As I previously said, over the new year holidays I will be away. From time to time I may get access to wifi and if I do I have a nice piece of surreal arguments to put up. If not I'll launch it on Wednesday.

Review: Switzerland

Switzerland

As Switzerland was the first to select their representative so they get the first review. Switzerland choose Sinplus with their song Unbreakable to represent them in Baku. This song has a lot to offer. It is a rock song and given the reaction of fans (or those interested enough in rock that their opinion was actually a real opinion) seemed to think that was a really strong song for the genre. I am a firm believer that a song that is good in the genre will never do badly. I know some fans who like a certain genre of Eurovision music actually would have liked to see a different contestant in Baku but there you have it. The public decided. We have to work with that.

At this point in time it is difficult to know exactly how this will fare in Baku given that we simply do not know enough of the songs going. If it was a heavy rock year (i.e. 4-5 rock songs) then Switzerland could be in trouble. However I think it is a very accessible song and should do well in the semi-finals and should qualify for the final.

Overall I think that this interesting and this is because of excellent and interesting vocals on the part of the lead singer. If vocally this is not up scratch on the night this could fall flat on its face. The song ends a little too quickly but this could easily be fixed by throwing a few extra notes at the end. For some strange reason whenever I listen to it, I think it is so similar to Monster by The Automatic with a little So Lucky from last year thrown in. I am assuming that they will play the current 3 minute version rather than adopting another.

Verdict: I know it is not Lys Assia but it is a good all round and accessible rock song that should go down well at the Eurovision Song Contest. Personally I am not the biggest rock fan but I find this listenable.

Grade: C

Happy New Year

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a happy, health and prosperous 2012. We hope you, like us will look to another great ESC year. We hope to be right there with you through thick and thin, good song and bad song.

We sadly have to announce we are taking a short holiday and will be back with you later next week. We hope to see you again then. However sometime this evening/tomorrow morning we will publish the first review of a song going to Eurovision (Switzerland).

End of year report

So as we draw another year to a close I am eager to set out my plan for the new year. As some of you may recall we set out our goals in September of this year and we will do the same now and we will look back on our plans for this term.

The Best Eurovision Blog year end report.
Year: June 2011-December 2011 (All targets unless otherwise stated are for 31/03/12 or when National Final season ends.

Viewer stats: Our visitor stats are low (Very low). However getting The Best Eurovision Blog on Twitter has helped our viewer stats. Also as National Final season improves we are expecting to receive more visitors.

Content: Much more reviews of songs particularly during national final season.

Goals since from last report:

1. Continue blogging and have a 60% post/days rate (currently 50%).
2. Continue with "And the winner of ESC 2012" and finish it before November
3. Continue reviewing the various JESC entries and start reviewing ESC entries as they come.
4. Launch The Best Eurovision Blog on Twitter and trial commentary for the Swiss national final

Achievements: 1. Post/Days rate has fallen and has not achieved the target (Was 60% currently 30%) New Target: 50%.
2. Achieved and finished.
3. Some entries reviewed. Though not all, No ESC song reviewed formally yet. New Target: Review all selected songs by January.
4. BEB now launched on twitter. Swiss/Albanian national finals not commented on but JESC 2011. Personally very pleased with launch on Twitter.
Other
5. Full coverage of Melodifestivalen and good coverage of all Nordic national finals. Selection of others.
6. Examine options about moving blog to another host such as word press (Not that I desperately want to do this but if I could do more on a different host I would move.)
7. Review all official Eurovision Songs in depth and launch Baku page by 1st May.

As you may have noticed there are small changes happening on the blog on a continuous basis. This will continue through January. Pages and other info may change so please bear with us while we prepare the Blog for National Final season/Eurovision 2012.

We invite submissions on all our targets and if you have any ideas for the blog please let us know via the comments or Twitter. If you would like to keep it private, please email me.

Book Review: It's Cold and There Are Children Singing

“Those who can cook become chiefs; those who can’t become food critics”

In keeping with their alternative coverage of Eurovision last month ESCInsight published a book on JESC, titled: It’s Cold and There are Children Singing by Ewan Spence. This is a mould breaking book not so much for the content but the fact that a book might exist about any aspect of the Eurovision Song Contest and not be the grand history of the contest by John Kennedy O’Connor. Neither writing nor reviewing books is a particularly pleasant but it is an important task, that’s why I’m doing this. Even though the book itself is only 13000 or so words long, this still requires a review of over 800 words long. When I started writing this I wanted to write a review but at times it turned into more of a critical discussion. I think this is required given how long the book is published.

No book about Eurovision, for Eurovision fans is going to be an easy write. It is no easy task to write facts for us hard-core fans while at the same time balancing this with stories that we might not have heard in the daily podcasts or reports on other sites. This raises a fundamental question; what is this book for? When I bought it of Amazon for $2.34 (£1.67) my first though was “This better not be a summary of what already came out of Armenia in reports/podcasts.” However by attaching a price to something you’re automatically raising the bar. That’s why I wrote this review in the first place, as some would say in Ireland “You’re playing senior hurling now lads”.

Two major themes come out of the book, the first being the fairness, togetherness and community of Junior Eurovision. Spence regularly points out how fair the whole contest is, from conduct of the Children, to the general spirit of the entire contest. These arguments are made in a very sincere and honest way and at times seem to lead on a reflection of the stark differences between the Adult and Junior contents. Unfortunately, he doesn’t actually do this. Without actually saying it Spence does appear quite disappointed that Georgia won the contest, not because he didn’t like it but because despite all the fair play and honesty Georgia was the only one that didn’t always play by the spirit of the contest. However as my favourite song overall (though not on the night) I still was delighted to see it win.

The second theme is for those much more familiar with Spence’s work with the contest. The theme is the cooperation by fans (I refuse to refer to them as journalists). Spence has long argued that there is much more scope for cooperation between competing sites when it comes to writing. Clearly at the Junior Eurovision Contest this was the case. Sometimes it can be wonderful to see your vision on a small scale. It allows you to dream of bigger things……

My favourite aspect of this book is the travel writing. This book is not simply about JESC. It is about adventures in Armenia. Often when we talk about Eurovision we forget the important aspects of the host country very quickly. As a lover of travel the book gives you real insight into travelling in Armenia everything from visas to currency. Those of us who really want to see the ins and outs of these foreign lands, this book takes you there. Having only been to Eastern Europe once (to Bulgaria), there are still interesting parallels between the two cultures, both such as using the French word for thank you. Travel, culture and people are often forgotten as integral parts of our understanding of the contest but are too often ignored in coverage. This book is refreshing in the way in which it gives you a real feel of Armenia.

I think what it is missing is reaction to the winner. We are bombarded with different opinions about the contest all through the Eurovision week/fortnight. However we never hear their reactions once the contest is over and even when we do it is very short and lack detail and reflection. This book could be a good platform to do that. Because it does not it actually is a missed opportunity.

I guess this was not exactly the normal review. I think it is more a piece of Eurovision literature peer reviewed by another fan. I guess I was not sure what to expect when I bought it, but I have enjoyed it. It may not take you behind the scenes of JESC but does offer a diary of a Eurovision fan at the contest and for those of us not at the contest this is a valuable read. Most importantly the two major themes discussed above give you much greater insight into the junior contest and contrast it more strongly with the adult contest in a way which those of us sitting comfortably at home never saw before. I recommend this book to all Eurovision fans, who wish they were there and to anyone who want a deeper understanding of Armenia. Well Done, Ewan, I enjoyed this.

It’s Cold and There Are Children Singing by Ewan Spence is available from Amazon (For kindle only) for £1.67/$2.34. You can download an app for your computer/iPhone/Android for kindle directly from Amazon.

Guide to grading

Over the last few week and the coming months you will notice a number of reviews of songs on the blog. It is an area we specialise in and are proud of it. However here at The Best Eurovision Blog our reviews may not seem perfectly straight forward. This post is to give you some insight about how we go about it. While the blog has only been online for about half a year I have many years experience of grading songs at every level.

Grading
All songs are Graded on a scale of 18 grades. These range from A+ to E- (passing grades) these mean I think the song is acceptable for Eurovision and they are placed somewhere on the scale [Anything over C- means I would come back to listen to it]. F and G are fail grades meaning I think the song is unacceptable for Eurovision.  NG (Non-Gradable) is only given when I cannot bring myself to listen to a song for long enough to grade it.

Grading Scales
The Normal Scale: The scale that I normally use is reasonably tough. It means a good national final should have mainly C's. A poor one will have mostly D's and E's.

The Higher Scale: This scale is used at Eurovision, it is far tougher than the earlier scale but the results should be similar as the higher scale is meant to reflect the stronger songs. While it is it meant for Eurovision it is used in some national finals.

The Melodifestivalen Scale: This scale is only used in some Melodifestivalen finals when more that 60% of songs are receiving A's on the higher scale. This is a very strict scale and grades are not calculated the normal way. It has only once been deployed outside of a Melodifestivalen Final, in Norway last year.

Before grading is confirmed it is checked against other countries under the same scale to ensure uniform grades are generally given out.

Albania decides: Rona To BAKU!!!

In the most unsurprising event of the year Albania has sent 25 year old Rona Nishliu to Baku. Here at The Best Eurovision Blog we are delighted with the result having spotted the song by chance on Monday. Full review of the song to come soon.

Congratulations Rona!

Important Day Today (At long last)

As i'm sure your all aware Albania selects their song tonight. As far as I know there will be no live commentary from The Best Eurovision Blog. Therefore we recommend the article on escXtra or follow @ESCInsight on twitter. But keep an eye on our twitter page just in case my guests leave early or I get a chance to run upstaris.
A full list of artists for tonight is available here. ESCToday also have a poll running and as the largest independent website I find their polls the best available online. Enjoy tonight.

In other news the rumour mill appears to suggest that we are going to find out who the Turkish representative is going to be today. There is serious talk on Twitter but nothing is confirmed yet. We will try to keep you updated.

We're on Twitter!!!

The Best Eurovision Blog is pleased to announce that we are now on Twitter. Here you will find an update of all published articles and maybe even a short thought. Please feel free to follow us. From now until new year anyone who follows us we will follow back. Tweet to us @besteuroblog.

We would point out however that commentary (Live) maybe still on my personal account @SpTynan or another account so best follow both.

The Albanian Briefing

So as previously posted, Albania is currently selecting it's Eurovision entry for 2012. While I am keeping a close eye on the contest, it is not as close as I would normally keep. However one song has really stood out and it is a song I hope to see in ESC 2012.

Rona Nishliu - Suus

I really don't know why I like this song so much but lets just say it evokes something deep inside of me that I don't normally feel with Eurovision Music, it is emotions that I normally get from the really good Opera or similar. I ask any Albanians reading this Blog to support it, sadly though the juries will have to make up their minds themselves.

Due to the celebration of Christmas we sadly will not be able to have the time to watch Albania's selection. Over the next week I will continue to keep a close eye on what is happening out there but unfortunately there will be no coverage of the festival. (Unless some of my guests can't turn up).

We hope you are enjoying Christmas/Holidays and assure you we will be back in the new year. (A more detailed review of the season so far and our plans for the year going forward will be published soon.

We also hope to have a review of ESCInsights book up before the new year.

From the Editors Desk.

Dear Reader,

With the advances of new technology there are many things that you could be doing while reading this piece. You could be at your desk, taking a break from the hassle of Christmas Day or maybe your in front of a warm fire reading this off a laptop. You could be in the kitchen trying to get Christmas dinner together and pausing for a moment to read this off your phone. 

In many ways this is a simple explanation of Eurovision. While many people will (hopefully) read this post everyone's circumstances are a little different. This idea of uniting behind a concept, such as Christmas, is the same idea that unites us each year for the Eurovision Song Contest. Christmas day is a special day and each moment of it is special. Today is not a day for reports or analysis. Today is a day for family. (Although the real die hard fans will be watching FiK in Albania.) As a fan of Eurovision you should have learned of the love for fellow people of the world that comes from following the contest. Let us hope the love that unites us for Eurovision can glow through out the world as a guiding light for all those who have gone astray.

I would like to thank you following the blog over the last number of months and hope you will return soon. Eurovision is not as far away as think and in the next month the National Finals will get into full swing. We hope to be their with you to offer opinion and ideas about it. 

We wish you and your loved ones health and happiness both today and for the coming year.

With love, kind regards to all and good wishes,
Nollag Shona Duit, 

Seán

Editor of The Best Eurovision Blog.

P.S. I know this video is a bit obvious but it represents so much of what Eurovision means to me.

Human Rights and Azerbaijan

I have often said in the lead up to the contest that Azerbaijan should never be completely trusted on their human rights record. The EBU has seemingly failed in this. A report by the BBC shows the human cost of Eurovision and it is a cost that every fan must bear in mind. According to their report hundreds of people will be forced to leave their homes so as they can be removed ahead of the construction of the contest venue. This has lead to the president of OGAE Denmark calling for Denmark to boycott ESC 2012. There is a claim that the demolitions have nothing to do with the contest and if this is the case there is nothing the EBU can do.

Therefore I am calling for a full investigation (included onsite inspection) by the European Broadcasting Union (Reference Group) to ascertain whether the construction of the venue or infrastructure for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 is connected to the demolition of up to 65 homes located near the proposed site for the contest. If the findings of the report are true the EBU should demand alternative arrangements be put in place. The EBU should be prepared to drop Azerbaijan as the host country if these human rights violations or any other human rights issue comes to light. 

Espana mandar Pastora Soler a Eurovison 2012

Esté es mi primero blog en Espanol. Espero que sera el primero de muchos. Espana ha seleccionado Pastora Soler para ir a Eurovision 2012. Pastora nací en Seville en ano 1978. Empezó cantar en 1992 con su cantíon El mundo que soñé. Bueno surte a Pastora en el Eurovision.


We have just heard Pastora Soler is to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. We wish her the best of luck and looking at her record, I'd say they can expect a fair amount of jury votes.

So we finish off the reviews with the final 9.

1. Jessica Muscat - This might be a little to disco for my taste however it is good, but I don't expect it to be performed well live. Grade: B

2. Kaya - This might not be schlager but it does raise the standard. This is the first song I have heard that lifts to the standard that we would expect at Eurovision. An early favourite? It is not my favorite but I do expect it to do well. Grade: B

3. Kilnsmann - Why start by sitting on the ground? The chorus of the song sounds a bit boybandish however it is pleasant. Pleasant never won Eurovision but anyhow. But is it meant mean to be pop/rock or a boyband? There are some performance flaws but a nice song. Grade: C

4. Kurt Calleja - Very good but he needs to be able to live on the night to get to Baku. But remember Maltese voters are arguably the madest hatters of all ESC western countries. This is a nice song but this still would need a real live performance to lift it. If Kurt can pull that off the song has a hope. However I can only grade on what I hear in the studio version. Grade: C

5. Lawerence Grey - Good voice, dullish song we lots of these in Malta. Song only gets duller. Why wear a suit? Grade: D-

6. Nadine Bartolo - Here is yet another dull song from Malta. The song needs a lot more passion that Nadine is not able to deliever. Beat and style sounds a bit disorganised. Grade: E-

7. Richard Edwards - Look at me now is a better song than the last couple that I listened to it before, however this is still not over interesting. Nevertheless I like the overall song somewhat. Grade: D

8. Romina Mamo - This is actually rather good, but doesn't go for the final punch. However the overall song needs a little bit more music. Romina has a good voice and the song will need a good vocal on the night. Romina also could ditch the jacket/jumper combo in favour of a little more leather. Grade: D+

9. Wayne Micallef - Grade: F

So here at the BEB (Best Eurovision Blog) we are looking forward to Eurosong 2012. Even though some of the songs may not be the best. Overall the scores given are a little better than those in the Swiss final so may be we will get a better winner. In the meantime we are supporting DEBORAH C FEAT. LEILA JAMES for Eurovision 2012.

Why Eurovision?

ESCInsight's latest series is on their senior writers. How they fell in love with the contest and why they still love it. Today's article by Samantha Ross of the ESCInsider blog. However one quote just stood out at me which I think pretty much sums up why we all follow Eurovision. 


'Asking me “Why Eurovision?” is akin to asking me “why pizza?”  It’s definitely not the world’s healthiest food, and at times it’s downright terrible, but it satisfies a craving that nothing else can provide, and it’s always best when shared.' (Ross: 2011). 


A link can be found here

Continuing Maltese Reviews

1. Deborah C. feat L. James - Fab Alert: This is schlager, two bouncy (and good looking) girls jumping around singing a song that you just know they'll murder live. However massive live disastor performances are best avioded by a schlager style pair of heels. We shall see. If Deborah wears a leather catsuit on the night I'll give this an A+ in the meantime. Grade: A

2. Dorothy Bezzina - Interesting, that’s all I'll say. Grade: B-

3. Eleanor Cassar - Boring, poorly constructed pop song - good voice wasted on a poor song. Grade: E+

4. Fabrizio Faniello - Those of you hoping for something the same as last year will not be disappointed. However it is difficult to know if Fabrizio is worth sending to Eurovision again. Those with a liking for beards that make you look like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also will not be disappointed. Grade: B-

5. Francesca Borg - Dire. Grade: G

6. Gianni - Poor quality rock with few redeming features other than a good end. Grade: E

7. Isabelle - No faults. Beat is good and the music is arranged well. Not outstanding. It could build more and have a stronger ending. Grade: C+

8. Janice Mangion - Grade: D+

9. Janvil - Grade: C-

Conclusion of And the winner is series tomorrow. We will have the last part of this series Wednesday.

Conclusions: And the winner of Eurovision 2012 is.....?

So after looking at the various countries who could the winner be? Well if recent Eurovision history is anything to go by then Denmark looks set to take the title next year. Sweden are just behind Denmark. Russia/Ukraine/Bosnia and Heregovia are able to win but it depends on how much they want it. Ireland/UK/Turkey/France/Armenia could sneak up but they need to pick good songs but none of those countries are incapable of doing so.

But I am going to call who are the top 10 most likely countries to win Eurovision 2012:

1.       Denmark

2.       Sweden

3.       Ireland [If Jedward enter move them up to the second slot]

4.       Bosnia & Herzegovina [An ethnic song will win in the next few years]

5.       Italy [If they keep with entries that will impress juries]

6.       Armenia

7.       Germany

8.       Russia

9.       Ukraine

10.   Turkey

Some countries do well in this list for no reason other than they have the power and might to win Eurovision. I don’t think this is the Top 10 list for next year but I think the winner will come from this list. The only country who are not on this list and I really felt could be on it was United Kingdom. However this will depend on how good the selection process by the BBC is. As Blue didn’t work this year only finishing 11^th sending JLS or similar next year might not produce a win.

Also I can only write this based on roughly how the country has done up until now. If Celine Dion decides to enter again for Switzerland, well I didn’t see it coming and I take no responsibility if you decide to bet your house on one country after reading this.

And The Winner OF Eurovision 2011 Is.....?: Part: I can't remember :(

So to finish off our in depth series:
I wrote this in June so I am sorry if it is a little out of date.

Ireland

Ireland (My home country) is definitely had a mini comeback in recent years. RTÉ’s new mentor system is not a bad one given the fact everyone knows everyone else in the music industry in Ireland and this was proven by getting Jedward. What determines if this is a new era for Ireland or just a blip is where Ireland goes next. Certainly we could try to get U2 or The Script but they have better things to do. At this stage looking at Irish media it looks like our 2012 entrant is Jedward [And being on the ground in Ireland it certainly seems that way]. After performing for President Obama they are on a whirlwind of fame. While Louis Walsh was looking to Japan before but I think he could be changing the gear in favour of winning Eurovision and launching them on the European stage. If they put in a year trying to win Eurovision they surely can do it, but the need a more “Poppy” song more like Popular [Eric Saade] or Lay Your Love On Me [BWO], however what they need to do is release the song before Christmas and promote it in Ireland before they have to go to the National Final, then go to Europe. Looking away from Jedward, Imelda May would also be a very good choice – she’s a different Irish act, quirky enough to appeal at Eurovision but not over the top. Last year Jedward proved Ireland has a substantial vote base, even managing to stop Denmark and Sweden exchanging points.

Dublin 2013? Given Jedward’s popularity and the fact they could put a year’s work into Eurovision we can certainly say Ireland would be in with the strongest shout in years, particularly after . But if Jedward put in a middle of the road, last minute song it would be a very bad choice. Excluding Jedward if RTÉ were willing to get an act that is reasonably famous we would also have a good chance.

I can't remember if this was posted already:

Norway

After a landslide win in 2009 Norway seemed part of a new wave of western wins. However while their last two entries did well in predictions once picked they slide a lot when they hit the ESC stage. Norway can hardly be pleased with their last two results, but they should not lose hope. MGP is the second strongest national final system, in my opinion. However, while excellent songs are entered they still don’t take risks with more modern sounding entries, like Vardlokk or Not That Easy. They have the ability to get points across the board but are still supported by a strong Scandinavian Anglo-Irish block. However, after this year, if bland songs are going to do well in the contest then Tone Damli Aabarge may be a good choice.

Oslo 2013? Unless Norway steps out of its comfort zone they may find the Top 10 out of reach, let alone a win.

Romania

After seeming to peak in 2005/6 they made a comeback in 2010 and kind of lost it again. Romania has an unremarkable selection process and really I think they have as much chance as any country you care to mention. Their block is the outer Balkans who tend to not work as strongly as a normal block.

Bucharest 2013? Maybe

Conclusions this week.

First Malta Reviews

So after much waiting here are the first of the reviews of the Maltese songs. All songs have been assigned a grade from an A+ to E- are passing grades (i.e. I would listen to it again) and failing grades would be either F, G or NG. F and G are songs I would not listen to agian because I feel they are just below standard for their genre. NG means non gradable and only applies where a song is so bad I couldn't listen to it for long enough to grade it or where I feel the song may be personally offensive. While all songs have received a grade they have not all been commented on. This is due to the number of songs in Eurosong and the fact that they sometimes seem a bit bland. Songs without a comment are usually neither great nor very poor. Anyway enough with the rules lets get cracking.

1. Amber - Very unusual song, her voice is strong. However the song, though interesting, is a bit repetitive and the climax and final verse are by not strong enough given what they seem to be building towards in the first verses. Maybe this is intentional but I suspect not. - Grade: E-

2. Anna Azzopradi - Anna's light jazzy voice is pleasant and does grow in strenght in the chorus. Song is boring and the backing vocals which really should complement her voice actually seem the wrong. Grade: G

3. Annalise Ellul - It is a nice song that we see a lot of in the Meditreainain national finals however it is difficult to see them doing all that dancing in the final when vocals have to be live. Dance reminds me of Turkey 2003. Grade: D-

4. Claudia Fanniello - A strong ballad . Returning artist Claudia gives a great number with the song Prue. This has all the hallmarks of a good song but Claudia lifts it well, however there has been problems with her vocal performance in the past at the final. So let us hope she can pull this one off. Grade : B+

5. Corazon - Grade: D

6. Dancia Muscat - Grade: C-

More tomorrow.

Another One Bites The Dust!

Do-do-do Another one bites dust!

Poland's not coming to ESC 2012. This is not very surprising given that they are hosting Euro 2012, but as someone who would rather stab their eyes out than watch soccer I don't understand why they would leave. There are somethings I will never understand.

Malta reviews start this weekend!

So many songs......So much time

Malta is one of the non-nordic countries whose national final I actually do follow. Today they released all the songs in the semi final for you to listen to so over the coming days I will put a few reviews. As with many countries national finals some of the songs are just a little......ah (bored grunt) so while I will put up a grade for each there may not always be a review to go with it sorry!

ESCInsight have an ebook launched written by website editor Ewan Spence, about the Junior Eurovision Song contest 2011. Which is a fair achievement in two weeks. I will have a review of it posted to the blog over the coming weeks (hopefully before New Year)

Just a quick posting to convey my sympathies to the family and friends of Măllina Olinescu, who tragically commited suicide. 


She represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest1998 in Birmingham, UK.


While I don't know if this is required I'll put it up anyhow. 


Samaritans :

In the UK dial 08457 90 90 90.

In the Republic of Ireland dial 1850 60 90 90

Swisss final tonight!!!

"And what time is it now, Ted?"
"One O'Clock"
And the Eurovision?"
"Is in May Dougal."

As you are all aware the Swiss national final takes place tonight. The final features a relatively bland group of songs, none of which will win ESC 2012. However a national final is a national final. Sometime around 9pm GMT or 10pm CET  we will know the first song of this years ESC. Which is a little strange given it is the 10th December (see aboe quote). Sadly, due to other engagements I shall not be on twitter this evening or even watching the final with you. I might be on Twitter by 8:00pm GMT so keep a look out for @SpTynan. Otherwise I recommend either @Ewan or @ESCInsight (I'm not sure which they are blogging through). So based on the studio versions the following grades have been given to the songs:

Lys Assia B
Raphael Jeger B-
Patric Scott feat. Fabienne Louves C+
Katherine St. Laurent C-
Sinplus C-
Ze Flying Zézettes Orchestra  D+
I Quattro D+
Sosofluo D
Ivo D
Macy D-
Atomic Angels E+
Chiara Dubey E
Guillermo Sorya F+
Emel F-

Lys Assia is the favorite to win tonight and here at The Best Eurovision Blog we would like to wish her the very best of luck.

Congradutions Georgia!!

I would like to start by saying congratulations to Georgia. They were one of the best songs in there however I was not convinced by them on the night.

So as we saw Georgia win JESC 2011 we now can draw a close to the Eurovision year. From next Saturday we move into Eurovision 2012. Even writing it seems a little odd but we will get there. So...

Happy New (Eurovision) Year Everyone!!! 

Once again I am sorry I could not find the time to write of late. In university, I am always writing a lot and you can get tried of this. The lack of material to write about also did not help. Going forward you can follow me on twitter (@SpTynan) and I will have some blog posts in due course.

I know things are not at their normal levels yet but we will be back soon (before JESC)