Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Let's continue the series and kill some time having a look at the last decade and see who were the Top-10 best scoring countries in the Eurovision song contest in the past ten years. The ways to calculate are many and here I have used the simple average placement method (and it's not all so serious). Next up is the Netherlands, that has some very mixed results before getting their act togethers. Honestly, I didn't even remember 3JS at all..... and Joan Franka's headpiece hasn't aged so well either. The Netherlands lands at 9th plave despite those flops thanks to a gold and a silver medal and three 9-11th places. 2011 3JS - Never alone - NQ (19th in semi-final) * 2012 Joan Franka - You and me - NQ (15th in semi-final) * 2013 Anouk - Birds - 9th *** 2014 The Common Linnets - Calm after the storm - 2nd ***** 2015 Trijntje Oosterhuis - Walk along - NQ (14th in semi-final) ** 2016 Douwe Bob - Slow down - 11th ***** 2017 O'G3NE - Lights ...

Are the days of the super parties over at Eurovision? wonder Robert in Baku. Here is his photo reportage from last night! Yesterday, the opening party of the new Eurovision season was held at the Euroclub. The Euroclub? Yes, the Euroclub! Baku has so many prestigious buildings but the party ended up in the Euroclub which cannot be compared at all with the venues we had in the past. Out of my own experience, the venues in Helsinki, Oslo and Dusseldorf were far more stylish. Was the organisation saving money here because they went over their budget? I don't know but many guests were complaining and this must be marked as the worst opening party in recent history. Many artists and delegations did not stay long. On the other side, it was still a better party than a regular evening out and many people were enjoying themselves anyway.  The red carpet scenes were very enjoyable to watch and many artists looked great in their evening dresses/costumes...

My flying reporter Robert got to interview his fellow Dutch namely Joan Franka. This turned out to be the funniest interview yet with a lot of laughter and I hope I have managed to edit at least a little bit of it in here. Joan talks about her musical background and idols, hippies, freedom, the 1960's and what she gets up with her crew...  or then maybe not! Find it all out here: Joan, thank you or this interview. You have a little bit hippy identity. Where is this coming from? I really love the 60's, I'm not sure if I have a hippy identity. I love the music and the freedom, how people fought for their freedom in their own way. And yeah, they also had a lot of fun with other things, he he, but I love the way they felt free! But who introduced you to this music? I don't really know but it's my theory that I heard John Lennon at Christmas time, War is over you know, I was very little but I could understand every word he sung in a very strange way and it ...

Macedonia . What to say? I'm loving Kaliopi more every time I see and hear her on stage. Amazing voice, the best scream in the Eurovision history and one of the most beautiful first minute of a song, too. Perhaps. She's amazing and the backdrop is fine and the lights really work with the song. I'm so hoping this is the dark horse this year! Nothng else to add as I guess. I just think I want to see that video again immediately. And then again....  More here . The Netherlands have a fine backdrop including fire and there's to be live fire on stage as well. Joan is wearing her dress for the occasion and it's very pretty and marches nicely the feathers in her head. She has also a four man band on stage and one Pocahonta girl with toubourine to keep her company. Not exactly in top form vocally today I would say and I still don't the song. It's just 3 minutes of tralalaa kind of thing. Nice but that's all, in from the left ear and out from the right.......

New day, new tricks? This third day of technical rehearsals is kicked off by one of the favourites, Serbia Serbia brings back to 2004 when Zeljko last time participated winning the semifinal and being second in the final. Long instrumental intro and a song that slowly grows into a climax. Old recipe perhaps but who cares when it is this beautiful? And Zeljko himself is such a great artist. He is on blue lit stage full of clouds with his instrumentalists. Not sure if this is the best backdrop and color for the song as it feels a bit cold.... But then, who knows how it looks on screen? Vocally Zeljko is in top form and full of feeling. More here . FYR Macedonia follow and Kaliopi is one amazing woman. She has skipped the sitting by the piano beginning intro - that was my favourite part of the song before the beat kicks in - and the stage is once again blue and purple. The lights come with the beat and in all it's very basic rock performance but it's all it needs. Kaliop...

The Netherlands have chosen Joan Franka, a Cher incarnation what comes to wardrope for Baku 2012. She beat the the other duel winners Pearl and Ivan in the superfinal with televotes despite being last by the jurors and also the international 100 person strong jury of reference. And the Dutch are masters of selecting songs with same titles someone else has that year or almost, You and me . I think she needs to rethink the look and staging... Otherwise it was a show very nicely put together. The colorful lightning based clap-o-meter for the international jury was a great idea, and the running of the % in screen was a good one, too (Finland 2006-2007 anyone?).

TROS has announced the songs, singers and writer who made it through to the final six out of over 450 songs sent in. And how the final will work out: there will be duels and the remaining three will go to the superfinal. And guess what? There will also be an international jury made of two members of each and every participating country! In the studio! Like the good old days! Great! 1. Raffaela – Chocolatte (Jan Rooymans/Chris Silos) 2. Joan Franka – You and Me (Joan Franka/Jessica Hogeboom) 3. Ivan Peroti – Take me as I am (Alain Clark/Steve Diamond/Ben Caver) 4. Pearl – We can overcome (Gordon Groothedde/Curtis Richardson) 5. Tim Douwsma – Undercover Lover (Bruce R.F. Smith, Michel van der Zanden) 6. Kim de Boer – Children of the World (Martijn Schimmer You can hear snippets of the songs here . And here . I would bet on Pearl. (Thanks Jan)