Melodifestivalen! Whoop, Whoop!

So today we had the first 16 names for Melodifestivalen this year. In the usual style there are some there that I've never heard of before but there are some who are very interesting names indeed! Let's have a quick look:

Semi-Final 1
Cookies 'n Beans return with a song written by Fredrick Kempe. However the big name here in my opinion is David Lindgren who returns again this year. I liked him last year and I though his song was pretty good however I will be keeping a very close eye on what he produces for this year's contest. Definitely one to watch.

Semi-Final 2 
Semi-final 2 produces some very interesting names, particularly Tone Damli who is singing a duet with Erik Segerstedt. Tone is definitely someone who I am glad to see participating in a Eurovision selection process, however because it is Sweden it may be more difficult for her to get the vote out. The other major names in the semi-final is Jenny Silver, Pernilla Wahlgren and Hanna Helund. Interesting group of female singers who I would not have put together, but we shall see what happens. Lastly Sean Banan returns, meh I thought his song was good last time but I will be interested to see what he comes up with this time.

So any guesses who will be in semi-final 3 or 4?

Running Order Shock Reaction

There has been quite a lot of mixed reaction to today's announcement by the EBU about the running order being decided by the producers. So naturally I would like to add something to the debate:

Those who may have seen Ewan Spence's recent discussion about how Eurovision is very different from reality TV may have noticed that he concluded that the contest probably better reflects real life. It is fair and unbiased, unlike reality TV shows. The contest is organised so as to minimise the variables which may affect the outcome of the contest. Ewan also notes the importance of using random selections where certain elements of the contest may affect its outcome. I wonder did he understand what was around the bend.While some very influential Eurovision fans have stated that this represents a logical shift to make the contest more exciting, there has been widespread criticism of today's decision throughout the fan community. This is very understandable and should not simply be dismissed as ludicrous by those who welcome today's announcement.

Personally I cannot find a logical reason to oppose this. The running order draw has its limitations but on the other hand the running order can prove highly influential not just at Eurovision, but in many TV music competitions. The most obvious place where it is to be found is in Melodifestivalen, which despite its similarities to the Eurovision Song Contest can be considered a much more producer controlled show. There have been attempts to use the running order to the advantage of certain contestants.

However Eurovision is a very different scene. While in shows like the X-Factor contestants are bound by a legal contract to pretty much obey the show producers, Eurovision is simply not like that. Many contestants are supported by massive delegations who can ensure that every contestant is fairly treated. Like any major Eurovision decision the outcome of the rule change is likely to be difficult to understand until it is seen in practice. One major thought that pops into my head though is will the running order always be accepted? Is there any chance that a country might disagree with the producers? Maybe.

I strongly suspect that there is little reason to worry about this. This system has been seen at JESC since 2003. It could do a lot of good. However for many fans and this includes me, this move represents a change in the contest that hands power over to the producers of the show. This is not a trend that I can strongly support as it does mean a move towards a contest that resembles reality TV. You can call me a Tea Party Eurovision fan but that's just me. However for the moment I will accept Siste Bakker's point that there is little reason to suggest that the producers will be baised, unlike X-Factor, they have no stake in who the ultimate winner is.

At Least Iceland Got It Right

So after the big night of Nordic finals and some others it is time to take stock again in what seems to be my Saturday Night routine.

• Hungary have selected Compact Disco for Baku with the song The Sound Of Our Hearts. There is nothing to complain about barring the rather flat performance, review will follow in due course [think weeks not days though].
• Lithuania did something and our friends over at escXtra have a wonderfully concise report here. 
• Sweden - the problem with Sweden is that they have some excellent songs which they then don't pick. This annoys me. We were not remotely impressed with them sending Timoteij to Andra Chansen. Neither are we impressed by who they did send - Ulrik Munther [understandable] and David Lindgren [aimless] but continues the male theme of their final so far. I am starting to think they might send Loreen or if we are extremely lucky Love Generation <3. I am wondering if there might be a lot 
• Iceland provided us with some delight by sending Greta Sálome and Jonsi with their amazing ballad which I cannot spell. Anyway we think it is extremely good and are very happy that they avoided rather poorer songs. Full review in due course [like Hungary, think weeks not days though].
• Norway (sigh) - well let's just say I think they missed a massive opportunity to send a song that would be original and authentic. Instead they send Eric Saade Mark II. Tooji won the vote with 40%, with Nora Foss in second (21%), Bobby Bare and Petter Oien (20%) in third and Plumbo in fouth (15%). This is exact the opposite to how I wanted it to go. Better luck next year Norway. We would also like to briefly say a huge well done to Reidun Saether whose performance was amazing.

 So that concludes tonight but next week will be manic so we will be post regular updates. Azerbaijan will select the representative that has to do the least travelling to Eurovision tomorrow but we don't tend to pay to close attention to that.

100 Tweets Later And We Have Song Six

Tonight after a marathon National Final we have reached the end of the Maltese selection. To explain how bored people were: You may notice sometimes during the dull part of a national final we will post up a Why not visit the blog? tweet [Our marketing department say it is a good idea]. Normally this generates 2/3 extra visitors. When I did it during Eurosong I got 15.

Anyway we all woke up just after midnight to see what was a rather entertaining voting. The ultimate winner was KURT CALLEJA who will sing This Is The Night for Malta in Baku. Full review will be out in a week or two but suffice to say I think it is a little average.

Moving on to other matters at hand Hungary and Lithuania had their semi-finals tonight also and I gather that they passed off without anyone watching them.

However most interestingly Sweden held their first Melodifestivalen semi-final which was a entertaining and as interesting as ever. I think people have finally gotten their heads around the "poor" songs and are now accepting that the songs are not normally seen in MF. This meant that we had one of the most intriguing contests in a long time. I know our predictions were out (badly) but Swedes are very changeable in their nature when it comes to Melodifestivalen. Sean Banan and Throston Flinck went to Anfra Chansen with Dead By April and Loreen advancing to the Final. I thoroughly enjoyed Melodifestivalen this week and look forward to next week.

Norway too held their ultimate semi-final. This one turned out to have a couple of surprises (most of them were very pleasant). The biggest surprise was Yaseen & Julie Maria coming third with their song Sammen. I didn't think very much of it and my mind is still unchanged but I think their performance highlights why the number of people on stage needs to be restricted. Tooji also made it through. He was the Norwegian answer to Eric Saade and the number of similarities was actually freaky. It turned into a bit of a spot the difference competition [He didn't wear leather gloves]. He deserves credit for an excellent performance however coming second means that he will be first to sing in the final which may not work in his favor. The best and most pleasant surprise was how well Bobby Bare and Petter Oien's song came across on the stage. Everything about it worked and Bobby was such a country gentleman. I was really impressed by what appeared to be the bond between the two men. It was real music.

Norway is expected to announce their wildcard on Thursday. We suspect it will go to the Canoes but also consider Minne-Oh, Lisa Stokke and especially Lise Karlnese to be in with a chance.

That brings this evening to a close. The next big event will be on Monday with Germany holding heat 5. However we tend to ignore Germany for the moment. We will be busy over the coming week preparing for the weekend so please be patient with us if things are quiet during the week.

P.S. We don't have a marketing department.

Melodifestivalen 2012 Starts Thursday!

Like many of our Eurovision Friends we are just uber-excited to say that on Thursday. But  is so much to look forward to? Well we think yes there is and before I hear the songs and become very biased (as our readers will see).

The Return of The Moniker:
Last year The Moniker came to the fore despite coming to the final via Andra Chansen (Sorry if my Swedish spelling is wrong!) He wowed us with his song Oh My God! and we are very much looking forward to his entry.

We also should mention we look forward to Loreen and Afro-Dite but mostly to see what their song are like. Loreen could have something good given that Thomas G:sson is involved.

What else? Well we in the other semi-finals we like Molly Sandén and Andreas Johnson and (to a lesser extent Danny). Love Generation will be a high on the list but most importantly:

TIMOTEIJ!

But what we cannot fail to mention is all the other artists. There will be some great songs and artists that I have never heard of before because that is what Eurovision is all about!

News Flash

We're very happy with how our "Why Ireland Needs Jedward" post was received. In the future we will try to publish a little more on Jedward (just wait until RTÉ gives the full list of who is participating)

Turkey have announced that Can Bonomo will represent them in Baku. I don't personally go for him but many people will think he is good. (It's Turkey afterall)

Tine Lynggaard has been disqualified from DMGP 2012 due to her song being published to early. (Must not own a calender).

Nina Badric will represent Croatia in ESC 2012. Seems like a good choice.

Melodifestivalen running order has been revealed. The best slot in the semi finals has gone to Danny (sigh) Timoteij are singing fifth in their semi-final (Another sigh).

Cead Míle Fáilte Chuig Mo Bhlog (Welcome To My Blog)

First of all well done for finding this blog. I warmly welcome you to this little corner of the web that I run. I never wrote a blog before so please be patient and don't expect everything. 

First and foremost this is a Eurovision blog. It is about the great annual event that is the Eurovision Song Contest. As we are about 11 and half months out from the contest this seemed like the right kind of time to set up a blog ahead of the next contest, but we won't stop there, oh no! There is so much out there besides seven and a half hours of television in May.

This is an Irish Eurovision Blog and take pride in supporting Ireland though the contest. However I will  try to keep you informed of what is going on in as many other countries as possible and  keeping a close eye on the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC) and the second best TV show in the world Melodifestivalen (MF). 

I will try not to be a news site but to actually look at what is going on around the Eurovision world and to express a genuine and sincere opinion on the events. 

What is seldom is wonderful so I will try to keep my posts as concise as possible and please don't expect a daily blog. Feel free to comment particularly if you have any suggestions for the blog, and I will try to interact with you as I can.


I called this The Best Eurovision Blog (BEB) and I intend to live up to it.