more fine if it was fully in italian.
10. Spain 97 - You know, I have a lot to say about Spain and Pastora that I will make another blog entry just for them! Right now I will just say that I am really happy with this top 10 placing but I wanted them at least in the top 5! Because they deserved it more than any other country that finished in the top 5 (Sweden is an exception of course!).
11. Moldova 81 - Right... The only explanation for Moldova's 11th pace I can find is the running order! Coz seriously, 11th place for this is insane!
12. Romania 71 - They were robbed! That should be in the top 10! 12th place is not bad. Far from it but I really think they should be in the top 10. Their performance was great! I even voted for them! <3
13. FYROM 71 - I can't even comment that! It should have stayed in the semi-final!
14. Lithuania 70 - Well I think we found our dark horse for 2012! Nice job there Donny!
15. Ukraine 65 - It should have been lower. Actually not even in the final! But ok. 15th...
16. Cyprus 65 - Well that was kinda "Rockefeller Street" déjà vu... It just shows once again that Cyprus has no friends in the contest. They couldn't achieve at least a top 10 with "La la love" then they can never win!
17. Greece 64 - I'm sad for one reason. There goes our record! For the first time after 8 years in a row, we're not in the top 10! I blame you, Loreen Talhaoui, for picking #17! xD I think we did a great job! I'm pleased with what we presented. I think we should be in the top 10. 10th place would have been fine...
18. Bosnia & Herzegovina 55 - Didn't expect this to be higher to be honest. Great performance by Maya but I guess it wasn't enough. I really like the song by the way.
19. Ireland 46 - I am sooooo glad! Almost thrilled! Their song sucks, Jedward can't do nothing but jump around like crazy and the fountain was a meh gimmick in that case. I'm happy for this 19th place! If they had stayed out of the final I'd have been way more pleased!
20. Iceland 46 - Ok that was a big surprise there! But to be honest their running order was really bad. It got forgotten coz after Iceland there were so many good songs. And this time I don't think it was the language who brought them the 20th place. Had they ended up somewhere around 12-15 then I'd have said that "I told you so" about the icelandic version but now, nah. Something else went wrong here.
21. Malta 41 - Well that was quite expected... Too bad for Kurt...
22. France 21 - I was expecting this to finish 4-5 places higher. Oh well...
23. Denmark 21 - I expected this in top 15! 23 is just too low for this! I love "Should've known better"!
24. Hungary 19 - Totally expected this!
25. United Kingdom 12 - Damn it! So close! I predicted this ending up last!!! Gaah! xD Did they seriously expect something more?
26. Norway 7 - And we end with a real shocker! Norway fnishing last?! What the hell? It's unbelieveable! Last? And no I'm still not a big fan. I've said it many times. But I love Tooji and he was great last night! :S

Then we have the interval act which again didn't pay attention to. I will watch both semis and the final again coz I was commenting everything at the same time and I missed quite a lot. About the voting part, there are quite a few things I want to comment. But I'm thinking of doing this in another blog entry. I will just say: Lynda Woodruff FTW! Fantastic Sarah Dawn Finer! That was the best moment of the entire voting! If you guys watched the final of Melodifestivalen 2012 I'm sure you'll get this! I laughed so hard with this! KUDOS to SDF!! Hahahahahaha!

Ok the ESC is over but we're not done. I have so many things in mind that will keep us busy for at least one more week. We'll just take it slowly because I still have work to do with the uni. Lab reports, exams...

Anyway the thing is that WE'RE GOING TO STOCKHOLM NEXT YEAR! And I'm finally going to my first Eurovision! :D Super excited about this! I just need to find money! Coz next year we're gonna have a mello semi here in Linköping, the final in Stockholm and then of course the ESC in Stockholm. And all that thanks to Loreen!

HEJA SVERIGE! HEJA LOREEN!


God I need lots of money for next year. Donations anyone?

ESC 2012 - The Grand Final!

This is it! Tonight's the night! Everything will end tonight! I already feel kinda sad about it and it's still 2 hours to go! But I don't feel nervous. At all. I guess after last year's shock I subconsciously decided not to care that much. But I will be nervours when Greece will be on stage. I ALWAYS am. Even when I didn't like our entries in 2010 and 2011. I will also be nervous when Sweden will be on stage and of course whehn Spain will be on stage!!

A few hours ago we found out the order in which the countries will vote tonight along with the spokespeople.

Albania - (Andri Xhahu)
Montenegro - (Marija Markovic)
Romania - (Paul Seling)
Austria - (Kati Bellowitsch)
Ukraine - (Aleksey Matius)
Belarus - (Dmitry Koldun)
Belgium - (Peter Van de Veire)
Azerbaijan - (Safura Alizadeh)
Malta - (Keith Demicoli)
San Marino - (Monica Fabbri)
France - (Amaury Vassili)
United Kingdom - (Scott Mills)
Turkey - (Ömer Önder)
Greece - Adriana Magania)
Bosnia & Herzegovina - (Elvir Lakovic Laka)
Moldova - (Olivia Fortuna)
Bulgaria - (Anna Angelova)
Switzerland - (Sara Hildebrand)
Slovenia - (Lorella Flego)
Cyprus - (Loucas Hamatsos)
Croatia - (Nevena Rendeli)
Slovakia - (Mária Pietrová)
FYROM - (Kristina Talevska)
Netherlands - (Vivienne van den Assem)
Portugal - (Joana Teles)
Iceland - (Matthias Matthiasson)
Sweden - (Sarah Dawn Finer)
Norway - (Nadia Hasnaoui)
Lithuania - (Ignas Krupavičius)
Estonia - (Getter Jaani)
Denmark - (Louise Wolff)
Ireland - (Grainne Seoige)
Latvia - (Valters Fridenbergs)
Spain - (Elena S Sánchez)
Finland - (Mr Lordi)
Georgia - (Sopho Toroshelidze)
Italy - (Ivan Bacchi)
Serbia - (Maja Nikolić)
Germany - (Anke Engelke)
Russia - (Oxana Fedorova)
Hungary - (Éva Novodomszky)
Israel - (Ofer Nachshon)

I won't comment this though... Oh! Just Sweden's spokesperson! Sarah Dawn Finer! Can I ask for Lynda Woodruff please? ;) 

Ah sorry guys! I just don't know what to talk about! Just that tonight I will vote for Spain, Romania, Greece and Cyprus! Do the same but please add SWEDEN to the list!

#8 Cyprus
#14 Romania
#16 Greece
#17 Sweden
#19 Spain

May the best (LOREEN) win! 2 hours left for the best show of the year!

EDIT: I forgot to say that look out for Pastora Soler tonight! That's all I'm saying! ;) VAMOS PASTORA!

ESC 25.05.2002 - 25.05.2012

Photo: SVT

Today's my birthday! Well not my real birthday. My real birthday is on Monday (yeah I was born in the ESC month! :D). Today I become a 10-year-old eurofan!! And the ladies in the photo are probably the main reason! My lovely Afro-Dite gave me my all time favourite swedish entry, "Never Let It Go"! I've said this so many times so I'm sure you know it's my favourite!

Wow 10 years! Here you can read more about how it all began. Damn I need to fix that text a bit. The way it looks now is a bit scary! I mean it's a big text! I doubt if anyone will sit and read that! hehe

Anyway Happy ESC Birthday to me!!! :D xD

ESC 2012 - Final's running order

Ok last night right after the semi we had the press conference and the running order draw for the last 10 finalists. I watched that but I was too tired to blog (which is really strange because I usually -always!- can't sleep after the ESC) and went straight to bed. Anyway. I'm gonna post the final's running order and some comments about it.

1. United Kingdom
2. Hungary
3. Albania
4. Lithuania
5. Bosnia & Herzegovina
6. Russia
7. Iceland
8. Cyprus
9. France
10. Italy
11. Estonia
12. Norway
13. Azerbaijan
14. Romania
15. Denmark
16. Greece
17. Sweden
18. Turkey
19. Spain
20. Germany
21. Malta
22. FYROM
23. Ireland
24. Serbia
25. Ukraine
26. Moldova

Well not really much to say here but Sweden coming right after Greece. Oh boy we (Greece) really didn't need that! Cyprus is between Iceland and France. Being after Iceland is amazing but before France... hm... Romania got a really good draw. Right after Azerbaijan and before Denmark. Really nice! Spain is between Turkey and Germany. That's good! Pastora will stand out! Now those countries from 22 to 26 are really lucky! I only like Serbia out of those though!

Ok I wish BEST OF LUCK to my top 3, Spain, Sweden and Romania. And of course to Greece (we're so in the top 10) and to Cyprus!



Now some comments about last night. I was blogging and at the same time watching the press conference so I forgot to comment that. The interval act! What on earth was that? I totally dislike Dima Bilan and Alexander Rybak! And is it me or Lena looked like anorexic? :S I hope she's ok! Oh and putting all of them together singing "Waterloo"? They totally killed it. Thanks Azerbaijan!

ESC 2012 - Semi-final 2 - Results!

Wow! I'm having an "I don't know where to start" moment. Ok let's check my facebook wall. My first comment was once again for the hosts. They are so freaking boring! BORING! Oh and they remembered to mention Spain tonight! Well done! (yeah I know I'm bitching a lot about a little mistake but it's my favourite country we're talking about!) And Eldar's face when he looks at the camera while the others are talking. It's just hilarious (in a bad way)!

Serbia - Amazing Željko as always!! Glad they're in the final! :D
FYROM - No, I didn't punch my screen. Why is this in the final? Why?
The Netherlands - I can't believe I'm gonna say this but I got the chills in the first chorus!! :O No, I'm still a non fan of the song. I don't know why I felt like this. I guess it was a EUROVISION moment haha. Not in the final as I predicted.
Malta - Yay! Malta made it!!! Finally! They deserved it! And Kurt was amazing tonight!
Belarus - Aah I knew it. I voted for them but I knew it wouldn't make a difference! :( I wanted them in the final.
Portugal - It wasn't in my "want" list but tonight I actually liked it! So portugese! But they didn't make it...
Ukraine - Once again in the final! They didn't deserve it this year...
Bulgaria - Poor Sofi! :( I voted for her! Shame that Bulgaria didn't make it again! But no dancers, bad choice of outfit... Damn I wanted them so much in the final! My 4th favourite!
Slovenia - Eva didn't make it. I kinda knew it. Eva should have sung "A Si Sanjal Me"!
Croatia - I was a bit shocked that they didn't make it. I guess there were too many Balkan countries in this final... I love "Nebo".
Sweden - The WINNER! Nothing else to say here! She was perfect!
Georgia - Lol! He was so nervous when they were announcing the results. He should be sure he wouldn't make it! Bye bye Georgia! Come back with a good song!
Turkey - Why did he make it? I totally dislike this song! And Can!
Estonia - No surprise that he made it to the final. I don't like the song at all but better this than Georgia for example!
Slovakia - I guess the metal lovers weren't watching tonight. No final for them.
Norway - Yay Tooji! They're in the final! You know I'm still not a big fan of the song but I'm glad they're in the final!
Bosnia & Herzegovina - I'm happy they made it!! Good job B&H!
Lithuania - I knew he would make it! It grew on me a lot! And I'm glad he made it!

OK so the 10 finalists.

Serbia
FYROM
Malta
Ukraine
Sweden
Turkey
Estonia
Norway
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Lithuania

ESC 2012 - Semi-final 2

Time for the second semi tonight!!! Predictions! I will be really glad if I get 5/10 in this one!! Ok first let's see the competing countries.

1. Serbia
2. FYR Macedonia
3. The Netherlands
4. Malta
5. Belarus
6. Portugal
7. Ukraine
8. Bulgaria
9. Slovenia
10. Croatia
11. Sweden
12. Georgia
13. Turkey
14. Estonia
15. Slovakia
16. Norway
17. Bosnia & Herzegovina
18. Lithuania 

Now the countries I think they will make it.

Serbia

Sweden
Estonia
Norway
Lithuania
Croatia
Turkey
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Slovenia
Ukraine

And now the countries I want to make it.

Sweden
Bulgaria
Serbia
Croatia
Slovenia
Belarus
Malta
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Norway
Lithuania

Yeah the last two grew on me a lot!

ESC 2013 - The dates!

I was that close to put a logo with Sweden's flag in the middle and the STOCKHOLM 2013 below it! Because you people are coming to Sweden in 2013 on 14th, 16th and 18th May! These are the official dates for next year's contest! And we are not done with 2012's contest yet! Hahaha!

ESC 2012 - Semi-final 1 - Running order for the 10 finalists

Ok here is the list of the 10 finalists and their running order on Saturday!

Romania 14
Moldova 26
Iceland 7
Hungary 2
Denmark 15
Albania 3
Cyprus 8
Greece 16
Russia 6
Ireland 23

Lucky Moldova!!! So lucky! Ok draw for Romania. Good for Greece. That #6 for Russia I hope it's enough to stop them from placing high. I loved their performance tonight but they can't win! Hungary and Albania, bad draws. Iceland and Cyprus, not good. And damn Ireland! But you know what? Loreen will pick #24 muahahaha!

ESC 2012 - Semi-final 1 - Results!

I gotta say (what's on my mind...), oh sorry! Got carried away coz GREECE is in the finaaaaaaaaaaal!!!! As I said, I gotta say that I already got some PESD! First semi is over! :O So freakin' fast! But let's take it one by one! There's a reason why I comment everything on facebook! Then I can go back and see all I wanted to blog about! ;)

First of all, the hosts! Couldn't they be more boring? And that "tarananaaaa"? God!! And when they said that the Big 5 are already in the final they forgot to say "SPAIN"! Are they sabotaging my Spain?????? Grrr! Then some more boring talking and we kicked off!

Montenegro - Simply hemetic!
Iceland - Glad they made it! They were great! (Yes I still prefer the icelandic version!)
Greece - We rocked once again! Top 10 in the final! Just because WE CAN!
Latvia - Well we knew the result... but they were good.
Albania - Too bad her appearance didn't stop her... Nothing against Rona. I actually like her. I just don't like the song and the way she sings it.
Romania - Elena had a problem with her sound and she was out of breath after the first chorus but they made it! YAY MANDINGA!
Switzerland - Poor Switzerland! One of my favourites this year!! Damn Europe!
Belgium - The biggest snoozefest tonight!
Finland - Aah :( Should have been in the final! Such a beautiful song and Pernilla was fantastic tonight!
Israel - No final for Israel once again! :( That was a love it or hate it song. I love it!
San Marino - Did they seriously expect to make it? Really?
Cyprus - Good job Cyprus!!!!!  Glad the JESC choreo didn't cost you the final!
Denmark - Yay Soluna!! So glad that Denmark made it!!!
Russia - Well we knew it! Just a few seconds of the cute granny were enough to send them to the final! Love the cute granny, not a big fan of the song. I love to watch it but it's not in my playlist.
Hungary - Wow! I didn't expect them to make it but I'm glad! It was in my "want" list!
Austria - I actually liked this tonight! And the entire stadium was singing along "oooh oooh"!
Moldova - I'm sure it was the running order that send them to the final! I can't explain it otherwise!
Ireland - Oh God! Did they have to make it? Really?

So the 10 finalists!

• Romania
• Moldova
• Iceland
• Hungary
• Denmark
• Albania
• Cyprus
• Greece
• Russia
• Ireland

I got 7/10 in both my lists! I think it's better than last year! xD

And semi 1 is over! I will blog again in a while when the press conference is over!

ESC 2012 - Semi-final 1

Ok I've been at the uni since 8 in the morning! I got back a while ago! We'll take a quick look at tonight's competing countries (no comments) and then the fun part! I will guess the qualifiers! xD You know I suck at this!

The running order!

1. Montenegro
2. Iceland
3. Greece
4. Latvia
5. Albania
6. Romania
7. Switzerland
8. Belgium
9. Finland
10. Israel
11. San Marino
12. Cyprus
13. Denmark
14. Russia
15. Hungary
16. Austria
17. Moldova
18. Ireland

Ok let's see...

Countries I think they will make it (at random order of course)

Iceland
Greece
Romania
Switzerland
Cyprus
Denmark
Russia
Ireland
Austria
Israel/Finland

Countries I want to make it

Iceland
Greece
Romania
Switzerland
Cyprus
Dernmark
Finland
Israel
Hungary
can't find a 10th xD Ok... I'm gonna say... Russia! But below top 15 in the final!

2 hours to go!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO my favourites! :D

Reunion for Alcazar with the original members!

Photo: Mette-Marits

Well I know I know. We're in the ESC week but I had to blog about this! The title is true! Well sort of! Yesterday my lovely Andreas Lundstedt turned 40!! Of course they had a party and Annikafiore was there as well! They reunited just for the night! They performed a new remixed version of "Crying At The Discoteque"! I saw the link on my main wall on facebook and I was shocked! Tears of joy seeing them performing together again. Even though I never watched them live (with the original members!).

Check back for the video later guys. As I said it's on facebook and I don't know if you'll be able to watch it. I contacted the guy who uploaded it and asked him to upload it on youtube or give me the permission to upload it myself.

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 8

Back from Stockholm!! I'm late today! xD Ok!

Day 8!

Estonia - Ott Lepland - Kuula (2nd rehearsal) 
Same comments as the first rehearsal. I find it extremely boring!

Slovakia - Max Jason Mai - Don't Close Your Eyes (2nd rehearsal) 
Backdrop fits the song and I like Jason's clothes. But I don't like anything else. 

Norway - Tooji - Stay (2nd rehearsal) 
Nice second rehearsal for Tooji! And I have to say that I listened to the song a couple of times today. It grows extremely slowly on me...

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Maya Sar - Korake Ti Znam (2nd rehearsal)
Oh God I don't like the dress at all!!! Really bad choice! Love the performance in general though! Tough one for B&H. There are many ballads!

Lithuania - Donny Montell - Love Is Blind (2nd rehearsal) 
Damn this grows on me! But I find the presentation a bit silly... I like the backdrop. Great vocals by Donny! We might see this in the final!

United Kingdom - Engelbert Humperdinck - Love Will Set You Free (2nd rehearsal)
What was that in the end? :S Pff I am sooo bored! Bottom 5 for UK this year. He's first on stage, it's boring and after UK there will be 25 more songs. 80% of them will be amazing songs so everyone will forget about UK...

France - Anggun - Echo (You And I) (2nd rehearsal)
Vocally she was better than yesterday. But what's with the backdrop?! o.O Gymnastics? It looks really out of place! What does this have to do with the song?!

Italy - Nina Zilli - L'Amore È Femmina (2nd rehearsal)
Aah Nina! Big disappointment!! Really bad vocals! Shame... At least they fixed the backing vocalists.... lol

Azerbaijan - Sabina Babayeva - The Music Never Dies (2nd rehearsal)
Nice backdrop but the song is indifferent... And I don't like that male backing vocalist on the left... Sabina's vocals are good. Let's see if the hosting country will be in the top 10. Personally I don't see it happening.

Spain - Pastora Soler - Quédate Conmigo (2nd rehearsal)
Flawless!! Just flawless!! Love the backdrop! Love the "Carola-effect"! ;) And since yesterday, I've seen so many positive comments by people who didn't care about Spain! Vamos Pastora!

Germany - Roman Lob - Standing Still (2nd rehearsal)
Solid rehearsal for Germany. I don't have much to say here. I like the backdrop. Quite simple but ok...

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 7

Day 7!!! Today's Spain's rehearsal!!! I watched it! It was the first rehearsal I watched! And I have so much to say!!! But let's take them one by one!

Slovenia - Eva Boto - Verjamem (2nd rehearsal)
Solid second rehearsal for Slovenia! But I said it last time as well, I don't like Eva's dress. At all! I find it too "heavy"... There's no need for those flowers to be there...

Croatia - Nina Badrić - Nebo (2nd rehearsal) 
Vocally Nina was great once again. I like her dress but I don't like the dancers' outfits. Especially the male dancers'. Backdrop looks nice... And I don't get that white sheet...

Sweden - Loreen - Euphoria (2nd rehearsal)
First comment! There's the snow! When I commented the first rehearsal I said that there wouldn't be any snow. I was wrong and it makes sense. Why deny some harmless plastic foam? ;) Loreen's vocals! Perfect once again! Last night we saw Loreen's outfit. Seeing her performing with it feels kinda weird. Well not weird. It seems "heavy" but it works. What seems weird are the backing vocalists' outfits. Those hats? Hm I hope the camera work will focus on Loreen! Stockholm 2013.

Georgia - Anri Jokhadze - I'm A Joker (2nd rehearsal)
That was once again painful! And it comes right after Loreen! Zero chances! Hahaha! And what are those backing vocalists' outfits! :S Sorry Georgia!

Turkey - Can Bonomo - Love Me Back (2nd rehearsal)
First thing I don't like: the backdrop. And of course I don't like the song, Can, the staging. Sorry I just don't like this! But for some reason I think Turkey will make it.

Germany - Roman Lob - Standing Still (1st rehearsal)
Solid first rehearsal for Germany. Really simple staging though. Roman just stands there. Well he's standing still. :P Vocally he was good.

France - Anggun - Echo (You And I) (1st rehearsal)
Not pleased at all by Anggun's vocals!!! That wasn't good girl! I like the staging however and the choreo. I wanna see her outfit too. But no1 priority for her is to improve her vocals.

Italy - Nina Zilli - L'Amore È Femmina (1st rehearsal)
Disappointment! Vocally she was bad. But I kinda knew that. I watched quite a few of her live performances of "L'Amore È Femmina" and in all of them she wasn't that good. The song is still one of my favourite (though the italian version) but what I saw was not good. And those backing vocalists! They put the shorter in the middle and it looks really bad! The two female vocalists need to swap spots!

Azerbaijan - Sabina Babayeva - The Music Never Dies (1st rehearsal)
Did I just watch Mika Newton? Oh that was Sabina! Sorry the dress confused me. Ok good rehearsal. I don't really like the dress though. When I commented the songs I gave it a 5. Now it's lower...

Spain - Pastora Soler - Quédate Conmigo (1st rehearsal)
A flawless performance!!! But I was sure of that! One of my two fears is gone. I was worried about two things. The staging and the dress. The staging is simple and that's what we needed! Now I'm worried about the dress! I just wish she wore the one from the spanish NF! It's amazing! Pastora said it won't be yellow and it won't be black. I just hope it's elegant and classy. Backing vocals were also really good! Oh Spain! Top 3!! Vamos Pastora!!!! Oh and I love that face in the end of the video! hahahaha xD

United Kingdom - Engelbert Humperdinck - Love Will Set You Free (1st rehearsal)
Ok Engelbert! Keep that mic close to your mouth please! That was a bit boring. And vocally he wasn't so good. Or was it the mic? Ah I'm sorry but after Pastora's performance that was totally indifferent. And he will be first on stage. I seriously doubt if anyone will remember this. I say bottom 5 for UK!

ESC 2012 - Loreen's outfit!

from her facebook page

Those people never learn! xD This is Loreen's outfit for the semi (and the final I guess). We've seen it today (in the end of this video) and in this photo. But we haven't seen Loreen wearing it. They posted the photo above on her facebook page along with the next one

This one isn't so clear... But well let's go back to the first one. It's a negative. I don't get why people keep posting photo-negatives! Don't they know that negative + negative = positive? Enough with the talking! Here's the photo!

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 6

Day 6!

Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody (2nd rehearsal)
Ok seriously 12 points to the cute granny!!! :D And check the camera work at 2:10! Close up on the cute granny for a few seconds! Oh that's gonna get them lots of votes! Lol at the oven! Hahaha They're "baking" cookies or something for the party? Hahahahaha This is so fun to watch!!

Hungary - Compact Disco - Sound Of Our Hearts (2nd rehearsal)
I start to believe that this is not enough to send them to the final. Personally I like the song but there's nothing special on stage so it will be really hard for Hungary this year...

Austria - Trackshittaz - Woki Mit Deim Popo (2nd rehearsal)
Ah can you imagine Sweden sending Danny? How many light effects would we have? Those guys are entertaining. I don't listen to the song at all but if I'm watching the performance at the same time it's ok. I don't see a place in the final for them though.

Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar (2nd rehearsal)
Ridiculous! Just ridiculous choreo! And Pasha is wearing the same pants as in the first rehearsal... hm... I wonder why... Anyway, I don't see this in the final but who knows.

Ireland - Jedward - Waterline (2nd rehearsal)
I'll say it again! Same as last year! No changes! Their singing is still below average, they still jump around like crazy and that's all. Ah yes! We have the water! Too bad Eric Saade already used it two years ago! And it's obvious they will take a shower but that will happen in the dress rehearsal. I hope I won't see you in the final Jedward!

Serbia - Željko Joksimović - Nije Ljubav Stvar (2nd rehearsal)
Great rehearsal for Serbia! I don't have a lot to say here. Željko is an amazing artist! He'll do great! Totally in the final despite the running order.

FYROM - Kaliopi - Crno I Belo (1st rehearsal)
Annoying once again. Sorry I guess it's my taste. It was a solid performance but I can't stand it. 

The Netherlands - Joan Franka You And Me (2nd rehearsal) 
The wild west... Why didn't they light the fire today? Ok vocals but no final for the Netherlands. 

Malta - Kurt Calleja - This Is The Night (2nd rehearsal) 
Nice second reheasal for Malta! I like the backdrop, Kurt sounded nice but I still don't like the DJ/dancer back there. It's a tough one for Malta.

Belarus - Litesound - We Are The Heroes (2nd rehearsal) 
I like the gravity trick! We've seen it already but it doesn't matter. I like their clothes but in an interview they said they will wear the same outfits as in the belarussian NF. Please don't do it! You're singing the electro pop version and you'll wear those outfits? Stop ruining your chances Belarus! :(

Portugal - Filipa Sousa - Vida Minha (2nd rehearsal) 
Hm she's barefoot... Is this how she'll perform on Tuesday? Is this the dress? I don't think so and I hope it's not. I don't like it. I like the backdrop and Filipa's voice. But the song is not my cup of tea. The positive thing is that Portugal sends traditional music and I love that in ESC! :)

Ukraine - Gaitana - Be My Guest (2nd rehearsal) 
This looks like a circus at times. Dancers' clothes are horrible. And I don't like the live performance of Gaitana. She has a strong voice but I don't like what I hear. However this version of the song is a bit better...

Bulgaria - Sofi Marinova - Love Unlimited (2nd rehearsal) 
Why Sofi? Why are you alone on stage with a song like this? It's gonna cost you the final! My fourth favourite song of the contest won't make it to the final! :( Vocally she was great! But damn that one woman show!  


That's it for today! Tomorrow's the big day!!! It's Spain's first rehearsal!!!!! :D Yay! Finally!! Go Pastora!! 

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 5

Montenegro - Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro (2nd rehearsal)
No changes here! It's still horrible!

Iceland - Greta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget (2nd rehearsal)
Nice second rehearsal for Iceland but Jónsi didn't sound so good. Love the backdrop!

Greece - Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac (2nd rehearsal)
Much better rehearsal than the first one. Check out the female dancers at 2:55! Now come on! xD I really wanna see Eleftheria's outfit now! Hahaha! Backdrop looks ok. Looking forward to the dress rehearsal!

Latvia - Anmary - Beautiful Song (2nd rehearsal)
Ok nice vocals by Anmary. I don't like their outfits and it seems like one of the backing vocalists didn't get her clothes in time! :P I know that's what she's supposed to wear (I guess at least) but it stands out! And I find those backing vocalists' "dance moves" ridiculous!

Albania - Rona Nishliu - Suus (2nd rehearsal)
Same comments as in her first rehearsal.

Romania - Mandinga - Zaleilah (2nd rehearsal)
Fantastic!! They are so freakin' entertaining! But I have a couple of comments... I don't like Elena's dress, I still miss the jumping and waving their hands and El Niño needs to put his RayBan on! Love him with these! Other than that, their rehearsal was great! Oh yes that small problem with El Niño's drum hehe. Finally let's wish happy happy birthday to Elena! She turns 24 today!

Switzerland - Sinplus - Unbreakable (2nd rehearsal)
To the final! To the finaaaaal!! It's time Switzerland made it to the final! Sinplus are great and "Unbreakable" is amazing! Both their rehearsals were great! Come on Europe! Vote for Switzerland!

Belgium - Iris - Would You? (2nd rehearsal)
Still boring... Her vocals are good but is it enough? Nah.

Finland - Pernilla Karlsson - När Jag Blundar (2nd rehearsal)
Ah Pernilla!! Same dress so I'm guessing this is the one! I really don't like it! And that black top? Not a match! I hope at least she gets rid of that top! Other than that, another great rehearsal and I love love love the song! Such a beautiful melody and lyrics! To the final please!

Israel - Izabo - Time (2nd rehearsal)
Nice second rehearsal for Israel! I like their outfits. They fit the song and I like the backdrop! Go Israel! Love it or hate it song! Let's see what Europe thinks!

San Marino - Valentina Monetta - The Social Network Song (2nd rehearsal)
And when I thought it can't get any worse here comes the second rehearsal with the stage outfits! Oh my God San Marino! You really wanna be last this year don't you?! Gee!

Cyprus - Ivi Adamou - La La Love (2nd rehearsal)
Great rehearsal for Cyprus! But I still think that the choreo in some parts is for the JESC! I like the outfits but I wanted something more colorful. Not a big fan of the backdrop and I guess the books are just books... Are they trying to conect this with the music video? I don't know. Cyprus should make it to the final!

Denmark - Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better (2nd rehearsal)
Was that couch there during the first rehearsal? Out of place. Like the backdrop, don't like Soluna's outfit! Vocally she was good again. She missed a note in the beginning but it's ok. Go Denmark!

We lost the Queen!

Literally in shock! Donna Summer passed away this morning at the age of 63! So many artists left us in the recent past but it's the first time I actually cried for one of them! Donna Summer is (was? :( ) one of my absolute favourite artists of all time! STUPID FUCKING CANCER!!!!!!

I don't know if I'll blog about today's ESC rehearsals. Probably I will but later tonight. Now I just can't!

REST IN PEACE QUEEN OF DISCO!

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 4

Day 4!

Slovenia - Eva Boto - Verjamem (1st rehearsal) 
Vocally it was a great rehearsal but Eva doesn't seem to enjoy it. I know there's no point saying that now but I wanted (and still want) "A Si Sanjal Me" for Slovenia. It fits more Eva and it would be in my top 10 (if not top 5!). Anyway back to the rehearsal. I don't like Eva's dress! I'm glad they got rid of those silly hats but I hope she changes her dress! Hope to see them in the final coz I like "Verjamen".

Croatia - Nina Badrić - Nebo (1st rehearsal)
Great vocal performance by Nina! Really nice! I liked what I saw. However I'm not a big fan of the dress but we don't know if that's the semi's dress. Croatia is right after Slovenia and I'm afraid one of these two countries won't make it to the final. I want to see them both there but I don't think I will...

Sweden - Loreen - Euphoria (1st rehearsal)
Ok what can we say here! I got serious goosebumps at 2:05. Of course I have some minor negative comments. What I don't like at all and I want her to fix is her utterance during the verses. She mumbles a lot and it doesn't sound good. She really needs to fix that! Plus, I find the backing vocals unnecessary. From what I hear she's using echo (or is it because we hear the sound in the arena?) so there's no need for backing vocals. The choreo is the same with Melodifestivalen minus the snow. I don't understand why they don't let her use the artificial snow. They let Eric Saade use the glass cage last year which was dangerous and they said no to some harmless plastic foam... Anyway, Loreen is the winner. Period.

Georgia - Anri Jokhadze - I'm A Joker (1st rehearsal)
Wanna bet this will end last in the semi? God that was painful to watch and hear. Horrible! Just horrible! No final for Georgia! I'll kill myself it makes it to the final!

Turkey - Can Bonomo - Love Me Back (1st rehearsal)
That was boring. Maybe because I really dislike the song. Can acts like crazy at some parts. Vocally he was ok. Nothing else to say here. I think they will make it to the final. Unfortunately...

Estonia - Ott Lepland - Kuula (1st rehearsal)
I must be the only one who finds this song extremely boring! It's a big snoozefest for me! Simple performance for Estonia. Well what could they do with a song like this. Everyone's so crazy about it and I don't know why. :S Well since everyone likes it I guess we'll see it in the final.

Slovakia - Max Jason Mai - Don't Close Your Eyes (1st rehearsal)
So so so not my cup of tea. I didn't like what I saw and what I heard! I'm sorry I just don't like it. And I don't see it in the final but who knows?

Norway - Tooji - Stay (1st rehearsal)
I liked what I saw! I am still not a fan of "Stay" but it kinda grows on me. I know I like Tooji! And God all those comments under the video about him being gay! You know what? I hope he is! I'm actually 99% sure that he is and that makes me like him even more! But back to the rehearsal! Same choreo as in MGP and vocally he was really good! Hope he makes it! He's entertaining!

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Maya Sar - Korake Ti Znam (1st rehearsal)
Solid rehearsal for Maya. Really simple but sometimes less is more. ;) Maya was good vocally but I wasn't so satisfied with what I heard. Maybe it was the sound in the arena I don't know. But I want Bosnia & Herzegovina in the final!

Lithuania - Donny Montell - Love Is Blind (1st rehearsal)
Great vocals! Really great! I still don't like that blindfold! And generally that staging/choreo. I like the song when we hit the first chorus. I find it boring at the beginning. Lithuania is lucky with this draw. They might have a chance for the final.

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 3

Day 3!

Serbia - Željko Joksimović - Nije Ljubav Stvar (1st rehearsal) 
Really solid and nice rehearsal for Serbia. The staging reminds me a lot of "Lane Moje" in 2004. Željko's vocals were great. I didn't expect anything less here to be honest. Serbia is in the final!

FYROM - Kaliopi - Crno I Belo (1st rehearsal)
Ok I've said it before, Kaliopi's voice annoys me like hell when she sings "crno i belo eseeeeee". But that was a good performance. A really good one. It won't make me like the song or start listening to it. God no! But I admit she has a good voice. FYROM is in the final!

The Netherlands - Joan Franka You And Me (1st rehearsal) 
Another annoying voice but this is bearable. There's a tent missing. We got the indian girl, we got the fire but where's the tent? Ah really Holland. You just couldn't send Miss Brandi Russell! Your fault. You're not in the final.

Malta - Kurt Calleja - This Is The Night (1st rehearsal) 
I like this guy! That was a good rehearsal but I find that guy with the red hair out of place in the last 30 seconds. His dancing is so random, running from one side to the other... I don't know... I don't see Malta in the final this year either even though I want them in the final. I like this song!

Belarus - Litesound - We Are The Heroes (1st rehearsal)
Now I can't tell if this is the second version of the one from the video clip. I think it's that second electro pop... I don't like this version! The original is so much better! I still like the song but I prefer the first one! Vocally Dimitry was ok... It's hard to tell how he sounded from this video. And seriously what's with those weird mic stands Belarus? First with Anastasiya Vinnikova (2011) and now with Litesound... And unfortunately I don't see Belarus in the final. I want them so much in the final but...

Portugal - Filipa Sousa - Vida Minha (1st rehearsal) 
Solid rehearsal for Portugal! Filipa's vocals were really good. Simple performance. Kinda boring for my taste but I think they will get some points from the juries. Poor Portugal, I see no final this year either. And your song is miles better than last year's disaster. And thank you for keep sending songs in portugese!!

Ukraine - Gaitana - Be My Guest (1st rehearsal) 
What on earth are the dancers wearing? The positive thing for Ukraine is the draw. Right after Portugal's slow song they will make the audience jump around. Personally I'm not a fan of the song. It's just ok for me. Gaitana was good vocally. I see them in the final.

Bulgaria - Sofi Marinova - Love Unlimited (1st rehearsal) 
I have so many things to say here! Oh Sofi you don't wanna drop this horrible styling, do you? But you know what, she's so kitsch and that's what makes me love her! Goddess Sofi! <3 hahahaha Vocally she was ok. We've seen better live performances than this one. But she has time to work on that. And now the staging! What are you doing Bulgaria? Not even a single dancer?! It seems like you want to fail!! You have a dance song like this and you leave Sofi alone on stage? Wrong wrong wrong move! I knew from the beginning that Bulgaria had no chances of making it to the final and now I'm sure about it! I so hope I am wrong but... Shame, my 4th favourite song of this year's ESC! Good luck Sofi! 

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 2

Day 2!!

Israel - Izabo - Time (1st rehearsal)
Simple performance for Israel. I like the backing vocalists! Hahaha  Izabo's vocals were good even though there was something wrong with Shiri's vocals. Or her mic sound I don't know. But ok it's the first rehearsal. Hope to see them in the final!

San Marino - Valentina Monetta - The Social Network Song (1st rehearsal)
I'm sorry! Really! I'm sitting here watching San Marino's rehearsal and all I can say is "SERIOUSLY?". Seriously San Marino? Cameras, iPads, laptops... Seriously? This is horrible. Just horrible! No way you're gonna see the final! Thank God!

Cyprus - Ivi Adamou - La La Love (1st rehearsal)
Ok the choreo is kinda silly in some parts. But I love the song and overall it's gonna look great on tv. But what's with the table made of books? I have some thoughts on that but I will wait for the second rehearsal. Just now it seems out of place. Ivi was ok vocally. I said it before, I don't like her. At all. But I see Cyprus in the final and I want Cyprus in the final and they deserve a place in the final! So, Cyprus is in the final! :P

Denmark - Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better (1st rehearsal)
First negative point, the clothes! Come on Soluna? Why on earth did you wear the same outfit? I've got nothing against wearing the same clothes as in the NF. For example I would love Pastora Soler to wear the dress of the 1st performance of "Quédate Conmigo". But Soluna's outfit is really bad! I hope they find something better even though I doubt it. Vocally she was good. I love the song and I want Denmark in the final! They deserve it!

Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody (1st rehearsal)
Ahahahaha that made me happy! Yay for the cute granny! For the last few weeks I got tired of the song but watching the grannies at the same time is totally fine! The same performance as in NF but it's gonna work! I'm sure they will make it to the final but that's it! No top 10 please. There are much better songs.

Hungary - Compact Disco - Sound Of Our Hearts (1st rehearsal)
Solid rehearsal and really good vocals for Hungary! But it's simple and I don't know if they're gonna make it. I want them in the final but I think it will be hard...

Austria - Trackshittaz - Woki Mit Deim Popo (1st rehearsal)
Hm.. ok... I don't know... I'm not that bored watching this. It's not the worst song but it's not my cup of tea. And I definitely don't see them in the final.

Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar (1st rehearsal)
Pff the same ridiculous choreography! It's really bad! And I don't like the song. Pasha was good vocally but that's not enough. No final for Moldova this year.

Ireland - Jedward - Waterline (1st rehearsal)
Wait did I watch 2011's rehearsal? Oh yes yes. It's 2012! Sorry it's just that they're almost identical. Seriously they can't do anything else other than jumping around! And that makes the viewers stressed! Vocally they were ok. Nothing much there. But the song is worse than "Lipstick" so my guess is that they will make it to the final but they will end up around 15th or something and they should! There are so many better songs than "Waterline"!

ESC 2012 - Rehearsals Day 1

Well I spent the entire weekend in Stockholm but now I'm back. I wasn't planning to blog about today's rehearsals today but here I am! I couldn't resist! :P Let's do this! 

Montenegro - Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro (1st rehearsal)

It's quite obvious that there were a few problems but that's what the rehearsals are for. And that wooden donkey? More like the Torjan Horse really. Meh. I still hate the song. Montenegro is so not in the final!

Iceland - Greta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget (1st rehearsal)

Ok I have to say I got some serious goosebumps in the first chorus but that was all. I still prefer and believe that the icelandic version is miles better! About the staging, it's almost the same with the NF and I think that would be all. No surprises and stuff... Vocally they were good. Some sound problems maybe... From that first rehearsal I say Iceland is in the final.

Greece - Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac (1st rehearsal)

I like what I saw. However the choreography doesn't seem complete. It feels like they're "hiding" something. Eleftheria was good vocally. To my ears at least... I'm kinda biased here but I say we are in the final.

Latvia - Anmary - Beautiful Song (1st rehearsal)

First of all I love the last 30 seconds. But until that moment everything is quite bland. The choreo is boring. They just walk around on stage. Anmary was ok vocally and she must have worked on her face expressions but there is a moment or two where she made those faces... Anyway, I don't see Latvia in the final...

Albania - Rona Nishliu - Suus (1st rehearsal)

I don't know what the camera work will be but they need to be careful a bit. Rona seems scary in those close-ups. Vocals! Those vocals! Personally I don't like the song and I find her really screamy but vocally she was great. She pulled it off in the best possible way! Now this is tricky. I don't know if we will see it in the final. If it was up to me I'd leave Albania in the semi...

Romania - Mandinga - Zaleilah (1st rehearsal)

Ok... I guess we will never hear Elena singing Zaleilah like in the studio version. It's quite obvious they "did something" in the studio. Anyway, vocally she was good. Not in the same tone as in the studio version but she was good. I like the choreography even though it's not so crazy... I miss that jumping while waving their hands at the same time! It needs more energy! I see them in the final. Or at least I want them in the final!

Switzerland - Sinplus - Unbreakable (1st rehearsal) 

I still have a thing with his english. It sounds ok and kinda unique in the studio version but kinda bad live. It doesn't matter though. I love the song! And I want them so much in the final!! From what I saw I think they can make it!

Belgium - Iris - Would You? (1st rehearsal) 

Come on this is boring. Everything is boring! Just everything. Belgium is not in the final!

Finland - Pernilla Karlsson - När Jag Blundar (1st rehearsal)

Solid performance. What's with the dress though? I hope they're just testing (I'm almost sure about it since it's the first rehearsal) it!! Unfortunately I don't see Finland in the final either but I do want them in the final!!