Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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...

It's been two long years and four days since Duncan Laurence was crowned the Eurovision champion in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile his winning song Arcade has gone viral and on Tuesday night he received a platinum record for a one billion streams globally. Tonight he was meant to perform the song again and hand over the Chrystal microphone to a new winner. But no. On Wednesday he was tested positive for Covid-19 and instead will be watching the show in quarantine in his hotel room.... Sometimes destiny just plays tricks on us. (Not to mention some other tricks played by another Destiny's delegation to anger the fandom...) This said I can only say it's going to be a great show and the strongest line up I can remember, and also the most open contest I can recall, and I have been watching since 1976. Usually at this point I have firm favorites to win, 2-3 of them, and I can't remember when last time one of them didn't win. Maybe Marie N? Quite often I have had a winning candidat...

Do, we have the qualifiers for the Eurovision 2013 final. What is of course most striking at first sight is the total absence of the ex-Yugoslavian countries when also Macedonia failed to qualify. Since the semifinals started back in 2004 some of them has always been present. Also Albania from the region is out. The ex-Soviet countries are all in with the exception of Latvia. So are Romania and Hungary.  And then the Nordic countries all made it for the first time since 2009. This is only the third time it happens (after 2008 and 2009) since the semifinals started. San Marino is the big favorite not to have done it. But the history has proven there always has to be one. Unfortunatly it was them this year. There are rumors this could have been their swan song and they won't be back next year. It's a rumor. Wait until you get an official statement before making conclusions. The same goes for Cyprus , that was already this year playing hide and seek with Eurovision fo...