RESULTS REACTION: EUROVISION 2013 FINALS

As expected, Sweden hosted a fabulous Eurovision contest.  It began with a video package featuring a caterpillar touring around Europe that we all know would then transform into the butterfly logo representing this year’s contest.  Then, we get to listen to a choir singing a solemn hymn that I confirmed later was composed by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus with electro-dance musician Avicii, and a parade of nations with the 26 finalists marching behind their respective flags.  I hope the song becomes like an anthem to be sung in subsequent Eurovision finals and I hope the parade of nations ritual becomes a permanent fixture.

I have to give major compliments to the host of the proceedings, Petra Mede.  You might assume from her poised demeanor that she’s just a conventional host, but she has a killer droll wit (one line she uttered about the rabid, flamboyant, campy fans in the front-rows: “You just have not found the right girl, yet”).  It turns out she is like Sweden’s version of Kathy Griffin, a more sophisticated, upper-class version of that famous US comedienne (she even physically resempbles her).

Eurovision 2013 host Petra Mede (image sourced from theage.com.au)

Kathy Griffin (image sourced from aceshowbiz.com)

In one of the intervals before the results are announced, Petra performed a funny number that skewers and pays tributes to the stereotypes, products, and people that made her nation famous.  Not only was she as hilarious as Kathy Griffin, she has the performance chops of a Neil Patrick Harris at the Tonys.  Check out her “Swedish Smorgasbord” number:

Carola made a cameo in this number singing the title line of the English version of her 1991 Eurovision winning song, “Fångad av en stormvind [Captured by a Lovestorm]” before falling off the stage–a nice gag and she still looks and sounds terrific.  For complete lyrics of this witty number, check out the article from the U.K.’s Daily Mirror.

Petra also narrated a humorous history of Eurovision song contest, interspersing herself in some moments (like as a phone operator in the early 1960s, or as ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad in their “Waterloo” performance) or providing cheeky comments like Johnny Logan’s three Eurovision wins, the last one supposedly in drag as Linda Martin (actually Johnny wrote the winning song; his first two wins he performed the songs).  It was a comic treat.

Besides the comedy number, another major highlight for me was last year’s champion Loreen’s performance–it’s a medley of her current single “We’ve Got the Power”, and previous hits “My Heart is Refusing Me” and “Euphoria”.  I love th fact that she finally gets to fly onstage, and she looked resplendent in a huge robe as she sang Euphoria as the stage rose underneath her.

The entries that ended up in the Top Six were amongst the expected favorites.  My personal favorites were the numbers from Azerbaijan and Ukraine, and I was not surprised that they ended up in the Top Three.  Azerbaijan’s Farid Mammadov mastered the art of seducing the camera via close-up, while I was riveted by his male back-up dancer who seemed to represent the singer’s inner soul (that is why he was encased in a plastic box).  Yes, I ended up swooning like a fangirl over him.  It was not surprising why 10 countries gave this entry douze (12) points.

Meanwhile, I can’t help but swoon over the transcendent Oxana-Fedorova-meets-Shania-Twain beauty of Zlata Ognevich, with her terrific Basia-esque singing voice.  I want to hear Zlata sing Basia’s “Time and Tide” (or at least Basia’s cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back to Me”).  It’s an off-the-hook performance for me.

Denmark‘s win has been bandied about by the press for several days prior and I have no serious objections over its win as it’s a consistently strong entry anyway.  Even if it got less douze point votes than Azerbaijan (8 compared to Azerbaijan’s 10), it garnered points from every participating country with the exception of Latvia.  Let’s see how Copenhagen can top Malmö’s hosting this year.

Norway‘s 4th place is a tribute to its strong songcraft, and well Russia‘s 5th place finish is also expected.  Greece deservingly fared well for top-notch showmanship alone (but not the song as the song is actually crap).

Italy is the sole “Big Five” entry to land in the Top 10, ranking seventh, as only former X-Factor champion Marco Mengoni delivered a solid (though imperfect) vocal.  The “Big Five” entries turned out to be disappointing, delivering mostly rough and pitchy performances.  Spain was off-key (though the ending line translating the song title into English was a nice touch), Germany fell off the favorites’ perch with pitchiness, and though Bonnie Tyler remains a well-regarded legend, she also sounded rough in her performance representing the United Kingdom.  I actually found France‘s performance solid, with Amandine Bourgeois evoking both Tina Turner and Courtney Love, but that number needed a trussed up hunk to make more serious inroads.

France’s Amandine Bourgeois (image courtesy of Eurovision)

Tina Turner with Mick Jagger at Live Aid 1985 (image courtesy of morrisonhotelgallery.com)

Courtney Love (image courtesy of US Magazine)

Malta‘s eighth place finish was a pleasant surprise, as it is indeed a refreshingly likeable feel-good song.  I’m glad for the support Netherlands has received that it earned it strong ninth place finish after a nine-year absence in the finals.

I’m still mystified by Hungary‘s strong 10th place showing–sure we can tag it as “refreshingly” different, but Malta has beaten that to the punch.  Also mystifying are the people voting for Romania‘s crappy number (it landed a respectable 13th place)–at least Moldova and Belgium fared decently at an 11th place tie, and Moldova did not automatically award its douze points to its neighbor (as a courtesy it still awarded it 10 points) but to Ukraine instead.

I’m saddened by Ireland‘s last place finish in the finals, as it was better than the entries by Hungary and Romania, by the very least.  I think it bubbled under in various countries overall but unfortunately that wouldn’t count as you only earn points if you rank in a country’s overall Top 10.

I have a couple of notes for two other finalists:

* Some of my peers I chatted with noted that Belarus’ Alyona Lonskaya looks like Paraguay’s Miss Universe 2012 representative and Miss World 2010 semifinalist Egni Eckert.  Anyway, I like her glittery fringed dress in her performance, though her singing was pitchy that is why it didn’t get to rank higher.

Belarus’ Alyona Lanskaya (image sourced from zimbio.com)

Egny Eckert at Miss Universe 2012 (courtesy of Miss Universe LP, LLLP)

* Estonia’s Birgit Oigemeel’s pregnancy led her to wear a loose fitting empire-waist gown as she performed her ballad.  Many pageant fans and pundits realize she is wearing the gown sported by Russia’s Vera Krasova when she competed in the evening gown finals of Miss Universe 2008.

Birgit Oigemeel (image courtesy of eurovision.tv)

Vera Krasova at Miss Universe 2008 (image courtesy of Miss Universe LP LLLP)

* I didn’t know Finland featured a gender-bending costume change gimmick for its number–observe how the groomsmen changed into bridesmaids 2/3 into the song.  There is also the girl-on-girl kiss, too.  So Katy Perry, isn’t it?

I’ve got seven of my Top 10 prediction correct, with one bubbling under making it.  An improvement over last year’s weak prediction.  Anyway, congratulations to Denmark on its victory.  Hope to see a grander Eurovision with stronger entries next year.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

RESULTS REACTION: EUROVISION 2013 2ND SEMIFINAL

I’m a bit upset about the results of the second semifinal of this year’s Eurovision.  My favorite entry was eliminated!  And two of the weakest entries are through!

Sure, San Marino‘s Valentina Monetta sounded pitchy in the uptempo portion of her song, and she sounded rather winded, and yes, the presentation was underwhelming, but the song was just too good for people to ignore and pass up.  I’m outraged by this elimination!

Another entry I thought deserved to go through is Israel.  The Nana Mouskouri deadringer delivered most of the time (though she seemed to be off-key at the climactic note).  I wonder if she needed to jazz up her relatively no-frills presentation with that gratuitous speedo hunk in her music video?  It would ruin the stage mood in my opinion.

If you read my Eurovision reviews over the years, I normally love the entries fielded by Romania.  But this year is a major exception–sure the singer Cezar is classically trained, and yes that talent of being able to sing a classical falsetto is an admirable feat.  But that doesn’t detract the fact the techno-laced song is a complete piece of incomprehensible crap, and the falsetto is a major turn-off in this context, reducing the entire piece into low-grade camp.  Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake can deliver falsettos with masculine swagger and unfortunately Cezar is just trashy camp to my ears.  And that range showcase in the early part of the song?  It was better executed by Julie Andrews in her “Le Jazz Hot” number in Victor/Victoria or even Chris Colfer’s version of the same song in Glee.  But I suppose he won the audiences over with those body-painted/nude-leotarded male and female dancers.

I’m also baffled by Hungary qualifying.  The lead singer’s vocals are raw.  Sure the visual backdrop is nice, but I think Malta (another surprise qualifier for me, but I’m okay with it) did a better job with their lyrics-laced backdrop.

Now on to positive notes.  Azerbaijan has asserted its possible frontrunner status as besides the singer being dreamily hunky (though I still quibble about his eyebrows), the presentation was enhanced with an incredible male backup dancer encased in a glass box acting as the singer’s shadow or perhaps alter-ego (the female dancer acting as the lover was also a lovely sight, too).

Norway delivered as expected, but the presentation was basically identical to the national final.  I wish she wore a jumpsuit instead of a gown, but well, it worked then and it worked now.  Remember that last year’s winner also did not change anything from the national final to Eurovision.

Now, I still regard Greece as this year’s “Lager Lout” entry, but just like Moldovan band Zdob si Zdub in their two Eurovision appearances, they have a high energy presentation moving across the stage with choreographed dances and singing at the same time without sounding winded.  The band members of Koza Mostra are also surprisingly swarthily hunky in my eyes, so I’m starting to actually like them.  ”David Crosby” (actually, Agathon Iakovidis) actually has a more active singing part than I could recall when I watched their official music video, which fully justifies his presence onstage.

Now, another strong performance from a non-finalist was FYR Macedonia.  It is interesting that even though they rehearsed the English version, they shifted back to the Macedonian version, “Prad da se razdeni” for the semifinal.  It’s interesting that Lozano changed his image a bit as he removed his eyeglasses.  It’s actually a strongly sung performance, but well, it seems this year is a Balkan lockout.

I got six out of ten out of this semi-final plus Armenia in my “Bubbling Under” list.  Since my favorite was eliminated, I would need to revise my finals forecast as follows:

TOP 10:  DENMARK, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, NETHERLANDS, AZERBAIJAN, GREECE, NORWAY, GEORGIA, SWEDEN, GERMANY

BUBBLING UNDER:  MOLDOVA, IRELAND, FINLAND, ICELAND, ITALY, SPAIN

RESULTS REACTION: EUROVISION 2013 1ST SEMIFINAL

For most part, the favorites in the first semifinal got through.  I got seven out of ten correct, but if you include my “bubbling under” choice, Ireland, my tally would go up eight out of ten.

It is interesting to note that it seems bloc voting seems to be in place–six of the ten finalists were former constituents of the Soviet Union.  Though most of the ex-Soviet countries (like the Baltic nations and Moldova) would refuse to be associated with Russia these days, this is probably the only exception to the rule and it generally works to their benefit.  The ex-Soviet bloc had effectively deflected the Balkan bloc as this year, none of the ex-Yugoslav republics made the cut.

But then again, all of the ex-Soviet bloc finalists were worthy of qualifying, with the exception of one–I still maintain Lithuania remains the weakest link in the first semifinal, and nothing about Andrius’ performance could convince me it’s worthy of belonging in the finals.  I would rather have Croatia or Montenegro qualify in his place.

The big highlight in the first semifinal for me was Ukraine–oh, Zlata Ognevich is so dreamily gorgeous and she has such a beautifully nuanced and powerful voice.  The “carried by a giant” gimmick worked to put us in a fantasy forest world as evoked in the music, but again what most people would marvel would be her transcendent beauty and her terrific singing. I could forgive her accent that makes “butterfly” sound like “batterfly”.

The next highlight for me was Moldova.  Aliona Moon’s performance was flawless, and I love the special effect where her gown grows bigger as the ramp underneath her elevated to make her about 15-20 feet tall.  It was also nice to see Pasha Parfeny (the performer from this country last year–also qualified to the finals then) at the piano playing the song he composed.  I mentioned previously that Aliona performed back-up to Pasha last year.

Among the other qualifiers, I’m pleased with Ireland‘s performance–Ryan Dolan delivered on the vocals, as expected, but what I love much better were the hunkily gyrating tattooed and shirtless male drummers/dancers–what energy they delivered to make such a memorable impact.

I have to say in a similar vein, Belgium benefited from dancers–this time the slick and tight choreography by the two female back-up dancers in little black dresses (a pancake makeup away from looking like those Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” girls).  I have no objections seeing this qualify.

Favorite front-runner Denmark also delivered, though if you ask me this is overshadowed by Ukraine for me.  But still, it is on track to be among the front-runners in the finals.

I have to note that I love the new innovation the production team made with the postcards this year–this year they show slice-of-life videos of the artists in their own land, which refreshingly humanizes them.  I wish they continue with this in subsequent editions.  I have to note this because it’s fascinating to see Netherlands‘ Anouk attending boxing classes in her video postcard.  I’m very glad that after nine long years Netherlands finally would see action in the finals.  And good the staging makes her song not seem like a retro throwback but more of a timeless number.  And her distinctive voice does make the performance even more special.

Most of the non-finalists failed to qualify justifiably as I hear pitch problems in their performances.  Which is sad but that was why the likes of Austria, Slovenia, and Serbia failed to advance.  Croatia is a bit of a different story–it’s more because of the ex-Soviet bloc overshadowing their bloc.  A performance I would wish should’ve seen in the finals was Montenegro–not because of the rappers in astronaut costumes, but the fiercely powerful vocals of Nina Žižić.  It’s such a shame we would miss that awesomeness in the finals.

Every year there is this dubious honor called the Barbara Dex award, which goes to the worst-dressed performers in the contest.  I think we have a front-runner for that award with Serbia‘s entry.  Those outfits are disastrous as it turned out.

Now let’s see how the second semi-final unfolds this Thursday (Europe time–early morning Friday Manila time).  I hope no dreadful entries advance.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2013 PRIMER (CONCLUSION)

Following the rules implemented since 2008, the nation of the previous winner plus the “Big Five” contributors to the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) are automatically in the finals.  Around the mid-2000s the Big Five tend to end up in the bottom pack, but since 2009, especially with the current system that combines jury votes with popular televotes, at least one figures in the Top 10, and one time one of the “Big Five” (Germany) even won.  Let’s look at the prospects of the automatic qualifiers starting with the entry from last year’s champion:

SWEDEN:  ”You” – Robin Stjernberg.  It has a similar sonic vibe with the Danish entry, with tribal drumbeats, but it showcased some more vocal virtuosity–and the guy seems to be able to deliver the challenging vocals with aplomb live.  I don’t expect this to duplicate Loreen’s win, but a Top Five or even Top Three finish is highly possible.

FRANCE:  ”L’enfer et moi [Hell and me]” – Amandine Bourgeois.  Eurovision fans don’t have a high regard for this number, but for me it’s an improvement over Anggun’s disappointing entry.  I love the official music video to this number, especially with Amandine’s demented stare to the camera giving everyone the heebie-jeebies (in my reckoning, in a good way).  Based on the video there is an opportunity that we’ll be treated to a hunk (or hunks) onstage, like what Anggun treated us with last year, though this year the hunk might be tied up to a chair (or maybe in chains or in other form of bondage).  I don’t know if she’ll be using a French hunk, but if she’ll be using a Swedish hunk, I have visions of seeing beefy Manhunt International 2012 1st runner-up Peter Jonsson playing the role–but I found Uppsala where he’s based from is over 600 km away from Malmö.  Well, I’ll just carry on with my fantasies…

Tie him up: Manhunt International 2012 1st runner-up Peter Jonsson

GERMANY:  ”Glorious” – Cascada.  Cascada is probably the most popular current act amongst this year’s entries, as it already fielded a host of international hits like “Everytime We Touch”, a dance remake of Rascal Flatt’s country hit “What Hurts the Most”, and “Evacuate the Dancefloor”.  This entry is the one amongst the Big Five that is most likely to make the biggest impact, and probably even win the contest.

ITALY:  ”L’essenziale [The essential]” – Marco Mengoni.  Since returning in 2011, this country had been a fixture in the Top 10.  This entry’s prospects of sustaining that showing, though, is a bit iffy.  It’s actually a solid, modern pop ballad, but there is another Italian language entry that would most likely make a bigger impact, especially if it makes its anticipated breakthrough into the finals.  Still, a respectable finish is very likely.

SPAIN:  ”Contigo hasta al final [With you until the end]” – ESDM (El Sueño de Morfeo).  At first listen, you might assume this number lacks the dramatic impact of “Quedate Conmigo”, as it’s a low-key acoustic pop-rock number.  But I love the way the song has a rave-up (shift to an uptempo phase), and it’s sweetly sung, so even if it is unlikely to duplicate “Quedate Conmigo”‘s success, it will fare respectably.  I know they want it to make it easy for non-Spanish speaking audiences by abbreviating their actual band name, but dyslexics out there might read out their acronym wrong and have, well, naughty thoughts (see France above).

UNITED KINGDOM:  ”Believe in Me” – Bonnie Tyler.  I think the strategy in the BBC goes like this–which act is still popular in Continental Europe?  They want to court votes from as much of Continental Europe as possible.  They tried Engelbert Humperdinck though that surprisingly backfired (I was shocked that he didn’t get that much jury support).  Since Bonnie Tyler still releases records in Germany, the BBC thought why not her?  The song is not bad, and is well-sung in Bonnie’s distinctive raspy style, and I have to hand it that Bonnie still looks wonderful, but I don’t know if the country-pop style of this song would connect with most of Europe.  I just only hope that she’ll be spared a near-cellar-dweller finish like what poor Engelbert experienced last year (he failed to prevail against those damn Russian Grannies even if he’s clearly the better singer, even with the pitchiness encountered during his performance).

Now with all entries accounted for, here is my prediction on who will end up in the Top 10:

TOP 10:  DENMARK, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, SAN MARINO, AZERBAIJAN, GREECE, NORWAY, GEORGIA, SWEDEN, GERMANY

BUBBLING UNDER:  AUSTRIA, CROATIA, NETHERLANDS, FINLAND, BULGARIA, ICELAND, ISRAEL, FRANCE, ITALY, SPAIN

Of course who makes the Top 10 doesn’t mean they are what I prefer to listen to–so let me trot out my Top 10 personal choices:

PERSONAL CHOICES:  DENMARK, UKRAINE, SERBIA, SAN MARINO, FINLAND, NORWAY, GEORGIA, SWEDEN, FRANCE, SPAIN

Though oddsmakers are pointing to Denmark as the possible winner of this contest, I don’t see a clear-cut front-runner this year:  I feel that Germany, Ukraine and Norway could usurp the win from Denmark, or Sweden could duplicate its win, or maybe tiny San Marino could squeak by and pull off an upset (like the way Monaco won back in 1971).  Let’s see how it all unfolds next week…

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2013 PRIMER (PART 4)

The second half of the semifinals features a couple of dignified ballads, a high quality electro-pop song, some snoozers, and an unqualified dreck, from a nation that normally fields strong entries and had never missed the finals since 2002.  Let’s start with…

ISRAEL:  ”Rak bishvilo [Only for him]” – Moran Mazor.  Just like the way the Dutch entry evokes the entire vibe of Eurovision 1963, this entry evokes one of the singers in that contest, who eventually went on to international fame.  This lady is a brunette with eyeglasses singing a dramatic ballad, just like the famous Greek singer Nana Mouskouri (who represented Luxembourg in 1963 and placed 8th).  It’s a quality ballad so it is likely to advance and do at least respectably in the finals.

Nana Mouskouri at Eurovision 1963

ARMENIA:  ”Lonely Planet” – Dorians.  It’s nice to see Armenia return to the contest.  But the question is can it return to its 2006-2010 heyday?  This entry is a didactic, “save the world” rock ballad, and in my opinion it’s a snoozer that it might suffer the same fate as the 2011 entry, the guilty pleasure “Boom Boom” by Emmy.

HUNGARY:  ”Kevdesem [My darling]” – ByeAlex.  From one snoozer to another.  This is a low-key, whispery ballad that will break Hungary’s recent qualifying streak.

NORWAY:  ”I Feed You My Love” – Margaret Berger.  In terms of songcraft, this edgy electro-pop ditty is the best number out there.  It also helps that this former Norwegian Idol contestant has the vocals that resembles Swedish artist Robyn.  It will definitely compensate for the weak showing of its predecessor (a cellar-dweller in the finals and one that qualified only by a tie-break by number of country votes).

ALBANIA:  ”Identitet [Identity]” – Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko.  Last year, Albania garnered its best showing with the dramatic ballad “Suus”.  Considering the dearth of solid rock entries in this year’s contest, it might be possible that this would be the entry that would represent the rock contingent.  But frankly, this entry is not a strong one otherwise, so its prospects of duplicating last year’s success is doubtful.

GEORGIA:  ”Waterfall” – Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani.  Some fans have observed that this entry is like a fusion between the winning 2011 entry from Azerbaijan, “Running Scared” and the 10th place 2012 entry from Spain, “Quedate Conmigo”.  Despite plagiarism accusations, no one can deny this is a well-sung entry that can generate impact. This looks like a sure bet to the finals and a possible Top 10 contender.

SWITZERLAND:  ”You And Me” – Takasa (a.k.a. Hellsarmee).  This band had a gimmick that they are members of the Salvation Army (which is Hellsarmee in German), but because of regulations (about political or religious content), they are forbidden to perform under that name or wear such uniforms.  So they chose the name that means “clean” or “purify” in Swahili (but some wags also speculate it also acts as an acronym meaning “The Artists Known As Salvation Army”).  I found the act a bit too gimmicky but the song is generally solid, so it could possibly qualify into the finals.

ROMANIA:  ”It’s My Life” – Cezar.  What happened to this country?  This is an example of talent employed wrongly.  Sure this swarthy guy’s operatic falsetto could be seen as impressive, but on a techno track with incomprehensible lyrics?  It’s already jarring seeing a swarthy guy singing like a castrato (it’s worse than the sight of Thor singing a sentimental ballad), but with a drecky techno track Romania will suffer the indignity of missing out of the Eurovision finals, the first time since 2002.  Would it have performed better with another entry from its national finals?  I checked out Luminita Anghel’s entry, which due to a controversial nul point vote from one of the jurors was ultimately relegated to 3rd, and to be blunt, even that entry was weak–at least Luminita, who previously brought her nation to glory with a 3rd place finish in 2005, would be spared of the “goat” label.

As Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake have proven, real men can sing at a high pitch without sounding emasculated.  Cezar should take pointers from them as his so-called “masculine” swagger in his official music video seems rather unconvincing.

With the 17 entries in the 2nd semifinal accounted for, here is my “fearful” forecast on who will qualify to the finals:

QUALIFIERS:  SAN MARINO, AZERBAIJAN, FINLAND, BULGARIA, ICELAND, GREECE, ISRAEL, NORWAY, ALBANIA, GEORGIA

BUBBLING UNDER:  F Y R MACEDONIA, ARMENIA, SWITZERLAND

COMING UP:  The automatic finalists, and the “fearful” forecast for the Top 10, along with my personal Top 10.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2013 PRIMER (PART 3)

The second semifinals is an uneven mix of strong entrants and crappy duds.  For the first half, it features one of my favorite entries in this year’s contest, one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and one number which I personally disliked but feel will most likely to advance.

LATVIA:  ”Here We Go” – PeR.  In general, I found this like a rap update of Jesus Jones’ 1991 dance-rock hit, “Right Here, Right Now”.  I think this is generally an okay number, but not worthy enough to advance to the finals.

SAN MARINO:  ”Crisalide (Vola) [Chrysalis (Fly)]” – Valentina Monetta.  With this country fielding the same singer and the same songwriter/producer, you might expect a similar quality of song, correct?  And judging from their previous outing with the dreadful “The Social Network Song (Uh Oh)” (formerly known as “The Facebook Song (Uh Oh)”), you dread that they would be fielding another crappy synth-pop song.  But lo and behold!  This year’s and last year’s entry are as different as night and day–this number is such a dramatic improvement, you want to slap both singer and producer for forcing us to sit through that crappy number (even if they improved it somewhat by converting it into a swing piece after the contest) when they are capable of creating this dazzling piece of work.  The slow, waltzing first 2/3 of the song is already such a lovely treat, but it then shifted into a dramatic uptempo disco piece at the end, which works wonderfully as it musically befits the song’s lyrics and the title (a chrysalis is the transitional stage when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly), and you marvel how the melody remains the same even when the tempo shifted.  It would’ve been nice if they could include the aerialists in the video for the live performance, but judging from the rehearsal preview, she will only employ two backup dancers similarly dressed in billowing costumes instead.  I suppose the Malmö Arena ceiling is a bit too high to accommodate the aerialists so that was scrapped.  If justice is to prevail, this country is finally due for a breakthrough and probably even a possible (though longshot) victory.

F Y R MACEDONIA:  ”If I Could Change the World” – Esma & Lozano.  At apparently last minute, it was decided that instead of performing this song entirely in Macedonian and Romani (this is different from Romanian, mind you–Romani used to be referred to as Gypsy), it will now be predominantly English with some Macedonian and Romani lyrics.  It is a bit jarring to pair up a 27-year-old modern-style pop guy with an almost 70-year-old folk singer, but somehow it worked.  It’s interesting that Esma comes in during the dubstep interludes of this song–it gives an exotic, otherworldly effect.  I favor other entries to advance but it is highly possible that this number could advance.

AZERBAIJAN:  ”Hold Me” – Farid Mammadov.  This is generally a well-sung quality ballad, so it is likely this country will sustain its successful streak thus far in this contest, advancing to the finals and likely faring into the Top 10.  Farid is generally good looking, though I quibble about his eyebrows as they veer too close to becoming a monobrow.

FINLAND:  ”Marry Me” – Krista Sigfrids.  This is my favorite guilty pleasure in this year’s contest.  It’s like a trashy rehash of Katy Perry’s “Hot and Cold”, with sillier lyrics.  It’s very entertaining and engaging so it could advance to the finals.

MALTA:  ”Tomorrow” – Gianluca Bezzina.  The first thing that came to my mind when I looked at the singer’s face is that he is a deadringer to Saturday Night Live regular Fred Armisen.  The song is a nice acoustic ballad, but not enough to make a major impact to advance into the finals.

Fred Armisen (image courtesy of deadline.com)

BULGARIA:  ”Samo Shampioni [Only Champions]” – Elitsa & Stoyan.  The only act that made this country advance to the finals is back, with a similar fusion of folk and electronic dance pop.  It is likely they will repeat the feat in terms of advancing into the finals, but it is unlikely they will be able to duplicate their fifth place finish back in 2007.

ICELAND:  ”Ég á líf [I have a life]” - Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson.  The song is a sweetly sung gentle ballad.  So it is jarring that the singer is a bearded burly guy who resembles the Marvel comic book hero Thor (especially as portrayed in the movies by Chris Hemsworth); isn’t it eerily coincidental that the guy’s name has a “Thor” in it?  Anyway, it’s like seeing a guy who looks like he’s about to get ready for a rumble but instead trots out a ukulele and perform a sweet serenade.  But the jarring disconnect between visual and music aside, the song’s quality and likely strong vocal performance will likely result with this country advancing into the finals.

Chris Hemsworth in Thor (2011) (image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

GREECE:  ”Alcohol is Free” – Koza Mostra featuring Agathon Iakovidis.  There is always an entry that I dub the “lager lout” entry–a dreadfully obnoxious song number that somehow wins over the audience and score high in the contest, that I feel is best appreciated by rowdy drunkards.  Examples of “lager lout” entries over the years include Lithuania’s “We Are The Winners” in 2006 and Greece’s “OPA!” in 2010.  Greece has another member of the “lager lout” pantheon with this obvious ode to that sort of people.  Koza Mostra is normally a sextet, but they employed a special guest for this entry, a veteran folk singer who has a resemblance to rock legend David Crosby, so it is likely due to the six-person onstage restriction, one member of the band would be forced to sit out.  I have to note that this guy is also younger than the UK entrant, Bonnie Tyler, but he can pass for her father in my opinion.

David Crosby (image sourced from uselesstriviaandmindlessrants.blogspot.com)

COMING UP:  The second half of the second semifinal and the “fearful” forecast on who will qualify.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2013 PRIMER (PART 2)

The second half of the first semifinal is not as heavy-hitting as the first half in my opinion, but there are no out-and-out duds in the bunch (they seemed to be packed in the second semifinal).  Without further ado, let me continue with…

MONTENEGRO:  ”Igranka [The Party]” – Who See featuring Nina Žižić.  The primary act is actually the two rappers who form Who See, but for me the one that actually makes this a viable entry is the fierce singing of the chorus by Nina Žižić against the abrasive dubstep music.  Based on the music video, I was hoping for some provocative mud  or oil wrestlers or perhaps some breakdancers.  But it seems for their Eurovision performance, the rappers will show up as astronauts and the fierce chorus singer as a comely alien.  This country does have a good chance of finally qualifying to the finals, with this modern entry.

LITHUANIA:  ”Something” – Andrius Pojavis.  Unlike last year where the singer had the cool gimmick of being able to seamlessly sing after performing a one-hand cartwheel, this entry is rather lackluster–it sounded like a remake of a 1980s British new wave song sung in a very thick accent.  The overall effect is a bit too cheesy to my ears that I don’t think this will advance to the finals–it is arguably the weakest entry in this bunch.

BELARUS:  ”Solayoh” – Alyona Lanskaya.  One of my favorite genres in the past decade that I’ve been following this contest is the ethno-pop genre.  This genre became prominent with a triumvirate of champions from 2003 to 2005, starting from Turkey’s Sertab Erener with “Every Way That I Can”, to Ukraine’s Ruslana with “Wild Dances”, to Greece’s Helena Paparizou with “My Number One”.  It continued to place high in subsequent years until 2009.  After that, it seems these types of entries became fewer and fewer and they would fail to fare well.  I hope this entry could reverse the tide, as I like my booty-shaking ethno-pop.  Some might quibble that she sounds pitchy live–but then again,  so did Ruslana and she won nine years ago.

MOLDOVA:  ”O mie [A thousand]” – Aliona Moon.  Though it was originally performed in the national final in English, it was decided that for Eurovision this number will be performed in Romanian.  I’m all for it as the passion translates better when the singer sings in her native tongue, and this lady is a terrific singer.  She will also make a major visual impact in her voluminous gown and (most likely) her make-up and unusual hairdo.   Another factor that can bolster this entry’s chances–this lady saw action as backup singer to the engaging Pasha Parfeny last year.  In a tit-for-tat, Pasha is this entry’s songwriter.

IRELAND:  ”Only Love Survives” – Ryan Dolan.  Well, the guy at least is a strong singer and the song is solid though I’m not sure if melodically this dance ditty is catchy to stand out like the other entries.  I hope hiring hunky shirtless drummers-dancers would help bolster its chances to advance.

CYPRUS:  ”An me thimasai [If you remember me]” – Despina Olympiou.  This is actually a decent, dignified ballad, and is generally well-sung.  But my concern is that it might not generate much impact and could be a bit of a snoozer compared to other entries out there.  Still, if it gets enough jury support it may be able to advance.

BELGIUM:  ”Love Kills” – Roberto Bellarosa.  The singer is actually the winner of the Wallonia edition of The Voice (Wallonia refers to the French-speaking part of this country).  This number is not really that highly regarded amongst fans, even if it is generally well-sung, and I doubt the presence of the Netherlands in this group will help boost this entry’s fortunes significantly.

SERBIA:  ”Ljubav je svuda [Love is everywhere]” – Moje 3.  It’s a nice, well-sung pop number sung by a comely trio.  It is likely to be boosted by the presence of Balkan countries who will likely score it high, along with support from Russia and its former Soviet constituents.  I have to note that seeing a preview of this trio’s stage costumes for this contest, one thing came to mind:  the Korean girl group Orange Caramel in their “Lipstick” video, albeit in a much skimpier and sexier version.  Wonder if this can garner votes from the K-Pop European fans out there?

After all 16 entries under this group are accounted for, here’s my take on who will advance to the finals:

QUALIFIERS:  AUSTRIA, ESTONIA, CROATIA, DENMARK, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, NETHERLANDS, BELARUS, MOLDOVA, SERBIA

BUBBLING UNDER:  MONTENEGRO, IRELAND, CYPRUS

COMING UP:  The first half of the second semifinal.