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Finally in Kyiv!

Desiree on Sat, 04/29/2017 - 15:25

My name is Desiree, I'm from the Netherlands and very excited to finally be in Kyiv! It's my first year as part of the ESCKAZ team but not my first Eurovision. I went to Eurovision three times before in 2008, 2010 and 2012 - the full two weeks each of them with accreditation for another organisation. In 2011 Eurovision was quite close (in Düsseldorf) so I went to the second semi-final where I hoped to see 3JS pass to the final. Well that didn't quite work out... I also went to JESC 2007 and 2012 - both held in the Netherlands. All of them so far have been great experiences, no Eurovision is the same!

After 2012 a lot has changed. From 2013 onwards press isn't allowed in the hall during the first rehearsal, so this time I will be spending a lot more time in the press centre, particularly in the first few days. However, whenever it is possible you will probably find me in the hall as I really love the 'live' experience.

Compared to the other years I went to Eurovision I found the songs were often more diverse in style - and language. I'm absolutely not writing off any songs just because they are not in their own language, but I enjoy to hear songs in other languages a lot which is often reflected in my personal favourites as well. Switching to - most frequently - English usually also involves a change towards a more mainstream genre. For me it makes the contest a bit less interesting but luckily I still manage to find some favourites each year.

This year is no exception. For example the Belarussian really stood out for me from the first time I heard it and I really enjoy France, Italy and Portugal - which is a grower. My personal top favourites are Ireland and Finland, in no particular order (as it changes every day). As for predictions - I'll get into that later!

I'm writing this from my hotel room which is incredibly close to the IEC. I arrived earlier today after getting out of bed at not very funny hours. In fact I can even see the IEC from my hotel room as I'm on one of the top floors. Definitely a room with a view!
Unlike Mike and Daniel told earlier, I had absolutely no problem at all to gather my accreditation. Hopefully the same goes for everyone else to arrive later on so that what was shown in the morning were just starting-up struggles..

Now it's time for me to find the rest of the team will check back later!

2005 versus 2017

Eurovillage Area

So our opinions on the host city’s efforts in 2005 are well known in Eurovision circles - in fact we even discussed them with the Tourist Board of Kyiv back in London when they visited. They agreed this was a missed opportunity, badly handled and showcased Kyiv in a bad light in some respects. These were mainly around the service provided by the city’s restaurants, cafes, bar and clubs. This, we have to say, was not the standard we would have expected in other areas of Europe. That said the contest itself was reasonably well handled - if a little chaotic - and the Euroclub was great fun.

So comparing to 2017???? Well to be honest we were very very pleasantly surprised last night. We met with some friends and decided to put the “Service with a Smile” promise to the test. In the very busy Khreshchatyk Street area we found upmarket stores and boutiques, plenty of choice of restaurants and a buzzing crowd of happy smiley young locals out for some Friday night entertainment. Sadly the “Dancing Girl” Bars are still everywhere but this will slowly disappear - give it time

Eventually we settled on the https://www.facebook.com/MenyaMusashiKyiv/ restaurant just off the main street. Service was perfect, with English spoken by all staff, menu was great, and food arrived really quickly and - the best bit - all at the same time. All fro less than €10 each too. With wine!….

So far so good, keep it up Kyiv you’re doing much better than we thought you would and kudos for you for that.

Around the "new" or is it "old" Eurovillage

Eurovillage Area

Quick look around the “New” Eurovillage. I say quick because it was Friday, we had dinner to go to and food to eat!….

Eurovillage is in the same area as it was in 2005. It’s actually a perfect place to have it, the wide boulevard of Khreshchatyk Street, with it’s close proximity to the Independence Square and Maidan Nezalezhnosti, makes this central area of Kyiv come to life for the whole two weeks of Eurovision

Last night we decided to meet friends for dinner - often we forget to eat during Eurovision so this might have been one of our better ideas - and chose this spot to meet. The whole area is still under some construction work as they prepare the places for the Eurovillage stage, the stalls and other surprises for the fans that are coming over the next few days

It all seems much more professionally organised than in 2005, and the vibe around the city yesterday evening was one of having fun on a Friday and Celebrating Diversity, rather than what some nay-sayers have been predicting

Another thing we took note of on the metro on the way home too, was that the area around the metro stop serving the arena has been already tidied up a bit from yesterday morning. New railings have been installed, it looks a lot safer, and much less traffic around there in the evenings - we hope this stays like this….

Eurovillage Area

Some thoughts on the Grand Final line up 2016

I normally do this after watching the press run-through on Friday afternoon but as I'm not in Stockholm here's my thoughts and predictions for Eurovision 2016.
1. BELGIUM: Well styled and performed, great show opener but the draw also kills off any chance of doing well. PREDICTION: 11th-15th
2. CZECHIA: An achievement just getting here, but will be long forgotten by voting time. PREDICTION: 21st-26th
3. NETHERLANDS: Stands out, charismatic performance and is quite memorable. Juries will like it. PREDICTION: 6th-10th
4. AZERBAIJAN: Very clever use of backing vocalist and ridiculous choreography doesn’t disguise a weak song. PREDICTION: 16th to 20th
5. HUNGARY: Off-key in the semi and now struggling to be remembered. PREDICTION: 21st-26th
6. ITALY: Mediocre and monotonous song. The lyrics are nice, but in Italian. May get jury votes. PREDICTION: 16th-20th
7. ISRAEL: Bland flat song made to look better by great staging and sound better with a terrific vocal, but it’s still as dull as ditch water. PREDICTION: 11th-15th
8. BULGARIA: Great energy but messy performance and it’s lacking anything that says “vote for me”. PREDICTION: 16th-20th
9. SWEDEN: After last year’s staging, it’s a major gear-change to “less is more”. Very instant song with a contemporary vide which is unusual this year. PREDICTION: Top 5.
10. GERMANY: The studio version is terrific but it’s transferred very badly to the stage and coming after the host country, it has “last place” written all over it. PREDICTION: 21st-26th.
11. FRANCE: Helped by coming after Germany, but the staging is wrong and it just confirms my suspicion that it never was a contender for victory (apart from biggest fanwank). PREDICTION: 11th-15th
12. POLAND: The most old-fashioned song in the show, but it’s well-performed and dramatic and will get jury and diaspora votes. PREDICTION: 6th-10th
13. AUSTRALIA: I don’t like the rather awkward and clumsy staging, but it’s a terrific vocal and this is the best of the over-blown female mid-tempo songs. PREDICTION: Top 5.
14. CYPRUS: It was lucky to qualify after the dreadful messy staging and now Georgia is likely to walk all over it. It should get some Greek diaspora votes though. PREDICTION: 21st-26th.
15. SERBIA: I was disappointed by the old-style Eurovision staging on this. It would have been better creating a jazz club style vibe, but great vocal and strong melody. PREDICTION: Top 5.
16. LITHUANIA: A perfect example of how to sell a very ordinary song with a slick, professional performance. But it’s now caught between two more memorable entries. PREDICTION: 16th-20th.
17. CROATIA: I love the staging and say what you like about the costume, it makes it memorable. Not helped by coming before Russia. PREDICTION: 11th-15th.
18. RUSSIA: If Eurovision was still a song contest, it would struggle to be Top 5, but in a show where music is secondary and against a poor field it’s hard to see another winner. PREDICTION: Top 5.
19. SPAIN: Coming after Russia is not a disaster (ask Czechia). Being a poor version of the far superior Belgian entry is a far bigger issue. PREDICTION: 21st-26th.
20. LATVIA: Patently unsuited to being a show opener, it still survived but it’s still a male, pale, and stale version of last year’s entry. Mind you that was Top 10 in a much better field and the late draw helps. PREDICTION: 6th- 10th.
21. UKRAINE: I was disappointed by this in the semi, but if Albania can be Top 5 with a similar song in a better year, so can Ukraine. You won’t forget it. PREDICTION: Top 5.
22. MALTA: The late draw and being the only contemporary pop song in a run of five helps this poor song and mediocre performance. But again nothing says “vote for me”. Prediction: 21st to 26th
23. GEORGIA: I can’t stand it as a song, but it’s presented terrifically (in contrast to Cyprus) and it adds variety to the show. PREDICTION: 11th-15th.
24. AUSTRIA: The biggest winner of all in draw, and this twee nonsense will actually come as a relief to many after the Georgian onslaught. PREDICTION: 16th to 20th.
25. UNITED KINGDOM: Apart from Israel, no song has improved as much since March as the U.K. The lads now look confident and it’s a terrific draw. PREDICTION: 6th-10th
26. ARMENIA: Italy won the televote from last position last year but Il Volo were unique and charismatic. This is still a nothing song, but absolutely superbly staged. PREDICTION: 6th- 10th

Live - Jury Final (Rolling Blog)

Welcome to our rolling blog of the jury rehearsal.

The contest kicks off with a lively haute couture catwalk featuring all finalists. The songs used are all dance anthems by some of Sweden's most popular dance djs (Avicii, Swedish House Maffia, Axwell, Ingrosso).

Mans and Petra have now appeared on stage, introduce themselves. They are also explaning Europe is going through dark times and hope tonight will unite Europe once more through music. The new voting system is being announced as well.

The running order for tonight:

Belgium: The last will be the first. Very slick performance from Laura, though she's sounding rather nervous tonight. The crowd however, are loving it. Let's hope Laura is back in form tomorrow.

Czech Republic:

The nerves seem to be taken over a little. Gabriela is not sounding as strong as she did in the semi earlier this week. Bit dissapointing, especially when the key change kicks in.

Netherlands:

Solid performance from Douwe Bob. The pause has remained,,, and the muttered I LOVE YOU words are going to swoon many viewers tomorrow evening. Could surprise!

Azerbaijan:

Oh dear... This had such potential before the rehearsals started, and while there was improvement Tuesday evening, Samra's vocals are all over the place tonight... she's sounding much worse than she did on Tuesday. Not even the backings can save this.

Hungary:

Again the vocals are pretty ropey tonight. Has everyone been out partying last night? Adequately enough, and one of the better acts we've seen tonight.

Italy

Francesca sings adequately and better than some of her predecessors. The act is nice enough to convey the message. Not entirely sure how does will do. Met with cheers from the press centre and audience in Globen.

Israel:

Italy could be a trouble though. Hovi from Israel completely outshines Francesca, with his vocals and staging. I would even say, the best vocals of the night by far too.

Bulgaria:

Poli needs to make sure she keeps her voice under control in the verses otherwise superb energetic entry which is going to do extremely well.

Sweden:

The home entry is met with a huuuuuge response of course. Not entirely sure about his vocals though, but Frans works the camera oh so well. Difficult to predict what this will do. For the first time it feels like If I Were Sorry drags on much longer than the 3 minutes it is.

Germany:

Jamie-Lee still has problems finding the cameras by the looks of it... Vocals are also sounding pretty nervous tonight.

France:

Amir's letting us down a bit. vocally it sounded okay but once the key change starts, the vocals are completely losing control. The empty staging is however the main point of concern.

Poland:

Michal Szpak on the other hand is giving flawless vocals tonight...well until the last chorus, then it gets a little shouty. Don't over do it, Michal...

Australia:

Dami Im... what a voice... Ok yes, there is some freestyling going on, but Dami's voice is strong and confident. Has pretty much blown everything in the competition away.

Cyprus:

Very shouty vocals for Minus One, out of breath as well... but a great reaction from the audience. Can't see this doing extremely well.

Serbia:

Easily the best vocals of the night so far. Literally wiped the floor with everyone so far... will be showered with points by the juries, and again tomorrow night.

Lithuania:

Donny Montell is very much in his element here. Vocals are being a little bit compensated but that's pretty normal considering there's a lot of dancing going on. Great staging for this too.

Croatia:

Shaky vocals which aren't as clear as we know from Nina. She hits the high notes in the key change though but then the freestyling goes a little bit wrong. Don't do the freestyling Nina...

Russia:

Great vocals and not a foot set wrong... Sergey may just have snatched the game back from Australia... Can anyone still take it from him?

Spain:

The build up for Spain to that first chorus is incredibly but that fall just ruins it... Barei also sounds out of breath and the whole production sounds really rushed... Slow down Barei.

Latvia:

You can not fault Justs for his vocals. He just sounds incredible. Whether that is enough to get him through, is another question though.

Ukraine:

Visually very strong and flawless vocals from Jamala. Spine tingling and full of drama. A contender for top ten, but not a winner.

Malta:

Adequate singing from Ira, but her song doesn't really have that extra push to go all the way. Radio friendly, which viewers at home will most definitely compare to the Naughty Boy and Emeli Sande sound.

Georgia:

Absolutely bonkers performance from Georgia... Deliciously alternative...

Austria:

Zoe from Austria has become an absolute fan favourite with her song Loin D'Ici... Even for me. I like everything about it. Confident sweet singer, who's come to Stockholm with a fairytale... Eurovision and Disney have always had a soft spot for each other.. I don't see any reason why this would be different.

United Kingdom:

Still some work on finding the cameras for Joe & Jake. Vocals get better as the song progresses. Lots of pyros in the performance too at the end. Sounds great in the hall, but doesn't really leave much impact on screen.

Armenia:

Iveta's staging and vocal capabilities are simply divine. Huge reaction in the hall and press centre. Keep an eye out of for this one.

This is where we end the our live blog roll for tonight's rehearsal.

Have a great night.

Predictions for Tonight's Semi Final

It's hard to believe tonight the first semi final is taking place. How that week of rehearsals has flown by. So time to give predictions on who will qualify and who shouldn't.

Way back in March when Bulgaria released their song, I ended up with a top 42 after hearing each song once. So based on that list, my personal qualifiers would have been:

Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, Estonia, Austria, Malta, Czech Republic, Cyprus, The Netherlands and Croatia.

But two months on, guest apperances throughout Europe AND the rehearsals last week, have shifted things around a little bit. So my careful prediction for the countries going through tonight are:

Russia
Armenia
Iceland
Bosnia Herzegovina
Greece
Estonia
The Netherlands
Malta
Azerbaijan
and Czech Republic

We'll find out whether I'm right, later on tonight.

Happy Semi 1 everyone :)

Jury show 1st semifinal

Andy on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 20:04

Refresh the page for live blog.

We start with Mans and kid performing Heroes. The complete kids choir joins them on the stage for the last chorus.

Intro about Sweden and we see hosts entrance. First words: Welcome to the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Yes, it was really 3 long years, but finally we're back in Sweden again.

Mans thanks Vienna for the wonderful show last year in German.

Petra say she was doing absolutely nothing since 3 years ago, sitting home on the sofa and praying that someone would return contest to Sweden so she can get employed again.

Magic words: Welcome, Europe! show appearance of Europe the Band stand-ins performing Final Countdown. Hosts apologize for misunderstanding.

Bost hosts (Petra with numerous mistakes) impress with their French language explaining the voting. You can not vote more than 20 times from one phone.

We have titles and names of songwriters this year at the end of postcard part rather than during the performance itself.

Sandhja is much better vocally tonight, I'm still not impressed by her outfit, while backing vocalists look too dark as well. This is a good opener, but non-qualifier in my books.

Greece has no problems whatsoever in the performance, it is quite energetic and guys just give it all on the stage. Would love to see this qualifying as it is quite unique, we don't have many songs with national instruments this year.

Lidia is doing OK in her jury performance. The hilarious moment with astronaut appearance is still there, and it just distracts viewers on my opinion. They were not allowed by EBU to bring in French lyrics. The 10 seconds of backing vocals solo is a bit painful. It has minor chances to qualify.

Freddie is OKish vocally though synchronization with backings doesn't work at times. I'm totally not impressed by his outfit - white t-shirt. It gets really strong by the end, and may get enough votes to qualify.

Nina is totally amazing and vocals/outfits combined this is the song to stand out from first part and it's certain qualifier. We have a break after it, with video with Mans and Petra playing Taxi drivers, with special appearance of our friends from Wiwi, Verka Serduchka and others.

Douwe has no problems but I'm completely unsure if the pause works. Public seems confused of what is going on at this moment. It doesn't help to anything, and the song may just get lost among the others around it.

Iveta is great vocally and this is another sure qualifier, and get a big round of applause in the press-center as well. It's perhaps the only one who can challenge Russia in this semi.

Charming yet chanceless San Marino performs well. Serhat is amazing artist and sounds exactly like on the record.

Now to the potential winner of the semifinal Russia. No problems this time for Sergey but it still kind of looks he isn't yet delivering in the full force. Should have zero problems to qualify and there aren't really much candidates to rival him in this semi.

Press-center gets excited for Czech Republic as well. I much prefer Croatia to this even though ballads still kind of lack something. It can be a first qualifier for Czechia but it has a strong competition around. Gabriela delivers at her top vocally.

Cyprus is extremely energetic, quite fine vocally and with impressive staging is another sure finalist.

Zoe still on my opinion can bring the biggest surprise in the competition, I have her sure in top 10 in the final, this is catchy and she is ultra cute.

Juri seem to have some vocal problems through the performance and I'm not impressed enough to say this is a qualifier.

In the break Petra plans to say Douwe's name million times, she also plans to talk to Serhat, reveal her legs, talk to "lovely big boy" Sergey.

Samra is perfectly honest saying: we crush and we burn - this is definitely about her vocals. This will still qualify but only just. They should have hired complete backing choir instead of dancers.

Montenegro, despite confident performance is heading to the last place in this semifinal. There is nothing memorable in this song to a general viewer not called Mike.

Greta is doing quite well, even if she is a bit thin vocally. She gets applause in press-center and the visual part of the performance should help well for it to pass to the finals.

Bosnia should join Croatia in the list of finalists easily, staging is very impressive, they deliver live vocally and it looks really great on screens.

I would have had huge doubts in Malta's qualification if it wasn't performed last. Still it is quite a borderline entry, there is nothing to massively impress viewer and it's destined to get lost in the final.

Hosts mention international superstar to join us in the finals (who we now know is Justin Timberlake), Petra comments that of course she will be appearing in the final too, as she signed for all 3 shows.

After an interval act we're getting performances of Big 5 acts: Spain, France and Frans. Spain looks much more energetic and catchy than France and should do quite well. I'm still puzzled over what Frans result might be.

Serhat got back his hat from the audience. Jon Ola Sand, Dumbledore of Eurovision confirms we have the result.

Winners from tonight are (fake result): Azerbaijan, while Petra fails to name it, Austria, Estonia, The Netherlands, San Marino, Czech Republic, Cyprus. Mans says there are 11 tickets tonight, apologizes saying 11 countries are left. Armenia, Hungary, Russia.

Today May 6: Festival starts in Eurovision Village and Euro Fan Café

Andy on Fri, 05/06/2016 - 07:55

The Eurovision Village festival in Kungsträdgården starts today. The Choir established by ABBA the Museum, the popular Swedish artist Martin Stenmarck and the Soul Train Club are some of the highlights in the programme.

Stora scenen
17:45–17:55 Presenting: Poli Genova from Bulgarien

Poli Genova represents Bulgaria in Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song ”If love was a crime”.

18:00–18:15 Presenting: Rykka from Switzerland

Christina Maria Rieder, also known as Rykka, represents Switzerland in
Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the sumptuous ballad “Last of Our Kind”.

18:15–18:35 Presenting: Eneda Tarifa from Albania

Eneda Tarifa represents Albania in Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with
the RnB-song “Fairytale”. In Albania she is known as an actress, TV-host,
songwriter and singer.

18:40–18:50 Presenting: Argo from Greece
Argo represents Greece in Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song ”Utopian Land”.

19:00–19:45 The Choir established by ABBA the Museum

ABBA’s immortal songs in a magical choir setting. Listen to Dancing
Queen and other gems in The Choir’s repertoire. The choir
was started by ABBA The Museum to celebrate the 40 year anniversary
of ABBA’s international breakthrough at the Eurovision Song Contest in
Brighton 1974.

20:00–21:00 Martin Stenmarck

Martin Stenmarck’s big breakthrough came when he won Melodifestivalen 2005 with the song ”Las Vegas”. This year he competed with the song “Du tar mig tillbaks”. He will perform in Eurovision Village with his own band.

Dammen
12:00–15:00 Bollywood Opera

Rossini’s comical opera ”Italian girl in Algiers” has been transformed into a fantastic Bollywood-film performance. The opera is a unique performance with a large ensemble consisting of opera singers, musicians, dancers and children, both professional, internationally known stars and amateurs from Botkyrka. They let us revel in sensuous Rossini coloraturas and Bollywood dancing in a colourful firework of festive music and dancing. On the stage in Dammen in Eurovision Village we will get a sample from the coming show.

21:30–00:00 Club night: Soul train

An evening with a superb mix of soul, funk, disco and RnB from the
70’s until today. The club is hosted by DJ Anders Müller and René Disteli
Hedemyr, a duo that has filled dance floors every night for four years.
Now the club will move out to Dammen in Eurovision Village for one
evening. Don’t miss!