ESC 2013 - Final results

Photo: Sander Hesterman (EBU)

Yes it's one of "those" moments. Alright. I loved the opening! That artist-parade was awesome! Petra Mede is definitely the best ESC hostess ever! Lynda Woodruff! Love this character! The part with the ABBA-castle and their clothes was hilarious! Liked Loreen's interval and finally we got to listen to the original version of "Euphoria"! Then we had the "big" interval act. Totally loved it! Loved the way the Swedes joked about themselves. And apart from Krista's kiss on stage, we had another gay kiss. This time a male gay kiss. Way to go EBU! Oh and of course Carola!! Another hilarious moment! She was part of the interval act for a few seconds. And people kept saying that they let Loreen open the 1st semi and kept Carola for the final's interval act. But Loreen was in the final and Carola's "performance" was what? 5 seconds? Anyway...

Worst part of the night? Eric Saade. Why on earth did they use him in the green room? He was horrible. He looked at his manus many more times than Danny during all 6 nights of mello! And finally, we had Sarah Dawn Finer performing ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All". Amazing!

The voting part. There were a few problems there... Connection problems and not only. I really didn't like that they announced the winner before the voting was over. Yes it was obvious that Denmark won but we still had a few more countries to go. Seriously what was that? I hope they drop it next year!

So yeah, Denmark won! 3 things I correctly predicted this year. Azerbaijan finishing in the top 5, Greece finishing in the top 7 and Spain in bottom 5. My winner was Norway. Obviously. But I'm also fine with Denmark. Margaret did a great job and 4th place is great! Positively surprised by Malta and Hungary's places in the top 10! Kinda expected this result for Germany. But not that bad. And definitely I didn't see Finland finishing in the bottom 5. I didn't expect a top 10 but a top 15. Sweden's 14th place is ok I guess but I think they deserved a top 10. Also surprised by Ireland's last place! Really? UK 19th... oh well... Emmelie won! Congratulations Denmark!

It's Copenhagen 2014 and I'm going! Don't know how but I am! I experienced some of the ESC this year. Two days and I almost got depressed when I had to leave Malmö. Next year I'm going. Period.

ESC 2013 - Semi-final 2 results

Now this is a "I don't know where to start" moment! Just wow! Loved the opening act! And I wanted to comment that on the first semi's post but I forgot to do it. Love the graphics this year. And the "post cards". And for some reason I really like that sound right before the playback of each song begins. Also, the way they announce the results. No stupid buttons (2009), no stupid "are you excited? who's gonna be next?" and such stuff. Quick announcement without any unnecessary comments. Well done on that!

Now the results.

Hungary
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Romania
Norway
Iceland
Armenia
Finland
Malta
Greece

I predicted right 6/10 which is bad. Shocker of the night in a positive way, Hungary. Shockers of the night in a negative way, Armenia and Romania! What are these two doing in the final? Huge shock on non-qualification, Israel! I can't believe Israel is out! I got 7/10 from my wantlist and Israel and Switzerland were the 2 out of 4 that I really wanted in the final. Norway and Finland made it. But I have to admit I almost got a heart attack until Finlands announcement! 8th! But Krista made it! I'm also happy for Malta!

I was glad to see Lys Assia back and healthy! Petra was awesome as always! Lynda Woodruff too! What a character! Hahahaha That thing with Bonnie Tyler cracked me up! The interval act with Darin and Agnes was like watching Melodifestivalen. I only loved Agnes' "Release Me".

Finally, I wanna make a comment on the history that Krista wrote tonight! The kiss! She did it and not only we saw it, but it was also a close-up! I just couldn't believe it!

iltasanomat.fi

10 years ago EBU warned t.A.T.u. that they'll play the dress rehearsal video if they try to kiss during the live performance and today, Krista kissed her backing vocalist! Kudos to her for daring to do it. I've said before I'm not a big fan of the "use" of the kiss but I really don't mind seeing it. ;)


And I just saw that the running order for the final is revealed! Norway performs 24th! Between Italy and Georgia and Finland performs 4th between Moldova and Spain. So yay to both! Denmark's at 18 between Hungary and Iceland so it's good for them too. France will open the contest. huhu I won't comment the rest. I really need to go to bed!

ESC 2013 - Semi-final 2

Quick post with my predictions and wishes.

Second Semi-Final

1. Latvia
2. San Marino
3. FYROM
4. Azerbaijan
5. Finland
6. Malta
7. Bulgaria
8. Iceland
9. Greece
10. Israel
11. Armenia
12. Hungary
13. Norway
14. Albania
15. Georgia
16. Switzerland
17. Romania

The 10 countries I think that will make it to the final are (random order):

Israel
Greece
Azerbaijan
Georgia
Norway
Finland
Switzerland
FYROM
San Marino
Malta

The 10 countries I want to see in the final are (random order):

Norway
Finland
Israel
Switzerland
Hungary
Malta
San Marino
Azerbaijan
Iceland
Greece

Yeah I only care about 4. These are Norway, Finland, Israel and Switzerland. I hope I have better luck with my favourites this time.

ESC 2013 - Rehearsals Day 6

Back from Malmö and Saturday's and yesterday's rehearsals are probably old news for you but I haven't watched anything yet. As I said I'm gonna comment on everything. So, Day 6, Day 7 and an extra blog post about my amazing weekend in Malmö!

DAY 6

Latvia - PeR - "Here We Go" (2nd rehearsal) 
Mmm ok... It's kind of a "mess". The same performance as in their NF but they walk down the catwalk, Ralfs does a fake stage dive and that's it. I see no final here.

San Marino - Valentina Monetta - "Crisalide (Vola)" (2nd rehearsal) 
Really good rehearsal! I like the staging and the outfit change isn't "too much". I think it's time for San Marino to make it to the final! But yeah, people will definitely go "no way she's the facebook song girl"! (social network song or whatever)

FYROM - Esma & Lozano - "Pred Da Se Razdeni" (2nd rehearsal)
Thank God they dropped the english version!!! But I will never like Esma. She ruins the song! The performance is simple just like their NF. Final? I don't know.

Azerbaijan - Farid Mammadov - "Hold Me" (2nd rehearsal)
Wow. Fokas Evangelinos! You want a top 5 spot? Hire him! I'm not a big fan of the song but that performance is amazing! The shadow man (kudos to him!!) is amazing. The way they made the entire performance is amazing! Azerbaijan is so in the final!

Finland - Krista Siegfrids - "Marry Me" (2nd rehearsal)
What a show! I think the Vegas backdrop fits perfectly but in EUROvision? Oh well, soft spot coz I adore the song. However, I don't like the new version. I wish she sang the first one. Now about the kiss. Well Krista you dare to do it, at least keep it for a few more seconds. :P Question. How far will the camera be when they'll kiss? ;) Or even better (worse?), will we see it on tv?

Malta - Gianluca - "Tomorrow" (2nd rehearsal)
I love so much the ending. All going and sitting on the bench. That's what I like the most in the music video and now they're doing it on stage. Apart from that, Gianluca walks down the catwalk before he goes back and sit with the others. During the entire song he just sways on stage. Simple performance but good. It's a cute song sung by a cute guy.

Bulgaria - Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - "Samo Shampioni" (2nd rehearsal)
I don't like it. The song is similar to "Voda" and at the same time nowhere near it. This is bad. The performance is nothing new. Elitsa is barefoot, they're walkind down the catwalk and they finish there. Aah I don't like the song so I can't really comment on the performance. Nothing interesting about it.

Iceland - Eythor Ingi - "Ég Á Líf" (2nd rehearsal)
Too simple but I like it near the end when the backing vocalists are coming on stage. And thank God he changed his outfit. Much better now.

Greece - Koza Mostra feat Agathon Iakovidis - "Alcohol Is Free" (2nd rehearsal)
I don't know what's their problem with the rehearsals. I saw them live at the Eurovillage and they were so much better. I hope it will be fixed by Thursday. I totally hated it when we picked it and today I caught myself singing it. Seeing them live made me like the song. We're definitely in final's top 10. It's too uplifting and there aren't any other songs like it. If only Agathonas wasn't there...

Israel - Moran Mazor - "Rak Bishvilo" (2nd rehearsal)
That outfit... :( Why? WHY? And the hairdo... She looks so much better in the music video. Why couldn't they make her look like that in the ESC? That's my only problem coz the rest are perfect. Love the song and she's great live!

Armenia - Dorians - "Lonely Planet" (2nd rehearsal)
I got so bored watching this. I really dislike the song. The performance is nothing much. The entire group on stage and some flames. No final dear Armenia.

Hungary - ByeAlex - "Kedvesem (Zoohacker Remix)" (2nd rehearsal)
I will be positively surprised if Hungary makes it to the final. I don't see it happening though... :/ ByeAlex, a guitarist and a female backing vocalist on stage. Nothing wow, no gimmicks but I like it. I think having a female backing vocalist was a great idea. She adds so much to the chorus. It sounds great!

Norway - Margaret Berger - "I Feed You My Love" (2nd rehearsal) 
Great great great! The camera work seems to be identical to the MGP performance! Hopefully they won't show the backing vocalists. This is perfect! Oslo 2014! Or Bergen or whatever! Norway 2014!

Albania - Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - "Identitet" (2nd rehearsal)
I only like the intro. But I think they'll make it to the final. It's a good performance. Quite powerful for such a song...

Georgia - Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - "Waterfall" (2nd rehearsal)
Ok now I think that this has chances for the final. I'm almost sure actually that they'll make it. I still find nothing special about the song but the performance is good!

Switzerland - Takasa - "You And Me" (2nd rehearsal)
I like that Sarah takes the lead in the second verse. In the studio version it's only Christoph who sings. Love their outfits but the performance is too static. I hope it won't cost them the final.

Romania - Cezar - "It's My Life" (2nd rehearsal) 
So many candidates for the Barbara Dex award this year! I like the fireworks at 2:24 but generally I can't stand the song and Cezars voice. His voice actually. Anyway, no final (I hope!).

ESC 2013 - Rehearsals Day 4

DAY 4

Greece - Koza Mostra ft Agathonas Iakovidis - "Alcohol Is Free" (1st rehearsal) 
I don't like what I hear. The vocals are really bad and I hope Ilias drops that "savage" voice. It's annoying. The performance looks identical to the NF one but they added some lights to their musical instruments.

Israel - Moran Mazor - "Rak Bishvilo" (1st rehearsal)
Why oh why are you wearing the NF dress Moran? Don't they read the negative comments about the styling? What are they thinking? Really! I'll try to overlook that even though it's impossible. Her vocals were great as always. Fix the styling PLEASE!

Armenia - Dorians - "Lonely Planet" (1st rehearsal)
Yeah definitely in my bottom 5. Why is he jumping like that? The outfits (if these are the stage ones) are ok. Nothing else to say here. Really.

Hungary - ByeAlex - "Kedvesem (Zoohacker Remix)" (1st rehearsal)
I like that they're using the music video of the song as backdrop. The performance is really simple but they sound really good. I like it!

Norway - Margaret Berger - "I Feed You My Love" (1st rehearsal)
I love that she kept the dress from MGP. However there are some minor changes on it. I have to say I don't really like the cut below the knee. I wanted the "caterpillar" dress! Hahaha Anyway this is great. I also don't like the backing vocalists. Sure they need them but I hope they hide them somehow. The focus should be Margaret and only Margaret! And I don't like that the backing vocalists are doing the same gestures as Margaret... Her vocals were ok-ish... At least that's what I heard but I'm not worried about that. I'm sure she'll sound great during the live performance.

Albania - Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - "Identitet" (1st rehearsal)
Another staging similar to the NF one. I don't like what I see and hear. Well probably because I don't like the song. Next!

Georgia - Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - "Waterfall" (1st rehearsal)
I don't like the song but I like the stage effects. And their outfits. But that's all...

Switzerland - Takasa - "You And Me" (1st rehearsal)
Simple outfits but for some reason I really like them! The staging is the one I was expecting. What else could they do? Yeah, I like it!

Romania - Cezar - "It's My Life" (1st rehearsal)
That was painful. Sorry but that's how it is. I don't like it. I will never like this one no matter how they present it. And Cezar's outfit is horrible.

ESC 2013 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "N", "R"

The Netherlands send Anouk with the song "Birds" written by Tore Johansson, Martin Gjerstad and Anouk Teeuwe.
Much much better than last year. Obviously. Anouk is a big name but the song is quite dark for the average viewer. I like it. It's not in my top 10 but I like it. I'm not so sure about making it to the final though...
The Netherlands competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #8.

7pts from me and good luck to the Netherlands!

 
Norway sends Margaret Berger with the song "I Feed You My Love" written by  Karin Park, Robin Lynch and Niklas Olovson.
My ultimate 12 pointer this year! WINNER!!! I think I said everything about Margaret's song. I don't know how well it will do because it's something completely new for the average ESC viewer. I'm hoping for the best!
Norway competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #13.

12pts from me and good luck to Norway!

Romania sends Cezar with the song "It's My Life" written by Cristian Faur.
Oh God! Why Romania? Why? 12 points last year, zero points this year! This is horrible! Just horrible! There were quite a few good songs in their NF this year and they picked this. So disappointed!
Romania competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #17.

0pts from me and good luck to Romania!

Russia sends Dina Garipova with the song "What If" written by Gabriel Alares, Joakim Björnberg and Leonid Gutkin.

This sounds so not russian! And it's positive actually. I like it! I'm not crazy about it but I like it! And Dina's accent is great! Really nice song! Maybe the lyrics are a bit cheesy but whatever. They deserve a spot in the final. I mean it will be such a shame if she stays out while the grannies made it last year!

Russia competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #6.

7pts from me and good luck to Romania!

A reason to keep hoping

I sent this to Margaret's page and to MGP's page right after Margaret won. A while ago I got this reply! So, fingers crossed then! :D

Norway 2013 - With Margaret Berger to Malmö

Photo: Mattis Sandblad

Thank you thank you thank you Norway!!! Margaret won!! I am extatic! "I Feed You My Love" is my ESC winner right now! Denmark dropped to no2!

There's only one thing they need to do now.

Dear norwegian delegation,
I am begging you to keep the performance the way it is now! Send it to Malmö WITHOUT changing anything. Keep the same staging, same lighting, same camera work, same dress, same hairdo... EVERYTHING!
It's so unique the way it is now! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!

We might even go back to Oslo next year! ;)

MGP 2013 - Qualifiers of first semi

So yeah. I got back from work at around 19:30 only to see on facebook several posts about MGP beginning in 20 minutes! I had totally forgotten about the first semi! I watched it but I got quite bored to be honest! Thank God Erik Solbakken was there! The songs were pretty meh. Some of them, horrible. Despite all that, I found a couple of songs that I kinda liked. They didn't make it of course!

• Vidar Busk - Paid My Way (3rd Place)
• Carina Dahl - Sleepwalking
• Tom Hugo - Det er du
• Gromth and Emil Solli-Tangen - Alone (1st Place)
• Julie Bergan - Give A Little Something Back
• Mimi Blix/Doc MC - Catch Me
• Datarock - The Underground (2nd Place)

I can't find Vidar's and Datarock's songs on youtube. Maybe they will take down "Alone" as well. I don't know if MGP has the same rules as Melodifestivalen. I suppose they do... Anyway the qualifiers are pretty bad. Maaaaybe Datarock have a little something but nah. Not my cup of tea. Didrik's little brother Emil didn't impress me. Actually I hate all that growling in the song! Which is not Emil's fault but overall I really don't like "Alone"! As for Vidar, such a crap song! Again, for my taste! I don't know if the rockabilly lovers like this. I don't!

If I had to pick the three qualifiers I'd send to the final Julie Bergan, Carina Dahl (I'm not sure she can sing live though. Her performance was like a pure playback!) and Tom Hugo. Mimi's song has a nice beat but the lyrics are... Well let's say I don't really like songs promoting sex in that way...

PS Sorry about the links guys. The synch is pretty bad but that's I could find on youtube right now. 

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 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 - Norway: Tooji - "Stay"

I still haven't heard a lot of the songs that got picked so far but there's a really big fuss about Tooji's "Stay" and I don't get that. Am I the only one who doesn't like this song and reminds me of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"? And it's kind of a Saade vol 2. So that means that Danny will be a Saade vol 3? Oh God! I knew we would have a lot of cases like this! As soon as something does well in ESC, you see lots of copies the next year...

ESC 2012 - Iceland's, Norway's and Hungary's entries

Iceland
So the expected happened. Gréta & Jónsi won with "Mundu Eftir Mér". Ok this grows on me but I still wanted Regina Ósk! :( However I think they made a good choice. I just hope they keep it in icelandic!


Norway
Tooji with "Stay" will represent Norway. This sounds soooo familiar! Nothing much for me. Maybe it will grow on me? I don't think so...


Hungary  
Compact Disco for Hungary with "Sound Of Our Hearts". A bit indiferent... They have a good draw in the semi but I don't know if this will help them.

ESC 2011 - Rehearsals Day 5

Day 5 and the first 13 countries of the 1st semi-final had their second rehearsal. These were Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia, Finland, Malta, San Marino and Croatia.

Poland's 2nd rehearsal: Well not so crazy about the clothes but ok. Another nice rehearsal for Poland. And I love the choreo. I just wanted Magda to sing the chorus in the end and not just some phrases and stuff. 

Norway's 2nd rehearsal: So Stella is keeping the same clothes she had in the norwegian NF but in different color. Well I like this! I like watching this performance coz it's a feel-good song. Not better than Spain's but I like it. And I like Stella too. The rehearsal was solid. No problem seeing them in the final!

Albania's 2nd rehearsal: Aurela is vocally great! All the times! No doubt she can sing. I like her dress but I was expecting something different. Oh and I so love the last chorus! When she switches to albanian! Great! Reminds me of Nilsson's (now Perrelli) reprise in 1999!

Armenia's 2nd rehearsal: Why is she skipping a part of the chorus? The first time she did it I thought ok she lost her breath but she did it 2 more times! Strange... I have a bad feeling that she will make it... Aaah "boom boom chaka chaka your kiss is like a like a"!!! Annoying, I'm making fun of it and as I said many times, I end up liking what I'm making fun of! :O And the clothes are fine after removing the boxing robes!

Turkey's 2nd rehearsal: I still don't get what the girl in the cage does on stage... And if these are the clothes they're gonna wear in the semi, well they are too simple I think. Vocally it was a really good performance.

Serbia's 2nd rehearsal: Love it! Love it! Love it!!! Nina is amazing! Her vocals are great! I got a bit dizzy with that backdrop but I hope it will look better with the camera work.

Russia's 2nd rehearsal: Vocally he was fine. I still think he has too many gimmicks. And I hate how he made fun of the serbian entry and Nina!! How professional! Well done Alexej! A homophobe and an ass!

Switzerland's 2nd rehearsal: Solid performance once again. I like it! 

Georgia's 2nd rehearsal: The vocals were much better than the first rehearsal! Something still bugs me in the chorus but I love the music and the verses.

Finland's 2nd rehearsal: I like the idea of his recycled shirt and now I understand why he's using that old guitar but come on. This is so Tom Dice! Everyone will say this! Vocally he is great. Well so was Tom!

Malta's 2nd rehearsal: The song grew on me a lot! But I don't like Glen... However he was good in the second rehearsal and the performance is nice.

San Marino's 2nd rehearsal: OK vocally she wasn't as good as she was in the first rehearsal but she explained why. The backing vocals were too loud I think and I don't like her dress. Are we looking to the Barbara Dex award here? Anyway, I like Senit! She's funny! :P

Croatia's 2nd rehearsal: No, no, no! Why Croatia? That was not good! Average performance as a whole. I still don't like the clothes trick even though the last change has become better. They all throw some glitter in the air and not only that DJ/magician. I really hope they can make it to the final because I adore the song... Fingers crossed!

ESC 2011 - Rehearsals Day 1

May 1st! Eurovision's rehearsals kicked off today. I am not able to follow them all day long so I will be blogging at the end of the day. I will try to blog every day but I can't promise anything.

10 countries rehearsed today and these were Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia and Finland.

I'll be using the videos from eurovision.tv youtube channel. 

Poland’s rehearsal: That was a solid performance. Magdalena's vocals are quite powerful and she sounded nice. I had a problem with the backing vocalists. They sounded a bit like they were bored. Especially the guy... Love the choreography too! So Poland's team have all the time they need to make their performance perfect until the big night!

Norway’s rehearsal: Well Stella sounded ok I guess and I like Norway's choreography too. It's a fun song but I don't understand how they put it as a winner... Backing vocals weren't so good... And can someone tell me if Stella will be wearing similar clothes as the ones she had in Norway's NF? Because she was wearing exactly the same in the rehearsal - just the color was different. Anyway...

Albania’s rehearsal: Really powerful vocals for Albania! Aurela sounded great! There's nothing much going on stage. Just a few flames for "wow-factor". I think Albania will make it to the final again. As I said I'm not into so screamy songs but Aurela can sing. I think they deserve a spot in the final.

Armenia’s rehearsal: I'm sorry but I laughed... The choreography is a bit ridiculous! And the choreographer is Emmy Zarian. She was responsible for Greece's choreo last year (I was surprised when I saw our dancers there at first but now I know!). And that boxing ring? Oh God! Hahaha but ok Emmy can sing. I would like the song if the chorus wasn't there. All I can do now is just laugh at the chorus which isn't a good thing since whatever I laugh at I end up liking it! :O :O :P

Turkey’s rehearsal: That was ok. I said I only like the chorus. Now I start liking the music as well. And what was that woman in that cage-ball. Like last year's robot? Nah she was out of place. Really no idea what she's doing there. The vocals were good though.

Serbia’s rehearsal: Loved it even more! That was great great great!!! Go Serbia!! I still wish they could have a live band and the 3 girls in the backing vocals but that would be above the limit (maximum 6 people on stage). But it's a playful choreo! And I think it fits the song. I also liked Nina's vocals so, so far so good!

Russia’s rehearsal: Jesus Christ! And then people keep nagging about Eric Saade's gimmick! This guy couldn't have more gimmicks than all these! Led walls, neon shoes, flashing jackets and the backflip a la Sakis Rouvas (Greece 2004). Oh please! Average song for me and he obviously had a problem with the sound. It was awful. Is this going to be a Russia-Sweden battle? ;)

Switzerland’s rehearsal: Pleasant performance. Time for Switzerland to make it to the final? There's nothing much going on stage. Anna and two musicians but I liked it. Her vocals were great. Nice... I don't think I have anything else to say. 

Georgia’s rehearsal: I love the music and the first verse but when we reach to the chorus it sounds so wrong. I wish they had a different chorus. Quite weak vocals and strange clothes... I don't know. Overall I'm in the middle... I don't like but I don't dislike it either...

Finland’s rehearsal: This is so Tom Dice... Bad sound for this one too... This is not one of my favourites but it's ok. For some reason I think he will qualify. Let's keep this just between us ok? I think it will be too unfair if a song like this qualifies! I really can't compare this to last year's "Työlki Ellää"!

So that was it for today! We're on people! :D

ESC 2011 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "L", "M", "N"

Latvia sends Musiqq with the song "Angel In Disguise" written by Marats Ogļezņevs.

I like it! I just wish they had a bit better accent. Not that it's the worst but...yeah whatever. Point is I like the song quite a lot. This is one of the few good songs this yearl Their voices remind me of Chad Kroeger's voice. Not a bad thing. I think Latvia will have a good result this year.
Latvia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #17.

7pts from me and good luck to Latvia!

Lithuania sends Evelina Sašenko with the song "C’est Ma Vie" written by Paulius Zdanavičius and Andrius Kairys.

Extremely boring for my taste! I don't like ballads! OK Evelina has a really nice voice but this is so boring! I really don't know what else to say.
Lithuania competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #17.

1pt from me and good luck to Lithuania!

Malta sends Glen Vella with the song "One Life" written by Fleur Balzan and Paul Giordimania.

Oh my God!! I listened to the song once when Malta chose it and I put it on now to comment it and first thing that came to mind was "oh she sounds like Anastacia"! I scroll down to Malta's topic at esctodayforum.com to get the composers' names and I see Glen's photo! (no I didn't pay any attention to his name at first! I just looked at Vella) Oh God! OK! Ehm not a terrible song but not a great one. It has its ups and downs.
Malta competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #11.

4pts from me and good luck to Malta!

Moldova sends Zdob şi Zdub with the song "So Lucky" written by Andy Shuman, Marc Elsner, Yagupov Roman and Mihai Gincu.

Comeback for Zdob şi Zdub. They did good in 2005 but this one sucks big time! Whenever they sing "so lucky" I hate it! It's so annoying! Especially with that accent! And generally I don't like the song!
Moldova competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #7.

0pts from me and good luck to Moldova!

Norway sends Stella Mwangi with the song "Haba Haba" written by Stella Mwangi, Beyond51 and Big City.

Alright this is a fun song but I really don't get why people want this to win! Seriously? Originally I gave it 3pts but it grew on me. However there's absilutely no way this will become my winner! It's gonna be just 3 fun minutes. Maybe 6 if she makes it to the final. Overall it's a summerish song with african elements like France's song last year. That's all my friends. Why such a hype about it?
Norway competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #2.

5pts from me and good luck to Norway!

ESC 2011 - The new version of Norway's "Haba Haba"

We got a new version of Norway's "Haba Haba". Personally I don't see any big difference with the old version... 

I am not a big fan of the song but I don't dislike it either. It's a fun song but definitely not a winner for me.