ESC 2013: Portugal withdraws

At this point this is the worst news of the ESC 2013 I've heard! I don't even care about the organization or the new rules anymore! Portugal withdraws! The country that kicked out of my all time top 10 ESC countries the Netherlands! (Although I should really revise that top 10 sometime) I'm sad. And I really mean it! :( Very sad! And I know that Poland is also out and that there are rumors for Slovakia's withdrawal but I don't really care. Ok I care for Poland but not as much as Portugal!

During the last few weeks Portugal became a real favourite! Very close to Spain and Israel! I can't blame them though. They've been in the contest for 46 years and their best result so far is the 6th place in 1996 which also happens to be my favourite portuguese entry! Add to that the new stupid rules and their problems with economy and you have the reason why they're out!

I've been checking groups on facebook, friends' statuses, euroforums... Every single eurofan is shocked and sad by this decision! No surprise there...

Volta, Portugal! :'( Hope to see you back in 2014!

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 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 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "N", "P", "R"

The Netherlands send Joan Franka with the song "You And Me" written by Joan Franka and Jessica Hogeboom.
What ruins the song for me is Joan's voice. I don't like her voice. And because of that I don't listen to the song even though it has a nice melody. What's wrong with the Netherlands lately? I hope next year they will be wise enough to send Miss Brandi Russell! She sent 4 great songs and they rejected all of them. Shame...
The Netherlands competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #3.

1pt from me and good luck to the Netherlands!

 
Norway sends Tooji with the song "Stay" written by Tooji, Peter Boström and Figge Boström.
I don't like this. I don't like the music of "Stay". And I guess I'm one of the few that don't like it. Plus, it reminds me a bit of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" (just a part). And I have a feeling that this will end up like "Haba Haba" but I hope it won't...
Norway competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #16.

3pts from me and good luck to Norway!

Portugal sends Filipa Sousa with the song "Vida Minha" written by Andrej Babić and Carlos Coelho.
I kinda like the chorus but the song as a whole is indifferent. But I'm glad that Portugal once again sends an entry in portugese! I like Filipa's voice and she can sing live so that's a good thing but I don't see this going well for them this year either...
Portugal competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #6.

3pts from me and good luck to Portugal!

Romania sends Mandinga with the song "Zaleilah" written by Costi Ioniţă, Secada Dihigo Omar and Ionescu Elena.
In my top 3!!! :D This makes me so happy! Love it, love it, love it, LOOOOOVE IT!!! And it's in spanish!!! <3<3<3 Needless to say that this became my all time favourite romanian entry! Also needless to say that I listen to the 3:40-minute version (but they need to fix the intro in this one :P). LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! And I love MANDINGA!!!!! They are amazing!!!
Romania competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #6.

12pts from me and good luck to Romania!

Russia sends Buranovskiye Babushki with the song "Party For Everybody" written by Viktor Drobych and Olga Tuktaryova.

12pts to the cute granny! But she's not enough to make me give 12pts to the song! I don't know if I like it or not! I think I like it but lately I skip it when it comes to the playlist... Pff I don't know...

Russia competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #14.

5pts from me and good luck to Romania!

ESC 2011 - Rehearsals Day 6

Got my laptop back! They installed new windows in swedish and I'm a bit lost here. That's why I'm so late! Let's get to work!

So today rehearsed the rest of the countries of the 1st semi and these were Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Greece.
Also some countries of the 2nd semi. These were Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine and Moldova.

Iceland's 2nd rehearsal: Again, great rehearsal from Iceland. The song is growing on me day after day. I want them in the final!

Hungary's 2nd rehearsal: Kati's answer to all who said she can't pull it off live! Got your answer guys! She rocked the stage! She ain't gonna be Kate Ryan of 2011! The second rehearsal was much better than the first! Way to go Kati! Of course I would like her to dance a bit but then she would have problem with the vocals. Well, we can't have everything in life right?

Portugal's 2nd rehearsal: Seriously Portugal! What were you thinking when you voted for this? Ok it's not a joke entry but it's so weird! Sorry I don't like it. Their vocal performance is ok though...

Lithuania's 2nd rehearsal: Great vocals but boring song! Nothing more to say...

Azerbaijan's 2nd rehearsal: Much much better than the 1st rehearsal! Their chances of seeing the final are back! I liked their clothes. Good job!

Greece's 2nd rehearsal: Stereo Mike is so annoying! Loukas was great once again. I still hate our entry though!

Bosnia & Herzegovina's 2nd rehearsal: They said that they didn't need to rehearse coz their are fully pleased with their first rehearsal. Last time we heard something like that was from the serbian entry in 2007. You know what happened next! You don't?! Then why on earth are you reading this blog? They won!

Austria's 2nd rehearsal: Nice vocals, boring song.

The Netherlands' 2nd rehearsal: I don't like his clothes... I was expecting something else... Vocally he was good. I like it.

Belgium's 2nd rehearsal: I can't believe I'm enjoying this! I hated that entry and I start liking it. But not the studio version! Just their live performance.

Slovakia's 2nd rehearsal: I like their clothes. And their vocals... But I still think that song is mediocre. So american in a bad way...

Ukraine's 2nd rehearsal: Oh why Mika? What kind of dress is this? You really want that Barbara Dex don't you? But I really like the song! Yes, it's a ballad which means it won't be on my repeat list but I like it!

Moldova's 2nd rehearsal: Annoying! Just annoying! Sorry Moldova!

That was it for today. I didn't make so many comments... I'm quite tired and I have to take care of my laptop. Re-installing programs and stuff. Looking forward to tomorrow's rehearsals! Especially Israel's, Bulgaria's, Sweden's and of course the 1st rehearsals for the Big 5!

ESC 2011 - Rehearsals Day 2

Today rehearsed the last 9 countries of the 1st semi-final and these were: Malta, San Marino, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Greece. Let's take a closer look.

Malta’s rehearsal: I'm not so impressed. I think vocally he sounded ok but I don't see Malta in the final. They don't have the support they need from their neighbours and the song isn't strong enough. OK choreography, even though it seemed a bit strange to me having two guys making some moves that they would normally make if the singer was female. I think it would be better with two female dancers... Anyway...

San Marino’s rehearsal: I really start enjoying San Marino!! Really solid performance and nice live vocals. Still not a song that I will play over and over again but I will definitely enjoy it during the semi-final. I really like the verses but something in the chorus bugs me. Overall good job!

Croatia’s rehearsal: I have some objections here... Don't like the DJ/magician and changing the dresses in that way isn't needed imo. They could have found better tricks. No one can beat Marie N (Latvia 2002) on that trick. That was the ultimate changing-clothes trick. From a "man" she became a woman. Just changing from a dress to another dress is pointless. It's not the best magician contest! Changing one dress aaah fine. But two? I really hope it's not gonna be Belarus 2005 all over again! Loved that song but I like Croatia's song more. Anyway, her vocals sounded good in my ears but I think the artists don't give their 100% and that's normal. It's the first rehearsal. They get to know the stage, checking any sound problems etc. I really hope those tricks won't work against Daria! She deserves a top 10!

Iceland’s rehearsal: Looking good! Really enjoyable and pleasant performance by Sjonni's Friends. He should be proud up there. The song started growing on me and I don't mind seeing them in the final but I still think Yohanna was a better choice. It was just a sympathy vote for Sjonni's sake...

Hungary’s rehearsal: She pulled it off!! :D Our biggest concern was her live singing and she sounded good! GO KATI!! Some minor problems for the backing vocalists but it was the 1st rehearsal! They can improve that!! They'd better fix that! I really don't get why so many negative comments about Hungary's rehearsal. And especially about Kati's vocals. I loved it! I know the 2nd rehearsal will be better! 

Portugal’s rehearsal: What was that? I'm sorry Portugal but I can't do anything but laugh! OK I appreciate the fact that you wrote your song's title in greek and other languages but that won't make me vote for you. This was a mess. Almost a joke entry. I love the 5 first seconds of the song until they start singing. And generally I like this traditional music that Portugal sends from time to time. I love 2009’s entry but this one, I'm sorry!

Lithuania’s rehearsal: Is it just me or her vocals were perfect? Still not enough to impress me coz I found the song extremely boring for my taste. And she uses the sign language which seemed a bit awkward but nice move at the same time.

Azerbaijan’s rehearsal: Wow what a weak performance! Their vocals sounded quite bad! If they don't improve them they might have trouble making it to the final. I gave 6pts to the song but now I give it 4. Not because of the rehearsal but I'm not as excited as I was from the first listening. 

Greece’s rehearsal: OK the sound is really bad. I really can't understand what Stereo Mike sings but Loukas sounds great. I had no doubt that he can sing live but I still don't like our song. Too greek backdrop hahaha but it fits the song. Well not the rap part. I still wonder why they mixed zeimpekiko with rap! Awful combo!

ESC 2011 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "P", "R"

Poland sends Magdalena Tul with the song "Jestem" written by Magdalena Tul.

Finally Poland! Finally!! A fantastic song! I love it and it's in polish! Love it when people sing in their language. To many of you this will probably sound like typical-eurovision song but that's why I love it! Hehe

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

12pts from me and good luck to Poland!

Portugal sends Homens da Luta with the song "Luta É Alegria" written by Jel and Vasco Duarte.

During the first ten seconds I said "oh this is gonna be amazing" but then they started singing and I was like "what the fuck is this?". Generally I like the traditional music Portugal sends almost every year but not this one! Sorry!

Portugal competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #16.

1pt from me and good luck to Portugal!

Romania sends Hotel FM with the song "Change" written by Gabriel Băruţă and Alexandra Ivan.

The third song with the message "save the world". OK song, nothing much. Another 3 pleasant minutes but that's all. I'd like to listen to this twice so I hope they make it to the final. I like it.

Romania competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #14.

6pts from me and good luck to Romania!

Russia sends Alexej Vorobjov with the song "Get You" written by RedOne and Jack Lucien.

So Russia competes with RedOne. Sorry but RedOne’s song that competed in Sweden's Melodifestivalen was miles better! This is so mediocre! Not a bad song but not a great one either... But I'm afraid Russia will do well because well, it's Russia! If you know what I mean. ;)

Russia competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #7.

5pts from me and good luck to Russia!