Kyiv 2017 - final!!

IT'S ON ... !!!

Fantastic intro, I love it! :-D

We're watching at KAS and trilltrall's house, they've set up the projector and the big screen and we've eaten a Ukrainian dinner. SO ready for the show now ... !

Presenting all the artists on stage now, I LOVE it when they do that. But they're not carrying their flags, they're walking against a background of their flags on the screen instead. Very cool. Ukraine has done such a great job with the show this year. They've had a lot of help, I know, but still. Three great shows. :-)

I still can't pronounce the hosts' last names ... o_O

A hearty welcome and jokes that aren't super embarrassing. The contest has begun ... !

Israel - I Feel Alive. A pretty cool but slightly seizure-inducing presentation. A relatively catchy song, while you're listening. But not super catchy. Ooh, fireworks! And here's the Israeli tweak. An excellent opening to the show, but also pretty boring, in hindsight.

Poland - Flashlight. A beautiful young woman performing, that's never wrong ... and I can put up with the white dress since most of the others have been weeded out by now. >:-) A good voice but a boring song. KAS is ecstatic after glimpsing a dolphin in the background ... ever since Iceland in Moscow she's been obsessed with dolphins in ESC and now she has to vote for Poland even though she thinks the song is crazy boring. But wait!! It's not a dolphin, it's an orca. Whew, now she can vote for Portugal with a clear conscience. :-D Kasia really put her heart into the performance but I still can't see this going anywhere.

Belarus - Story of My Life. Kudos for singing in Belarusian for once. And this is a fun entry, at least while you're listening. Visually a little overwhelming. The performers are charming. But I think this is a little too ... offbeat, let's say, to go very far. But it's pretty sweet and they're very happy with their performance. :-)

Austria - Running On Air. Another pretty but forgettable entry. I like the presentation though. An adorable sparkly moon. :-) And the singer is charming and contagiously happy. The song is also a happy upbeat entry and I understand that people like it. But I don't think it has what it takes to really make its mark.

Armenia - Fly With Me. A beautiful song, well performed, and a striking presentation. Not what you'd call catchy but a striking entry. I have no idea how this will do but I'm thinking pretty well ... ? :-)

The Netherlands - Lights and Shadows. Sparkly ... !! The sparkly outfits may be the most memorable think about this entry. It's lovely to listen to and they're pretty good singers, but ... how are we supposed to remember this? I can't see this going very far. One of a great many pretty but forgettable entries this year. I feel like I'm going to do almost nothing but repeat myself tonight ... o_O

Chatting to the fans. :-)

Moldova - Hey Mamma. Probably my least favorite entry this year. No, wait, that's Spain. Second least favorite though. I could hardly believe it when this went through from the semi. trilltrall and Calyx are dancing though. :-D We have a multicolored disco lamp ... :-D Argh, this is actually kind of growing on me. They're loving it in the arena. OMG.

Hungary - Origo. I actually really like this. May be too unusual to go very far but I really applaud Hungary for sending this. And I would love to see them win one day, but not this year. They can win in Rome next year. ;-) But this is soo good though. I love the performance and the presentation and everything. This is actually one of my favorites this year. Beautiful. I hope they do really well.

And now - Italy!!! Occidentali's Karma!! I LOVE IT!!! :-D trilltrall loves it too, he's bought a fake moustache to wear in honor of Francesco. OMG I LOVE that suit. And here's the gorilla! In a bow tie! :-D trilltrall is making KAS dance to express his joy at the brilliance of this entry. OMG it's so good. Everything is fantastic. Performance, presentation, singer, backing singers, outfits, gorilla, everything. LOVE IT. They're loving it in the arena too. Rome 2018!!!

Denmark - Where I Am. Sheesh, going on stage after Francesco has to be a downer. Anything is going to be a disappointment now. And this is another pretty but forgettable song. At least she's not wearing white. Ooh, fireworks. There are soo many bland entries this year that I have no idea what order they'll end up in, but I can't imagine this going very far. Then again, some of them have to ...

Portugal - Amar pelos dois. Yay!! This is so sweet and beautiful. I really wish Italy had had a much worse entry because if Portugal should ever win they so deserve to this year. It's so cool of them to send a song like this and now that they have it's just perfect ... the right melody played on the right instruments, the exactly right singer, the performance is just right ... it's so good. I love it. But I love Italy more. :-(

Chitchat from the hosts, sharing a tweet.

Azerbaijan - Skeletons. This is a weird entry. The song is pretty, if you don't listen to the lyrics too much, but the presentation is really weird. It's a striking entry though. But I think quite a lot of potential voters may find it too weird. It's also not really what you'd call catchy. Definitely not another potential victory for Azerbaijan.

Croatia - My Friend. I hate that intro ... !! I just want to punch him in the face whenever I hear it. KAS just said spontaneously that she hates the intro and she wants to beat him up. So it's not just me. I really like the presentation, but the "two voices" thing is just an annoying gimmick. It would have been much much better as a duet. This is is just too much. I hope they bomb. Not an unrealistic hope.

Australia - Don't Come Easy. Boo!! Haha, Quiltoholic just announced that this is her scheduled toilet break. :-D I'm really disappointed in Australia this year. The least convincing entry since Sweden claimed that It Hurts. And the presentation is beyond douchy. If I could send a minus vote, it would definitely go to Australia this year. BOO!! We all hate it. >:-(

Timur in the green room. Haha, not at a hot tub party in the future. :-D

Chitchat with Alex and Volo.

Greece - This Is Love. Another pretty but forgettable song. The singer has excellent strage presence though. That's probably the most memorable thing about this entry. Ooh, and the rain of gold ... and the half-naked men splashing around, sure. :-D Not a contender though.

Spain - Do It For Your Lover. TRASH. The worst entry this year, hands down. Embarrassing. I would be ashamed to be Spanish tonight. I hope they don't get a single point. If they weren't one of the Big Five there's NO WAY they would be on stage tonight. Barf. The chorus has a beat that is just wildly annoying. Three minutes is too long ... !!

Norway - Grab the Moment. This is actually pretty brilliant, because our entry isn't all that, but compared to Spain it's going to look like a masterpiece. :-D OK, so the disturbance in the image is actually intentional. I didn't know that on Thursday. Weird. Hm. Well, this isn't half bad. It looks really cool and the chorus is pretty catchy. This could have been SO much worse. I'm not ashamed of this. The performance is good too. Clearly nowhere near the winner, but not an embarrassment either. And that's all I ask of our entry. :-)

A little entertainment now that we're over halfway ... and hahahaha, they've got training sessions with Måns Zelmerlöw! This is hilarious ... and there's Måns in the Swedish commentators' booth. :-D

United Kingdom - Never Give Up On You. Yawn. Another pretty entry that's so totally forgettable. There are so many samey songs this year and this is one of them. A kind of striking presentation, a lot of gold ... it's well performed, but it's just so forgettable. I don't see this breaking the British curse ...

Cyprus - Gravity. This is actually not half bad. A really good beat and a striking presentation ... although slightly seizure-inducing. But the song itself is head and shoulders above most of the rest tonight. trilltrall is loving it, he's dancing around. :-)

Romania - Yodel It!. Yes! I dig this. :-D This song is so much fun and they perform it so well. They're adorable. I love it. I may have to vote for them again. :-D This is SO MUCH FUN. And the sparkly cannon ... !! :-D Go Romania!! It would be beyond hilarious if they actually won with this. They won't, but still. This is so cool :-D

Germany - Perfect Life. Another pretty and boring song. Weird presentation. They may not come last again, but that'll probably be because Spain beats them to it. >:-) There is a good thumping background beat to this, it's actually kind of growing on me ... but I don't know, it's one in the crowd.

Timur in the green room again. Hm, a few glimpses from Eurovision Choir of the Year. Which might be fun, depending on the setup.

Ukraine - Time. Well, say what you want about this entry, it stands out from the rest of the lineup this year by virtue of genre and I really appreciate that. So many samey songs this year but this isn't one of them. This looked cooler in their national final though. Much better actually. Oh well. I'm sure they don't want to win again either anyway. ;-D

Belgium - City Lights. I like this ... !! Her voice is amazing and the song is ... not catchy, but fascinating. Hypnotizing. :-) The video was weird and boring but this presentation is really interesting. The lyrics are kind of depressing but the melody is really good.

Alex and Volo are making jokes to introduce Sweden. Blech.

Sweden - I Can't Go On. But they do go on, and on and on ... ! >:-( KAS is shouting abuse at the screen. :-D He's such a douche ... the whole entry is totally douchey. Blech. I dislike this song more and more every time I hear it. But it's so catchy ... !! In terms of craftsmanship it's a quality entry, absolutely. But it just has zero personality. It has no soul. I hate it. If this beats Italy and Portugal, that will be the incontrovertibl proof that there is no god. Barf.

Bulgaria - Beautiful Mess. Another small child ... but unlike the Australian child, this one is at least singing about something that someone his age can make convincing. So I approve. I also applaud his confidence ... all alone on stage without the comfort of giant portraits of himself in the background. It's a good performance, and a pretty good song ... dramatic. I know some countries where this will go down very well. ;-) But I can't really see this as a winner, despite what the rumors are saying. But good, definitely.

France - Requiem. Wow, that's some dress. I like this song actually. It's not depressing, despite the title ... it's actually pretty catchy, it has a really good beat. The presentation is a little strange ... KAS says she liked the video a lot better, I think I agree. This is weird. But I really like the song. trilltrall is dancing around with his champagne glass. :-)

An explanation of the voting and ... Verka opens the voting! Ahahaha, excellent.

First runthrough.

Now for the voting. I've sent 10 votes for Italy, 5 for Portugal, 4 for Romania and accidentally 1 for Hungary. I was going to type in 9 but my finger slipped and I hit 8 instead. No problem, I like them. :-)

Some interval entertainment. I already know what this is, it's Ruslana. She'll put on a show. Yep. In a chainmail minidress. :-D

Volo in the green room.

Second runthrough.

Some local color ... super modern with traditional instruments. Interesting. Weird, but cool. I like it. Yay for Ukraine. :-)

Timur meeting a fan from Australia ... who thinks the UK is going to win. Haha, he must have brain freeze ... he definitely looked like he did. :-)

Now introducing the Junior ESC winner. Aw, she's so cute.

Third runthrough.

And now another performance ... from Jamala this time. Interesting. Not brilliant

An Australian "fan" mooned the audience right next to Jamala ... ! Seriously ... !! I hope that guy gets banned from the ESC for life. And I hope the security guys beat the shit out of him. Fucker. >:-(

More explanation of voting. But we already did! Countdown to the end of voting ... which is now.

OK, Sand confirms that the jury votes from Friday are in and everything is in order. The special journey is ready to begin ... !!

Of course we got nothing from Sweden. Boo. But 12 to Portugal. I have a really good feeling about Portugal now. And maybe not such a good feeling about Italy? But Portugal ... ! This may be their first victory, it really may. So exciting ... !

OK, I can't keep up with all of these. o_O We're getting points both here and there actually. And Sweden just got their first point. Imagine if we actually beat Sweden ... ! :-D

Bulgaria's doing really well. But Portugal ... ! <3 p="">
Best joke of the night from the Danish presenter. Greetings from Denmark, where I am ... ! :-D And they gave Sweden their 12, what a shock. Dumbasses.

0 points to Spain so far. Ahahaha.
<3 p="">
<3 p="">Marcus and Martinus presenting Norway's votes. They're so tiny ... ! trilltrall likes their suits. But they're too big for them. :-D
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<3 p="">12 points to Sweden from Finland. OMG, seriously ...
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<3 p="">Portugal is doing SO WELL ... ! Wow. But this can totally change when the popular vote comes in. These votes we're getting now are the votes from the professional music industry types who are looking for craftsmanship, and who recognize craftsmanship. But afterwards, we'll be getting the popular vote, from people like my friends and me, who are lolling half drunk on their sofas at home making fun of people's clothes. So that can and probably will change things around a lot. It's so exciting, I can hardly stand it ... ! :-D

<3 p="">A Verka-out to diffuse the tension ... ! :-D
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<3 p="">Back to the vote count.
<3 p="">
<3 p="">Iceland gave Portugal their 12 and Salvador is looking like a deer caught in headlights. :-)
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<3 p="">Portugal is pounding Italy's ass ... ! :-o
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<3 p="">Australia gave the UK their 12 ... !! That got the biggest laugh of the night here. :-D When will they free themselves from their colonial master ... ? :-D
<3 p="">
<3 p="">Germany gave us their 12 ... !! Well, the Germans like us a lot. We've had very tangible evidence of that over the years. :-o
<3 p="">
<3 p="">Wild cheers here for every 12 Portugal gets. But Salvador seems overwhelmed. I don't blame him ... !
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<3 p="">Sweden is ahead of Italy ... !! WTF. What is the world coming to. But the popular vote can overturn everything. And give Sweden the victory! Nooo ... !! Portugal must win!!
<3 p="">
<3 p="">Spain still has 0 points. YES!! :-D
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<3 p="">OK, Portugal way ahead. But it's almost time for the popular vote. What will happen?? 
Metaphorically biting my fingernails ... !

<3 p="">Timur is in the box with Mr Sand :-D getting confirmation that the popular vote is in and correct.
<3 p="">
<3 p="">OMG my nerves ... Sand already knows the winner, I know it. OMG ... ! My nerves!
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<3 p="">We are ahead of Italy ... !! WTF??
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<3 p="">Spain got points! Oh noes!! But they'll still be last. That's something at least. >:-)
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<3 p="">Australia got pretty much nothing from the popular vote. :-D
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<3 p="">I'm really starting to believe in Romania now. And Sweden got BURNED!!! Ahahaha!!!
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<3 p="">Italy won't win!! OMG Portugal! Go Portugal! OMG my nerves ... !
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<3 p="">IT'S PORTUGAL ... !!! :-D
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<3 p="">OMG. My computer actually crashed with literally 3 countries left to get their points. But Portugal won. SO HAPPY ... !! Salvador's thank you speech is so profound, he's adorable. And now he has to sing again. Portugal ... !! 49 attempts and they finally made it. Such a fantastically worthy winner. Kudos and congratulations. :-)
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<3 p="">A duet with Luisa ... !! OMG they are so adorable. They look so much like each other. A wonderful team. And an extremely well-deserved victory. Hearteyes!!