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 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 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "S"

San Marino sends Valentina Monetta with the song "The Social Network Song (Oh Oh - Uh - Oh Oh)" written by Ralph Siegel, Timothy Touchton and José Juan Santana Rodriguez.
What is this San Marino? Seriously? It's just horrible and meaningless! I absolutely have nothing to say here. Just that they won't make it to the final. For sure.
San Marino competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #11.

0pts from me and good luck to San Marino!

Serbia sends Željko Joksimović with the song "Nije Ljubav Stvar" written by Željko Joksimović, Marina Tucaković and Miloš Roganović.

Such a beautiful song by Željko once again. To be honest I wasn't so excited the first time I listened to this but now I really like it! And I think it's a great opening for the second semi!

Serbia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #1.

8pts from me and good luck to Serbia!

Slovakia sends Max Jason Mai with the song "Don't Close Your Eyes" written by Miroslav Šmajda.

Oh God! So not my cup of tea. I don't like this at all! Metal/rock fans probably will love it but not me. It's good to see different genres in ESC but those will be three minutes I won't enjoy.

Slovakia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #15.

0pts from me and good luck to Slovakia!

Slovenia sends Eva Boto with the song "Verjamen" written by Vladimir Graić and Igor Pirković.

Lovely sLOVEnia! Great and beautiful song! Even though it was my second favourite! I wanted "A Si Sanjal Me" for Slovenia! It's soooo slovenian and I adore it! But as I said I also love Verjamen. Eva is a good live performer so I expect Slovenia to make it to the final once again!

Slovenia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #9.

8pts from me and good luck to Slovenia!

Spain sends Pastora Soler with the song "Quédate Conmigo" written by Thomas G:son, Erik Bernholm and Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson.

Hahahaha! What do you want me to say here? THIS IS MY WINNER!!! Yeah it was (and sometimes still is) between Sweden and Spain this year but aah no! It's Spain! It is SPAIN! I won't say the Pastora story again. Just read all the posts about her and you'll understand... Just make sure you vote for Spain this year! This deserves at least a top 5 if not a top 3!

Spain competes in the final with running order #19.

12pts from me and good luck to Spain!

Sweden sends Loreen with the song "Euphoria" written by Peter Boström and Thomas G:son.

And here I present you the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012! Again, what do you want me to say here? The regular readers I'm sure remember that 99% of all posts regarding Melodifestivalen 2012 ended with the phrase "LOREEN TO BAKU!!"! So that's it! Loreen is going to Baku and will return with the 1st prize! Oh yes, and she will break Rybak's record! Word. ;)

Sweden competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #11.

12pts from me and good luck to Sweden!

Switzerland sends Sinplus with the song "Unbreakable" written by Gabriel Broggini and Ivan Broggini.

When Switzerland chose this back in December I never thought it would become one of my favourites! A bit bad accent in english but I think that "adds" to the song for some strange reason. I really like Switzerland this year!!

Switzerland competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #9.

10pts from me and good luck to Switzerland!

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 3

Really not in the mood to blog about the rehearsals today and I won't be in the mood until I get my laptop back and until I hear the good news that my files are recovered... Anyway I have to do this...

So Day 3 and the countries that rehearsed today are: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Blegium, Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova, Sweden and Cyrpus.

Bosnia & Herzegovina's rehearsal: Wow actually! That was really nice!! And the song starts growing on me! Dino's vocals were amazing! And the performance in general looks nice. Simple but nice. Good job B&H even though you are not a winner for me.

Austria's rehearsal: Fantastic backing vocals!!! Finally! So far Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina have the best backing vocals! Nadine sounded really nice but I still find the song boring! Not a qualifier. At least not for me...

The Netherlands' rehearsal: Backing vocals were too loud I think but overall it was a solid performance. I don't think they will have problems when it comes to their performance at the big night.

Belgium's rehearsal: I can't believe I'm gonna say this for a song I gave 0 points to but I enjoyed their performance! :O And that break down they do about 45 seconds before the end of the song is really great! I loved it! But still I don't enjoy listening to the studio version. I need to see them so I can listen to the song.

Slovakia's rehearsal: Another solid performance but I don't like the song so much. It's a bit boring for my taste... But the TWiiNS are quite nice.

Ukraine's rehearsal: I liked it a lot!!! And they have on stage Kseniya Simonova who does those incredible things with sand! She presented Ukraine's entire history by drawing it with the sand. I thought they just put the video in the backdrop but she was actually on the stage! I noticed her in the last few seconds of the video! So to those who said that the greek backdrop is the best, just watch Ukraine's!!

Moldova's rehearsal: What did my poor eyes and ears watch and hear? That was awful! And couldn't they find taller hats? I could barely see them! I don't want them to the final!

Sweden's rehearsal: I read somewhere that Eric was sick but still he can't pull this off live. The backing vocals are also pretty bad and the dancers aren't as good as the original ones (only one dancer is from Melodifestivalen). I'm afraid it's all down to the show Sweden. Can we please bring back Loreen? Please?

Cyprus' rehearsal: Unbelievable! The second song that I gave 0 pts and I enjoyed watching it! What's wrong with me? Great vocals by Christos and really great backing vocals! Especially from the girl. But I really don't know what she's doing with that ball... And I know (and hope!) she won't be wearing these shoes in the semi but I had to commend them! xD

ESC 2011 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "S"

San Marino sends Senit with the song "Stand By" written by Radiosa Romani.

San Marino returns with an average song. It's definitely not a bad song but not a winner either. I kinda like it but I will get bored of it by the end of Eurovision. At least this time San Marino will get some points from Italy. ;)

San Marino competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #12.

4pts from me and good luck to San Marino!

Serbia sends Nina with the song "Čaroban" written by Kristina Kovač.

Ooh I love this!! Words that came to mind with the first listening: oldies, retro, '60s! It's fantastic and in serbian! Wiie! I listened to the song and I immediately brought a picture of how I would like to see this in ESC. Nina with a band on stage and 3 girls on the backing vocals. Unfortunately this is not possible since they will need more than 6 people to do something like this. But from what I read they're planning to do something like this. I really hope for a top 10, if not top 5!

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

12pts from me and good luck to Serbia!

Slovakia sends TWiiNS wit the song "I’m Still Alive" written by Bryan Todd, Sandra Nordstrom, Brano Jancich.

Sorry Slovakia but this sounds like a typical average/bad american song. Not the worst in the contest but really I don't see anything here. But I definitely prefer this one over Irealnd's twins! At least it has nice lyrics but not my taste. Really.

Slovakia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #5.

3pts from me and good luck to Slovakia!

Slovenia sends Maja Keuc with the song "No One" written by Matjaž Vlašič and Urša Vlašič.

Ah one of my top 10 countries in Eurovision's history! And finally after a so-so song in 2009 and a real disaster in 2010 they're back with a great great song! No Maja wasn't my favourite in Slovenia's NF. She was actually my third favourite behind April and Nina Pušlar but I'm totaly fine with Maja. I was (well I always am) against the song's translation from slovenian to english but this is one of the rare cases that it actually worked. So this has to make it to the final.

Slovenia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #13.

12pts from me and good luck to Slovenia!

Spain sends Lucía Pérez with the song "Que Me Quiten Lo Bailao" written by Rafael Artesero Herrero.

The ultimate feel-good song of this year's edition! And I have to say that when Spain chose this I couldn't give it more than 5 points. It has grow on me a lot since then! And they removed the "para churu churu" part from the original version. I really disliked that part but sometimes I actually miss it! Hahahahaha I was made fun of it and whenever I do something like that I start liking it! Just as I did to "Algo Pequeñito" last year. I was making fun of the "ooohooh" (or however you spell these phonetics :P) and I ended up liking the song! Anyway...

Spain competes in the final with running order #22.

12pts from me and good luck to Spain!

Sweden sends Eric Saade with the song "Popular" written by Fredrik Kempe.

I can say a lot about Sweden and Melodifestivalen since it's the NF I watch every year and I know all the details about (compared to the other NFs of course). Sweden had much better songs and for once again, a winner among them. Story of my life! Sweden chose the wrong song again. OK "Popular" is a really catchy song and Eric is a good looking guy. He will get votes from the teen girls but let's face it. They lyrics are really bad! And Eric has trouble singing live while dancing like this. And now that he won't have pre-recorded vocals in ESC the song will sound a lot different than in MF.

Sweden competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #8.

8pts from me and good luck to Sweden!

Switzerland sends Anna Rossinelli with the song "In Love For A While" written by David Klein.

Nice song with a nice melody. Not a song that it will be on my repeat list but I will enjoy it and I don't mind seeing this to the final. I also like Anna's voice and of course the "na na na" part. Hehe

Switzerland competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #8.

5pts from me and good luck to Switzerland!