Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

What can I say about the show to start with? The hosts? Okeyish, mostly kept to their role, the attempts to be funny mostly were a bit meh and what an earth was Michael wearing?! The graphics were rather unpleasant when the songs were introduced. The postcards kinda nice but weird, an evolution of those in Turin but better. The opening act was nice and pure Eurovision, the interval act also typical Eurovision the little I watched it being busy scrolling Twitter but that Australia/austria thingy was a big yawn really. And it seems Italy and Finland took over Twitter at least in my wall.  But the stage! I love the stage! It looked great to most everyone and some shots were just stunning. One of the best stages for many years! Of the acts Croatia stunned me the most and Belgium looked great, too, as for the songs Israel really steps out in the recaps.  And then the finalist, here in order they were announced except Finland (announced second) that makes the headline of course. Aft...

  My first look opinions, here they come! Belgium is looking very very nice I must say, still don't care for the song but I do like the visuals. Lithuania is another song I don't care for and the staging does nothing to me either.  San Marino . Colorful. That's all I can say. Even Senhit sounds off.  Poland has upped its game. Yet another song that does nothing to me but at least they have made an effort with the staging that looks pretty cool! Still all these four seem like NQs to me so far. Serbia . Whoever decided to put that bit of the song in this preview needs a raise immediately! The funniest preview clip I have seen in my Eurovision history - and that's a long one!

Serbia - Lavina - Kraj mene Poland- Alicja - Pray San Marino - Senhit feat. Boy George - Superstar Lithuiania - Lion Ceccah - Solo quero más Belgium - Essyla - Dancing on the ice Israel - Noam Bettan - Michelle Estonia - Vanilla Ninja - Too epic to be true Montenegro - Tamara Živković - Nova Zora All photos lovingly borrowed from Eurovision official media  

  Here it is, already traditional Blogilkar's Eurovision Home Jury results. This year we had a total of nine people in the jury from teenagers to 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, most every one just people who do watch Eurovision but aren't any fanatic fans, just tv viewers who don't remember who won two years ago or sometimes even last year, don't have a clue about the polls and odds but just score the songs to their liking. We used 1 to 10 scores. Tie breaks were settled by highest marks and if still a tie by my preference. Here we go! 20. DENMARK -  SøREN TORPEGAARD LUND - FøR VI GÅR HJEM     46 21. POLAND - ALICJA - PRAY    46 22. GEORGIA - BZIKEBI - ON REPLAY   45 23. CZECHIA - DANIEL ZIZKA - CROSSROADS    45 With this set of songs we have settled out finalists as Czechia is the highest scoring song not to make it to the final. Our nn qualifiers from the first semi-final are San Marino, Croatia, Serbia, Belgium and Lithuania, and from the se...

  I wasn't planning on doing personal reviews this year either but here we go after all. Truth to be said I have listened the entries 0-2 times before sitting down now to comment them. Let's go! The usual Blogilkar's home jury will reunite later and the results revealed in due time. meanwhile, my thoughts and comments on the entries of Eurovision song contest series is right here.  Poland - Alicja - Pray * Poland's Alicia has the voice but sadly the song is a mess. Not my cup of tea at all. For me she's a borderline qualifier probably thanks to juries and Polish diaspora. And it's nice she finally gets her chance even if the first time around she had a lot better song.  San Marino - Senhit feat. Boy George - Superstar * Oh dear lord not her again. Does she have a life outside the Eurovision bubble participating, hosting, attending every possible Eurovision event ever organized anywhere. If I had one would she come? Aren't we a bit tired already? Valentina at...

Poland staged the season's last national final Finał krajowych kwalifikacji for the Eurovision song contest 2026. It was won by Alicja. So she finally gets to Eurovision having lost her 2020 chance due to contest's cancellation.  Alicja Szemplinska (24) won The Voice of Poland in 2019 and the year after the national final for Eurovision with Empires . However she was not selected for 2021. She tried again in 2023 with New home but placed only 6th. Outside Eurovision bubble she has released her debut album in 2024 and singles in a steady flow, Pray is her 23rd already.  The whole Polish affair seems bit a strange. The final was recorded already March 1, aired on March 7 and the results announced the next morning on March 8 after a 100% televoting. The finalists were chosen among the 173 submissions, first 20 for the live auditions and then the ten final ones after that. At the time of announcement they had become nine and later eight when Karolina Czarnecka with...

The infamous three (3) photos are out ( read more here ) for the semifinal one. Apparently there are no major changes the first day for what we have already seen in national finals or music videos but just updated and more polished and adapted performances for Eurovision rules (less people on stage for Sweden) and the bigger stage. Several wardrobe changes though. The day two brings more changes and even unseen before stagings to the first semifinal set. Azerbaijan is all newand apparently works fine. They have also dancers while San Marino has lost them and has instead accordion and tambourine instrumentalists along with the masked singers. Croatia has also come up with a new staging and the one from Cyprus has been a lot talked and speculated beforehand and seems to be delivering. If they only had a song to match, too! ICELAND POLAND SLOVENIA ESTONIA UKRAINE SWEDEN PORTUGAL NORWAY BELGIUM AZERBAIJAN SAN MARINO ALBANIA NETHERLANDS CROATIA CYPRUS