Great piece today on escnation exploding the classic 'the same countries qualify every year' myth. Not much I can add to it.
Meanwhile, poor Valentina. I take no pleasure in being right about San Marino's chances but that draw did it for her I think. Fine performance. I wonder if she will be able to console herself with coming close to the top ten and thus giving San Marino its best-ever result.
Friday 17 May 2013
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Second semi predictions. Sorry, Valentina...
Seems I should nail my colours to the mast about the second semi before the first semi tonight gives me a clue...
I am a Eurovision fan after all, which means I love a microstate, but I can't see San Marino making it out of this semi. I would love to be wrong but Valentina has suffered more than anyone else from SVT's decisions about running order, the staging looks iffy, and all this on top of the fact that this semi is in of itself hard to get out of.
All three Caucasian countries will be through. We know they are not immune to being ejected, but Armenia and Georgia have only ever failed when their entries are truly awful.
The three Scandinavians will also qualify. They are all easily strong enough and can give mutual support in the voting.
Which only leaves four slots.
Israel will make it I think. Looking at Israel's inconsistent qualification, we see that whenever they have sent a typical Israeli ballad, they have got through, whereas it has been their other entries, be they up-beat or out of left-field, that have failed to make the cut.
Greece. When has Greece ever failed? There are enough people watching semis for whom moustaches and chants about alcohol are enough to make them pick up the phone.
Bulgaria. I do not get this song at all, but somehow this same song back in 2007 was the only qualifier that Bulgaria has ever had, and then went on to come fifth, so I am assuming this appeals to the tastes of a sufficient portion of Europeans to make it into the final on Saturday.
And the final slot. I think this will be Romania. It is a terrifying entry but is going last and from a country that has never failed to qualify.
So in:
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Georgia
Iceland
Finland
Norway
Israel
Greece
Bulgaria
Romania
And out:
Switzerland. Could have stood a chance were it not so very bland.
Hungary. Borderline, actually.
Latvia.
Malta.
Albania
FYR Macedonia.
San Marino
I am a Eurovision fan after all, which means I love a microstate, but I can't see San Marino making it out of this semi. I would love to be wrong but Valentina has suffered more than anyone else from SVT's decisions about running order, the staging looks iffy, and all this on top of the fact that this semi is in of itself hard to get out of.
All three Caucasian countries will be through. We know they are not immune to being ejected, but Armenia and Georgia have only ever failed when their entries are truly awful.
The three Scandinavians will also qualify. They are all easily strong enough and can give mutual support in the voting.
Which only leaves four slots.
Israel will make it I think. Looking at Israel's inconsistent qualification, we see that whenever they have sent a typical Israeli ballad, they have got through, whereas it has been their other entries, be they up-beat or out of left-field, that have failed to make the cut.
Greece. When has Greece ever failed? There are enough people watching semis for whom moustaches and chants about alcohol are enough to make them pick up the phone.
Bulgaria. I do not get this song at all, but somehow this same song back in 2007 was the only qualifier that Bulgaria has ever had, and then went on to come fifth, so I am assuming this appeals to the tastes of a sufficient portion of Europeans to make it into the final on Saturday.
And the final slot. I think this will be Romania. It is a terrifying entry but is going last and from a country that has never failed to qualify.
So in:
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Georgia
Iceland
Finland
Norway
Israel
Greece
Bulgaria
Romania
And out:
Switzerland. Could have stood a chance were it not so very bland.
Hungary. Borderline, actually.
Latvia.
Malta.
Albania
FYR Macedonia.
San Marino
Friday 10 May 2013
Thursday 9 May 2013
Early predictions...
So rehearsals have begun in Malmö. Is anyone else missing the All Kinds of Everything team? I'm not sure what happened, but one day the website went off line and the blog hasn't been updated since Baku. A shame, as their coverage was great.
With AKOE no more, escnation gets my vote, for having some critical distance and irony. The others are all so earnest.
And so to predictions. Both semis are very hard to call this year, and the rehearsals so far haven't made it any easier.
In semi 1, I'm starting off with the assumption that Russia and Ukraine are invincible. If Russia could qualify from the dreaded number 2 slot with Lost and Forgotten, then I can't conceive of them failing to make the cut is year. Meanwhile, Ukraine has a song which I'm not crazy about but which follows the fail safe Ukrainian strategy of OTT staging and a dramatic tune, so no fear there.
I'm not mad about Denmark either but there is so much momentum behind this entry and it's not altogether terrible so my expectation is for Emellie to make it.
We have all of the FYRs bar Macedonia in this semi so it's a safe bet that a few of them will make it, but probably not all if previous years are anything to go by, and we know that not even Serbia is invincible, following Moscow 2009. I like Slovenia a lot but this country seems not to benefit too often from votes from fellow former countrymen and Hannah has a poor draw, so I fear she will be disappointed. Montenegro meanwhile may well have cracked it this year, with a song that will certainly stand out and that has had success in the region already. The Serbian entry is for me one of their worst ever, but that's a plum draw and it's upbeat so I think they'll make it.
With the eye-catching staging and actually a pretty good song, which sounds nice in Romanian, and with a good draw and a decent track record, I think we'll see Moldova in the final again.
I'm going to go out on a limb and plump for Cyprus. Spain managed top ten with a simple, powerful ballad not performed in English in 2012, thanks to the juries.
The Netherlands. In my opinion this is the best song in the competition. We know that the best song doesn't always win, and we know too that the Netherlands has an appalling recent record, but given that the juries are made up of music professionals, Birds really ought to be scoring very high with them, high enough even to counter a low televoting score.
Belarus. Eurovision's favourite authoritarian state struggles to get out of the semis, and I preferred the song that actually won the Belarus national final, but rehearsals seem to be going well for this mid-noughties throwback.
And finally, Estonia. It's a sweet song and Estonia's record isn't bad with ballads.
So, in:
Russia
Ukraine
Denmark
Serbia
Montenegro
Moldova
Cyprus
Netherlands
Belarus
Estonia
Out:
Slovenia
Austria
Lithuania
Belgium
Ireland
Croatia
Reading this back I am a) a bit depressed and b) uncertain. What do you think?
With AKOE no more, escnation gets my vote, for having some critical distance and irony. The others are all so earnest.
And so to predictions. Both semis are very hard to call this year, and the rehearsals so far haven't made it any easier.
In semi 1, I'm starting off with the assumption that Russia and Ukraine are invincible. If Russia could qualify from the dreaded number 2 slot with Lost and Forgotten, then I can't conceive of them failing to make the cut is year. Meanwhile, Ukraine has a song which I'm not crazy about but which follows the fail safe Ukrainian strategy of OTT staging and a dramatic tune, so no fear there.
I'm not mad about Denmark either but there is so much momentum behind this entry and it's not altogether terrible so my expectation is for Emellie to make it.
We have all of the FYRs bar Macedonia in this semi so it's a safe bet that a few of them will make it, but probably not all if previous years are anything to go by, and we know that not even Serbia is invincible, following Moscow 2009. I like Slovenia a lot but this country seems not to benefit too often from votes from fellow former countrymen and Hannah has a poor draw, so I fear she will be disappointed. Montenegro meanwhile may well have cracked it this year, with a song that will certainly stand out and that has had success in the region already. The Serbian entry is for me one of their worst ever, but that's a plum draw and it's upbeat so I think they'll make it.
With the eye-catching staging and actually a pretty good song, which sounds nice in Romanian, and with a good draw and a decent track record, I think we'll see Moldova in the final again.
I'm going to go out on a limb and plump for Cyprus. Spain managed top ten with a simple, powerful ballad not performed in English in 2012, thanks to the juries.
The Netherlands. In my opinion this is the best song in the competition. We know that the best song doesn't always win, and we know too that the Netherlands has an appalling recent record, but given that the juries are made up of music professionals, Birds really ought to be scoring very high with them, high enough even to counter a low televoting score.
Belarus. Eurovision's favourite authoritarian state struggles to get out of the semis, and I preferred the song that actually won the Belarus national final, but rehearsals seem to be going well for this mid-noughties throwback.
And finally, Estonia. It's a sweet song and Estonia's record isn't bad with ballads.
So, in:
Russia
Ukraine
Denmark
Serbia
Montenegro
Moldova
Cyprus
Netherlands
Belarus
Estonia
Out:
Slovenia
Austria
Lithuania
Belgium
Ireland
Croatia
Reading this back I am a) a bit depressed and b) uncertain. What do you think?
Monday 29 April 2013
Reliving the relief of de-Woganisation
The promise of a live rendition of Believe in Me led me to the podcast of Weekend Wogan yesterday. Boy did it bring back bad memories.
Leaving aside the moments of mumbling and fading away into nothing on the part of the host (which in itself reminded me of some of the commentary from his latter Eurovisions), it was depressing to hear churned out once again Sir Terry's tired remarks about our beloved Contest.
I don't know when the erroneously styled 'Mr Eurovision' first started saying that the 'rest of Europe' takes Eurovision 'seriously', but here he was again saying the same thing decades later. Really? The rest of Europe takes it seriously while the UK doesn't?
Where to begin? Maybe those oh-so-serious entries from Ireland, Estonia and Spain in 2008. Or the seriousness with which Poland, Italy, Andorra, Monaco and many more have flitted in and out of the Contest over the years. Even this year's hosts aren't taking it 'seriously': witness the appearance of Sarah Dawn Finer's alter-ego Lynda Woodruff at both Melodifestivalen and Eurovision last year and, in an even bigger role, in Malmö itself.
Meanwhile, the UK's non-serious approach has included us entering the competition every single year since 1959 (I think only Germany beats that), clearing the schedules of BBC3 for both semi-finals even though we're only obliged to watch the one we're voting in, and getting creative talents such as Bonnie Tyler and Andrew Lloyd Webber involved.
I don't know if it was ever true that the rest of Europe in general takes the Contest 'seriously'. Even in 1957 the Germans had a song involving singing into a telephone. The truth really is that the UK is no different to any other participating country: the level of enthusiasm fluctuates from year to year. Maybe it's also the case that all other countries also think the 'rest of Europe' both 'takes the Contest seriously' and has some kind of conspiracy against them.
The second old classic that Sir Terry wheeled out was the one about the countries 'east of the Danube' all voting for each other and by extension not for the UK. Because of course that is the choice: either vote for the former USSR and its satellites, or for the UK. Never mind the third option: vote for one of the other countries that have won Eurovision in recent years such as Germany, Sweden, Greece, Finland and Norway. I don't have the stats but the runaway victory of Sweden last year, along with the abject failure of the UK, cannot be put down to Ukraine and Russia voting for each other.
What frustrates me most as a fan is that Sir Terry must know all of this, but prefers even after all these years to trot out the same clichés. Poor old Bonnie didn't seem to know how to react.
Leaving aside the moments of mumbling and fading away into nothing on the part of the host (which in itself reminded me of some of the commentary from his latter Eurovisions), it was depressing to hear churned out once again Sir Terry's tired remarks about our beloved Contest.
I don't know when the erroneously styled 'Mr Eurovision' first started saying that the 'rest of Europe' takes Eurovision 'seriously', but here he was again saying the same thing decades later. Really? The rest of Europe takes it seriously while the UK doesn't?
Where to begin? Maybe those oh-so-serious entries from Ireland, Estonia and Spain in 2008. Or the seriousness with which Poland, Italy, Andorra, Monaco and many more have flitted in and out of the Contest over the years. Even this year's hosts aren't taking it 'seriously': witness the appearance of Sarah Dawn Finer's alter-ego Lynda Woodruff at both Melodifestivalen and Eurovision last year and, in an even bigger role, in Malmö itself.
Meanwhile, the UK's non-serious approach has included us entering the competition every single year since 1959 (I think only Germany beats that), clearing the schedules of BBC3 for both semi-finals even though we're only obliged to watch the one we're voting in, and getting creative talents such as Bonnie Tyler and Andrew Lloyd Webber involved.
I don't know if it was ever true that the rest of Europe in general takes the Contest 'seriously'. Even in 1957 the Germans had a song involving singing into a telephone. The truth really is that the UK is no different to any other participating country: the level of enthusiasm fluctuates from year to year. Maybe it's also the case that all other countries also think the 'rest of Europe' both 'takes the Contest seriously' and has some kind of conspiracy against them.
The second old classic that Sir Terry wheeled out was the one about the countries 'east of the Danube' all voting for each other and by extension not for the UK. Because of course that is the choice: either vote for the former USSR and its satellites, or for the UK. Never mind the third option: vote for one of the other countries that have won Eurovision in recent years such as Germany, Sweden, Greece, Finland and Norway. I don't have the stats but the runaway victory of Sweden last year, along with the abject failure of the UK, cannot be put down to Ukraine and Russia voting for each other.
What frustrates me most as a fan is that Sir Terry must know all of this, but prefers even after all these years to trot out the same clichés. Poor old Bonnie didn't seem to know how to react.
Monday 22 April 2013
Denmark. Really?
So Only Teardrops is still leading the betting, with Emmelie De Forest being awarded her gold disc in recent days and fans and predictions abounding that this is another Euphoria or Fairytale, such is the hype around Denmark's entry for Malmö,
Really?
Seems to me this song is the kind of portentous-sounding track with seemingly meaningful but actually meaningless lyrics that Eurovision fans get very excited about but that televoters and juries on the night don't go quite so crazy for.
Back in 1998, Finland were supposedly going to have their breakthrough year with Aava. It was so ethereal and dreamy, a departure for one of Eurovision's least successful nations, and completely different from everything else on show that year. What floaty costumes and unusual traditional instruments. A triumph for the Finns at last! Result: 15th place with 22 points.
In Stockholm, fans inclined towards these kinds of songs were all over Cyprus. Nomiza was all so dramatic. Flags flying and multi-layered costumes overloaded with white and silver silk (or polyester?). All that drumming, and it was in Greek (and Italian), and all seemed very meaningful despite most people not having a clue what it was about. Surely a surefire win! Result: 21st place with 8 points.
And just last year, what about Iceland? 'She mourns beneath a moonlit sky.' So deep and meaningful. Jónsi looking very moody. Rigid pacing around the stage. And of course a violin bit. This was the one to take it home to Reykjavik. A true 'fan favourite'. Result: 20th place with 46 points.
And so to this year. Lovely Emmelie. Barefoot. Doing that funny arm gesture. Lyrics that all sound very deep but ultimately defy interpretation. Boys in military-style outfits playing drums and tin whistles.
The comparisons with Loreen don't work when you actually listen to the song. If recent patterns are to continue - standard, commercial-sounding pop taking the trophy - then for my money it's more likely for Sweden to do the double than for Denmark to win with this.
Anyone with me?
Really?
Seems to me this song is the kind of portentous-sounding track with seemingly meaningful but actually meaningless lyrics that Eurovision fans get very excited about but that televoters and juries on the night don't go quite so crazy for.
Back in 1998, Finland were supposedly going to have their breakthrough year with Aava. It was so ethereal and dreamy, a departure for one of Eurovision's least successful nations, and completely different from everything else on show that year. What floaty costumes and unusual traditional instruments. A triumph for the Finns at last! Result: 15th place with 22 points.
In Stockholm, fans inclined towards these kinds of songs were all over Cyprus. Nomiza was all so dramatic. Flags flying and multi-layered costumes overloaded with white and silver silk (or polyester?). All that drumming, and it was in Greek (and Italian), and all seemed very meaningful despite most people not having a clue what it was about. Surely a surefire win! Result: 21st place with 8 points.
And just last year, what about Iceland? 'She mourns beneath a moonlit sky.' So deep and meaningful. Jónsi looking very moody. Rigid pacing around the stage. And of course a violin bit. This was the one to take it home to Reykjavik. A true 'fan favourite'. Result: 20th place with 46 points.
And so to this year. Lovely Emmelie. Barefoot. Doing that funny arm gesture. Lyrics that all sound very deep but ultimately defy interpretation. Boys in military-style outfits playing drums and tin whistles.
The comparisons with Loreen don't work when you actually listen to the song. If recent patterns are to continue - standard, commercial-sounding pop taking the trophy - then for my money it's more likely for Sweden to do the double than for Denmark to win with this.
Anyone with me?
Tuesday 26 March 2013
In defence of Elena Gheorghe
The BBC's Dr Eurovision's analysis of backing singers in Eurovision implies that Elena Gheorghe mimed along in Moscow in 2009 while her backing singer did most of the work. Unfair in my opinion. As one respondent already noted, the backing singer was actually harmonising. Maybe check out Greece's act from that same year and judge for yourself who is doing most of the singing.
I love Portugal's ubiquitous blonde backing vocalist from the '90s as much as anyone, but how in a survey of Portuguese backing singers can one overlook the moves thrown by the backing singers of 1989's Portuguese entry Conquistador?
Furthermore, how can one mention Eurovision and backing singers and completely exclude Israel? Where to even begin with a back catalogue of such slickly choreographed proportions? The sideways strut (coined by Wogan I believe); the backing singer who moves away from the group to share a line with the lead vocalist before giving him or her a complicit glance and then retreating; the arrowhead formation, always perfect. Hard to pick just one out of all of these but 1995 was textbook.
And even though their national final now allows - shock, horror - recorded backing vocals, the Swedes still have backing vocalists that would certainly give Israel a run for their money. Check out Charlotte Perrelli's from Belgrade.
And one of my all-time favourites: Ruth Jacott's backing singers in Millstreet. Enjoy - the audience in the Green Glens Arena certainly did.
I love Portugal's ubiquitous blonde backing vocalist from the '90s as much as anyone, but how in a survey of Portuguese backing singers can one overlook the moves thrown by the backing singers of 1989's Portuguese entry Conquistador?
Furthermore, how can one mention Eurovision and backing singers and completely exclude Israel? Where to even begin with a back catalogue of such slickly choreographed proportions? The sideways strut (coined by Wogan I believe); the backing singer who moves away from the group to share a line with the lead vocalist before giving him or her a complicit glance and then retreating; the arrowhead formation, always perfect. Hard to pick just one out of all of these but 1995 was textbook.
And even though their national final now allows - shock, horror - recorded backing vocals, the Swedes still have backing vocalists that would certainly give Israel a run for their money. Check out Charlotte Perrelli's from Belgrade.
And one of my all-time favourites: Ruth Jacott's backing singers in Millstreet. Enjoy - the audience in the Green Glens Arena certainly did.
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