ESC 2013 - Semi-final 1 Results

*Sigh...*

I didn't ask for much. I just wanted 4 countries in the final and I didn't really care about the rest. Only one made it. I got 8/10 (prediction) and 7/10 (wantlist). Those 3 that stayed out of the semi were my absolute favourites! Austria, sLOVEnia and Serbia. The 4th was Denmark. Well, in my overall top 10 Denmark is acutally higher than Serbia but whatever. Voted for Austria and sLOVEnia but... :/

Moldova
Lithuania
Ireland
Estonia
Belarus
Denmark
Russia
Belgium
Ukraine
The Netherlands

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania and Moldova please thank each other! And Belgium making it? Wow.

Pff... poor Natália and Hannah... I'm sad but since the 2011 thing with Dana these things don't affect me that much anymore...

Let's forget about the results for a while. The opening was good. I've seen it live in Melodifestivalen's final. Petra Mede was awesome! Even though I felt like she's trying too much to have a good english accent. I don't think she needs to do that. But she was awesome! The best hostess! Loved the video with the old entries! Lynda Woodruff! Simply amAYzyiiing! The interval act was boring. I wasn't really paying attention. And the australian video was also nice. I think that was all right?

Austria... :( sLOVEnia... :(

ESC 2013 - Semi-final 1

Less than one hour before the first semi (yay!) and it's time to guess the 10 finalists! So it's just a quick post.

First Semi-Final

1. Austria
2. Estonia
3. Slovenia
4. Croatia
5. Denmark
6. Russia
7. Ukraine
8. The Netherlands
9. Montenegro
10. Lithuania
11. Belarus
12. Moldova
13. Ireland
14. Cyprus
15. Belgium
16. Serbia

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

Austria
Denmark
Russia
Ukraine
Belarus
Moldova
Ireland
Serbia
Estonia
Lithuania

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

Austria
sLOVEnia
Denmark
Moldova
Serbia
Ireland
The Netherlands
Russia
Ukraine
Belarus

Please people vote for AUSTRIA and SLOVENIA!!!

ESC 2013 - Rehearsals Day 5

DAY 5

Austria - Natália Kelly - "Shine" (2nd rehearsal) 
The best way to open the ESC 2013 (the competing part, that is)! Love it! Everything about it! Simple but great! Natália's vocals are great. The backing vocals are great. The outfits are great. Yeah it stuck in my top 3 and there's absolutely no way that it will drop! Austria to win the semi and finish in final's top 3!

Estonia - Birgit - "Et Uus Saaks Alguse" (2nd rehearsal) 
And months later I kinda start to remember the melody but still, it's too forgettable. It just doesn't do anything to me. Another simple performance and this one is also good. The vocals are pretty good but I don't like the dress. At all.

Slovenia - Hannah Mancini - "Straight Into Love" (2nd rehearsal)
Aha. I liked what I saw. But I didn't really like what I heard. Hannah needs to improve her vocals when she's moving. And I don't like the sound in the arena. Of course it will be different on tv (thank God!) but now we can't really hear the playback. The bass. I have a problem with the dancers too. I want them to be more synchronized but that's easy to fix.

Croatia - Klapa s Mora - "Mižerja" (2nd rehearsal)
This feels like I've seen it so many times before. I don't like it. And I don't like their outfits. I know they said they're traditional outfits or whatever but I don't like them. The only good thing about this performance is their vocals.

Denmark - Emmelie de Forest - "Teardrops" (2nd rehearsal)
Identical to the DMGP performance. Even the backdrop. Nothing else to say. Go Denmark!

Russia - Dina Garipova - "What If" (2nd rehearsal)
The last 50 seconds are so cheesy! I don't like those big bulbs on stage but I like the "flying lanterns". They're cheesy too but I like them. Don't like Dina's outfit that much though.

Ukraine - Zlata Ognevich - "Gravity" (2nd rehearsal)
I'm sorry but that giant at the beginning will make everyone go "wtf?". What's the point really? And what's with the whole fairytale thing? I don't get it. Zlata's vocals were good. The outfit is ok I guess...

The Netherlands - Anouk - "Birds" (2nd rehearsal)
Love the outfit. I said it from the beginning. Simple and static performance. When we first heard the song many fans said that the Netherlands will make it to the final and finish in a good spot. I don't see this happening. Unfortunately. The song is too "bizarre" for the average viewer. Too dark and for some reason it feels like it lasts for too long. I kinda got bored in the first two minutes. And the whole performance doesn't really help the song...

Montenegro - Who See - "Igranka" (2nd rehearsal)
First of all, congrats for the Barbara Dex award! Secondly, I literally struggled to watch this until the end! Horrible! I seriously want to punch the screen when Nina sings the first lines. HORRIBLE!

Belgium - Roberto Bellarosa - "Love Kills" (2nd rehearsal)
What are you doing Belgium? Wrong outfits! Ridiculous choreo and in combination with those outfits it looks much much worse. And the worst part? The backing vocalists are also doing the dance routine! I think this ruins Belgium's chances. Such a shame because the song is much better than others in this semi. Poor Roberto.

Belarus - Alyona Lanskaya - "Solayo" (2nd rehearsal)
Alyona is too static. Yeah she does the choreo but she barely moves. A few steps to the left, then back at her original spot and that's it. Only the camera work can save it. Nothing special about the performance...

Moldova - Aliona Moon - "O Mie" (2nd rehearsal)
I couldn't stop thinking what the Azerbaijanis think about Aliona using the exact same gimmick as Sabina. Just one year later. Anyway, I really like the song but I think the performance is too much. Actually the length of the dress is too much. That's what bugs me. But generally, it's an ok performance. Really good vocals too.

Ireland - Ryan Dolan - "Only Love Survives" (2nd rehearsal)
I like it! Love Ryan's outfit (already said that) and I like the performance. It's good. Ireland is most likely in the final.

Cyprus - Despina Olympiou - "An Me Thimase" (2nd rehearsal)
Yeah now it's confirmed. Despina is alone on stage. Cyprus 2004 vibes anyone? Nah not a top 5 but why not make it to the final? Good draw, good vocals, ok song... You never know.

Lithuania - Andrius Pojavis - "Something" (2nd rehearsal)
He looks like he's bored to sing. And yes the performance and outfit are the same as in Lithuania's NF. No matter what, I don't like this.

Serbia - Moje 3 - "Ljubav Je Svuda" (2nd rehearsal)
Ok. I totally love the concept, the performance, call it however you want. I mean that Nevena is the ordinary girl, Mirna is the angel and Sara is the devil. Nevena is the confused girl and Mirna and Sara are trying to make her a good and a bad girl respectively. Love it! I still hate the outfits though! Bring back the NF ones! Yeah who am I kidding? Vocals were good, the draw is good. Final? Sure! Oh! Is it me or there was a lot of touching between Nevena and Mirna? Just saying... xD


Btw, I'm off to Malmö for the weekend (as I said in the first post) so no blogging tomorrow. I'll do it though sometime on Sunday when I get back. ALCAZAR and ESC tomorrow! :D

ESC 2013 - Rehearsals Day 1

The best period of the year! Rehearsals week and ESC week! I got my siblings here until Thursday so hopefully I will be able to blog every day. I have to. I want to. Then on Saturday I'm going to Malmö and I'm coming back on Sunday so I won't be able to blog about Saturday's rehearsals on Saturday but I will blog about them! 

Ok so the first rehearsals are closed for the press so the only videos are from eurovision.tv which are only 1,5' long and they show mostly backstage and mini interviews. It's not a lot to work with...

DAY 1

Austria - Natália Kelly - "Shine" (1st rehearsal) 

I really like what I see and hear! The 5 backing vocalists are pretty good. That "shine" that we hear while Natália is singing sounds like her voice! It's like a playback which is positive! It looks like they're wearing their stage outfits and if that's the case I like them! Nothing "too much". Natália sounded really good (at least in those 30 seconds) as usual. I have a good feeling about this!

Estonia - Birgit - "Et Uus Saaks Alguse" (1st rehearsal)

Ehm, ok. Still so forgettable. The performance looks simple and I don't like the dress. It doesn't look good on her. 3 backing vocalists and that's all. They all sounded good though.

Slovenia - Hannah Mancini - "Straight Into Love" (1st rehearsal)

First things first. Hannah confirmed that this is her outfit and that they recommended them to wear their stage outfits for the first rehearsal which means that Natália and Birgit are also wearing their stage outfits (obviously the rest of the artists too). I was at the uni all day and I was reading comments on facebook but I hadn't seen anything until now. Everyone was telling me that Hannah's outfit is horrible. I'm fine with it! I find it far from being horrible! So it's a green light from me. Vocally Hannah sounded good to me but I had some trouble listening to the music. Probably because of the camera in the arena. 

Croatia - Klapa s Mora - "Mižerja" (1st rehearsal)

Dislike to the outfits. And I still don't like the song. Vocally they're great. But that's all.

Denmark - Emmelie de Forest - "Teardrops" (1st rehearsal)

Almost identical to their DMGP performance. Even Emmelie's outfit looks the same. I know it isn't. Not much to say here. But I didn't really like the backing vocals... Maybe it's the sound in the arena...

Russia - Dina Garipova - "What If" (1st rehearsal)

The backing vocals are a bit disturbing. Like a hubbub. Dina's vocals are good. Not a fan of her outfit though. And those "bulbs" on stage... Hm...

Ukraine - Zlata Ognevich - "Gravity" (1st rehearsal)

How to (possibly) destroy your performance? Add a couple of Ukranian giants to your act. I really don't like that... But from the 30 seconds we see, it looks nice. I'm just worried about the giants... Zlata's vocals are good. And I like her dress.

The Netherlands - Anouk - "Birds" (1st rehearsal)

Hm... I'm afraid the performance is too simple for such a song. Just Anouk standing there... The song itself isn't enough. It's too dark for the ESC and even though it's in my top 20 (it took some time for it to enter my top 20) it might not make it to the final... Her vocals are great and I love the outfit! Anything black! Well ok, not anything but I love hers.

That's all for Day 1. Such a shame we don't have footage of the entire rehearsal... :/

ESC 2013 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "U"

Ukraine sends Zlata Ognevich with the song "Gravity" written by Mikhail Nekrasov and Karen Kavaleryan.
I kinda overlooked this. It's better than I thought. I'm not crazy about it but ok, I like it. I really like the music and Zlata's voice. However it feels like it never ends. 3 minutes and yet it sounds like it's much more...
Ukraine competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #7.

5pts from me and good luck to Ukraine!

United Kingdom sends Bonnie Tyler with the song "Believe In Me" written by  Desmond Child, Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide.
Last but not least, the UK! The biggest name of the year! Who would have thought that Bonnie Tyler would enter Eurovision! The song is not really my cup of tea but I'm ranking it much higher than many others! Maybe because it's Bonnie? I don't know... I'm really interested in seeing how the UK will do this year!
United Kingdom competes in the final. Running order TBA.

6pts from me and good luck to United Kingdom! 



And this is it! I'm done for the year. Next thing is my top 10 and I have to say that I changed my top 10 way too many times this year! Especially the ranking! It has never happened before!

ESC 2013 - Ukraine picked its song

Well, I watched the NF this morning but I turned it off once all the contestants performed. I didn't watch the voting part and I saw who won a couple of hours ago. Zlata Ognevich with "Gravity" is Ukraine's entry for 2013. At least for now. :P While I was watching her performance I gave her 1 point! I take it back! It grows on me! So it's definitely not an 1! I love the backing vocals! But I will give my points in April...

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 "T", "U"

Turkey sends Can Bonomo with the song "Love Me Back" written by Can Bonomo.
This is quite turkish which is a good thing coz that's the point of Eurovision. Sharing your culture, music, language (yeah I know it's in english). However I don't like the song. Totally not my cup of tea...
Turkey competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #13.

0pts from me and good luck to Turkey!

 
Ukraine sends Gaitana with the song "Be My Guest" written by Gaitana.
This song... it's another one that I don't know if I like it or not. I put it in my mp3 player but lately I skip it like the russian one... And I don't know if I want to see it in the final or not... :S Damn I can't make up my mind about this...
Ukraine competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #7.

3pts from me and good luck to Ukraine!

United Kingdom sends Engelbert Humperdinck with the song "Love Will Set You Free" written by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek.
Oh God this is such a huge snoozefest! Although I admit his voice sounds still good but I haven't heard him singing live so I don't know. And he's gonna open the final. Things can't get any worse for the UK...
United Kingdom competes in the final with running order #1.

0pts from me and good luck to United Kingdom! 



So this is it! All 42 songs are reviewed which means time to make my top 10! This year is extremely difficult for me to fit all my favourites in the top 10! And I know that this top 10 will be changing! Except for my top 4 which was ready weeks ago! ;)

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 "T", "U"

The Netherlands send 3JS with the song "Never Alone" written by Jaap Kwakman, Jan Dulles and Jaap de Witte.

Mediocre song. I prefer the dutch version but even that one isn't so good for my taste. However I remember watching the dutch NF and I wanted this one to win. Well I hope they finally make it to the final.

The Netherlands compete in the 2nd semi-final with running order #3.

4pts from me and good luck to the Netherlands!

Turkey sends Yüksek Sadakat with the song "Live It Up" written by Kutlu Özmakinacı and Ergün Arsal.

I didn't like this at the beginning but it grew on me. Still not one of my favourites and it won't be one of my favourites in the future. I just like the chorus quite a lot but unfortunately that's all. 

Turkey competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #5.

5pts from me and good luck to Turkey!

Ukraine sends Mika Newton with the song "Angel" written by Maryna Skomorohova and Ruslan Kvinta.

Hm...ok I like it. But it's not a song that I will listen to over and over again. It's too slow...but I really like it. It's a beautiful song and I like Mika's voice. I have it on repeat now (as I do with every song I comment) and it keeps growing on me. That's a good sign but whatever, I never vote! :P Hahaha Well I only voted in 2006 and 2008 but that's it. Never again (yeah yeah never say never).

Ukraine competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #6.

6pts from me and good luck to Ukraine!

United Kingdom sends Blue with the song "I Can" written by Liam Keenan, Ian Hope, Ben Collier, Ciaron Bell, Duncan James and Lee Ryan.

OK UK decided to take the contest seriously after Germany's victory last year. Blue for the UK! Honstestly I don't know any of their songs. I just knew that there's a group called Blue. But I like their song. Not a winner for me but it's one of the best in this year's edition. OK so they have Blue, they have the Olympics, they have the Royal wedding. UK is on the spotlight right now. Will they get the prize? Hope not. There are other songs that I like much more than this.

United Kingdom competes in the final with running order #14.

8pts from me and good luck to the United Kingdom!

So that was it! I'm done and I'm done right on time! On Sunday begin the rehearsals! Now we're talking! That's the most important. Screw the odds and bettings and stuff like this. It all comes down to the rehearsals.

Oh and if you have any problem with me putting the Netherlands to the countries beginning with "T" and not with "N", well I did that because when it comes to ESC I always write the Netherlands so I had to put the country in the "T"s.