Well with 7 months and 3 days to go before the 54th Eurovision song contest in Oslo we have 28 definate attendees and 2 definate not going, 3 definate not returning and 2 possible not going........ How confusing does that sound???
Ok so those withdrawing from 2010 are:-
Czech Republic - apparently due to lack of interest from the viewers.
Hungary - due to financial problems within MTV the National Broadcaster.
2 Possibles in not going are:-
Estonia - due to financial troubles in ERR the National Broadcaster
Lithuania - due to financial troubles in LRT the National Broadcaster
Definately not returning:-
Austria - Still not convinced that the voting problems have been sorted
Monaco - No Money
Luxembourg - No Money
The 28 who have said yes are:-
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Denmark
Finland
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Israel
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Possible returns could be in line for San Marino who withdrew in 2009.
Watch this space for more updates.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Friday, 20 March 2009
44 Years Ago Today
Was the the night that France Gall won the 10th Eurovision Song Contest which was held in the RAI Concert Hall in Naples, Italy. This is one of the earliest contests that I have on DVD and I actually watched it a couple of nights ago. I have to say that for me it is not a classic contest and I like the winning song "Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son" but still think that Kathy Kirby and her song "I Belong" was actually better in a lot of ways on the night and was by far the most polished performance of the evening. However the night belonged to France Gall singing for Luxembourg and winning the contest for the tiny Duchy for the second time. Luxembourg won the contest by 6 points from United Kingdom which does not really seem a great deal but at the time it was a landslide victory and one that France Gall had held from the very first vote was cast by the Dutch Jury.
The Top 5 of 1965:-
1. Luxembourg - France Gall Singing Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son
2. United Kingdom - Kathy Kirby singing I Belong
3. France - Guy Mardel singing N'Avoue Jamais
4. Austria - Udo Jurgens singing Sag Ihr, Ich Lass Sie Grussen
5. Italy - Bobby Solo singing Se Piangi, Se Ridi
The Top 5 of 1965:-
1. Luxembourg - France Gall Singing Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son
2. United Kingdom - Kathy Kirby singing I Belong
3. France - Guy Mardel singing N'Avoue Jamais
4. Austria - Udo Jurgens singing Sag Ihr, Ich Lass Sie Grussen
5. Italy - Bobby Solo singing Se Piangi, Se Ridi
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Second Semi Final - My Thoughts
After listening to the first semi final for this years Eurovision Song Contest in the order of performance I thought that I had better do the same with the Second Semi Final, which with the countries involved you would think is the stronger of the 2, however I don’t think it is.
Croatia start the proceedings off with another haunting folky type ballad and I think it works, this is for me their best entry in several years. For me this is the second best entry from the former Yugoslav republics behind Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Next we move to Ireland and after a blooming great turkey of a song last year they seem to be back on track and have sent what I think is an absolute corker of a song and a very Kelly Clarkson sounding song, I am not sure this is an overall winner but definately think a spot in the final is on the cards for the most successful Eurovision country. However the downfall for Ireland is they are singing second!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Latvia come next and it reminds me slightly of Arnis Mendis and his 2001 entry, the only difference is I liked that one and I can’t warm to this song at all. Maybe it will get some Baltic votes.....well of course it will Lithuania and Estonia are both in this Semi Final too!!
For me song number 4 is one of the worst this year and after a couple of absolute corkers Serbia have hit rock bottom with this gimmick song, I cannot even see them qualifying for the Final.
The 5th song is the Polish ballad which to me just seems to get better and better every time I hear it. I loved Isis Gee in 2008 and felt that her song deserved to be a lot higher than joint last in the final, but I think this could do it.
The only downfall for the Polish singer is that they have to contend with the big favourite from Norway singing right after her. For the second year running Norway could actually be in the running for the top spot. Lots of fiddles and folky type music...again for me I cannot see why this song will not qualify!!
Cyprus one of the big under achievers in Eurovision sing 7th with quite a nice mid tempo ballad, unfortunately as much as I like this song I just cannot see it qualifying however I think a guaranteed 12 points from Greece may be on the cards!!!
Slovakia are back in the Eurovision family with their first entry in 11 years with a mid tempo ballad but somehow it just doesn’t work and if their live performance is anything to go by then they will be all over the place on the night.
However following the Slovakian entry we now go into a group of 7 songs which could all in theory qualify for the final. Starting with Denmark and a song written by Ronan Keating from Boyzone which is sung by a man who sounds like Ronan Keating too but its not!!!!
Slovenia have gone for something which I call Classical pop and something they have done before in 2007, a long instrumental leads to some powerful female vocals which could see a final spot on the horizon.
Hungary have gone for a total cheese fest with their entry and following 2 other singers who for one reason or another could not perform their respective songs could sneak into the final with this one, however I don’t think it will reach the heights of their 2007 entry.
The country to sing next is in my opinion the best entry this year from the former Soviet Republics and also a hot tip with the bookies......... Azerbaijan have sent a fantastic uptempo song with a big Latin influence and one that could appeal to the masses.
Another of the big favourites follows and that is Greece and you can’t under estimate the presence of their singer, not as good as 2004 entry but I am sure it will be in the final, especially with their 12 points from Cyprus!!
Lithuania have gone for a lovely ballad and in my opinion an under rated song and one that could do very well for the little country that doesn’t do very well.
Moldova have sent a dong which I hated to start with but the more I listen to it the more I love it and another that could suprise us on the night of the semi final!! Dancy, gimmicky and with a good performance could do well!
The first song confirmed for Moscow was from Albania, but unfortunately their is just no soul to this song for me...not nearly as good as last years entry and therefore Im not so sure it will be in the final.
Well Ukraine sing next and im sorry but after the past couple of years was expecting a lot more and have ended up being very disappointed, after finishing 2nd for the past 2 years I can’t even see them getting out of this semi final..... for me this is just abysmal.
Estonia sing last but one in this semi final with their best entry in years and I think will be the one to lift them out of the semi finals for the first time since they were introduced, another dark horse for the top spot of the grand final and in the same league as Slovenia but better.
Ending the 2nd semi final will be The Netherlands who over recent years have not done as well as they should have done, Grace, Edsilia and Hind unfortunately could not get them out of the semi final stage and Im sorry I just cannot see it happening here either.
So my 10 from here to the Final are:-
Norway, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia
Croatia start the proceedings off with another haunting folky type ballad and I think it works, this is for me their best entry in several years. For me this is the second best entry from the former Yugoslav republics behind Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Next we move to Ireland and after a blooming great turkey of a song last year they seem to be back on track and have sent what I think is an absolute corker of a song and a very Kelly Clarkson sounding song, I am not sure this is an overall winner but definately think a spot in the final is on the cards for the most successful Eurovision country. However the downfall for Ireland is they are singing second!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Latvia come next and it reminds me slightly of Arnis Mendis and his 2001 entry, the only difference is I liked that one and I can’t warm to this song at all. Maybe it will get some Baltic votes.....well of course it will Lithuania and Estonia are both in this Semi Final too!!
For me song number 4 is one of the worst this year and after a couple of absolute corkers Serbia have hit rock bottom with this gimmick song, I cannot even see them qualifying for the Final.
The 5th song is the Polish ballad which to me just seems to get better and better every time I hear it. I loved Isis Gee in 2008 and felt that her song deserved to be a lot higher than joint last in the final, but I think this could do it.
The only downfall for the Polish singer is that they have to contend with the big favourite from Norway singing right after her. For the second year running Norway could actually be in the running for the top spot. Lots of fiddles and folky type music...again for me I cannot see why this song will not qualify!!
Cyprus one of the big under achievers in Eurovision sing 7th with quite a nice mid tempo ballad, unfortunately as much as I like this song I just cannot see it qualifying however I think a guaranteed 12 points from Greece may be on the cards!!!
Slovakia are back in the Eurovision family with their first entry in 11 years with a mid tempo ballad but somehow it just doesn’t work and if their live performance is anything to go by then they will be all over the place on the night.
However following the Slovakian entry we now go into a group of 7 songs which could all in theory qualify for the final. Starting with Denmark and a song written by Ronan Keating from Boyzone which is sung by a man who sounds like Ronan Keating too but its not!!!!
Slovenia have gone for something which I call Classical pop and something they have done before in 2007, a long instrumental leads to some powerful female vocals which could see a final spot on the horizon.
Hungary have gone for a total cheese fest with their entry and following 2 other singers who for one reason or another could not perform their respective songs could sneak into the final with this one, however I don’t think it will reach the heights of their 2007 entry.
The country to sing next is in my opinion the best entry this year from the former Soviet Republics and also a hot tip with the bookies......... Azerbaijan have sent a fantastic uptempo song with a big Latin influence and one that could appeal to the masses.
Another of the big favourites follows and that is Greece and you can’t under estimate the presence of their singer, not as good as 2004 entry but I am sure it will be in the final, especially with their 12 points from Cyprus!!
Lithuania have gone for a lovely ballad and in my opinion an under rated song and one that could do very well for the little country that doesn’t do very well.
Moldova have sent a dong which I hated to start with but the more I listen to it the more I love it and another that could suprise us on the night of the semi final!! Dancy, gimmicky and with a good performance could do well!
The first song confirmed for Moscow was from Albania, but unfortunately their is just no soul to this song for me...not nearly as good as last years entry and therefore Im not so sure it will be in the final.
Well Ukraine sing next and im sorry but after the past couple of years was expecting a lot more and have ended up being very disappointed, after finishing 2nd for the past 2 years I can’t even see them getting out of this semi final..... for me this is just abysmal.
Estonia sing last but one in this semi final with their best entry in years and I think will be the one to lift them out of the semi finals for the first time since they were introduced, another dark horse for the top spot of the grand final and in the same league as Slovenia but better.
Ending the 2nd semi final will be The Netherlands who over recent years have not done as well as they should have done, Grace, Edsilia and Hind unfortunately could not get them out of the semi final stage and Im sorry I just cannot see it happening here either.
So my 10 from here to the Final are:-
Norway, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia
My opinion of First Semi Final!!!
I thought that I would give a personal opinion of the draws for the semi finals and after listening to the songs in the order that they will be performed on Tuesday 12 May 2009 here is my opinion of the First Semi Final.
After starting the semi final in 2008 with quite a drab song in comparison Montenegro once again kick off the 1st Semi Final with an uptempo number which really gets you to sit up and take notice and really gives the 1st Semi Final a good kick up the backside to begin with.
Second to perform are Czech Republic with what could almost be called a gimmick song and I thought we might have got away from these this year, mind you I don’t think it is a bad one and the chorus is extremely catchy......... will the curse of number 2 strike the Czech’s this year.
Belgium sing third and with the rockabilly sound makes this the 3rd uptempo song in a row, not their best entry, but could it stand out as something different... we shall have to see!!
Belarus are 4th to perform and I just really don’t like this song at all, I really thought that after a couple of years of pretty decent songs Belarus would start ensuring a good chance every year of qualifying for the final, however this is just for me awful.
Sweden have given us Schlager Opera this year and it works well, singing 5th in this semi final I think stands them in good stead for qualification, however following the suprise that the Swedes only got to the final on a wildcard in 2008 then nothing is guaranteed.
Armenia follow the Swedes and again after 3 years of really good entries they are disappointing me this year, with a very good 4th place overall in 2008 I think they will be lucky to qualify with this their worst entry in 4 years.
Andorra just seem to be getting better and better at this competition and even though their first 5 attempts have seen them stay in the semi final they just are not giving up (unlike others we could mention!). As good as Anonymous from 2007 and 10 times better than last year this is probably their best chance at a final place on May 16th. A party tune from the party girl Susanna Georgi can deliver this well.
Ok, so the Swiss just keep sending brilliant songs that can’t get out of the semi finals either , but I think this is one of their better entries reminding me somewhat of New Order from the 1980’s and could sneak into that Saturday night final.
Well what can we say about Turkey? Up until there momentous victory in Riga they just never did anything, but they kept coming back for more and actually sent some pretty decent tunes, now since 2003 they have really upped their game and are now always a serious contender for a top 10 placing in the grand final, however I wonder this year whether this may get lost amongst all the uptempo songs in this particular semi final.... mind you with a big Turkish fan base heading for Moscow I cannot see that happening!!
Then its time to slow it down just a tad as Israel perform..... following the formidable success of Boaz Mauda in Belgrade the Israelis have once again gone for the mid tempo ballad and I think they could be one of the dark horses in this contest this year.
Bulgaria with their Jimmy Somerville soundalike sing in 11th position and I cant understand why they have chosen that placing as they got the wildcard to pick their spot...... maybe it’s a lucky number in Bulgaria, but is it going to be lucky enough I just am not sure. I love this song and with the revamped performance could suprise us all.
The sultry ballad from Iceland follows the uptempo one from Bulgaria and for a ballad I think it stands out somewhat between the 2 uptempo songs from Bulgaria and Macedonia.
Its rock time then from FYR of Macedonia. I am not a rock fan and am not sure this will secure a qualification for the Macedonians, but then again they do tend to qualify 10th and then fade in the final.
Another Kalomira soundalike in this semi final but this time from Romania and with a not too bad sounding song, not sure how this will come across on the night, think it may bomb like Teresa did for Czech Republic last year.
Finland have gone for something completely different in 2009 to their previous 3 entries and instead of rock are sending dance and in my opinion a very good one and should be a guarantee for qualification.
Folk music with style is what Portugal are sending to Moscow and I am sure they will get another decent placing in the final on 16th May, as good as 2008 and am sure the fans in the arena will be shouting for this on the night.
Choosing to sing in 17th spot was Malta and with Chiara belting out another one of her ballads how can this not qualify, a good song from a brilliant singer and a fantastic position in the semi final.
Only 18 songs in this semi final now following the withdrawal of Georgia and the last song to be performed is that from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a strong song for them and one that could be compared to Lejla from 2006. A very nice end to the first semi final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
So who do I think will qualify:-
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegonia and Andorra
After starting the semi final in 2008 with quite a drab song in comparison Montenegro once again kick off the 1st Semi Final with an uptempo number which really gets you to sit up and take notice and really gives the 1st Semi Final a good kick up the backside to begin with.
Second to perform are Czech Republic with what could almost be called a gimmick song and I thought we might have got away from these this year, mind you I don’t think it is a bad one and the chorus is extremely catchy......... will the curse of number 2 strike the Czech’s this year.
Belgium sing third and with the rockabilly sound makes this the 3rd uptempo song in a row, not their best entry, but could it stand out as something different... we shall have to see!!
Belarus are 4th to perform and I just really don’t like this song at all, I really thought that after a couple of years of pretty decent songs Belarus would start ensuring a good chance every year of qualifying for the final, however this is just for me awful.
Sweden have given us Schlager Opera this year and it works well, singing 5th in this semi final I think stands them in good stead for qualification, however following the suprise that the Swedes only got to the final on a wildcard in 2008 then nothing is guaranteed.
Armenia follow the Swedes and again after 3 years of really good entries they are disappointing me this year, with a very good 4th place overall in 2008 I think they will be lucky to qualify with this their worst entry in 4 years.
Andorra just seem to be getting better and better at this competition and even though their first 5 attempts have seen them stay in the semi final they just are not giving up (unlike others we could mention!). As good as Anonymous from 2007 and 10 times better than last year this is probably their best chance at a final place on May 16th. A party tune from the party girl Susanna Georgi can deliver this well.
Ok, so the Swiss just keep sending brilliant songs that can’t get out of the semi finals either , but I think this is one of their better entries reminding me somewhat of New Order from the 1980’s and could sneak into that Saturday night final.
Well what can we say about Turkey? Up until there momentous victory in Riga they just never did anything, but they kept coming back for more and actually sent some pretty decent tunes, now since 2003 they have really upped their game and are now always a serious contender for a top 10 placing in the grand final, however I wonder this year whether this may get lost amongst all the uptempo songs in this particular semi final.... mind you with a big Turkish fan base heading for Moscow I cannot see that happening!!
Then its time to slow it down just a tad as Israel perform..... following the formidable success of Boaz Mauda in Belgrade the Israelis have once again gone for the mid tempo ballad and I think they could be one of the dark horses in this contest this year.
Bulgaria with their Jimmy Somerville soundalike sing in 11th position and I cant understand why they have chosen that placing as they got the wildcard to pick their spot...... maybe it’s a lucky number in Bulgaria, but is it going to be lucky enough I just am not sure. I love this song and with the revamped performance could suprise us all.
The sultry ballad from Iceland follows the uptempo one from Bulgaria and for a ballad I think it stands out somewhat between the 2 uptempo songs from Bulgaria and Macedonia.
Its rock time then from FYR of Macedonia. I am not a rock fan and am not sure this will secure a qualification for the Macedonians, but then again they do tend to qualify 10th and then fade in the final.
Another Kalomira soundalike in this semi final but this time from Romania and with a not too bad sounding song, not sure how this will come across on the night, think it may bomb like Teresa did for Czech Republic last year.
Finland have gone for something completely different in 2009 to their previous 3 entries and instead of rock are sending dance and in my opinion a very good one and should be a guarantee for qualification.
Folk music with style is what Portugal are sending to Moscow and I am sure they will get another decent placing in the final on 16th May, as good as 2008 and am sure the fans in the arena will be shouting for this on the night.
Choosing to sing in 17th spot was Malta and with Chiara belting out another one of her ballads how can this not qualify, a good song from a brilliant singer and a fantastic position in the semi final.
Only 18 songs in this semi final now following the withdrawal of Georgia and the last song to be performed is that from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a strong song for them and one that could be compared to Lejla from 2006. A very nice end to the first semi final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
So who do I think will qualify:-
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegonia and Andorra
Monday, 16 March 2009
Moscow here we come!!!!!!!!!!
Well thats it the National Final season for 2009 is now officially over and the countdown to Moscow has now started.
The favourite with the bookies seems to be Norway with Greece and Turkey not too far behind. The United Kingdom are commanding 7th favourites at the moment whilst the 3 previous winning nations Russia, Serbia and Finland are not particularly well thought of with Russia being the best bet at 9th favourites.
Its quite funny looking at the bets when you see that for the first time in years Russia are not the favourites of the former Soviet states....... that one goes to Azerbaijan this year and in my opinion deservedly so. The other suprise in the betting is to see that Montenegro who are in for the 3rd time is the favourite from the former Yugoslav Republics when they have over the past 2 years been the odds on favourites from that region not to get to the final...............will we see Montenegro in the final on May 16th??? I still am not sure on that one!!!!
I still think that Spain, Estonia and France are the ones to watch this year and believe all 3 songs are strong enough to win.
The favourite with the bookies seems to be Norway with Greece and Turkey not too far behind. The United Kingdom are commanding 7th favourites at the moment whilst the 3 previous winning nations Russia, Serbia and Finland are not particularly well thought of with Russia being the best bet at 9th favourites.
Its quite funny looking at the bets when you see that for the first time in years Russia are not the favourites of the former Soviet states....... that one goes to Azerbaijan this year and in my opinion deservedly so. The other suprise in the betting is to see that Montenegro who are in for the 3rd time is the favourite from the former Yugoslav Republics when they have over the past 2 years been the odds on favourites from that region not to get to the final...............will we see Montenegro in the final on May 16th??? I still am not sure on that one!!!!
I still think that Spain, Estonia and France are the ones to watch this year and believe all 3 songs are strong enough to win.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Just for fun!!!! - Update
So with a few more countries added, here is the current top 10 from votes cast.......
10th France 7pts
9th Greece 10pts
8th Andorra 11pts
7th Norway 24pts
6th Denmark 28pts
5th Iceland 29pts
4th Finland 31pts
3rd Turkey 32pts
2nd UK 33pts
and leading at the moment is........ 1st Malta 51pts
As before, feel free to leave your own votes in the comments section. If you have voted previously, it would be useful if you told us that you'd voted before and which comment in the previous blog is yours. Thanks and enjoy!
10th France 7pts
9th Greece 10pts
8th Andorra 11pts
7th Norway 24pts
6th Denmark 28pts
5th Iceland 29pts
4th Finland 31pts
3rd Turkey 32pts
2nd UK 33pts
and leading at the moment is........ 1st Malta 51pts
As before, feel free to leave your own votes in the comments section. If you have voted previously, it would be useful if you told us that you'd voted before and which comment in the previous blog is yours. Thanks and enjoy!
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Just For Fun !!!!!
Colin and I have composed our own Top 10's form the 20 songs already chosen and here they are:-
Colin's
1 - Malta
2 - Turkey
3 - Finland
4 - United Kingdom
5 - Poland
6 - Denmark
7 - Germany
8 - Iceland
9 - France
10 - The Netherlands
Paul's
1 - Malta
2 - United Kingdom
3 - Iceland
4 - Finland
5 - France
6 - Slovenia
7 - Germany
8 - Poland
9 - Cyprus
10 - Denmark
I swapped the placings for Eurovision points and at the time with 20 songs chosen our Top 10 is:-
1 - Malta
2 - United Kingdom
3 - Finland
4 - Iceland
5 - Turkey
6 - Poland
7 - France
8 - Germany
9 - Denmark
10 - Slovenia
So if our tastes are anything to go by (probably not!) we'll be visiting Valletta in May 2010! As more countries announce their entrants, we'll obviously update it. If anyone would like to add their top 10 to the comments page, we'll add their votes to the total. So if you do participate, keep checking back for new blogs on this subject as new countries are added.
Colin's
1 - Malta
2 - Turkey
3 - Finland
4 - United Kingdom
5 - Poland
6 - Denmark
7 - Germany
8 - Iceland
9 - France
10 - The Netherlands
Paul's
1 - Malta
2 - United Kingdom
3 - Iceland
4 - Finland
5 - France
6 - Slovenia
7 - Germany
8 - Poland
9 - Cyprus
10 - Denmark
I swapped the placings for Eurovision points and at the time with 20 songs chosen our Top 10 is:-
1 - Malta
2 - United Kingdom
3 - Finland
4 - Iceland
5 - Turkey
6 - Poland
7 - France
8 - Germany
9 - Denmark
10 - Slovenia
So if our tastes are anything to go by (probably not!) we'll be visiting Valletta in May 2010! As more countries announce their entrants, we'll obviously update it. If anyone would like to add their top 10 to the comments page, we'll add their votes to the total. So if you do participate, keep checking back for new blogs on this subject as new countries are added.
The Ballad is Back
With 20 countries already having chosen their representatives and the song they will sing it is quite clear that the most popular genre of music in 2009 is the ballad. A genre of music which appears every year in some form or other, but on a much smaller scale seems to have taken over the popularity which had been taken over by the dancy/pop tune. The ballad I would say has not been this popular since the early 1990's.
With that in mind the ballad is definately making a comeback in 2009 and with nearly half of the songs already being chosen being one.
United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Cyprus, Malta and Lithuania are to date sending ballads and I think they are all pretty darn good.
So why is the ballad making a comeback in 2009?
I wonder whether that it is due to the comeback of the juries in 2009 and that most countries seem to be using a 50/50 jury/televote split in choosing their entry.
Will all these ballads get lost amongst the others?
I don't think so because this year the ballads are fab and I think that the fact that they are all sung well will help. The other thing with the ballads that have been chosen so far is that they all focus on the song rather than the performance.
How many more ballads will be chosen this year?
Well I can't see Sweden or Norway sending a ballad.
I think Ireland and Portugal may!
Russia, Greece and Ukraine definately wont.
Another couple of weeks and we will know for sure.
With that in mind the ballad is definately making a comeback in 2009 and with nearly half of the songs already being chosen being one.
United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Denmark, Poland, Cyprus, Malta and Lithuania are to date sending ballads and I think they are all pretty darn good.
So why is the ballad making a comeback in 2009?
I wonder whether that it is due to the comeback of the juries in 2009 and that most countries seem to be using a 50/50 jury/televote split in choosing their entry.
Will all these ballads get lost amongst the others?
I don't think so because this year the ballads are fab and I think that the fact that they are all sung well will help. The other thing with the ballads that have been chosen so far is that they all focus on the song rather than the performance.
How many more ballads will be chosen this year?
Well I can't see Sweden or Norway sending a ballad.
I think Ireland and Portugal may!
Russia, Greece and Ukraine definately wont.
Another couple of weeks and we will know for sure.
The story so far.... (as of 14/02/09)
This weekend has so far seen another five countries decide their entries, so here is the updated list of entrants and their songs......Albania - Kejsi Tola - Me Merr ne Enderr
Andorra - Susanne Georgi - La Teva Decisio
Armenia - Inga & Anush - Non Par
Azerbaijan - Aysel - Arash
Belarus - Petr Elfimov - Eyes That Never Lie
Bosnia & Herzegovina - Regina - Bistra Voda
Cyprus - Christina Metaxa - Firefly
Czech Republic - Gipsy.cz - ???
Denmark - Brinck - Believe Again
Finland - Waldo's People - Lose Control
France - Patricia Kaas - Et s'il fallait le faire
Germany - Oscar Loya - 4 words with 4 letters: Miss Kiss Kiss Bang
Greece - Sakis Rouvas - ???
Hungary - Katya Tompos - Maganyos csonak (withdrawn - awaiting further news)
Iceland - Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir - Is It True
Israel - Noa and Mira Awad - ???
Lithuania - Sasha Son - Pasiklydes zmogus
Malta - Chiara - What If We
Moldova - Nelly Ciobanu - Hora Din Moldova!
Montenegro - Andrea Demirovic - Just Get Out of My Life
Netherland - De Toppers - Shine
Poland - Lidia Kopania - I Don't Want To Leave First
Romania - Elena Gheorghe - The Balkan Girls
Slovenia - Quartissimo - Love Symphony
Switzerland - Lovebugs - ???
Turkey - Hadise - Düm tek tek
United Kingdom - Jade Ewan - It's My Time
Deciding this week...... Greece, Norway, FYR Macedonia and Ireland
Friday, 13 February 2009
The Semi's are Decided!!!!!!!
Semi final 1:
Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey
Also, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain will have to broadcast semi final One and televote for it.
Semi final 2:
Albania, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine
Also, Russia and France will have to broadcast semi final Two and televote for it.
Well we know that 7 songs from the 1st semi final have been announced and depending what happens with the others I really cannot see how Malta, Finland and Turkey will not qualify and without their songs being chosen yet I predict that the 10 to qualify will be:-
Armenia, Bosnia, Finland, Malta, Sweden, Turkey, Portugal, Iceland, Switzerland, Belgium.
Now Semi Final 2 is a difficult one but by the end of tomorrow night 8 of the songs will be known but so far I cannot see why Denmark, Slovenia or Cyprus could not qualify. So from Semi Final 2 I predict the following to qualify:-
Denmark, Ukraine, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, Croatia, Latvia
Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey
Also, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain will have to broadcast semi final One and televote for it.
Semi final 2:
Albania, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine
Also, Russia and France will have to broadcast semi final Two and televote for it.
Well we know that 7 songs from the 1st semi final have been announced and depending what happens with the others I really cannot see how Malta, Finland and Turkey will not qualify and without their songs being chosen yet I predict that the 10 to qualify will be:-
Armenia, Bosnia, Finland, Malta, Sweden, Turkey, Portugal, Iceland, Switzerland, Belgium.
Now Semi Final 2 is a difficult one but by the end of tomorrow night 8 of the songs will be known but so far I cannot see why Denmark, Slovenia or Cyprus could not qualify. So from Semi Final 2 I predict the following to qualify:-
Denmark, Ukraine, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, Croatia, Latvia
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