Norwegian Semi 1 snippets online

Snippets of the seven songs in the first Norwegian semi final (taking place this Friday) can be heard here.

Is it true....? Dana is a granny!

A very happy new year to all our readers.

Two news stories to start 2010.



First off, we attended a very lavish do indeed last night at a secret location to select the best ESC song of the previous decade -or the "noughties" as they have become known. It was a close run thing but in the end, the Shady Lady - Ani Lorak - was pipped at the post (quite rightly in our view) by the excellent "Is it true?" by Johanna from Iceland ,which came 2nd in 2009. Congratulations to Johanna!



On another note, Congratulations go to Ireland's first ever Eurovision winner - Dana - who has just become a grandmother. Details here

Puppet on a string for Malta?

A very strange act is competing to represent Malta at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Ryan Dale (human) and Duminika (puppet - we think) performed "One For You" in the 4th semi final.

The song isn't especially strong, so maybe the composers thought adding a puppet, which looks a little like a drag queen, might liven things up a bit. We're not sure it was such a good idea - have they forgotten how badly Dustin The Turkey did for Ireland?

Check out the performance below (scroll to 1:27 for the puppet).

Merry Christmas from Alexander Rybak!

We at Eurovision Express wish you all a very Merry Christmas and here's to a marvellous new Eurovision year! As they say in Oslo ..God jul og Godt Nytt År.

Our 2009 winner - Mr Rybak - is definitely in the festive mood!

It's all kicking off in Malta

Tonight the first of 6 heats to find Chiara's successor took place in Malta.

For Eurovision Express the stand-out song was Song Number 3 - Change, performed by Richard Edwards. This confidently performed ballad looks set to make it through to the national final, taking place on 20 February.

Take a look at Richard's performance below:

Wild for Peter Jöback?

Sweden has announced another wildcard contender for Melodifestivalen 2010. It's Peter Jöback, who's pretty big in the Nordic countries.

Eurovision Express knows him primarily for his fantastic collaboration with 1995 Eurovision winners, Secret Garden. On their album, Inside I'm Singing, he takes lead vocal on Thank You (below). If his MF song, Hollow, is anywhere near as good as that, we're in for a treat.


Peter's MF song is written Anders Hansson (who wrote Alcastar, Temple of Love and Lay Your Love On Me, amongst other previous MF entries) and Fredrik Kempe, who of course, has been behind Sweden 2 most recent Eurovision entries.

Peter is also well connected to Eurovision royalty, Benny and Björn from ABBA, having created the role of Robert in B+B's musical Kristina.

We reckon Peter's going to be hot favourite to win MF 2010....and we'll be throwing a few quid on him as soon as betting opens!

Finland's Fifteen

The 15 songs vying to represent Finland at the 2010 Eurovision have been put online. However at time of writing it seems that there has been too much traffic to the website of national broadcaster, YLE, so they aren't currently available there.

But thanks to Youtube, we've taken a quick listen, and think they're not a bad bunch of songs.

On first hearing our favourites are:

Osmo Ikonen - Heaven or Hell


Heli Kajo - Annankadun kulmassa


Nina Lassander - Cider Hill


The Finnish national selection consists of 3 rounds, beginning on 8 January and ending with a grand final on 30 January.

Let It Swing! Norway reveals 21 songs competing to defend Eurocrown

The 21 song titles (and writers) taking part in the Norwegian MGP, which will select the host country's Eurovision entry in 2010, have been revealed here.

And what a list it is! There are some extremely familiar names, not least 2 times Eurovision winner, Rolf Løvland (above), who has submitted a song called The Touch.

Other songwriters on the list are Mira Craig (composer of Hold On Be Strong), Alexander Stenerud (who entered MGP in 2008 with Find My Girl), Ben Adams, Mark Read, Christian Ingebrigtsen, David Eriksen (aka boy band A1), Melodifestivalen veteran, Fredrik Kempe and Maltese lyricist, Gerard James Borg!

It looks like Norway is going all out to get a great song to represent them in Oslo next year. And the good news is we don't have to wait too long before the Norwegian selection kicks off. The first semi final takes place on 8 January.

Let It Swing!

The Netherlands wins Junior Eurovision 2009!

Ok we got it wrong big time this year with Junior Eurovision. Our tip, Malta, came 8th!

The voting was exciting, and just as the points of the last jury came in, it looked like Armenia was going to win, but FYR Macedonia gave them just 1 point, and handed victory to The Netherlands. For Armenia it's the 2nd time they looked like they were going to win: in 2007 they had victory snatched away at the last moment.

So congratulations to Ralf and his catchy entry Click Clack. Perhaps the fact that Ralf sang after a series of girl performers helped, especially as, we guess, most of the young audience would be girls, who would probably want to vote for a boy.

So 2009 has been an interesting year with two Western countries winning Eurovision and Junior Eurovision. It looks like the addition of juries has helped balance things up, and now, provided a country has a good song, anyone can win.

Hooray - after a decade of difficulties, Eurovision looks like it will enter the 'Teenies' in good health.

Junior Eurovision 2009 - our tip for the top: MALTA!

OK, we love the Belgian song, we really do, but we think the winner of Junior Eurovision 2009 is Malta!

This time last week we didn't rate the Maltese song at all, but that was before we saw the entry's performers, Francesca and Mikaela rehearsing in Kyiv. This once passed over song is now our tip for the top!

It's called Double Trouble - a bouncy pop tune with a clever, but simple prop (incorporating stairs and a slide), a key change just at the right moment....and a brilliant use of bubbles!

What we like about this song is that it doesn't look overly rehearsed. Quite a lot of the entries in Junior are just a bit too slick and polished, and we're not sure that's what this contest is about.

Judge for yourselves:

Junior Eurovision 2009 - Belgium is best but not our winner!

There's one stand out song in this year's Junior Contest, and it comes from Belgium. Laura sings Zo Verliefd, and throws in some good old yodelling for good measure.

It's definitely the best song in the Contest, and if there's any justice it will win big on Saturday, but it will be interesting to see if a Western song can win the Contest. Most countries taking part are from the East, so if Belgium does triumph it will be quite an achievement.

Until the beginning of the week Belgium would have been our tip for the top, but after seeing one particular song in rehearsal, we've changed our minds. One entry that we hadn't even really noticed has totally gone up in our estimation, so much so that we're tipping it to win.

But which song is it? All will be revealed tomorrow!

Junior Eurovision 2009 - another one to watch: Belarus

Belarus may not have had much success in the adult Eurovision, but they've won the Junior Contest twice: in 2005 and 2007.

This year their song is quite a strange affair. Backed by 4 young chaps, it's sung by Yury Demidovich, and is a mix of opera, hard rock and lots of talking. It's called Volshebnyi Krolik which we think translates as Magic Rabbit.

Most people seem to think it's a poor song, but there's no denying the performance is certainly intriguing and Yury looks calm and comfortable. Will it be a 3rd victory for Belarus - probably not, but it may come close.

Watch the first rehearsal here:

Junior Eurovision 2009 - ones to watch: Netherlands and Russia

With 3 days to go before the big event, it's time for Eurovision Express to take a look at who's likely to do well in this year's Junior Eurovision.

Amongst our favourites are the songs from the Netherlands and Russia.


The Dutch song is in the hands of one of the few boy singers in the contest - Ralf Mackenbach, who sings the catchy Click Clack. Ralf performs 7th on the night, and has the advantage of being the first boy to appear in the running order. It's a good song, and we think it deserves to find its way near the top of the final scoreboard.


Another strong contender comes from Russia with Ekaterina Ryabova singing Malenkiy Prints. Unfortunately for Ekaterina she's performing in the dreaded 2nd position, although the first Junior Contest was won by Dino for Croatia from that spot.

Watch the first rehearsals of these 2 songs below:

Place Your Bets Please....for Junior Eurovision 2009

Eurovision Express always likes a little flutter, and we're always interested to see what the odds are on the Junior Contest. Last year we had to wait until 11am on the day of the Contest before any betting was available, but not this year!

The only bookmaker that seems to offer odds these days are Bet365, so hats off to them!

Here are the starting prices:

Belgium 7/2
Russia 7/2
Ukraine 4/1
Netherlands 9/2
Georgia 5/1
Belarus 9/1
FYR Macedonia 10/1
Sweden 12/1
Armenia 12/1
Romania 14/1
Malta 16/1
Serbia 18/1
Cyprus 18/1

We've taken a look at the rehearsals from Day 1, which covered 12 of the 13 songs, and placed our bets. On whom, you may ask?

Well, all will be revealed later in the week, but it wasn't a country we originally had any intention of betting on!

Junior Eurovision is on its way

It's just over a week til Junior Eurovision 2009. Eurovision Express prides itself on keeping an eye on the younger member of the Eurovision family, and this year will be no different.

Rehearsals kick off next Monday in Kyiv, Ukraine, and we'll be providing our regular dose of thoughts, reactions and predictions on who's likely to triumph this year.

Meanwhile let's take a look at last year's winners, from Georgia:

Johan's Our Joker!

For 2010 Sweden has allocated one of its 32 semi-final places to a song that is chosen by the Swedish public through a series of voting from online clips.

There were, we think, about 200-300 songs vying for this spot - in other words far too many to listen to. Now there are just 10 left so we can make a few comments.

The most interestingly titled is Alrik Paulsson's Lite sex och lite spex, but unfortunately the song isn't especially strong.

Lovers of 80s camp should check out Genjor McNell's My Kind of Love. And for sheer cheek you have to admire Ingela Hemming, whose Love For People sounds uncannily like Roxette's It Must Have Been Love.

But, our money's on Johan Skoog with a very good pop song - När vi har landat . Johan we've got our fingers crossed for you!

Judge the 10 songs for yourself here.

Let's hear it for Hera! Consong winner 2009!

Eurovision Express is back from Belfast, are we're delighted to report that Hera Bjork did, as we predicted, win ConSong 2009 for Denmark. But it was a close run thing!

As always ConSong - a competition that gives songs that didn't make it through their national finals a chance to compete against each other - was an incredibly well produced event.

We had thought Hera Bjork was going to romp home with the brilliant Someday, but in the end it was only 4 points that separated her from the song that came second, Norway's Alexander Stenerup's Find My Girl (see video below).



Completing a Scandinavian top three was Sweden's Alcazar with Stay The Night.


Fourth place was taken by Greece with Sakis' Ride On Time, although we think they would have done better with the other song that Sakis sang in the national final, the 80s sounding Out Of Control.

And, much to our delight, the Netherlands came 5th with The Toppers and Everybody Can Be A Star, which we think is much better than Shine.

So a good Top 5, but best of all - Hera triumphed!

We're Belfast-bound

Eurovision Express is packing its bags and getting ready to jet off to Belfast, the host city of something called CONSONG 2009.

Consong used to be part of an annual convention run by the now defunct UK fanclub, Eurovision Network. At its peak around 150 fans gathered to vote on songs that hadn't made it through their national selection.

Now that Eurovision Network is no more, it's a more 'select' affair, so of course Eurovision Express had to be on the guest list!

This is our 4th Consong. In 2006 Norway won with Absolutely Fabulous by Queentastic. In 2007 Mans Zermerlow pipped the UK's Cyndi to the post with Cara Mia, and last year La Casa Azul triumphed for Spain with La Revolución Sexual.

The fun thing is we don't know who's in the running this year, but we reckon Denmark's Hera Björk is going to run away with it with the marvellous Someday. We're big fans of Hera, having enjoyed many a night on the Moscow Euroclub dance floor with her in May when she was one of Johanna's excellent backing singers! Enjoy the song again below.

The first "Super Saturday" of 2010!

National Final season will soon be upon us (or may already be here if Albania have chosen!!) and we now know the first "Super Saturday" of 2010.
Mark it in your diaries - FEBRUARY 6th - will be the night that three big hitters in Eurovisionland choose their entries for Oslo - namely Iceland, Denmark and Norway itself!
We eagerly await their entries especially after the excellent songs they sent this year! It will be a nordic musicfest! Keep it free!

Eurobash 2009..bigger..better..Ljubavi!

Photo courtesy of John Stanton.

The 4th OGAE(UK) Eurobash took place in Birmingham yesterday. It had the largest number of delegates so far, and they certainly enjoyed themselves. A marvellous and ingenious Euroquiz kicked off the day, followed by a competition to pick the best song that finished 4th in ESC - the winner being Estonia 2000 - Ines with Once in a Lifetime.
Then it was Guest panel time, and the guests (Martyn Baylay writer UK 2002 and James Fox UK2004) gave their all throughout the day from their Q&A session - where James revealed plans to take possibly take part in ESC 2010 - to what was undoubtedly the highlight of the day - Stars in their Eurovision Eyes.

James and Martyn gave their opinions on the amazing acts taking part - ranging from a green monster a la Albania 2009 to Daniejela's frock-revealing moment from ESC 1998. But the night belonged to the unforgettable team behind the rendition of Laka's Bosnia-Herzegovina 2008 entry - Pokusaj. They even provided their very own knitting brides! For those unlucky people who weren't there, you can see it in all its glory here.

Eurovision Express were proud to be associated with this great event. We look forward to the 2010 Eurobash...2009 will certainly be a hard act to follow!

Countdown to the EUROBASH

For those of you lucky enough to have a ticket to one of the most popular Eurovision events in the U.K. - the "Eurobash" - it's shaping up to be another great success. We've managed to get our hands on a copy of the programme for the event and with stars like Jessica Garlick and James Fox taking part in the day, we can't wait!

Our own personal favourite part of the day is the amazing "Stars in their Eurovision Eyes" - where delegates become their Eurovision heroes for the night with some fantastic performances!

If you didn't manage to get a ticket, don't despair, our freinds at Oikotimes will have a webcast from the venue on Saturday. You can find it here.

Happy Ever After for Maggie Moone

Regular readers of this blog will know that we're great fans of Happy Everything, the song that came joint 1st in the UK's Song For Europe in 1980, but was pipped at the post by the vastly inferior Love Enough For Two.

Well it's taken nigh on 30 years, but some sort of justice has been done in the OGAE Retro 1980 Contest, which pitted songs that didn't make it to Eurovision in 1980 against each other. And coming out on top, quite rightly, is Happy Everything. You can find more details of the voting here

It's the 2nd year in a row that the UK has triumphed in the Retro Contest; last year Liquid Gold won with their 1981 entry, Don't Panic.

But back to 1980. Eurovision Express is confident that had Maggie actually been the UK's entry in that year, it would have given Johnny Logan a good run for his money.

Jade's up for a MOBO

Not content with 5th place in this year's Eurovision, UK entrant Jade Ewen has been nominated in the Best Newcomer Category at this year's MOBO Awards.

Just as she did in Moscow, Jade faces stiff competition, this time round from the likes of X Factor stars, JLS and Alexandra Burke. But unlike in Russia, where Jade's fate was decided on by both the jury and televoters, the MOBO award is purely decided by the public.

Good luck Jade!

Jessica Garlick and Martyn Baylay to appear at Eurobash 2009

OGAE UK - the British Eurovision fanclub - has announced 2 of the guests who will join around 100 fans at Eurobash 2009, the club's annual get-together in Birmingham on Saturday 3 October.

Jessica Garlick, who took the UK to an impressive equal 3rd place in 2002 with Come Back, will be joined by the song's composer, Martyn Baylay.

Jessica and Martyn will take part in The Guest List - a Q and A style event, giving Bash attendees the chance to hear more about the guests' experiences of Eurovision. They will also spend time mingling with fans - with the opportunity for more informal chats and photos. It's also hoped that Jessica and Martyn will be on hand to comment on the acts taking part in the popular Stars In Their Eurovision Eyes contest, which sees fans become their Eurovision heroes for the night!

Paul Marks-Jones, OGAE UK President and one of those organising the Bash, said: "We're really looking forward to welcoming Jessica and Martyn to the Bash. Jessica and Martyn achieved the UK's highest position this decade with a great song, and I'm sure they'll have plenty to talk about and be a real hit with the crowd."

More guests are in the pipeline. Keep your eyes peeled on this blog for more info soon!

Eurobash 2009 is now ‘sold out’ but anyone who wishes to be put on the waiting list should email eurobash@btinternet.com

Over the Moone?

Avid readers of this blog will remember how delighted we were when Liquid Gold won the OGAE Retro 1981 Contest with their Song For Europe entry, Don't Panic.

The Retro competition is an extension of the popular OGAE Second Chance Contest, held every year to give songs that didn't make it through the national finals the chance to compete for glory.

Second Chance began in 1987, and is still going strong. A few years back a bright spark had the additional idea of going backwards from 1986, so this year it's the turn of songs from national finals from 1980 to bid for glory.

And we reckon the UK's is with another fantastic chance with Maggie Moone's Happy Everything. This song actually tied for first place with Prima Donna's Love Enough For Two in that year's Song For Europe, so each regional jury had to be called up again to give the nod to one of the two songs. Sadly Prima Donna won through, leaving the vastly superior Happy Everything in 2nd place. Along with Scooch beating Cyndi, it's one of the biggest unjustices in UK Eurovision history.

Had Maggie made it to the Hague we're sure she'd have given Johnny Logan a run for his money.

So it's time to right a wrong, and for Maggie to come out on top where she belongs. You can check out Maggie's competition here (although you can only vote if you're registered via each nation's jury). Enjoy the song again below.

Mary knocks "Knock Knock"

Mary Hopkin, who came 2nd for the UK in the 1970 Eurovision, has revealed that she hated her entry, Knock Knock Who's There?

In an interview in The Daily Express, she explains that she only liked 2 of the 100 songs offered to her.

But it was Knock Knock Who's There? that Mary had to sing in Amsterdam, and, owing to its success, she also had to perform it in her summer season shows.

The interview also reveals that Mary had a little competition from Eurovision winner, Sandie Shaw. Mary's most famous song is Those Were The Days. Sandie had also recorded her own version of the song, and both records were released on the same date. Sandie's failed to chart, but Mary had a massive hit with her recording of the song.

Here at Eurovision Express, we're a little sad that Mary didn't like her entry. We actually think that, despite its somewhat cheesy title, Knock Knock Who's There? is one of the UK's better entries!

Venue confirmed! It's Fornebu!

The venue for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest has been confirmed by NRK. The options were the Spektrum (1996 venue) in the city centre, and the Telenor Arena in Fornebu (west of Oslo). Thankfully the larger arena - the Telenor - has been chosen. This will easily accommodate the thousands of fans who will travel to Oslo in May.

Due to advertising restrictions, the Telenor Arena will be known as the Fornebu Arena for the duration of the 2010 contest. The last time Eurovision Express was in Fornebu was in 1996 when it was the site of the old Oslo airport. We are very much looking forward to returning for another Norwegian Eurovision!

You can learn all about the home of the next Eurovision here

Sounds great to us!

Eurovision Express has just caught up with Sounds Like Teen Spirit - the film that revolves around some of the participants at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007.

Jamie J Johnson's film concentrates on the entrants from Belgium (Trust), Cyprus (Yiorgos Ioannades), Georgia (Mari Romelashvili) and Marina, one of the girls from the Bulgarian group, Bon Bon.

It's a great little film - by turns funny, sad, hopeful and uplifting. The Cypriot singer talks candidly about being bullied, and the Bulgarian girl seems especially upset since her father left home. The girl from Georgia carries the weight of her whole country on her shoulders and is delighted when she comes 5th.

The Belgians, thankfully, add a bit of light relief, seeming a little less stressed and concerned about winning - which is just as well because they came 15th!

Although the film deals with disappointment, ultimately it reveals the joy of being a kid and taking part in Eurovision.

Highly recommended! Check out the trailer below!

Eurobash is back!

The date for the very popular annual get together of the OGAE(UK) fan club - known as the EUROBASH - has been set. Mark it in your calendars - it's Saturday 3rd October. Once again, it's in the centre of the country - in Birmingham.

This event has sold out for the past two years so if you want to be there on the day - book now!

The EUROBASH will keep to the tried and tested formula -
· The Euroquiz
· A contest where attendees vote on selected ESC songs.
· The Guest Panel – Eurovision celebrities answer your questions.
· Stars In their Eurovision Eyes - LIVE ESC performances by attendees.
· A Euro Disco – where you pick the songs.

If you have any questions about the event, please email the organisors here

..and Su can tell everybody...this is Your Song!

Rumour has it that Elton John is to write next year's UK song for Eurovision. And even more bizarre, the rumour goes on to suggest that the singer would be UK actress Su Pollard - of Hi-De-Hi and Christmas Panto fame! What would Miss Cathcart say??

It must be the sunstroke, this surely can't be true, can it??

By the way that's Elton on the right!

Eurovision Dance Contest Postponed!

In a statement from the EBU, it has been confirmed that the 2009 Eurovision Dance Contest, originally scheduled for Baku Azerbaijan on the 26th September this year, has been postponed until next year! The official reason is that there aren't enough countries taking part!

Could the same thing be about to happen to the Junior contest (due to take place in Ukraine)? We think this a strong possibility as countries are also dropping out of that competition! Also, by this stage of the year we would hear of some national final plans for the JESC, but as yet, nothing!

You can read the statement here

ESC 2010 Final: 29 May in Oslo

Eurovision 2010 will take place somwhere in Oslo - the exact venue has yet to be announced. The final will take place on Saturday 29 May, with the 2 semis on Tuesday 25 and Thursday 27 May. This avoids a potential clash with The Champions League football final (taking place 22 May).

Bring it on!

Fairytale enters the charts!

The 2009 Eurovision winner has become a huge hit across Europe. In the UK it has reached no.10. This is the highest chart entry for a Eurovision winner in the UK for over 10 years.

Other UK chart entries are home-grown Jade at no.27 and Yohanna from Iceland at no.49. Across Europe Alexander's Fairytale has entered most charts, making it one of the most successful winners in years! In Ireland it has reached no.2 in the singles charts.

Congratulations Alexander!

Jury Vote revealed!

The Jury-only vote from Saturday's final has been revealed. Some interesting changes, UK and France moved up, whereas Azerbaijan and Turkey moved down.

1. Norway (312 points)
2. Iceland (260 points)
3. United Kingdom (223 points)
4. France (164 points)
5. Estonia (124 points)
6. Denmark (120 points)
7. Turkey (114 points)
8. Azerbaijan (112 points)
9. Israel (107 points)
10. Greece (93 points)
11. Moldova (93 points)
12. Bosnia & Herzegovina (90 points)
13. Malta (87 points)
14. Germany (73 points)
15. Armenia (71 points)
16. Ukraine (68 points)
17. Russia (67 points)
18. Portugal (64 points)
19. Croatia (58 points)
20. Lithuania (31 points)
21. Romania (31 points)
22. Sweden (27 points)
23. Albania (26 points)
24. Finland (12 points)
25. Spain (9 points)

Compare this with the combined Televote/Jury vote...

1. Norway (387 points)
2. Iceland (218 points)
3. Azerbaijan (207 points)
4. Turkey (177 points)
5. United Kingdom (173 points)
6. Estonia (129 points)
7. Greece (120 points)
8. France (107 points)
9. Bosnia-Herzegovina 106 (points)
10. Armenia (92 points)
11. Russia (91 points)
12. Ukraine (76 points)
13. Denmark (74 points)
14. Moldova (69 points)
15. Portugal (57 points)
16. Israel (53 points)
17. Albania (48 points)
18. Croatia (45 points)
19. Romania (40 points)
20. Germany (35 points)
21. Sweden (33 points)
22. Malta (31 points)
23. Lithuania (23 points)
24. Spain (23 points)
25. Finland (22 points)

Cпасибо Mockba! Thank You Moscow!

We've arrived back from our Eurovision experience in Moscow and it has certainly been one of the best contests we've attended in recent years. We were very impressed with the city and the people of Moscow as well. The organisation was excellent, as was the arena, and the Euroclub! Most of the attendees were also suitably impressed. And it looks like the new jury system was worked very well. Could we actually be heralding the return to a "Song" contest? We hope so!

Thank you to Iceland for the best Eurovision party (again) as well as providing the best song, and a special thanks to our new friend - Hera Bjork! She told us at the aftershow party that she would get a tattoo of the number "2" on her backside as this was the second "2nd" for her this year (as lead singer in the DMGP with "Someday" and of course as backing singer for Yohanna on Saturday). We feel sure that Hera will be back soon and make it to number 1!

We are also thrilled that our blog received more visitors than EVER during the Eurovision fortnight in Moscow, so thank you for reading the blog and we hope you stay with us as we turn our attentions to Norway 2010!

Long Live Eurovision!

What a Fairytale!!!!

We are HAPPY...Very happy! Norway has won as we predicted and our favourite - Iceland - came a very respectable 2nd. And to crown it all, the UK is back in the top 5.

Results of Final HERE

Results of Semi-Final 1 HERE

Results of Semi-Final 2 HERE

The first Semi-Final started with a Fairytale and we have certainly got a Fairytale ending! A great Eurovision result! Well done NORWAY! Off to party like it's 2010 now!

From Moscow.....Goodnight!

VOTE ICELAND!

Just about to go into the arena for tonight's Eurovision Song Contest final and we would ask you all to vote for our favourite song this year - Is It True - from Iceland! It is Song number 7!

Good luck Yohanna!

...And the Winner is......

Prediction time now....Having seen all the rehearsals, and the running order, we think tonight's winner of the 2009 Eurovison Song Contest will be....

NORWAY

This has been the favourite from Day 1 and has shone through in the semi-final. It's got it all - an eastern connection with the singer, a dance routine , a fiddle, a good looking singer and a memorable performance that you don't get bored with througout the 3 minutes.

Oslo 2010? We think so!

Happy Eurovision Day 2009!

The day has finally arrived and Moscow is awash with all things Eurovision. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Russian capital, and have been pleasantly surprised by its charm, warmth and friendliness. The metro system is fantastic and the people have been really helpful. Thankfully, if you stay away from the hotel bars/cafes, it hasn't been as expensive as we expected.

So, down to business.......who's going to be the 2009 winner! Well, we think at the moment, we have narrowed it down to about 4 countries:

GREECE


NORWAY


UNITED KINGDOM


BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA



Our own personal favourite (no surprise) is Yohanna from Iceland with the incredible Is It True? which we would love to win but we dare not dream that one!



There can only be one winner, we will reveal our prediction later.....

Final thoughts on the dress rehearsal

So we've seen all 25 songs in order. The best song is definitely Iceland, but our heads say that it's between Greece, Norway, UK, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine. We'll whittle them down tomorrow.
It's going to be a very interesting Saturday night!
Goodnight form Moscow on Eurovision eve!

Finland and Spain

Finland -

They were still getting the UK's staircase off this afternoon during the start of the UK's song, but it looks like they've sorted that out for tonight. This actually sounds better than we remembered (although there are some off notes!), but is still something we prefer to hear on record in a club. A good reaction.




Spain -

There were also problems this afternoon assembling Soraya's staircase, but they seem to have been sorted for tonight. Visually pleasing, but not vocally perfect. A nice end to the Contest. Does the night belong to Soraya? We're not sure.

Short break then United Kingdom

United Kingdom -

There were major problems getting the UK set ready this afternoon, which have not been rectified for this evening either, as we've cut back the Green Room. The UK employs a complicated staircase, which is in 4 pieces. Looks like they will definitely have to include a break between Romania and the UK.

Anyway, we're off and running. Jade is accompanied on the staircase by 4 violinists in white, and there are a lot of shots of Andrew Lloyd Webber. A very good performance of a good (but not amazing) song. A nice reaction. Doesn't quite sound like a winner, though, but, you have to hand it to the UK - they've really tried!

Ukraine and Romania

A little pause when the hosts remind us how to vote (giving the stage crew the necessary time to set up Svetlana's massive hell wheel).

Ukraine -

Another trip to the circus with Svetlana's polished performance. We love the 'Bom' bits in this song. Another contender, and maybe another win or 2nd place for Ukraine. Good vocals and continually visually interesting. Will the juries go for it? I suppose that just depends on who is on the juries!



Romania -

We do love the "gin, tonic and lime" line near the start of this song, but even this didn't mean it should have qualified. We think this is in contention for last place.

Albania and Norway

Albania -

We like this song a lot, but we don't like the man in the mask and the strange Joker lookalikes. It makes us want to hide behind the sofa. But, unlike some acts, Albania probably didn't have that much cash to splash on what happens on stage. We'd like this to do well, and a friend from another blog thinks it's a winner....not sure we'd go that far....




Norway -

A strong sense of expectation for this. Alexander is confident and knows how to sell the song - he should do, though, as the routine is the MGP one. This is the hottest favourite in years, and we'd be very happy if it won, but it's not definitely in the bag. The ending is very strong, and this should do well with both televoters and the juries. A great reaction.

Germany and Turkey

Germany -
We've just had the postcard for Germany but it's switched to some Green Room commentary with Dmitriy telling us how great the bar is there. We wish someone would get us a drink now.

Anyway we're then straight into the song, without the postcard, which must be a mistake. Alex is dressed is some bright shiny trousers which are a tad camp. We preferred what he wore at the rehearsals (although we can't quite remember what that was - a jacket we think). Dita von Teese doesn't really make any impact, and again the original stand-in who rode the 'lips' sofa was better. This afternoon Dita showed some nipple tassles, but tonight she keeps herself covered up. This song has gone down in our estimation. Go back to the original rehearsals guys!



thanks to AKOE for this photo

Turkey -

This is a good song, but we've become a bit bored with it. It's Turkey by numbers (a little like the Greek by numbers entry). There were microphone problems this afternoon, but Hadise is coming through loud and clear tonight. This will, of course, do well, but we can't see it winning. Good reaction though.

Estonia and Denmark

Estonia -

We like this song! It has a hypnotic quality and will do better than we first thought. A good reaction in the hall.



Denmark -

At this afternoon's rehearsal they forgot to put on Brinck's chair, but not this evening. A great modern pop song that Western Europe will love. Comes at the right time after a Balkan ballad, a Mediterranean ballad and a Baltic new-age song. As always we don't always trust that Brinck will quite hit the high notes, but it's a foot-tapper that should end up mid-table. Reasonable reaction from the audience.

Tea time, Moldova and Malta

There's a break now, featuring a small jokey video of a reporter trying to find out if Russians can sing. We get what look likes policemen, taxidrivers and mothers with babies trying to hold a tune. Anyway, on with the show.

Moldova -

It's never good to come after the break, but Moldova will have everyone's toes tapping with this. It's bonkers in a very entertaining way. The set looks great, primarily in red. We love the dancers - they really make this song such fun.



Malta -

A good reaction for Malta, with what is, without doubt, Chiara's weakest Eurovision song to date. But Chiara knows how to make the most of what she's got, and sells this song well. No idea where this will come, but, although we love Chiara, this song doesn't deserve to win.

Azerbaijan and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Azerbaijan -

There were problems changing between Russia and Azerbaijan at this afternoon's first rehearsal, but all goes smoothly tonight. This is a very good pop song, and is definitely in contention. It's a likeable performance, and, with the gimmicks kept in check, it's not too over the top. Although it may not do better than Greece, we think it deserves to. Surely this will be Top 5. Very good reaction from the audience.





Bosnia-Herzegovina -

A beautiful and stirring anthem, this also has the chance of winning, although everyone here isn't as excited about this song as they were earlier in the week. Well sung and staged, this should do well with both televoters and juries.

Armenia and Russia

Armenia -

Another blue set! This song may actually harm Greece. This certainly isn't one of our favourite songs, but the stage performance is great, and captures your attention throughout. A good reaction.



Russia -

It's the home team's entry. All the screens feature a video of the performer, which shows her aging (and getting more emotional) as the song progresses. This is not a winning entry, although it has an odd attraction. Unsurprisingly, a very good reaction in the auditorium.

Iceland and Greece

Iceland -

We've made no secret of the fact that this is our favourite song in the Contest, and Yohanna does not disappoint. This is amazing. A great cloudy setting, and very good camera work. And, towards the end, this song is in a league of its own. This song deserves to win the Contest - we hope that the rest of Europe agrees. A very good reaction. Vote Iceland!


Greece -

Greece has a good draw here, coming after a lot of ballads. There's no denying that Greece knows how to put on a show - moving platforms that create a playground for Sakis and his dancers. If it were down to televoters alone, this would probably be our tip for top, but we're wondering if the juries might have had enough of these elaborate stage acts. It could win - it's a good song after all, but we think there are other songs in the competition more deserving of victory.

Croatia and Portugal

Croatia -

This was, for us, the surprise qualifier from last night's 2nd semi final. It's a pretty little song, but we think it could have been the song that was saved by the jury. It's another competently performed song, again on a blue set. However the audience at home will be craving something a bit different by this point in the evening's proceedings. An average reaction by the audience.



Portugal -

Everyone loves the Portuguese - both this year and last, they have conducted themselves very well: they are modest, friendly and good-natured. They are enjoying themselves.

For us, this song features the best set in the entire costest - it's colourful and creates an impression of the fairground and carnival. This will probably end up midtable, but it's been one of the most delightful performances of the Contest. Good for Portugal! A good reaction from the audience.

France and Sweden

France -

Patricia Kaas is well known in Russia, and there's a massive reaction at the start of the song. The performance is pure class - elegant, understated and full of subdued emotion. The French never follow trends at Eurovision, and just do their own thing, and you have to admire them for it. They don't enter Eurovision songs - just what they think are good songs.

The performance sees the screens featuring the title of the song translated into many languages, but even if you don't understand what Patricia is saying, you would feel the passion. A fantastic reception to this.



Sweden -

We were delighted that this song qualified, although still think it worked better back in the Swedish Melodifestivalen than it does here in Moscow. The use of white with Malena in white just doesn't work for us. Somehow the whole performance feels a little empty and cold, even though we like the song. An average reaction.

On with the show - Lithuania and Israel

Lithuania -

This probably not the best song to open the Contest with. It would have been better if we'd had a more uptempo number on first. But Sasha Son gives another professional performance of his ballad. It's not one of our favourites, and we think it will probably find itself in the bottom half of the scoreboard. The audience gives it a warm reception, partly as it's on first and partly as the final half of the song is sung in Russian, and, of course, because they may just like it!


Israel -

Noa and Mira, poor souls, are performing in the dreaded 2nd position. They perform against a blue coloured set. We love blue, but it's perhaps over-used in this year's contest. Vocally superb, this is another professionally presented song, which may score well with the juries, if not televoters. A good reaction in the auditorium.

Oh what a circus!

So here we go.....the start of the second dress rehearsal of this year's Final. The show starts with a fascinating performance by Cirque du Soleil.

If you've ever seen this modern circus' work on tour or in Vegas, you'll know how fantastic they are. And this introductory act does not disappoint. There's breath-taking acrobatics galore.


The excitement continues with Dima Bilan descending from the roof of the auditorium, ending up on a walkway which cleverly allows him to run through polystyrene brick walls before he sings last year's Eurovision winner, Believe.


It's a very good start to the show.

We're then introduced to the presenters - Alsou aand Ivan Urgant. How will they shape up to the job? Very well. They don't shout too much (an annoying habit that many presenters have recently adopted), and Alsou has a great grasp of French. The verdict from everyone here is that they are excellent. What a relief after the rather laissez-faire approach employed by the semi-final presenters.

Pressing all the right buttons

The UK had a press conference this afternoon featuring Graham Norton (new BBC Eurovision commentator), Jade Ewen (UK performer) and the songwriters of the UK song, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren.

It was a packed event, and the whole entire UK team came across very well. It's evident that the UK wants to do well this year, and have really made an effort to promote the song and the singer. They are also keen to praise the Russian organisers.

When asked what it was like to follow Terry Wogan as UK commentator, Graham Norton said that Terry had called him and given him some advice - not to have a drink until the 5th song!

Would Graham be as irreverent as Terry? Graham answered this question cleverly, saying that the high standard of entries this year meant that it would be much harder to take the mickey. That said we're sure the commentary will point out both the good and the bad!

The UK has done pretty much everything it can this year to ensure a good result - let's hope this revitalised approach, which has been appreciated by the fans, reaps the rewards it deserves.

Dress Rehearsal of the Final - LIVE blogging tonight

....in 15 minutes! This is the one the juries vote on!!!

Let's call it a night

Well the second semi is over, and we have a full running order:

1 Lithuania
2 Israel
3 France
4 Sweden
5 Croatia
6 Portugal
7 Iceland
8 Greece
9 Armenia
10 Russia
11 Azerbaijan
12 Bosnia-Herzegovina
13 Moldova
14 Malta
15 Estonia
16 Denmark
17 Germany
18 Turkey
19 Albania
20 Norway
21 Ukraine
22 Romania
23 UK
24 Finland
25 Spain

Looks good for Greece (coming after a lot of slow songs) and the UK (coming after a lot of fast songs).

Estonia to perform in position....15

After Malta and before Denmark.

Ukraine to perform in position.....21

Very bad for Norway....but good for UK...all fast songs around it.

Albania to perform in position.....19

A lot of uptempo songs in a row here:
16 Denmark
17 Germany
18 Turkey
19 Albania
20 Norway

Moldova to perform in position.....13

Might be quite good as it's in between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Malta, 2 slow songs....but there may be a break somewhere around here.

Lithuania to perform in position.....1

A bad start to the contest:

Lithuania
Israel
France
Sweden
Croatia....

Greece to perform in position.....8

Not a fantastic draw for Greece.

Azerbaijan to perform in position.....11

Denmark to perform in position.....16

Norway to perform in position.....20

Good draw, unless Greece gets 21!

Croatia to perform in position.....5

Very slow songs at the beginning, except Sweden.

9 out of 10

Well we almost got it right for Semi-Final 2...we got 9 out of 10 qualifiers. The only surprise for us was Croatia qualifying instead of Serbia. Predictably, the last two envelopes were reserved for the two favourites - Norway and Greece.

Coming up in the next hour we have the draw for the Final placings for the Semi 2 qualifiers.

Positions left are:

1
5
8
11
13
15
16
19
20
21

Where will Greece and Norway be drawn??? Stay tuned!

Semi-Final 2 tonight

We will be attending the 2nd Semi-Final tonight at 11pm Moscow time (!!) and afterwards we will be in the Press Centre to cover the rest of the final draw live! Apologies if we keep it short and sweet as by that time it will be 3am!



Good luck to Ireland tonight - we hope they qualify, but we're not holding our breath! Good luck also to the Netherlands for keeping the old Eurovision spirit alive. We also hope Denmark gets through to the final with their contemporary pop song.

Bon chance a tous! We think tonight will belong to these two gentlemen!

Semi-Final 2 - Our qualifiers

OK, having watched Semi-Final 2 in the arena and on the tv screen, it's time to say which countries we think will qualify tomorrow night....

To proceed to the final

SERBIA
NORWAY
DENMARK
AZERBAIJAN
GREECE
LITHUANIA
UKRAINE
ESTONIA
ALBANIA
MOLDOVA

therefore being left out of Saturday's final....

Croatia
Ireland (unfortunately)
Latvia
Poland
Cyprus
Hungary
Slovakia
Slovenia
The Netherlands (unfortunately)

and finally...The Netherlands

NETHERLANDS -
Oh, we feel all nostalgic for Eurovisions of old. This is the Contest circa 1975. In many ways this song makes us feel a bit sad, which is not the intention at all. It feels like a last ditch attempt at a Eurovision song of years gone by. If it doesn't qualify, it could be the end of an era. With countries like Belgium and Switzerland struggling, the omens aren't good.

On a more positive note, the guys are enjoying themselves immensely, and have been great fun throughout their stay in Moscow - good for them.

Ukraine and Estonia

UKRAINE -
Another song that is prop-tastic with 3 big hell wheels that create a circus for Svetlana to perform within. The boys are now dressed like gladiators. There's something happening every second in this song, including some crazy drum-bashing. A real show this - perhaps a little 'cheap' but this is qualifying. Like Greece, Ukraine know how to play this Eurovision game.


ESTONIA -
One thing that's becoming very clear is that the use of props is making it exceedingly difficult for the stage crew to get everything ready between songs. So far there have been 2 or 3 large pauses before songs have started. We're not sure how this problem is going to be resolved.

But Estonia - a nice, atmospheric song, simply presented. A likely qualifier.

Moldova and Albania

MOLDOVA -
A performance with loads of energy, and no props! Nelly is confident and the backing dancers are great. It's a real 'ethnic' entry, full of fun. We're pretty certain this will qualify.



ALBANIA -
A great song, but we really aren't keen on the stage act. Kejsi sounds good, but the man in a sequined lycra mask is just bizarre, and quite frightening, as are the other 2 dancers who wear make-up like The Joker from Batman. For us this was a definite qualifier, and we still think it could do, but inspite of the performance, and not because of it.

Greece and Lithuania

GREECE -
You have to hand it to Greece - they know how to put on a show. Sakis, dressed in white, and his team of 4 backing dancers, put on a faultless show. The moving platform prop is used to great effect. It enables Sakis to jump on the word 'Fly', and then it looks like he is effortlessly sliding along the platform. Then all 5 performers lock their feet into some device that allows them to bend back and forward. And, then, as if that's not enough, the platform opens up to reveal the Greek flag beneath. We do prefer other songs this year, and would love a simple performance to win, but, entertainment-wise, this is quite possibly the best 3 minutes we've yet seen. So we could well be heading back to Greece next year.


LITHUANIA -
This is a well-liked entry, but it's not really to our taste. But, fair's fair, Sasha Son is one of the better singers at this year's contest. The feeling is this will qualify, and we'd be happy enough if it did.

Hungary and Azerbaijan

HUNGARY -
This looks good on stage, especially at the beginning where Zoli lies on the stage and a very clever 3D effect is created with 'blocks' appearing behind him. Vocally again not brilliant, but not bad. The song, similarly, is ok but not great. Another entry that might just make it, although we think it will probably just miss out.


AZERBAIJAN -
This is more like it! A catchy tune that looks good. Arash particularly looks relaxed and like he's enjoying himself. The dancing is good, and there's a memorable bit when AySel mounts a small metal stage area and a strong gust of wind blows her dress all around her - visually impressive. This is, of course, qualifying.