I’m really, really, woefully, bitterly underprepared for Eurovision this year, and in actual fact I’m very likely to be busy during the two semi-finals, so for the first time in a long time I’m going to be going into Saturday’s grand final with no preconceptions, other then I reckon Blue will go Top Four and win me some money.
In the meantime Tuesday night is the first of the Eurovision semi-finals, and importantly it is the one that people in the UK can vote in. You will find it on BBC 3 at 8pm with Scott Mills and Sara Cox providing the commentary.
As is usual, Punters are invited to give their opinions of the songs on the night, if you make a separate line of a comment the name of the country and a mark out of ten somebody will probably tot them up and some sort of Bother’s Bar jury decision will be reached.
The BBC has some downloadable scorecards for you if you like and want to know the order of the songs in advance.
Outside of the UK (or perhaps preferable to the BBC3 coverage), you should be able to watch on a livestream on the official Eurovision site from 8pm UK time/9pm Europe. It should last two hours.
Serbia are in!
Lithuania are in!
Greece are in…?
I know Iceland won’t connect with the vast majority of viewers like they did with me but I really hope they make the final.
…. Greece?
Azerbaijan are in!
Georgia are in!
Switzerland are in!
Huzzah, Switzerland!
Hungary are in!
Greece always get in. Diaspora vote, plus useful draw this time. They will be nowhere in the final without another great draw.
Finland are in!
Russia are in!
And the last is Iceland!
Ahaha my three favourites made the final. I surprised myself at how happy I was by that.
Turkey didn’t get in! What the hell?
Anyway, stats. Me and KP as a group got 8/10 correct, switching Serbia and Greece for Turkey and Albania. Both of us got 7/10 singularly.
D: What?!?!?! HOW COULD ALBANIA NOT GET IN? And Finland! Finland was AWFUL!
So the Turkish diaspora vote dissipated, when it was the Greeks that deserved that. Sigh.
That – and the number of songs going through with horrendous strobing – aside, excellent results in my book, about as good as could be hoped for.
Thansk chaps, I’ll have a proper read of this tomorrow.
Righty-ho, some thoughts.
* It’s fortuitous that the Beeb had someone in London: the lines from Dusseldorf went down, and commentators were left scrabbling for mobile phones.
* There’s no significant evidence of a Polish diaspora vote.
* Turkey not qualifying: that’s a big surprise. OK, most of their traditional friends are in the other semi, but even so. Will their diaspora vote switch to Azerbaijan? Macedonia (if they qualify) to annoy the Greeks? The Scottish National Party?
* Ditto Armenia, evidently the diaspora’s excitement at being able to support their homeland has run its course. Do they now switch to Greece? Russia? Britain’s Got Talent?
* Looks like Serbia may have got through on nationalist voting: traditional friends in Croatia, Albania, Greece, and Switzerland. Greece may also have benefitted from this phenomenon; we’ll find out on Sunday if the UK vote put Greece through at Turkey’s expense.
* Finland have the best presentation of the night, reminded me of the Total Perspective Vortex. This may not be unintentional.
* Must be getting old, I remember when Croatia wanted to win Eurovision.
* Portugal: yeah, what the euro-standard flip?
* Azerbaijan was the only song that had Potential Winner written large, Finland is a possible, Iceland just maybe but it’s a real stretch. I don’t think we’ve seen the grand prix winner yet.
* The draw as it stands: Finland 1, Lithuania 4, Hungary 5, Greece 9, Russia 10, France 11, Italy 12, Switzerland 13, UK o’Stuff 14, Germany 16, Azerbaijan 19, Iceland 21, Spain 22, Serbia 24, Georgia 25. Finland getting the show off that big may mean we can write off songs 2-6 already. Russia may be overshadowed by France, Switzerland will fall into the ad break. Azerbaijan and Iceland have very good draws, Greece doesn’t.
I don’t think Azerbaijan will get too much help. Remember in 2009 when the Azeri broadcast blurred the number of the Armenian vote line, and someone ended up being questioned because he voted for Armenia anyway.
My thoughts as a long time observer of Eurovision (and I bet the only one here, who attended the ‘invite only’ bash for the draw to decide the running order at the NIA on a chilly morning in November 1997)
I really wanted Portugal to go through. It’s been a while since we had a spoof protest song. Novelity acts generally bomb at Eurovision. A warning from history to Jedward, there.
Iceland are good for an each-way bet – depends how thick the national commentators pile on the pathos of the group’s name and why they got to be called that.
Blue will nail a three figure points score for the UK – just don’t expect 12 from Cyprus with Greece qualifying.
Estonia start there song with a nice slight of hand magic trick – and it’s annoyingly catchy – another that could sneak up on the rails, under the nose of Norton who may not notice until it’s far too late on Saturday night.