ESC 2010: Norway, second quarter-final

Music is the universal language of mankind.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer

Ooh, live from Bodø ... !! :-D

Entry #1: Alexander Kronlund, Laila Samuelsen and Lukas Hilbert - Jealous Cause I Love You, performed by Venke Knutson. Not bad - not bad at all. I don't like the costumes, but they can be changed, and her voice is kind of weak ... but it's sweet, and the song is catchy. It gets boring after a while, but it's catchy. I predict this as a radio hit in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... ;-) It's a sweet & cute song - with classic ESC lyrics ... !! I'm sorry that I choke you ... where obviously what is meant isn't choke, but suffocate. :-D We use the same word for both in Norwegian, and the Swedes do too. Classic ... !! :-D Anyway. This song won't be noticed much in May, so I hope it doesn't get very far. But, well, it's sweet, and Knutson's popular, so I won't be surprised at all to see this in the semi.

Entry #2: Arne Hovda - Life Is Here Today, performed by Skanksters. I know, what a name ... but they're a ska band, supposed to be good at what they do, and the song's catchy. Again, radio hit potential. A kind of fun performance. I wouldn't want this to represent us, though, it's too weird to get far. And it's not a genre that Norway's known for, at all. So ... good song, good performance, but nah. The Monroes did it better ...

Entry #3: Tommy La Verdi and Peter Ställmark - Be Good to Me, performed by Tomine Harket. Morten Harket's daughter, looking like Lindsay Lohan tonight. She's done a lot of different things in the entertainment industry, she's only 16 but very experienced already ... but she's surfing on her famous father's coattails, her voice is pretty weak and she's really nothing special. And I can sum up this song in one word: BORING. Yawn. She should go back to dubbing the Disney channel. Next!

Entry #4: Mariann Thomassen and Lars Erik Westby - Don't Stop, performed by Hanne Haugsand. One of the girls from Charmed ... so Haugsand has actually been in the final before. But I'm afraid that'd only have been a plus if she had been able to sing. o_O What's wrong with her voice? Doesn't sound good ... and doesn't look good either. Thomassen has done the costumes, apparently. Sheesh. I don't like the performance and the song is 100% standard material. If this song were to be performed in Telenor Arena on May 29th, all of Europe would have forgotten it before it was even over. So it's a good thing that there's no chance whatsoever of it being performed there. >:-) Better than the previous entry, but that's not really saying anything.

Entry #5: Rolf Løvland - The Touch, performed by Maria Arredondo. Eek!! I am seriously afraid of this entry. Because I SO don't want us to win this year. Once is great, twice in a row is a curse. ;-) And this guy is a two-time winner of the ESC - our Johnny Logan, as I said. Plus he's won with two totally different songs ... and getting Arredondo to perform his song is a big plus, she's talented, experienced and beautiful, and very popular. She also has a good voice and she can really sing. The song's very good - a straight ballad, but very well done, a good performance, a good song all around. Out of tonight's songs, so far, this is definitely the song I will be voting for. Or will I?? Since I don't want us to win, I'm not at all sure I want Løvland in the final. ;-) But I don't think this song is a winner. I mean, internationally. It'd do well, the Easterners would like it ... but it doesn't have whatever little thing it is that it would need to win. So maybe by my own logic this is exactly the song we should send?? :-D It'll be going through to the final, anyway, whatever. :-)

Entry #6: Arne Hovda (yes, again), Hans Petter Aaserud and Heine Totland - The Best of Me Is You, performed by Heine Totland. Meh ... nah. This won't be getting through. Robbie Williams wannabe ... a cheesy performance ... shudder. Europe's going to laugh at us if we send this. Yuck. I know I don't want us to win, but I also don't want us to make total fools of ourselves. So, obviously, we can't send this song. Nah.

Entry #7: Alexander Stenerud - Give It To Me, performed by Stenerud himself. I always applaud those who perform their own songs, even if just for that ;-) and Stenerud's two previous entries have been really cool. This one is ... really cool as well. Unsurprisingly, since it sounds a lot like the other two songs. ;-) But nothing's wrong with that, he's found his style and he's sticking to it. A good performance, nice costumes, a catchy song, a pretty good voice. I'll be voting for this song. I like Stenerud. :-) This'll be the other song that goes directly to the final. :-)

Again with the only semi-entertaining intermission entertainment. Well, I've seen it worse. Actually, this time it was kind of funny. :-)

I'm watching the show tonight with KAS, trilltrall and Anne Ida ... we've sent three votes for Stenerud and two for Løvland. :-) So, fingers crossed that the worst entries will be left behind in the dust ... Two songs to the semi and two directly to the final.

Semifinalists:
Venke Knutson - Jealous Cause I Love You
Heine Totland - The Best of Me Is You

Finalists:
Alexander Stenerud - Give It To Me
Maria Arredondo - The Touch

OK, so, results as expected except that Totland got through with his piece of shit. We are surprised. >:-( Oh well, it'll get beaten out in Sarpsborg.

Happy with the finalists, semi-happy with the semifinalists ... :-)