Düsseldorf 2011 - final!!

OMG it's on ... !!!!!!1!!

I'm at KAS and trilltrall's place - of course - and trilltrall had a fantastic surprise for us, he's invested in a foldout screen and a projector! :-D It's like being at the movies! They've got a new couch too which is super comfy. Fantastic ESC party hosts!! :-)

The arena looks fantastic ... the presenters a little less so. He looks kind of boring, the brunette looks like she's plucked a parrot and the blonde's dress looks like it's made from the spare tiles from the ladies' room in the Opera here in Oslo. Oh well. They'll probably change outfits pretty soon, hopefully ...

Of course they have to open with last year's winning entry, but seriously, WTF is this? It's very German, but it also sucks ass. I wouldn't recognize Satellite from this if I didn't know what it was. Bad choice, doesn't work. Hm.

And again with the German humor! What's with all this punching? Are we really supposed to laugh at this? I asked the others over our very German dinner and they don't get it either. o_O

But who cares, the show is on! I LOVE it when they show this speeded up version of the whole process of setting up the arena. Awesomeness. I love it. I want to see it again.

Finland. It's presented very well, although his diction seems worse than in the semi. I love the look of this, and he's very confident on stage. But this is a really bad starting slot for them.

Bosnia. I like the performance here but the others aren't digging it. :-) It's a pretty strong entry. I really like the singer, he's charming. But I don't think either of these can be the winner.

Denmark. A pretty good entry but not with any kind of a hook, and I still hate his shirt. N. is seeing this for the first time and he's shocked that this is in and we're out. But, as AudiX78 points out, these guys are white. She's got a point. Definitely not the winner.

Lithuania. Kind of boring song but a gorgeous voice. The first time we've all shut up so far. :-) A great performance, although I don't see how it can win, it's too slow and anonymous ... but it's a really good entry. Wonderful dress. The Lithuanians can be very proud tonight. :-) Although it is kind of tacky with the white piano and the white suit.

Hungary! One of my favorites. KAS and trilltrall think it sucks, they're laughing at me for liking it. :-D They're calling her 'the muffin witch' because of her gargantuan ring. :-D They're right, it's kind of distracting. But I love this song. And she's singing ten times better tonight than on Thursday. Definitely a possible winner. Love it. :-)

Ireland. WTF is this?? Who voted for them?? We're all hating it and totally not understanding how they can possibly be a favorite. o_O AudiX78 hasn't seen any of the entries yet, hardly, so we keep asking her for a fresh opinion. She hates it but thinks it may end up doing really well. NOES!!!

Sweden. Well. trilltrall's not liking it, he thinks Eric's too slick, and boy is he right. I think I'm too old for this, performance-wise. And the lyrics are still retarded. But the music is so insanely catchy. The presentation is very professional and carefully worked out. Sweden is definitely a contender. But we're not impressed. We're old. :-)

Estonia. The strangest entry in the show. Probably won't do too well. Very peculiar song, belongs to no genre ... unbecoming outfits ... and Getter sings no better than in the semi. In fact, maybe worse. Nope, not holding my breath for this one.

Greece. Oh, how I hate Stereo Mike. And when I think of how good this song could have been without him ... !! Calyx thinks Loukas is gorgeous so N. wants to take her glasses away :-D or, failing that, cover the projector. :-D Oh, the grecian pillars, take them away ... !!

Russia. The intro to this song is so great, I may not have mentioned that before, but I love it. :-) The rest ... very boy band from the early nineties. Calyx says that Alexej looks like a cross between Vanilla Ice, NKOTB and a Bond villain. Well, he's Russian, he can't help it. Also a contender.

FRANCE!! Vive la France!! I'm so excited to see this performance, I haven't seen it before. Whee! At least we know he can really sing. But it sounds like they're having some problems with the audio?? Help! The presentation is AMAZING, best use of backgrounds tonight, hands down. We're loving it. But the others don't think he'll win! Traitors!! :-o They must be wrong, it must win! This could have been better but it's wonderful. I'm voting! :-)

Italy. A really good song but the singer can't sing. KAS likes this, she's going to vote for it ... she always likes these big band entries but they never get anywhere. :-D It's really good though, but it would have been so much better with another better singer. Great to have them here though.

A tiny interval and a check in at the green rooms. The Danish singer shows off his hideous shirt and trilltrall is shocked, he didn't notice it before. He is appalled and he takes back every positive thing he's said about the Danish entry. :-D

Switzerland. Now we're talking. We're liking this ... Calyx is a fan. AudiX says the background makes her think of CareBears. :-D Good singer, good song, good presentation - what's not to like? KAS thinks she's rooting for Switzerland now. :-) I'm not sure it has what it takes but I really want it to do really well. Fingers crossed for Switzerland.

The UK. Blue ... in blue. OMG. What is this? Giant photos of themselves in the background ... whut? o_O Calyx doesn't understand what it means, have they all been arrested naked? LOL! N. got it - he looked at the photos and said, Oh! Jean - Claude - van - Damme! LOL!! But this is awful. Awful, awful, awful. Garbage. Worthless. I like the song in the studio version, but this performance is beyond horrible. I'm shocked. I've been saying for a year now that the Belarusian presentation in 2010 is the tackiest thing I've seen in my life, but I take that back. This is worse. United Kingdom, nil points!

Moldova. It's saying something when this entry comes as a relief. :-) I like it, it's fun. It's almost too much fun, at least N. seems to think so. It's giving him a headache, poor fellow. :-) He's covering his eyes and whimpering Stella ... Stella ... :-D I like this although it's a bit much. Not a winner, but fun.

Germany welcomes its own! I really really really like the German song, and I both hope and think it'll do well. But I can't believe it's a winner. It's just too ... advanced. If that makes sense. It's not accessible. Just hearing this once isn't enough to appreciate it. I've heard it dozens of times, of course. ;-) I LOVE the performance and presentation. Awesome. Fantastic. Love it.

Romania. It's only a question of time before the contest will be going to Bucuresti, but it won't be in 2012. A fun song, I like it - although the others aren't entirely convinced - but also pretty forgettable.

Austria. Pretty song, pretty singer, good voice, classy performance. Deserves its place in the final, but isn't a winner. Not what you'd call catchy. I like it, but I'll have forgotten it by the time the next song starts.

Azerbaijan. The others are all hating this. KAS is really anti-Running Scared. :-) I agree that the performance is pretty tacky. But I really like the chorus here. Azerbaijan is going to do really really well this year. A potential winner, definitely.

Slovenia. Good song, but an overly dramatic performance. N. likes Maja's outfit, he thinks it says 'spank me'! He may be right. :-) I don't think this'll be going anywhere. Too much drama ...

Iceland. KAS totally hates this. She thinks it's a mystery that this got through and we didn't. o_O I kind of like it. At least while I'm listening to it. :-) I think it's a really feelgood song, I think quite a lot of people will really like this. Not a winner, but may do very well. And I'm sure they don't want to win either, with their economy the way it is.

Spain. I don't like this but trilltrall loves it. He and N. are dancing to this, we're enjoying their performance more than Lucia's performance. :-D KAS thinks it may have a chance ... I really don't, it's boring. :-) I hope they do badly ... I'm sorry, but I think they can do much better.

Ukraine! One of my top favorites now. I love this song and I love the performance and the presentation. Wonderful. I love it. Potential winner and would really deserve it if they did win.

Serbia. Another favorite. This is soo cool ... and will be fantastic if Nina sings better than she did on Tuesday. And she does! Much better! Aw, this rocks. I love it and I hope to see this in the top five. At least. ;-)

Georgia. Again with the weird costumes. But the singer is good, and the song is too. And the raccoon ... :-) It's the rap parts that ruin this entry for me. But it's good, definitely. KAS is voting for it. She has a special bond with Georgia, ever since 2007 when she soo wanted them to win with Visionary Dream. I don't think they'll win this year either, but it's a good entry.

That's it!! It's done. Well, the performances are. :-) Now we'll get a couple of runthroughs of the lineup, and a while longer to vote ... of course we have been able to vote throughout the show, but now is when people really vote. Like it o rnot. An early slot just isn't good. So ... doesn't look too good for Finland. :-)

I've voted ten times for France, once for Hungary and Switzerland, twice for Ukraine and three times for Serbia. :-) The others have voted for ... a lot of the same except France. :-D And Georgia. :-) Fingers crossed.

The presenters have changed their outfits now ... and look like ... Katarina Witt and Anne Sophie Mutter, says Calyx. :-D I really like the blonde's dress but the brunette's, not so much. Quick, someone punch her in the mouth!! o_O

End of voting. I managed to get in two votes for France just in time. :-)

Interval entertainment. If that word applies. WTF is this? Trash that we hate. trilltrall is about to fall asleep. What is this? We're totally hating on this; sorry, Germany. Piece of shit. Germans are weirdos. This is the year after Madcon, people!! o_O

These presenters and their antics ... I don't know what to say. We are extremely underwhelmed. This is a very unimpressive show by ESC standards, I have to say.

OK, we're about to start the scoring. Help! I have absolutely no idea how this is going to end. Who can win this?? I'm finding it impossible to guess this year. There's nothing that stands out. Except France!! But no, they won't win. Alas! But who will??

One good thing about this is that it'll be fun to watch the voting, because it'll probably be very even. So that's good. But who on earth will win?? At a guess I have to say that I think Azerbaijan and Ukraine will battle it out. Here's hoping for Ukraine ... !!!

Some other potential winners ... Sweden, unfortunately. Maybe Russia? Hungary? No, I can't even guess, this is too crazy!!

I really like the scoreboards they've come up with. It's almost the best thing about this production. So, not a compliment, really.

This heartbeat sound is really making me nervous.

Who on earth are these people who have voted for the UK??? Who are they? I can't believe that they're actually competing in the lead. What is this? They don't deserve a single point. And Ireland! People have been voting for Ireland! Incomprehensible. Please stop ... ! I actually almost prefer Greece ...

It's looking up for Sweden. OMG, what if they win?? They'll be unbearable. But the others are totally hating on Azerbaijan. They are not open to the idea of Baku 2012. :-) But what's the option, Stockholm?? :-o Or London, sheesh. If the UK win I think I'll have to jump off the balcony. Anything but the UK!!

Aw, Greece gave France 12 points. Thank you Greece! :-) It's going to be either Sweden, Ukraine or Azerbaijan. Ukraine, please!! But it's soo even at the top, it's amazing. Bosnia's doing really well. Good. But I can't believe how badly Switzerland is doing. :-( Spain is languishing at the bottom, unsurprisingly. trilltrall is disappointed ... but he didn't vote, he just told KAS to vote on his behalf, but she doesn't like them so she didn't. :-D

Now Azerbaijan is pulling ahead ... I'm thinking Baku 2012, seriously. Wow. That'd be awesome. :-) And Spain's managed to climb up a bit. But look at Italy! They're on third! How did that happen? o_O

Things are looking down for Sweden. Whew. But down for Ukraine too. Switzerland last, alas. Azerbaijan will probably make it. Wow.

Denmark got 12 points from Ireland. It's the hair, it's to do with the hair.

What will the Estonians do with their 12? It goes to ... Sweden! OK, they can still win. Wow, this is exciting! It's been a long time since the voting was this even. My nerves!

10 points from Moldova to Azerbaijan. Two countries left to vote. Azerbaijan is the winner. Aand ... they've realized it. LOL! They are soo happy! :-D Their fourth time competing, first time winning. And Italy came second! Yay, they beat the Swedes! Because, boys and girls, the important thing isn't to win, but to beat the Swedes. Except ...

... the Azerbaijani entry was written mostly by Swedes, so they won anyway! DAMNIT!

Congratulations to Azerbaijan!! Say what you will - and the gang here certainly are - but I'm pretty sure we'll be getting a show from Baku that will be well worth watching. :-) It certainly can't be worse than what we saw tonight. When whatshisname picked up whatshername, threw her over his shoulder and shoved her ass at the camera, that was truly a low point in Eurovision history. Thank you, Germany, I guess. I'm thankful that it's over. o_O

Congratulations to Azerbaijan!! :-)