And The Winner of Eurovision 2013 Is?

The day of the Eurovision Final has finally dawned. 26 countries prepare to do battle in an exciting show from Malmo tonight. But who will emerge the winner? Let's take a look at the finalist tonight.

France
France this year have a nice song but has some have mentioned no one has this down in their top 10. It is a fairly dull song that could go down well with the juries and manage to get to the top of the right hand side of the scoreboard or it could slide well down it.
My Grade: 3/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Lithuania
Lithuania were certainly the most surprising country to make the final this year. The song is one which I thought would get knocked out in the semi-finals and don't see it going to far tonight.
My Grade: 4.5/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Moldova
Moldova are always very strong at Eurovision and this year is no different. Aliona is a competent singer and she should do fairly well with the juries tonight. However as she has the third dull song in the opening part of the show I don't think the public are going to support this song enough.
My Grade: 4/10
Prediction: 13th-16th

Finland
I was sickened by the fact I did not put a bet on this to win the semi-final. It was 25/1 on PaddyPower and even an each way bet would have helped the kitty in my mind. I think that this is one of the best songs in this years contest and I think that it may bode well in western Europe. Hard to say how it will go down in the east. I would have said this was certainly going to go top 10 but so many of Finland's neighbours are strong this year that it is hard to say.
My Grade: 8.5/10
Prediction: 9th-12th

Spain
A dull song which is only helped by a nice instrumental at the start this is a strong contender for last place in the contest this year. Sandwiched between Finland and Belgium and with so few neighbours this year I can't see this going far.
My Grade: 4/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Belgium
Another song that I was surprised to see go through to the final this year. Roberto is certainly way above my expectations of him though they were low enough to begin with. This should do alright for Belgium but it will not be a repeat of 2010. Personally I like the studio version of the song, but not the live one that much.
My Grade: 5/10
Prediction: 17th-20th

Estonia
Deserving of a place in the final, Estonia have a really lovely song this year that I completely fell for during the semi-finals. They're not going to repeat last year, particularly if the northern countries are strong, but they do deserve credit where it is due. Hopefully this will not be at the end of the scoreboard tonight.
My Grade: 5.5/10
Prediction: 17th-20th

Belarus
I didn't really take to the new song that Belarus choose after the Rhythm of Love but I really didn't like the performance of the song on Tuesday night. There's far to much going on during the song and it just is not working for me. However I expect that the neighbour of Belarus will ensure this will not do to badly.
My Grade: 3.5/10
Prediction: 13th-16th

Malta
I don't think there is anyone who really does not like this song. It is wonderful and bouncy and Gianluca is just so happy when he performs it that it deserves to do well. While their running order position will not help them the introduction of drag back voting this year should help them a lot. I really like the song too and wish them the best of luck.
My Grade: 7/10
Prediction: 9th-12th

Russia
Clinical as ever I was really impressed by Russia's semi-final performance and even my good mother thought that this was the best song in semi-final 1. Certainly it is a dark horse on paper, but the poor running order position (followed by Cascada) means that this will at best make 5th place. Which Russia would probably still be happy with.
My Grade: 6.5/10
Prediction: 5th-8th

Germany
What can we say? One word - Cascada. This has all the right ingredients for another German win but I'm not entirely sure how it will fair on the night. It's not the best song that Cascada could have brought to the contest but it is a definite contender for a win.
My Grade: 8/10
Prediction: 1st-4th

Armenia
Armenia did a great performance on the semi-final of this song, certainly it was enough to send Albania home on Thursday and being the only rock song in the final will also play well. Still it is not a great song overall and I could see this quietly move into the top 10. But it could flop too.
My Grade: 3.5/10
Prediction: 9th-12th

The Netherlands
Doing amazingly well to be in the final Netherlands do need to do well tonight to convince the Dutch public they still can do well in the contest. Singing before Romania and just after an ad break will do them no favours but I still think they can manage. I like this song and hope Anouk can do well tonight.
My Grade: 7/10
Prediction: 17th-20th

Romania
This one is really causing me a headache at the moment. There is no reason why this should be allowed to do well yet, if the juries strictly follow their criteria then this is a strong contender. But I still think the shock factor of this song will put some off from voting for it.
My Grade: 2/10
Prediction: 13th-16th

United Kingdom
The internal selection, the fact that they are one of the Big 5 and Engelbert's performance last year really makes it very hard to say how this song will go down. However it is Bonny Tyler and I don't think she will go down without a fight. I think she has a great song and is sure to pick up a few points here and there to lift them out of the bottom of the table.
My Grade: 7.5/10
Prediction: 17th-20th

Sweden
In my humble opinion Sweden  have by far and away the most underrated song in this years contest. Though people in Sweden seem to think that this is a weak effort and will not go down well I think it is a strong song that may do well.
My Grade: 7/10
Prediction: 5th-8th

Hungary
Another surprise to make the final and another song which is a strong contender for last place. I think it is ok but ok just doesn't cut it for the final.
My Grade: 4/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Denmark
It's favourite, it's my favourite and at this point it looks like in 12 hours time the Eurovision Song Contest will cross the bridge to Copenhagan. The longer this drags out the less sure I am that Denmark are going to win this by a country mile. However someone stopped the Balkans from trading neighbourly points and if it was Denmark they are going to go big.
My Grade: 10/10
Prediction: 1st-4th

Iceland
This is another really strong entry from Iceland this year and one which I expect will not do well on the night. If Greta and Jonsi could not do better than 19th then this is one which sadly will be at the end of the scoreboard tonight.
My Grade: 7/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Azerbaijan
Another contender for the win, their song is weak but the performance of Hold Me is very interesting and does wonderfully distract from the song. This might convincably win but I really hope that it doesn't. I don't think that the Eurovision brand was helped by bringing the contest to Baku last year.
My Grade: 4.5/10
Prediction: 1st-4th

Greece
Greece is certainly in a much stronger position for the win this year given that there are no Balkans in the final. However Greece has entered with stronger songs that this one  and though I would like to see it outside of the top 10, there will be no stopping this song's success now.
My Grade: 5/10
Prediction: 5th-8th

Ukraine
If anyone can beat Denmark tonight it is Zlata from Ukraine. The performance of this song just blew me away in the first semi-final and the giant, which I though was a terrible idea, actually worked well in the song. Ukraine is another country which may benefit from the absence of the Balkan countries  and if this is true, looking at the order of voting I think Ukraine is a possible winner.
My Grade: 9.5/10
Prediction: 1st-4th

Italy
One of the talked about entries this year, Italy has a very strong San Remo entry this year that may soak up some votes from the juries. However I disagree with the people who argue this is a winner. Unlike 2011 there are many songs that the juries could vote for. This song is not as strong as Italy's 2011 and 2012 entries and is perhaps a bit too San Remo for Eurovision. Therefore I don't see this as a huge challenger.
My Grade: 5.5/10
Prediction: 9th-12th

Norway
I'm going to be really controversial right now and say that I do not believe Norway is going to come within an asses roar of the top 10. This is a song that struggled to beat Bombo in the national final and I think that it is the over hyped song of the year.
My Grade: 4.5/10
Prediction: 21st-26th

Georgia
Georgia has a great entry this year that I really love. Eurovision by numbers but still I just want to be drawn into it and sing. I don't think that this is a strong enough number to win out right, particularly when Azerbaijan is strong this year too, but it could still take points from very promising songs.
My Grade: 9/10
Prediction: 5th-8th

Ireland
Once again despite being mentioned as a winner Ireland should, on cue fall flat on it's face as what tends to happen at Eurovision finals. I can't really comment on this one without being biased one way or the other. So I'll just make a prediction.
Prediction: 13th-16th

So after all that my top 10 songs in this years Eurovision final are:

12 points - Denmark

10 points - Ukraine

8 points - Georgia

7 points - Finland

6 points - Germany

5 points - United Kingdom

4 points - Sweden

3 points - Malta

2 points - Iceland

1 point - The Netherlands

But enough about me, my prediction for the top 10 is as follows.

1. Denmark

2. Ukraine

3. Azerbaijan

4. Germany

5. Greece

6. Russia

7. Georgia

8. Sweden

9. Armenia

10. Finland

A Semi-Final of Surprises

Last nights semi-final certainly outperformed my expectations. In a night where people didn't seem to radically differ on opinions of a few songs, I thought this would make for some pleasant but not exciting television. However as usual I was proven wrong. 

Certainly this semi-final delivered a variety of results, some expect and some surprising ones. However it was by no means a repeat of last years Semi-Final 1 shock results.

The usual suspects qualified. Denmark, Ukraine and Russia all flew through more than likely I suspect they scored the top three places in this semi-final.

Moldova and Ireland were also widely expected to qualify and they did. I would also say that Ryan Dolan's performance for Ireland last night was excellent and he did us all proud.

The first real surprise was when Lithuania qualified, written off by everyone I was actually very impressed by the performance in the semi-final though I didn't think that the song was strong enough to allow them to qualify. Belarus, who prompt the quote of the night from my brother ("Why is Amanda Holden coming out of the Kinder egg?") were likely qualifiers in a night that had many northern European and Soviet countries voting in that semi-final. 

Estonia also really impressed me on the night. I though Birgit really raised her game on the night and was way head of her national final performance. Finally, who could forget Belgium and the Netherlands? Both of them must be very proud. I thought both countries gave excellent performances, though I do wonder waas Belgium's score impacted on by the fact he was allowed to perform twice?

Finally who could not notice that none of the Balkan's qualified? Next year I suspect it will be wall to wall Balkan ballad coming out of the south east of Europe but until then they can all hope that Macedonia qualifies so they can throw votes at them.

Tonight: Semi-Final 1 (Preview)

The day has finally dawned and Eurovision 2013 is upon us. Today the speculation and hypothetical what ifs end. It's time for business to begin, the results are now indeed very real. So whats to look forward to? Who are my favourites and who's going to qualify? Let's take it from the top.

Austria

Austria opens this years contest with what is a reasonable song that could do with a somewhat better performance. The song has a good studio version that just cannot be picked up live. This probably is not a qualifier given Natalia's performances but still it should be a respectable opener to the show

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? No

Estonia

There are many fans out there for whom this Estonian entry is the one that bet Winne-Pooh. For me this is a dull not outstanding song that has its merits but it is completely lost in the overall scale of the contest, despite a fair draw this probably will end up a near qualifier. This though is very well performed.

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? No

Slovenia

Though this song is the first truly up-tempo number that the audience will hear there have been many concerns raised about the vocal abilities behind this song and given that these came through in the jury performance this song now seems dead in the water. However I would still maintain that Hanna has a really great song and I enjoy listening to the studio version of this.

My Grade: 6/10

Qualifier? No

Croatia

Underrated by fans and bookies alike going into this semi-final Croatia looks not just sure of itself but probably the best Balkan song in this years contest. Personally I think this is a great entry and even some of the critics of this song will sure agree that the harmonies are just wonderful. However before rehearsals started I had concerns that this song may struggle in the final as it just does not appear to go anywhere in the song. Though this Klapa entry will surely impress juries, in fact I think it may win the jury vote tonight.

My Grade: 7/10

Qualifier? Yes

Denmark

In my humble opinion this is the best song in this years contest. Everything about it just appeals to me. As a Eurovision fan this song leaves me in the unusual place where I think that though this is my favourite it may not be the best choice for the contest in the long run. Having said that this will sail into the final tonight.

My Grade: 10/10

Qualifier? Yes

Russia

Another song that has it's place booked in the final, but for all the wrong reasons. I see this entry as one which is manufactured and unoriginal. It will do well this year and could possibly win this semi-final, it still is a nice song but I just wish it was stronger.

My Grade: 6/10

Qualifier? Yes

Netherlands

This is another song that I really hope qualifies just to prove to the Dutch that they can do well at the contest. This song as its faults but overall it makes a nice package that should impress on the night.

My Grade: 8/10

Qualifier? Yes

Montenegro

No, just no. I really don't like this song and could think of many others that would have been better choices than a Dubstep entry. I don't get this but given what some influencial people think I'm inclined to see it as a qualifier.

My Grade: 4/10

Qualifier? No

Lithuania 

I like this song to an extent but this is just not one that will appeal to the mass audience and will probably not qualify.

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? No

Belarus

It really is a shame that Belarus changed their song and I do not agree with the opinions that if this song was from Turkey we would all be saying that it was a sure qualifier. Given the reports I have heard from Malmo over the last few days I think this would be an unlikely qualifier, but given that we will only be losing six songs this is possible.

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? Yes

Moldova

This is an Eastern European song sung in Romania that will appeal to many people. I see this as a likely qualifier though I think it is a dull song.

My Grade: 6/10

Qualifier? Yes

Ireland

At this point those of you who have followed the blog with me should know that I am not over keen on this Irish entry, in particular I do not think much of the performance. Having said that I am always very pleased to hear the rather positive feedback and given the late draw and the lack of anything really challenging after it, Ireland should have a positive outlook.

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? Yes

Cyprus

No it's not going to qualify, there is much more entertaining songs in this semi-final and more importantly there are better songs that will soak up the jury votes. Not a qualifier in my book though I have enjoyed the song on occasion. 

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? Yes

Belgium

Some people argue this is looking more and more sure of a qualification, I’m starting to agree with them, though this is only due to the running order position of the song. If this was any earlier in the draw I would have written this off. It’s by no means my favourite song this year but I don’t hate it in spite of only hearing it for the first time on the national final.

My Grade: 5/10

Qualifier? No

Serbia

I love the Serbian entry this year either as a studio version or as a live performance. This is a sure qualifier given the number of neighbours they have in this semi-final and the song is quite a nice one. How they do on the final night will largely depend on the running position it gets.

My Grade: 8/10

Qualifier? Yes

So my 12 points are as follows:

12 - Denmark

10 - Ukraine

8 - Netherlands

7- Serbia

6 - Croatia

5 - Slovenia

4 - Moldova

3 - Russia

2 - Austria

1 - Cyprus

But my prediction as to who will qualify is:

Croatia

Cyprus

Netherlands

Denmark

Ukraine

Russia

Moldova

Serbia

Belarus

Ireland

But of course I will be wrong but I do hope you enjoy the show.

Day 1: Rehearsals As Observed In Dublin

Eurovision 2013 really took it up a gear as rehearsals kicked off in Malmo today. So what did we learn today?

The Stage Looks Amazing
I'm really pleased with the overall stage. I was afraid it would be a bit too much like the 2010 stage when SVT were making some many budget cutbacks.

Semi-Final 1 has a dull start
Despite the EBU's shouting about the importance of not using a random order for the draw SF1 still will have a fairly dull opening of Austria, Estonia, Slovenia and Croatia will only have Slovenia to liven the mood.

There was no major surprises today
This nearly was the biggest surprise of all. It is early days yet, though some surprises may come nothing about any of the songs. Austria and Croatia remain borderline qualifiers though I think that Croatia are still an amazing song. Slovenia was the only country with any real vocal problems though given that this is only the first rehearsal there's a lot of time to iron out problems.

Denmark, Ukraine and Russia all remain some of the strongest songs in the competition and all could conceivably win the contest overall, though I remain unconvinced that Russia will be able to do this, given the votes in that block that will go to Ukraine which has a far more original song.

Of course tomorrow I will be very much looking forward to the Irish rehearsal and will be giving some reaction to it tomorrow.

Tranche One Has Arrived

I think its definitely a strange year to have no less than six Eurovision songs already selected and its not even Christmas. Over the last four days three more songs have been picked. To summarise:

Albania
Albania have chosen to send Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko, with the song Identitet. This is a rather odd choice from Albania in my opinion, I was expecting something that was a bit closer to Rona's song last year. While that would have been a difficult song to spot I really didn't expect Albania to go with such a rockish song. You can listen to the song here.

Lithuania
Lithuania have decided that Andrius Pojavis will represent them in Malmo with the song Something. There was going to be nothing formulaic from Lithuania this year after last year, still this song fails to impress me, thought with a little work it could improve greatly. You can see the national final performance here.

Ukraine
Ukraine have decided the runner up from last years contest will represent them in Malmo. Zlata Ognevich will represent them in Malmo with the song Gravity. It sounds like it was pulled straight from the Lion King, not that I view this as a bad thing. Certainly one of the best songs selected so far. Very much looking forward to seeing this one on the Eurovision stage. You can see the national final performance here.

Overall I am not overly impressed by the first tranche of songs which have arrived, however they are generally from countries who I am rarely a huge fan of. The remaining songs, in case you missed them are:

Belarus - Alyona Lanaskaya - Rhythm of Love
Belgium - Roberto Bellarosa - Love Kills
Switzerland - The Band that won't perform under the name The Salvation Army - You and Me

If anyone has written a post that attempts to explain why so many songs have been picked before Christmas, please let me know, I'd be most interested to reading it.