Malmö 2013 - second semi-final

Wheee ... !!! :-D

A more arty opening this time. But very cool. Visually striking. Although I have to say this: I do understand the concern over safety issues, but bicycle helmets will just never ever look cool. Absolutely everyone looks like idiots wearing them. I've never worn mine. Ho hum.

OK, this was seriously very cool indeed.

Hello Petra! That's a hell of a dress. Not sure I would have gone with that one, but whatever. I'm sure she'll have changed into something else by the next time we see her. :-)

Latvia. Like I said in my video about this semi, this is in some ways a great entry to open the show with. But it's extremely annoying. And so glittery!! Hideous outfits. The song is rather catchy though, in an annoying sort of way. Maybe the youth segment of the audience will find this appealing. They seem to really get the arena going. Personally though I would just as soon not see it again. Hopefully this unfortunate slot will do its part to keep them out of the final.

NRK's having some serious problems with their broadcast ... !! :-o

San Marino. Same singer as last year, but the song is a hundred times better. I am so excited to see this presentation. Valentina's a good singer and this song is very well suited to her voice. A beautiful melody. I like this a lot. It's the best they've ever sent. I would love for them to get to the final for the first time, they would be so excited ... ! and I think they have real chances this year. I like the presentation a lot. Good luck to them, this is a very good effort. Pity they got such a lousy slot. :-(

Macedonia. Meh. This song is kind of schizo. The male singer's part is good, but they ruin it all with that woman. Boo for ethnic chic! Half pop + half folk music = usually doesn't work out. Some will no doubt like this but I think they will be too few to get this through to Satuday. I certainly hope so. And, barring head to toe gold lamé, I don't think she could have chosen a more unflattering outfit ...

Azerbaijan. Now here's a shoe-in. :-) Absolutely no way this won't get through. I really like this entry, even though their singer is a little douchy ... but there's about 20 million teenage girls watching right now who would no doubt vehemently disagree with me. ;-) A catchy song, a good singer, kind of weird presentation, but definitely memorable. Already looking forward to seeing it again the day after tomorrow. :-)

Finland! My favorite. A really fun entry, and very catchy, with a great beat. May seem rather bizarre though to those who don't understand English properly. But she's not singing very well tonight ... in fact rather badly. Started out very bad but is getting a little better ... but definitely an underwhelming performance. Alas!! But a fun and colorful presentation. And the first lesbian kiss in ESC history. May be off-putting down east. Really not sure Finland will manage this. Crossing my fingers for them though.

Yay, Lynda Woodruff. I think she's funny. :-)

Malta. Oh, how I wish they would win one day ... !! All their heads would explode with happiness. :-) But can it happen this year? Again, it's very difficult to call it this year, the lineup's so extremely even. But I don't think they can make it quite to the top. They could do rather well, though. The singer's cute, he has a voice you remember with a lot of personality, and the song is sweet and adorable and catchy to boot. I like the presentation. This has potential.

Bulgaria. Now this is the kind of mix of pop and folk music that can actually work. The folk music is constantly present rather than being thrown up here and there and not connected to the pop parts of the song. This may be a bit much though, as a whole. The song is catchy, but it starts to get on your nerves after a while. This feels like it lasts much longer than three minutes. And the drums, constantly with the drums ... Nah, I can't say I have high hopes for the Bulgarians.

Iceland. Who are finally singing in Icelandic!! YES!!! I think that's a really wise choice. Now let's see if they've given him a new suit ... since they obviously haven't cut his hair. >:-) This is a beautiful song, I like this a lot ... he's a good singer and this very simple presentation will also appeal to a lot of viewers. The song's not exactly catchy, but it's certainly very beautiful while you're listening to it. They have a very bad slot, but I think they still have the chance to get through.

Greece. Now to test my theory that the title of this song, Alcohol Is Free, is a stroke of genius. :-) This song is a lot deeper than it sounds, actually. But even if you just want something loud and catchy, this should suit you to a tee. This is very catchy. Starts your foot tapping. Plus it has that ethnic element and it's fun to look at. Should have no trouble getting through.

Israel. Is it just me or does their singer look like Nana Mouskori? Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. She's a wonderful singer, one of the best this year. The song is beautiful, a powerful ballad that should appeal to a huge segment of the audience. Not the best choice of outfit though. Like 95% of the other songs here, it isn't exactly catchy, but it certainly is beautiful to listen to. And well presented. Should get through.

Armenia. One of my favorite countries in the contest, but they've disappointed me this year. This is just so generic. I've already forgotten it while I'm still listening to it. It's fine to listen to, but there's absolutely no hook to it. The performance and presentation is so bland too. Sorry, Armenia. But you can do so much better ... !! :-(

Hungary. I hardly know what to say about this entry. It's strangely soothing. I could fall asleep listening to this. I mean that in a good way. I love that they're singing in Hungarian. The melody is ... yeah, soothing. His voice is perfect for this song. Simple presentation. Good entry. It may have a good chance.

Norway ... !! I hate bragging about our own entry, but we really are one of the very best this year. We are a very serious contender. The melody is very strong. Margaret's a good singer and her voice suits this song perfectly. Or vice versa. :-) A beautiful blonde is of course never a bad thing. Even the bizarre title may work to our advantage since there's such a plethora of mindless song titles this year. At least ours is memorable. The presentation is striking and Margaret did a good job with her performance. We're a shoe-in! :-)

Ooh, Lys Assia ... !! Now there's a coup. But Petra's still wearing that dress. What are they thinking of ...

Albania. Meh. This is one of my least favorites this year. Although it's significantly better tonight than it was in their national final. Their guitar hero's still a lousy singer though. But the other guy's not too bad. Hm. Somewhat creative pyrotechnics. But it's all a bit much to be honest ...

Georgia. Another very good entry. A beautiful and powerful ballad. Very good singers. Should breeze through. Not very memorable, and of course there are a lot of ballads, but this is definitely one of the better ones. I'm not sold on the presentation though. Oh well.

Switzerland. V. catchy melody, but it's wasted on these lyrics. And I'm a little annoyed by the ancient bass player, he's a gimmick more than anything. I always kind of root for the Swiss, but this isn't their best, not by a long shot. Catchy though, I'll give them that.

Romania. Another favorite who's disappointed me this year. They so want to win, so why are they sending this?? Worst outfit of the night. Weird presentation. Seriously, Romania. ROMANIA. STAHP.

That's all the songs! Petra still has the same dress ... ! o_O But who cares, we're almost ready to vote ... !!!

Have to mention that I love the fact that we can only vote a limited number of times this year. The limit's way too high, but still, it's a start.

First runthrough. Then back to the green room. Ooh, and another history lesson. I like these. :-)

Second runthrough. I've voted four times, or was it five, for Finland, twice for Iceland and twice for San Marino. My civic duty is done for tonight.

OK, voting's done! Eek, I'm nervous already. :-) Now for the interval entertainment. Of course, since this is Sweden, they have to show off an immigrant. I'm so glad I'm not Swedish. I love Sweden, but you'd have to pay me to live there.

Yawn.

OK, the girl's a little better. But what does this have to do with the ESC? A missed opportunity.

Time for some guesses. Who will get through? Let's see.

Norway :-)
Azerbaijan
Greece
Georgia
Israel
Iceland?

Also really hoping for Finland and San Marino. The latter's chances may be good, the former ... not so much.

Potentials:
Malta
Hungary

But sheesh ... !! It's all so even this year. I don't know what I'm doing. :-)

Sand confirms the validity of the results. So let's hear it ... ! Oh, I'm so nervous ... !! :-D

Which are the last ten finalists??

Hungary. Good for them. :-)
Azerbaijan. No surprise.
Georgia. Yup.
Romania?? WTF???
Norway! Yes!! Wild cheers in the arena, so cool. :-D
Iceland! Yay!
Armenia. Huh. You never can tell.
Finland!!! Yes!!!
Malta. Good for them too. :-)
Greece. Yup.

Eight out of ten, that's a pretty good guess ... ! Maybe I have some clue after all. :-D

Well, Saturday's lineup is complete. Except for Romania, I'm pretty happy with this. Already SO excited for Saturday ... !! :-D

I still can't believe that Petra didn't change her dress ... ! o_O