Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

After yesterday's chaos the television broadcast went by without too many hic ups. With booing to Martin Österdahl and Israel. A huge sign of relief when Ukraine passed Israel in the scoreboard. Overpowering jury support to Switzerland that made Croatia's Baby Lasagna even more a Käärijä, part 2. He even got a hero's welcome back party at home just like Käärijä. Meanwhile in Switzerland Geneva and Basel at least have already stepped up to host next year's contest. Apparently Swedish police has let Joost Klein go. But Eurovision song contest is in crisis after all this. It's everywhere, even in the Finnish tv-news as I just watched. Eurovision is broken and needs fixing. Fandom is asking Österdahl and all Reference group to step out and be replaced. Several artists have come out now afterwards that it's been a traumatic experience rather than the best time of their lives and fun.  So many questions open until everything can go on and start getting ready for the n...

  Let the drama come to an end with a peaceful way. Let's pray! In the odds (at 6pm) Croatia is still leading with 43% chance, followed by Israel (22%), Switzerland (14%), France going up with 4%. All the other % are 4 or lowers so I won't add them here. Ireland is steady at 5th, followed by Ukraine and Italy dropping, Finland going up to 8th place (!!!), Greece steady at 9th, Uk, Sweden, Norway and Armenia going up next, while Lithuania and Austria going down. Georgia steady at 16th. Spain and Cyprus going up and Estonia steady at 19th. Then Germany and Latvia going up, while Slovenia going down at 22nd. Portugal and Luxemburg going up while Serbia has dropped to last. So, quite a lot of movement there up and down. I still stick to my fixed idea since November 2023 of France winning followed by Israel, Ukraine, Croatia, Switzerland and Italy in random order. I also think the winner may not win either jury nor televotes, maybe not even be the runner up but in the end maths done...

They started with a bang: Latvia! Against all odds he did it and he deserved it, too. Maybe tonight's bext performance vocally and no thrills performance. Latvia's last final was in 2016 so it was about the time, too! Next favorites Austria and the Netherlands. I think both performances were nothing much. Worst vocals - the little that was live - by both. Austria's choreography is also so busy it has no meaning nor sense. Norway and Israel next as expected. Israel's result will be interesting to see once the figures are out. Did they win this with landslide or did they barely make it? Update on that above: Iatlian Rai accidently published their televoting scores. Israel scored 39,31%. Second was  Netherlands with 7,32% Greece and Estonia announced before next big favorite Switzerland, then sadly Georgia and finally Armenia, so Belgoium was out. No wonder. I do like the song a lot but the staging didn't work. I hoped for San Marino until last but no. Same for Denmark...

Oh my. Am I happy Finland isn't in this semi-final? Yes! Why? Because it's simply insane. Only two top favorites Netherlands and Switzerland are in it. Israel is in it. The odds predict a top-10 with a huge margin to the 11th place but in the bottom there are my/my Home jury's  favorites  not qualifying, and some of my/our bottom-5's to qualify easily. What a dilemma. I guess the prediction and what I'd want to qualify lists differ more than ever.  And if we only talk about odds, that usually are quite right, how boring it is. But just to stir things up a little who could be out and who could be a shock qualifier?! And Israel. What will happen? In rehearsals people are booing and Ebu is going to silence all that best they can and insert pre-recorded applause instead and switches off the microphones in the audience. Then again that's nothing new, the same happened with Russia back in 2014 and 2015. Or at least they tried.  It's going to be an interesting nigh...

  "Here we are back in Sweden. I know, don't blame me, I voted for Finland as well." That's how Petra Mede and Edward af Sillén the scriptwriter decided to open the 2024 Eurovision song contest in Malmö. Just gotta love them both. And yes, today's news is Käärijä will perform in tomorrow's second semi-final besides giving the Finnish jury's votes in Saturday's final.  Another fun moment was the Grindr joke. If there's something good in Sweden's Eurovision it's Petra and Edward. This is Petra's third time (Edward has quite a few more) as host of the show. First alone in 2013 after Loreen won and the contest was in Malmö, sounds familiar? Then she did 2016 in Stockholm with Måns Zelmerlöf and after solo, with a man she's now trying a woman, actress Malin Åkerman and it works beautifully. Petra keeps delivering those little jokes here  and there with stoned face and Malin plays the more serious role. The scandal 1 of the evening is Eri...

Serbia, Portugal, Slovenia.... SVT really milked it by announcing all these Maybes first.... Ukraine, Lithuania... five non-English songs in a row, wow! Finland next as predicted. Another surprise Cyprus before favorites Croatia and Ireland... and finally..... Luxemburg! Here they are the qualifiers for the final. Out are Poland as I feared after seeing it as it was shaky vocals and quite a messy staging. The song is happy and fun though but it wasn't enough. Maybe simplier staging and choreography could have helped it? Iceland and Moldova as was expected, sadly Azerbaijan but then again the song is great, the staging wasn't and finally sadly also Australia. Also here the staging was very basic and close to nothing. It just wasn't enough even if I like the song.  For Finland this is fourth final in a row, something that has happened only once before from 2006 (when we won) to 2009. But in this new streak we have a 2nd and 6th place! Finland's fellow underdog Portugal do...

Oh dear, here it is. The prediction. That has turned a bit trickier now that only televoters are voting in the semi-finals plus this semi-final is very even. I would say we only have 3-5 sure finalists and only two sure non-finalists while all the others are somewhere in there in-between land. The live performance will be crucial and not only, but more than ever how they come across the tv-scree and how they connect with viewers at home. Those about 99,9% of viewers who have no idea what they are about to hear and see. The fandom bubble is a world apart.  I would say the sure finalists are only Ukraine and Croatia. Lithuania and Ireland will pretty surely make it, as well as Finland and Poland. Luxemburg should make it in this semi-final. Australia and Portugal should get enough votes to make it through as well. But then Cyprus might suffer from taking the stage after Eleni Foureira and Chanel, Serbia right after could result just boring and dark and a bit depressing. Slovenia suff...

Oh what a let down. Something is going on in Malmö 2024 Eurovision and I'm not sure we can blame it all on Israel. Not only have the rehearsals been more blinded than ever (then again, I'm all for closed doors rehearsals mind you), a big percentage of volunteers declining to come to work after all, the Eurovision street pretty much cancelled due to artists pulling out and so far the images from Eurovision Village have been sadly amusing in their emptiness and nothingness! I tried to watch the stream later. I ended up jumping ahead having a peak here and there and indeed it was useless nonsense. Where was fun? Glamour? Show? It was not Eurovision, it was like interviewing some reality tv wannabes before they kick off for some random reality adventure. Boring.  And now the much awaited Turquoise carpet. Blame the weather but what an earth was that? After the grandeur of Torino and Liverpool that was.... nothing. No fans allowed anywhere near, and the interviews conducted in an an...

The individual rehearsals come to an end as The Big 5 + host country Sweden have their second 20 minutes rehearsals. Today also they draw their final slot. Unlike previous years there are three options: first half, second half or an empty ticket meaning the producers are free to place them anywhere they like to. United Kingdom and Germany draw first half, France second half and Spain and Italy an empty ticket. Host country Sweden was drawn to open the final already in the delegations meeting in March. It looks like Italy has changed their outfits. And not only but also the graphics?!  Tomorrow is the Turquoise Carpet day and from Monday we have the three dress rehearsals before the first semi-final on Tuesday evening.  UNITED KINGDOM GERMANY SWEDEN FRANCE SPAIN ITALY All photos as always from eurovision.tv

Already a week has gone by and today the rest of second semi-final acts conclude their 20 minutes rehearsals and next for them are already the dress rehearsals on Monday! How time flies! SAN MARINO GEORGIA BELGIUM ESTONIA ISRAEL NORWAY NETHERLANDS Photos from eurovision.tv as usual

The Big 5 are in town and on stage for the first time today for their first 30 minute technical rehearsal. And there are boxes. United Kingdom has a dirty old boxing training hall's shower room where everything seems to go very dizzy indeed a la George Michael's toilet scenes. Germany has a house on fire instead and the box theme continues with Sweden.... France goes all intimate instead and does already the familiar step back from microphone a Capella thing that will go wild in the arena. Can't wait! UNITED KINGDOM GERMANY SWEDEN FRANCE SPAIN ITALY All photos as always from eurovision.tv

Day 6 in Eurovision bubble had the second 20 minutes rehearsals of the first nine entries in the semi-final two followed by the first rehearsals of the Big 5 + host country Sweden. Things seem to go smoothly as no major hick ups have been reported. Yesterday Finland's Windows96man burned his sock as the fireworks played a bit too long and the denim egg also tried to eat him up as the Malmö arena team accidentally started to close it too early. Another thing has been Italy's Angelina Mango's stand-in rehearsal video leaking on internet. Team Italy with Ebu is doing their best to make it disappear from the world wide web. And Croatia has re-taken the number one place in the odds as Switzerland drops to second place. As for today's rehearsals both Albania and Austria had changed their outfit. Better or worse no comment. MALTA ALBANIA GREECE SWITZERLAND CZECHIA AUSTRIA DENMARK ARMENIA LATVIA