We're Going U U U U Uuup!

Top 5 Final Predictions

We'll be going to Stockholm, Belgrade or Rome in 2013...but it's anyone's race and it really comes down to where acts will perform in the final!   Could the favourite actually take the top prize?   I'd like to hope so...it's about time the contest returned to Sweden.

1. Sweden

2. Italy

3. Serbia

4. Russia

5. Denmark or Iceland

Inside the top 10 - France, Germany, Norway and Ireland with a rank outside chance to Romania and Cyprus


Semi Final 2 Predictions

Could this be the year that Georgia, Turkey and Israel all miss the final???

Donny's lost his way...



1. Serbia

2. Sweden

3. Ukraine (when Boobs attack)

4. Bosnia n Herzegovina

5. Norway

6. Slovakia (for the hair and the pecs)

7. Estonia

8. Lithuania (for the literal interpretation)

9. Malta (not realistic but I have my fingers crossed)

10. Slovenia

Excuse me...I've lost my hunky backing dancer(s)

Here are my picks for Semi 1

Anggun (France) - we'll have to wait till the final to see where they're taking her...

1. Iceland (best song in this Semi)

2. Greece

3. Albania

4. Romania

5. Cyprus

6. Denmark (potential Top 5)

7. Russia (likely runner up)

8. Ireland

9. Moldova

10. (hard pressed but I think it’ll go to) Israel or (if the audience loses their minds) Austria

Bad luck to Montenegro (really – 3 times going first in the first Semi is awfully bad luck but you sent an awful song so insert something about karma here).

Shame on San Marino for sending one of the worst songs to have been entered into the contest in the last 5 years…not a good way to return to the competition. Really a song about Facebook and Social Networking…urgh!

Missed opportunity for Latvia – former winners should know better than to send this kind of trite.

Snow Storms, Marching Bands and Y-Fronts

Now that I’ve delivered all the content for SBS Televisions forthcoming Eurovision ‘12 website (phew – I’ll let you know when it goes live!) it’s back to this year’s contenders…and it’s onto the girls.


As there’s over 21 female solo performers in this year’s competition I’ve extended this list to feature Top 10 ladies (as there’s some excellent entries which may fail to qualify due to the abundance of ladies on stage).

(Still from Anngun's Video for Echo (You and I)

10. Portugal – Filipa Sousa – “Vida Minha”

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Portuguese entries and this year’s Fado inspired entry is worth highlighting. Expect lots of hand grasps and the use of one powerful wind machine at one stage. IF there’s a costume reveal she’ll have achieved the trifecta. As Portugal’s qualification beyond the Semi-Final has been patchy in recent years Filipa Sousa will struggle to qualify but this is a great example of where Eurovision can highlight a unique musical styling of a particular slice of Europe.

9. Greece – Elftheria Elftheriou - “Aphrodisiac”

With Greece’s phenomenal track record in recent years I would expect this entry to qualify for the final – although it’s not the best track Greece have sent to the competition. It’s a decent enough pop song with the right amount of bouncing and hair flicks from the performer but sadly the song does not really go anywhere. She’ll be saved by stripping down her backing dancers to bare a bit of male flesh whilst she cavorts around the stage.

8. Ukraine – Gaitana - “Be My Guest”

Another formidable participant the Ukraine’s recent Eurovision history would suggest that this entry will sail through to the final. It’s an anthemic pop/ dance track performed by the very booby Gaitana. On the upside she’ll have the audience dancing around on the downside she’ll need to watch her vocals as her performance at the national selection was not the best and in a year which includes some incredible singers this could be the difference between a Top 10 or Top 20 finish.

7. Bosnia & Herzegovina – Maya Sar – “Korake Ti Znam”

There was a bit of early money on Maya Sar’s entry which is a soft jazzy piano driven number. Using last year’s 6th placed Dino Merlin’s band will also go a long way to helping her qualify for the final but she’ll be pushed to replicate Merlin’s result from last year. One of the big positives for Maya Sar is that she goes on stage 2nd to last in the second Semi and is the only female solo artist in the last 6 acts (the others are all male soloists). Staging will go a long way to securing a finals birth too – expect a stark, stripped back performance with few bells and whistles.

6. France – Anggun – “Echo (You and I)”

South East Asian superstar and French national Anggun is a terrific choice to represent France. Her ethno-Asia-pop is perfect for a competition such as Eurovision and let’s hope she adopts the same staging as she has in her videoclip. Military lads, wearing only their Y-Fronts, moving down conveyer belts is surely worth Douze Points from several countries. The whistling in the chorus is cute and catchy and this is yet another strong entry from France, in recent years, have taken their participation in this competition seriously.

5. Cyrpus – Ivi Adamou – “La La Love”

A perky little pop entry which is very on trend at the moment and the best thing that Cyprus have entered in the competition in years. Fresh faced 18 year old Ivi Adamou is no stranger to singing contests having been a contestant on Greece’s X Factor 2 (so expect 12 points from Greece to go Cyprus’ way) so she won’t be concerned about performing. She’s also fortunately performing directly after the worst song in the competition (entry from San Marino) in Semi Final 1 which will make her performance look award-winning.

4. Albania – Rona Nishliu – “Suus”

My favourite ballad in this year’s contest the Rona Nishliu’s vocals are going to blow the roof off the Crystal Hall in Baku. This is a powerful ballad drenched with pathos and a forlorn acceptance of love lost. The dreadlock beehived Rona Nishliu will make a very striking figure on stage and she’ll have the audience on their feet come the end of this entry. She’s in the weaker Semi (Semi Final 1) and given a good place in the Final she may see herself creeping up the leaderboard during the final.

3. Denmark – Soluna Samay – “Should’ve Known Better”

Now we get to potential Top 5 finishers. Soluna Samay’s little Indie Pop track is currently well regarded by bookies and experts alike. Dressed in Marching Band regalia Samay strums her guitar lamenting that she “Should’ve Known Better” in a cute English/Danish twang. Channelling a little bit of Jewel and a little bit of Natalie Imbruglia this entry should get a lot of “middle of the road” votes. Pretty song, pretty girl and should place pretty high in the final.

2. Italy – Nina Zilli – “L’Amore E’Femmina (Out of Love)”

Another serious contender for this year’s top prize – my guess is she’ll take the Silver medal. Zilli has emerged in recent weeks, with Serbia, as the two entries that could actually beat Sweden’s Loreen. Taking the best parts of Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Ray Zilli’s funky ditty will be well received on the night. The only disadvantage she’ll have is that she’ll only be performing once (in the final) and may find the momentum behind the Swedish, Serbian or Russian entries to much to overcome.

1. Sweden – Loreen – “Euphoria”

It’s going to be hard topple Loreen from taking the crown in Baku. Her brilliant dance infused entry is the highlight of this year’s competition. She’s kooky – her pseudo Karate dancing will have the audience mesmerised – and her vocals are fabulous. Only Denmark’s chorus gets close to beating the anthemic “up, up, up, up, up, uuuuup….Euphoria!” of this entry. Already charting well across Europe (and even available on iTunes as a single here in Oz) she’s got a massive career ahead of her and this will propel her onto the world stage. Stockholm in 2013 then.

Beware Babushki Bearing Gifts

In a year dominated by soloists the groups and duos will stand to benefit from a voting public and jury bored by ballad after ballad after ballad. There’s a decent enough crop of contenders within this category this year, and after the high placing’s for both Denmark and Georgia at last year’s competition, expect to see the a couple of these entries feature well up the leader-board at the end of this year’s country call in.

Unfortunately I’ve had to leave out the Belarusian boy band and the lisping brothers from Switzerland in my Top 5 groups or duos off to contest for the crown in Baku but here’s the best of the bunch…

5. Austria – Trackshittaz – “Woki Mit Deim Popo”

With lyrics like “Your Booty has Feelings” and “Your Booty has an Opinion” and even “Your Booty Says Something About You” the entry from Austria’s “tractor gangsta party rap” (no, I don’t know what that is either) duo will have the Azerbaijani’s looking at their rears in a whole new light. Ahhh – how many jokes about trumpeting butts will the commentators come up with on the night. This may just qualify as it’s ridiculous. Song itself is actually a bit crap (no pun intended).

Find out what you're Booty may be saying to you here...

4. Ireland – Jedward – Waterline

After coming in 8th at last year’s competition, with the high octane “Lipstick”, those Irish Ritalin requiring twin gnomes Jedward are back for another crack (sorry, this is not Austria) at the title. However, even with a songwriter who’s written for boy bands like The Wanted, the song’s just not as good as last year. That said, expect high hair, high jumps and dodgy vocals on the night. They’ll qualify, due to their huge popularity across Europe, but they had a better shot at winning with last year’s entry. The staging will need to be flash to give them any chance of beating their placing last year but there’s a lot more in this year’s competition for the voting public to get excited about. They’ll finish in the bottom (Austria again!) half of the final.

Caution: Irish ADHD twins ahead...

3. Romania – Mandinga – Zaleilah

Now it gets interesting…this is a 7 piece Romanian Cuban inspired entry and will stand out due to its unique blend of sounds. Sung in Romanian and in English this is a toe-tapper and will have the Crystal Hall in Baku swinging. Romania deserves a win and this could be one of those lurking dark horses that snare enough votes to rattle the standout entries from Sweden, Denmark and Russia. This is one of the few entries which won both the jury and public vote at its national final so it should qualify easily and may surprise by placing inside the Top 10 in the final.

2. Iceland – Greta Salome & Jonsi – Never Forget

Now here’s a dark dirge from the depths of Iceland that no-one’s going to forget on the night. Originally qualifying from Iceland’s national final in its native tongue composer, songwriter and performer Greta Salome has opted to take an English version to the competition. And it’s all the better for it. Greta and Jonsi are the competitions most attractive couple and look like they’ve stepped off of an H&M billboard. Expect lots of drama in the staging – wind machines, some floating materials and strings on-stage will be the bare minimum. Jonsi’s been here before, having already represented Iceland in the 2004 final, so when Greta cracks out the violin half way through this ditty he’ll be cracking some decent Abercrombie & Fitch style poses to accompany her fiddling. There’s nothing like this number in the competition and it will be remembered for, at least, it’s uniqueness. Iceland, criminally, have never taken home top prize and this year they’ll give the leaderboard another solid nudge and this could even go Top 5 dependent on where they perform in the final. I’m going to invest in some knitwear just in case we’ll be in Reykjavik next year.

Delve into the darkest depths of Iceland...

1. Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki – Party for Everybody

Beware a Babushki bearing gifts. Seriously, don’t take anything from them. This is a serious contender for the top prize this year. It’ll take a lot to beat Sweden’s Loreen but this group of 6 Russian grannies could just see us returning to Moscow in 2013. Having formed in 2008 the Buranovskiye Babushki, who’s eldest member is 77, have performed all over Europe covering songs from Queen and the Beatles and shared the stage with the likes of Jose Carreras. The song’s catchy, they’re as cute as kittens and they I’ve already shocked many when they took out former Eurovision winner Dima Bilan at their national final to win the chance to represent Russia in Baku. Block country voting aside, this entry will take home either Silver or Gold and it will probably come down to where Sweden and Russia perform in the final. If either country is drawn in the top quarter (with the UK’s Mr Humperdinck) that’ll be enough to relegate them to second – that’s how close it is this year.

Check Out the Go-Go Grannies...

 

Boys, Boys, Boys

With the bookies already predicting that the winner of Eurovision 2012 will come from either Scandinavia or Russia it’s time to look at who the best of the Boys, the Girls and the Groups and who may surprise and wrestle the title away from Sweden’s Euphoric Loreen, the troupe of Babushkie from Russia or Denmark’s sailor hat wearing indie-pop princess Soluna Samay.

Let’s start with the Top 5 boys…

5. Malta – Kurt Calleja – This is the Night

It’s criminal that Malta have never won Eurovision – they turn up year after year with some cracking pop songs or ballads but have gone home empty handed every time.

This year will be no different but Kurt Calleja’s gay-anthem in waiting “This is the Night” is a nice little pop song which should qualify from the semis into the final.

Pros: No-one’s really doing high energy pop this year and the semis are strewn with bucket loads of ballads. This may play into Mr Calleja’s hands as his pop song will stand out from the crowd. As this was one of the first national finals to be won this song has been known for a while and he’s been doing the right thing and shopping the song around Europe.

Cons: Malta’s best results have come when they’ve been represented by the power-house voice of Chiara (2nd in 2005, 3rd in 1998) and without her they’ve missed the final the last couple of years. Last year’s entry was a high energy pop song and it did not make the cut which does not bode well.

Prediciton: Will make the final…just.

Watch Kurt Calleja here -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LdsAsnjVwE

4. Lithuania – Donny Montell – Love is Blind

The only Baltic state not to have won the contest Lithuania have again sent a great entry to the contest. Donny Montell is a cute young thing who’ll have the GMG (Gays, Mums and Grans) vote on his side. The song shifts from billowy ballad a third of the way in and gets a little dancey almost (not quite) electro. Again, this entry will benefit from the ridiculous amount of solo female ballads.

Pros: He’s young and a bit too cute for words, he's blindfolded in the performance and he’ll have some block voting on his side – assume good votes from Latvia, Estonia and Russia.

Cons: His voice is not the strongest and if his vocals falter he’ll be left behind in the semis.

Predicition: Qualify for final ONLY if his vocals stack up

Watch cute Donny here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk4X8EWnpeA

3. Estonia – Ott Lepland – Kuula (English Translation – Lonely)

Estonia has only won Eurovision once and has sent some really strong entries to the competition in the last couple of years. Getter Janni’s “Rockerfeller Street” was a hot favourite to take the top prize last year but the song faltered in the final. Ott Lepland’s “Kuula” is looking to better Janni’s result and make the final with a heart-felt ballad that does not need an understanding of Estonian to be able to interpret the emotion. Lepland’s vocals are really solid and he’ll be able to bring a tear or two to the eyes of the crowd in Azerbaijan. He gets additional points for his shiny suit.

Pros: In a year of solo female ballads a solo male ballad will stand out.

Cons: In a year of ballads this may get lost in all the belting and vocal gymnastics.

Prediction: Qualify for final and will finish in the bottom half.

Watch the shiney suit here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmV3ByIdKJo

2. Norway – Tooji – Stay

After the big disappointment, and one of the big shocks, of last year’s competition where Norway’s entrant Stella Mwgambi did not make the final the Norwegian public took notice of what gets votes. So, this year they’re sending Norway’s answer to Sweden’s Eric Saade, who took home bronze in last year’s competition, with the hoodie clad Tooji. This entry stands out for a couple of reasons – it’s probably the most high energy entry for the entire competition with a great Middle Eastern style beat and it’s sung by a hotter than hot man-child.

Pros: One of the “biggest” songs of the year there’s a lot going on in this song. It’ll stand head and shoulders above all the ballads. It’ll get good support in voting from Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, the UK and Ireland which will see it sail into the final. He’s hot so the girls will be dialling in big time.

Cons: We did this last year with Eric Saade…he won’t win because we’ve seen this all before.

Prediction: Sail into the final. Finish Top 6.

Watch Norway's Eric Saade here..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdHnenxPPnc


1. Germany – Roman Lob – Standing Still

Roman Lob won Germany’s national selection competition “Unser Star fur Baku” with this surprisingly good entry. Roman’s vocals are impeccable and the song is a perfect pop ballad and reminiscent of Ed Sheerin. He’s a good looking lad too so this will work in his favour. Staging will be very important for this entries final standing as we’ll only see it once (in the Final) which could be to its advantage but may be its undoing. This is one of the best constructed songs behind Sweden’s Loreen or Denmark’s Soluna Somay and deserves to do well.

Pros: Does not have to qualify so it’s already in the final. It stands as one of the best ballads of the competition (either Male or Female) and Germany can afford to host the final…

Cons: As it will only be performed in the final and if the production is not up to scratch if could finish in the bottom half. Don’t expect the “bail me out” voting from the 2010 competition when Lena’s “Satellite” won.

Prediction: If he produces a solid performance this could finish Top 10

Watch Germany's Herr Lob here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAhwNNBoC34


Still to come: Best of the Girls and Best of the Groups.

Wind Machines at 50 Paces

Well, finally, after months of anticipation the contestants for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 have almost all been decided on. And, post this weekend, the frontrunners are emerging.

This weekend saw the finals of the Swedish National selection Melodifestivalen which was always going to be a showdown between the kooky Loreen and the crowd-pleasing Danny Saucedo. Loreen’s “Euphoria” was always the better song but Danny’s Tron inspired performance made up for some slightly dodgy vocals – so it was up to the Swedish public to send a great song or a great performer.

“Euphoria” triumphed and Loreen is off to Baku, Azerbaijan for the finals in May and Saucey Saucedo is left to rue a 2nd place for the 2nd year in a row. Not to fret though as Loreen’s victory immediately thrust Sweden to the top of the betting to take the entire competition.

See Loreen's winning performance of "Euphoria" here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsTcfVBwXco

"Euphoria" has it all – wind machine, fab vocals, catchy chorus you can ear worm your colleagues with, weird jerky dance/ martial arts moves and in the last 1/3rd a full snow storm and a death drop. Of course it should be at the top of the betting! It’s my early pick to take home the top prize.

However, this is the year of the ladies! Incredibly nearly half of this year’s winning participants are female solo artists – which leaves groups and solo males with a real shot at upstaging Sweden’s Loreen. But even with that said some of the other females are really strong. France’s entrant the stunning Anggun sings the simple yet catchy “Echo (You and I)” and Denmark’s quirky Solona Samay goes indie-lite with “Should’ve Known Better” and both will poll well.

See Denmark's indie-lite Solona Samay here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSpfDj9uUJc

Dark horses are already grazing in the field too – Cyprus’ perky Ivi Adamou’s bouncy entry “La La Love” is ridiculously infectious and Malta’s representative the not-too-hard-on-the-eye Kurt Calleja’s “This is the Night” is a gay anthem waiting to happen. However, it’s Norway’s answer to Eric Saade, Sweden’s bronze medallist from last year’s competition, Tooji with “Stay” which will not only sail through to the final but will find itself well within the Top 10 come the voting.

See Norway's answer to Eric Saade here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdHnenxPPnc

And I’m not ruling out the Ukraine, Spain or Italy at this stage as all three ladies have a great set of pipes and some catchy tunes that may surprise come finals night.

So much to look forward to…including the unveiling of Engelbert Humperdinck’s entry for the UK. And where do I start with Ireland’s Jedward? Or, the Babushka bunch from Russia!