EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 GRAND FINAL: FROM THE CUSP OF CROWING GLORY INTO A DIVISIVE FIASCO (CONCLUSION)

Admittedly, I got five of the Top 10 correct, one of my weakest forecasts to this contestat to date.  I was shocked by the weak showing of NORWAY, and that LITHUANIA and GREECE didn;t quite garner enough points to latch onto this level, plus that disqualification of the NETHERLANDS.  I had been anticipating AUSTRIA has been falling in buzz that it would fall out of the Top 10, but joining NORWAY at the bottom?  Also a shocker.

I should've included PORTUGAL (Iolanda) in my "Bubbling Under" list as I realize that this is very much a jury darling, which turned out to be true as she ranked 7th with them.  She officially ranked 20th with the televote, but if the full rankings were applied and averaged, she was actually next-to-last--her standing was mainly buoyed by douze points from LUXEMBOURG.  Her 10th place overall showing was mainly due to the points amassed with the juries.  If the full average rankings were applied, she would've dropped down to 14th place and GERMANY would've replaced her in 10th place. I also have to note that there was controversy over the apparent delay in the posting of her performance video on Eurovision's YouTube channel--though officially the EBU cited "technical" issues, it seems the delay was caused by flak from the Israeli delegation contesting the subtle statement Iolanda was making with her fingernails, as she painted her nails with the colors of the Palestinian flag, and her closing remark "Peace will prevail" after her performance.  For what is supposedly an "apolitical" event, the EBU was obviously taking a political stance, right?

SWEDEN (Marcus & Martinus) were always expected to be a jury darling, and this was reflected with their 8th place ranking with the juries.  It did respectably okay with the televote, as they finished 11th, so they ended up ranking 9th overall.  As Malin earlier talked about Benjamin Ingrosso's 2018 showing as she introduced his performance in Semifinal 1, this ranking is welcomed in other countries but for this country, it's a "disaster".

ARMENIA (Ladaniva) finished 9th in both jury and televote, and their consistent showing rewarded them with an 8th place overall finish, their best showing since the last time this contest was held in Sweden eight years ago when Iveta Mukuchyan finished 7th with "Lovewave".  This pair were just a bundle of pure joy and positive energy that was very refreshing for this crisis-fraught contest.

ITALY (Angelina Mango) is the only one who made a significant change in her staging for the Grand Final, as she and her dancers changed from the lacy brocade outfits they sported in Semifinal to into solid black outfits.  I suppose there was feedback on how she and her dancers were drowned by the backdrop with their outfits hence the chnnge in the final.  She finished 4th with the jury and 7th with the televote, but because the points amased with the juries is not quite as strong as her standing would suggest, she finished 7th place overall.  However, if we applied the full rankings, she would've finished 5th overall, as her entry was not as divisive as two entries that officially ranked above her--she didn't figure at all in the bottom five of any country either in juries or televote.

IRELAND (Bambie Thug) was officially 6th in all measures--6th with the juries, with the televote, and overall, so the 6-6-6 combination made some conservative people observe that it seemed apt as they might view their act as "satanic".  Still it's incredible how this act had a rising trajectory that they were initially perceived as continuing in this country's doldrums, to garnering raves for their almost uncompromised*7 artistic vision that was undeniably risky, but in the end yielded rewarding results--this is tis seven-time Eurovision champion's best showing since Eamonn Toal's 6th place finish all the way back to 2000 with the overly sentimental (and ultimately forgettable) ballad "Millennium of Love".  I've noticed that if the full rankings were applied, Bambie didn't fare that well with the juries as they seemed, as there were countries that ranked this entry in the bottom five, and the average would've placed them 9th with the juries.

*7 I say "almost uncompromised" because originally Bambie was supposed to have the word "CEASEFIRE" written in Ogham script on their outfit but the EBU told them to remove it because of its "political" content.

ISRAEL (Eden Golan)'s presence in this contest in light of the Gaza war was always going to be controversial and divisive, and this was reflected in the results, as she officially finished 12th with the juries but 2nd place with the televote.  The divisiveness would be even more felt as the full rankings were applied, as when the full rankings were applied with the juries she would've ranked 16th (15th if NETHERLANDS was included) and despite garnering 15 douze points in the televote (including "Rest of the World" vote), she would've ranked 3rd instead of 2nd.  She would've swapped with ITALY and finish 7th place overall.

Here, I would like to share my thoughts on the EBU's hypocrisy towards politics, and how this year, Israel seemed to be launching a propaganda war for this cause with the European public, and the apparent anomalies in its televote score.  For starters, avoiding "politics" is a fruitless affair unless you're a hermit, as any kind of human interaction could be considered political in nature.  You don't call any interaction in the workplace "office politics" for nothing.  So almost all decisions determining the winners of this long-standing institution always has a political dimension even if efforts are made to minimize such effects.  Ultimately in terms of decisions it is up to the individuals involved if they choose to weigh the merits of each entry over their own personal/cultural/political preferences or biases or not.

What caused this event to be accused of being hypocritical is that it ultimately took a stand behind the political stance of a public broadcaster and a key sponsor and immediately suppress or block expressions of the opposing side of that broadcaster's (and sponsor's) viewpoint.  Which leads me to the second point about public broadcasting.  Sure, institutions like the BBC for the UK and PBS from the US may attest that their views would always be independent from the stance of any of their respective governments, but the fact that they are required to receive funding from their respective governments and this rule also applies to all public broadcasters mean that a government's voice will always be somehow reflected and represented by the broadcasters.  So it's ingenious for the EBU to say that Israeli broadcaster KAN is not linked to its respective government, nor the corporate nationality of key sponsor MoroccanOil doesn't share in the viewpoint of said government.  

This decision also had the repercussion of giving Israel permission to use this contest as a propaganda ploy for its wartime causes.  First, they would immediately ask the EBU that any criticism lobbed at them is tantamount to anti-Semitism, and to extend that logic, anyone bringing any cultural symbol of Palestine should also be suppressed on the same grounds.  It's the same logic employed by Kathleen Kennedy-led Lucasfilm as they tout their shows as complying with corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) directives without regards to quality or good storytelling, and that fans criticizing the quality of their content should be dismissed as racists, sexists, and homophobes.  Israel also want to present itself as an LGBTQIA+-friendly country, even if reality is the government is increasingly being run by extreme conservatives.  And they admitted that they actively had a campaign launched in various countries to vote for their entry, so they can justify a narrative that despite the protests, the general public voted for them.  Based on the results, it seemed to work.

However, the conspiracy theorist in me felt there is someting diabolical that might have occurred--which is especially possible with the existence of virtual private networks (VPNs), it's possible that Israel hired a pool of keyboard warriors transmitting votes online by masking their true locations so the online votes would reflect as votes from any of the participating countries in the contest.  Slovenia actually raised a fuss questioning their televotes, as they noted that Slovenians never had voted for Israel throughout their history so it's strange why all of a sudden there are 10 points from them for Israel.  Let's see what the EBU will do to safeguard the integrity of televoting in light of the existence of such technology?  Anyway, I'm sharing YouTuber Stuart MacLean's video discussing all of these controversies for better input.

FRANCE (Slimane) was 2nd with the juries and 4th with the televote, though I discovered if full rankings were applied, this entry would've slipped to 3rd with the juries because there were actually a few countries which ranked this towards the bottom, which of course wasn't counted in the system in place.  Still, the overall 4th place finish is a feat worth saluting.

UKRAINE (Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil) were consistently strong, finishing 5th with the juries and buoyed by the points it amassed in televote for a 3rd place finish that they finished 3rd overall.  I started to actually like this song more and more as I listen to it, because of the gospel elements that I hear in this song.

It's obvious CROATIA (Baby Lasagna) would top the televote.  But I wonder if the EBU or Swedish producers tried to downplay the expected popular dominance of this entry as in the recap, instead of playing the live response by the audience, they opted to mute the crowd response and play the response as reflected on the playback/studio recording.  Is this a ploy to help boost the votes for Israel?  I also have to note that if full rankings were applied for the juries, this would actually beat FRANCE by a narrow margin with the juries and be in 2nd place instead of officially 3rd.  Of course, the way the eventual winner dominated the juries, it didn't provide enough leeway for this to become the overall winner.  It also makes me wonder that if the NETHERLANDS wasn't disqualified and amassed all those televote points, would that provide room for this entry to win?

I didn't expect how SWITZERLAND (Nemo) would dominate the juries--in fact he was even more dominant than Loreen was last year.  Even it they ranked 5th in televote, the jury domination helped him amass such a strong lead that they could not be overtaken even if the televotes were factored in.  I resepct the results, as the performance and artistry of this  person was undeniable.

After performing their encore after their victory, Nemo accidentally broke the crystal trophy.  Some pundits felt this is symbolic of the messiness this year's edition emerged to be.  Now, wonder how the EBU would address the issues raised by the controversises in this year's contest to ensure those incidents would be minimized or avoided, and help recover the currently low turnout, as there seems to be threat of further attrition because of these events.  I hope there is a path for recovery for this contest for next year.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 GRAND FINAL: FROM THE CUsP OF CROWING GLORY INTO A DIVISIVE FIASCO (PART 2)

Before I discuss the results of the Grand Final, I'd like to touch upon the results of each semifinal .  In both cases I was surprised on who ended up 11th and was saddened when I learned who finished last in Semifinal 2.

In Semifinal 1, I presumed POLAND (Luna) would be the 11th placer but it turned out to be AUSTRALIA (Electric Fields).  But if we factor in all the rankings (i.e., including 11th to 15th) it turns out that AUSTRALIA would not only beat 10th placer SERBIA (Teya Dora), but would've placed 9th and beat SLOVENIA (Raiven) in the process--it seems SERBIA and SLOVENIA had bloc voting to thank for surviving and making the finals.  Sad to say that ICELAND (Hera Björk) was indeed the cellar-dweller,  not only in this group, but overall.  I was expecting MOLDOVA (Natalia Barbu) to join Hera at the bottom but it turns out less people were enamored with AZERBAIJAN (Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov) were less successful in connecting with the televoters, and the points they amassed was even lower than the last placer in Semfinal 2...

...MALTA (Sarah Bonnici).   She was an unjust last-place finisher in Semifinal 2, as all her onstage efforts deserved better appreciation.  And analyzing the full rankings reveal that she was not actually last overall but exhibited the Ryan Dolan Conundrum*5--in fact she was actually 14th, outranking SAN MARINO (Megara) and ALBANIA (Besa), the latter taking up the rear.  Like Semifinal 1, I was wrong in my presumed 11th placer as I thought it was BELGIUM (Mustii) but the already weak reception towards his staging was worse than I thought that he ended up 13th.  The actual 11th placer was CZECHIA (Aiko) and if we apply the full rankings of the televote, she actually averaged in 10th place and could've knocked out the official 10th placer NORWAY (Gåte).  CZECHIA also exhibited the Edurne Paradox*6, as she garnered points from 14 countries over NORWAY garnering points from 11.  With NETHERLANDS' disqualification only announced on the day of the final, there was also this missed opportunity to have CZECHIA see action in the said Grand Final.

*5  Based on Ireland's Ryan Dolan's performance at the 2013 contest, when he was last in terms of points, but if you average the full rankings, he actually wasn't last--Spain's ESDM was the actual last-placer by this measure.

*6 Based on Spain's Edurne's 2015 showing as she garnered points from more countries (8) even if several other countries ranked above her and relegating her to 21st place.  The Paradox also applies if based on average rankings, you rank significantly higher than your official ranking, as Edurne would've ranked 11th instead of 21st if the full rankings were applied.

Now, it's time to analyze the results of the Grand Final.  Lots of stories can be told about the finalists.

Since NETHERLANDS (Joost Klein) was officially disqualified on the morning of the Grand Final, the juries got to vote for him, and it was disclosed he actually got 53 points from the uries, making him rank 12th.  So any speculation that this entry could've won is out the window--even if he garnered a Kalush Orchestra-level of televote points, it's unlikely he'll win.  What was the likeliest scenario is that he would have been 4th in the televote behind CROATIA, ISRAEL, and UKRAINE, but would dilute the points tey amassed that instead of three 300-point televotes, we would have maybe around five 200-point televotes (or more likely, four 200-pointers and two at the 180-180 level).  The disqualification ironically enhanced the appeal of this song, as it became the top streamed song amongst this year's entries.  That could be a nice consolation prize for this entry, even if his Eurovision dreams had been dashed.

NORWAY (Gåte) based on actual points alone exhibited the Ryan Dolan Conundrum as it didn't place last at all in either juries or televote--ESTONIA and the UNITED KINGDOM were officially last in those categories.  But the low amount of points amassed by this entry made it last overall.  And I discovered if we get the full average rankings of the jury and televote, it also exhibited the Edurne Paradox B, as it actually ranked significantly higher than its points would suggest--instead of 23rd in the jury it would've been 19th (20th if NETHERLANDS was included), and instead of 24th in the televote it would've been 20th.

AUSTRIA (Kaleen) ranked in a tie for 19th with the juries and was 23rd with the televote, and the low televote points it amassed caused it to be officially 24th in the ranking.  However, examining the full televote ranking average, it turns out she exhibited the Edurne Paradox as she ranked 17th, six notches above her official standing.

SLOVENIA (Raiven) has her Balkan blocmates to thank for avoiding last place overall as it was actually 2nd to last with the juries and dead last with the televote if full rankings were applied.  I feel sad that the sentiment of the Europeans toward this song is so low as I actually like this entry--ironically the music reminds most of Edurne's 2015 entry, "Amanecer [Dawn]".

SPAIN (Nebulossa) officially ranked a tie for 19th with the juries and 22nd with the televote for a 22nd place overall finish.  If we apply the full rankings, it was actually weaker with the juries as it would've ranked 21st (22nd if NETHERLANDS was included), but it exhibited the Edurne Paradox with the televote, as it actually ranked 14th, as 10 countries actually voted it as bubbling under the Top 10.

GEORGIA (Nutsa Buzaladze) deserves better appreciation for the fierceness she brought onstage than what her 21st place overall ranking might indicate.  Like SLOVENIA, I feel sad that both European juries and televote appreciated her less than she deserved, as if full rankings were applied she actually ranked lower than her official standing, ranking 22nd with the juries (23rd if we included the NETHERLANDS) and 22nd with the televote--she seemed to be benefiting from bloc or neighborly voting.

ESTONIA (5Miinust X Puuluup) last place finish with the juries is not surprising, that it had to rely on televote to put it out of the Bottom Five, and that it did by finishing 13th there and hence finishing 20th place overall.  If its staging was more inspired, it would've gotten more televote points, but it was clearly overshadowed by other spectacles, such as....

...FINLAND (Windows95Man).  Even if ESTONIA officially outpointed this entry by one point in the televote, if we apply the full ranking it actually blew way past ESTONIA, as instead of being 14th in the televote, it was actually 11th.  Televoters liked the visual gimmicks from this entry enough to make it fare respectably well in that category.

UNITED KINGDOM (Olly Alexander) seems to have a mirrored scenario to ESTONIA, being officially last in the televote with the dreaded nil points, but having a respectable 13th place showing with the juries to save himself from a Bottom Five finish.  I have to note in the televote, he was actually Ryan Dolan-ed, as applying the full rankings SLOVENIA and PORTUGAL fared worse than him--if we even go more granular, he was last in the televote in only four countries, while SLOVENIA was last in 20 countries and PORTUGAL in six.

SERBIA (Teya Dora) has bloc voting to thank for her 17th place standing, as if full rankings were applied, she would've ended up in 24rd place overall.  Based on points she was 18th with the juries and 14th in the televote, but based on the full ranking average she was 19th with the jury and 21st in the televote.

I had presumed LATVIA (Dons) to be the one dangling by hus fingertips to make the Top 10 in Semifinal 2, but it turns out he was safely in 7th place, and this pretty much is reflected in his Grand Finals performance, where he finished 15th with the juries and 16th with the televotes.  But if we apply the full rankings of the televote, he actually fared better, moving a bit up to 13th place there.

Like LATVIA, I presumed CYPRUS (Silia Kapsis) was the 10th placer in Semifinal 1 but it turns out she was also in 7th place--the quality ballads by PORTUGAL, SERBIA, and SLOVENIA were not as strong with the general public as I thought they would've been.  In the Grand Final, she was 16th with the juries and 11th with the televote but if full rankings were applied, she fared a bit better with the juries at 14th place (this is excluding the NETERLANDS) and dropped to 16th place in teelvote, indicating she has GREECE to thank for her 11th place showing in the televote.

Many fans presumed that LITHUANIA (Silvester Belt) would outdo The Roop in this Grand Final like he did in their national final.  But that didn't materialize as he finished 15th with the juries and 10th with the televote for a 14th place overall finish, simply equaling Monika Liu's 2022 showing.  So The Roop still holds the trophy as this country's best performer in this contest thus far.

How the fan reaction towards LUXEMBOURG (Tali) was like a rollercoaster--when she won her national final, it was regarded highly but as other entries came in her buzz got diminished.  But the juies got her back as she placed 11th with them and even if she was weaker in televote, placing 17th, she managed to stay at the left-side of the scoreboard with her 13th place overall showing.

I know that GERMANY (Isaak) got positive notices for his staging, but little did I know that this generates significant love from the jires that he placed 10th there and the jury points he amassed helped him stay on the left side of the scoreboard even as he finished a weak 19th place with the televote.  This is at least a welcome respite from the doldrums for this country, but could it be the start of a new renaissance?  Stefan Raab, who had a hand in contributing to some of this country's strong finishes in the late 1990s to 2010s, is reportedly returning to assist in the national selection--can't wait to see how it all unfolds next year.

GREECE (Marina Satti) was 15th with the juries and 8th with the televote for an 11th place overall finish.  If we apply the full ranking on the televote, she actually only averaged in 10th place, meaning 8th place televote ranking was mainly buoyed by bloc voting, like douze pints from CYPRUS and Top Five showings with the televoters from SERBIA and ARMENIA (SAN MARINO televotes are actually based on the bracket it belongs to and not actual televotes, which included CYPRUS and GREECE, because that country is so small it uses ITALY's country code for its phones).

COMING UP:  THE TOP 10

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 GRAND FINAL: FROM THE CUSP OF CROWING GLORY INTO A DIVISIVE FIASCO (PART 1)

 

The Grand Final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest was supposed to be a superbly produced affair.  as Sweden has been known for delivering top-notch productions.  Host Petra Mede has been a reliable quantity in the previous editions she has hosted, and what she delivered in the two semifinals with Malin Åckerman prove no different (and speaking of Malin, she's also doing a very competent job).  Everything seemed to be pointing to an enjoyable affair like last year's Liverpool edition and the now iconic editions hosted by Petra in 2013 and 2016 (yes, with 2015 champion Mån Zelmerlöw).  But two events turned out to be dark clouds hovering above the proceedings, and their impact turned out to be indelible.

First is the presence of Israel in the contest.  Yes, this country is a long-standing stalwart in this contest, and since at least 2019 this contest relies on a major sponsorship from Israeli hair care company MoroccanOil to help finance the entire endeavor.  But since October 2023, Israel is mired in a war against Hamas at the Gaza Strip, and though Israel did not draw first blood (unlike Russia when it invaded Ukraine), its scorched-earth approach causing the destruction of hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians' lives is deemed excessive and reprehensible--many in the international community are declaring this is an act of genocide.  Having this country present in the contest does not seem to be good optics, and hence there were street protests outside the venue against the presence of this country.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has stated that the contest is not among the countries' governments but among the countries' public broadcasters.  But me, when I think of my oun country's public broadcaster PTV-4, I tend to view it as inextricably linked as a government's mouthpiece--but then of course I realize the US's PBS and the UK's BBC are not necessarily the mouthpieces of their respective governments, but the fact that they rely on funding from the governments to keep on going still make me think the separation between government and broadcaster is disingenuous, at least.  Exacerbating matters is that the Israeli broadcaster KAN has been toeing the government line and in its selection of the artist, it featured some patriotic themed programs that indicate their support of the government's war effort.  In fact, the initial entry submitted was deemed too political which is supposed to be against EBU's policy that it had to be rewritten to its current incarnation in order for Israel to not lose its spot.

As rehearsals for the Grand Final wore on, we were then hit with shocking news about The NETHERLANDS (Joost Klein) as he was barred from rehearsing for the Grand Final.  First, the EBU permitted to juries to view his pre-taped Semifinal 2 performance instead as a backup.  Speculation ran afoot of the cause of this--some thought it was because of Joost's testy behavior during the post-Semifinal 2 press conference when he heckled at Israel when they decided to deflect a press question about Israel's participation putting all other artists' safety in jeopardy, with Joost uttering a sarcastic "Why not?"   Fueling further speculation was footage where a member of the Israeli delegation was hounding on a bodyguard from the Dutch delegation when Joost was barred from performing.  In the morning of the final, it was announced that Joost was disqualified, and it turns out that it was due to an altercation with a female member of the EBU camera crew.  As the EBU issued their statement, they emphasized that the incident did not involve members of other delegations.  I'm glad that even with this disqualification, the Netherlands' juries and televoters were still allowed to participate.  Still, undoubtedly the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS was very upset at this development, and it seems many other delegations did not welcome this development.

With these two dark clouds looming over the Grand Final and creating a chaotic atmosphere backstage especially among the delegations,, how did it affect the conduct of the Grand Final?.

The opening number is an oblique reference to ABBA's Eurovision victor--though everyone attributed ABBA's victory as the beginning of Sweden's breakthrough in the international music scene, many people would like to note there was a precursor as in the week that ABBA won Eurovision, the No. 1 song in the US Billboard Hot 100 was actually by the Swedish band Blue Swede, with their cover of BJ Thomas' 1968 song, "Hooked on a Feeling"*1.  So, they hired the band's lead singer Björn Skifs*2 to perform the song as the opening number.  I think of Björn Skifs as the Swedish counterpart to Tom Jones as they share a similar earthy, bellowing vocal style.  And like Tim, he still has the strength to sing his songs at full strength, just like this performance--hard to believe this man is already 77 years old!  And he's looking pretty good--it seems that he, the other famous musical Björn ABBA's Mr. Ulvaeus, and The Beatles' Ringo Starr, have found a health routine that helped them retain vitality as well as they have in their advanced ages.

*1  That song has a very interesting journey towards its status as a pop culture legend, especially how it evolved from BJ Thomas' sitar-laced version to the now iconic Blue Swede version--I recommend visiting videos by YouTubers Todd in the Shadows and Proferssor of Rock for detailed backgrounders on this.  Needless to say, Blue Swedes' immortal "ooga-chaka" intro was not even their innovation but was copied from now-disgraced British artist/producer Jonathan King's 1971 version.  Blue Swedes' version was brought into the pop culture zeitgeist twice after its original peak thanks to its use as a meme involving a computer-generated dancing baby in the TV series Ally McBeal in 1998, and then its prominent use in the 2014 smash hit film Guardians of the Galaxy.

*2 Mr. Skifs (pronounced "shifs") is also a two-time Eurovision veteran, representing Sweden in 1978 and 1981, placing 14th and 10th respectively.  He also has an ABBA connection as he recorded a duet with Frida in 1975 wtih the song "Med varann [With each other]", a Swedish language cover of the Stylistics' 1974 smash "You Make Me Fee Brand New".  He also sang "The Arbiter" on the concept album for the musical Chess, which of course is famous as composed by ABBA's Mr. Ulvaus and Benny Andersson alongside famous lyricist Tim Rice.

Since the 2013 eiditon, the finalists were introduced to the stage with a flag parade, were each artist march forward on stage often carrying their flags as they were introduced.  Like last year's sequence, they used recordings of famous songs/artists that have made Sweden a global pop force over the years.  So, this flag parade features the tracks "I Love It" by Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX (2012), "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base (1995), "The Look" by Roxette (1989),  "I Follow Rivers" by Lykke Li (2011), "Sun is Shining" by Axwell X Ingross (2015) and finally "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" by ABBA (1979).  I like this song mix, though there is a side of me that wishes they yank out Lykke Li and replace with, say, Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" (2010)

Like in the previous two evenings, hosts Petra Mede and Malin Åckerman wree in top form as usual, delivering witty quips and keeping the show going well, even if some segments were starting to emerge as misfires.  One favorite segment for me is when Malin noted that her moter-in-law turned out to be the key choreographer of the winning entry by UK quarter Bucks Fizz in 1981, and of course this led to a skirt ripping gag as Malin revealed her black dress has a miniskirt underneath.

One segment that proved to be a huge misfire was a pre-taped segment featuring Swedish singer/comedienne Sarah Dawn Finer as "EBU Spokesperson" Linda Woodruff performing her usual malaprop-laden shtick before going into a musical ode to EBU Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl, "Good to Go".  It's unfortunate they had to run the skit at this tension-filled atmosphere as Martin has gotten a lot of flak regarding the EBU decisions to allow Israel to compete and accommodate to their needs above the other delegations and that Joost Klein decision, so the ode is obviously not received well.  I have to hand it that Martin's role could be be viewed as a thankless job, as he often had to enforce disciplinary actions when anyone misbehaves--and remember what he did to the juries of five countries back in 2022 because of reported collusion?  One might criticize how he handled such situations and believe the vitriol against him is warranted but we all know there are hard choices needed to be made when somebody misbehaves.  If we were to oust him, would his successor be able to enforce order when something goes awry?

It's almost a requirment tat the reigning champion returns as an interval act, and this is true this year as Loreen performed her latest single "Forever", which of course is then blended with her winning song "Tattoo".  It may not be as memorable as her winning performance, but we have to appreciate that the way she performed this number is not as easy as it seems--the way she poses and arches on a small metal chair is actually a feat of stamina and body control, and in this respect Loreen was actually very impressive--ordinary folk would be straining in pain doing the poses she made in her performance.

After closing the voting window, Malin excitedly announced to Petra about the reunion of a disco-oriented group that began with the letter "A".  Of course most people were expecting the 1974 Eurovision champions, but of course they decided to trot out the Alcazar reunion.  This is the first time this group got to perform at the main Eurovision stage after five previous attempts*3 at Melodifestivalen to represent Sweden at this grand stage.  The song they chose to perform is their first charted single back in 2000, "Crying at the Discotheque".  The group was in top form, and the song olds up well, but I feel sad that ulitmately they are dismissed as a gag as Petra declared that this was not the reunion she and many were hoping for.  In a way, this is partly true, as even though the trio lineup of Tess Merkel, Andreas Lunstedt and Lina Hedlund were the longest-standing lineup and are terrific in their own right, I feel their peak lineup was the 2002-2005 quartet combo featuring Magnus Carlsson as the second male member and Annikafiore Kjærgaard instead of Lina.*4

*3  They had a great run of Melodifestivalen entries that eventually became pan-European hits:  "Not a Sinner, Nor a Saint" (2003, 3rd place), "Alcastar" (2005, 3rd place), "Stay the Night" (2009, 5th place), "Headlines" (2010, Andra Chansen, not quite making the final), and "Blame It on the Disco" (2014, 3rd place).  Actually the long-standing male member of the band,, Andreas Lunstedt, got to compete on the main Eurovision stage back in 2006 as he was a member of a one-off collaboration, six4one, that represented Switzerland and finished 17th with their carity-oriented number "If We All Give A Little".

*4  Magnus basically joined the band because he became Andreas's boyfriend and he's a good singer in his own right.  This era featured some inspired Eurodisco twists on some unlikely songs, like "This is the World We Live In" (a mash-up of Diana Ross's 1980 classic "Upside Down" and Genesis' 1986 smash "Land of Confusion") and "Start the Fire" (lifting the chorus from Billy Joel's 1989 smas "We Didn't Start the Fire".  But my big favorite performances of theirs were the live covers they did with ABBA's "As Good as New" and the shoulda-been ABBA song "Funky Feet"*4a.  They achieved the heady heights of ABBA's blissful pop perfection in these performers way better than A*Teens (which was formerly formed as ABBATeens) ever could.

*4a Benny & Björn wrote the song but felt the song sounded too similar to their immortal classic "Dancing Queen" that they decided not to record it and instead give it away to the married duo Svenne & Lotta, Benny's former bandmates from his group the Hep-Stars (take note that Lotta joined that band in their later stages alongside Björn).  This is not the first time Svenne & Lotta got a Benny and Björn song as the 1975 ABBA tune "Bang-a-Boomerang" was originally performed by this couple as a Melodifestivalen entry--like ABBA's "Ring Ring" two years before, they finished 3rd.  The couple covered more Benny & Björn throughout their long career.

It was obvious that it's unlikely that the members of ABBA would not be physically present in this event in person, as they would rather prioritize their induction into the prestigious Royal Order of Vasa by no less than the King and Queen of Sweden at the end of May. But well, at least they allowed the ABBA-tars from the Voyage concert to make an appearance and banter briefly about their Eurovision experience.  This then segued to a tribute performance by previous champions Carola (1991), Charlotte Perelli (1999). and Austria's Conchita Wurst (2014) sang their version of ABBA's "Waterloo".  They all did a competent job, no doubt about it.  Of the Swedish Eurovision champions, I observed one conspicuous absence--Måns Zelmerlöw (2015).  He had popped up at various recent editions of this contest, so it's a bit of a headscratcher why he sat this out--was there bad blood between him and anyone involved in the production of this contest?  Was he simply more focused on his wine venture?  Anything related to the ongoing messes because of Israel's participation?  I would like to know.

The disclosure of the results is always a highlight in this contest, starting with the satellite call to the various countires as the jury results.  It was intended to be star-studded with Eurovision alumni and celebrities like the UK's Joanna Lumley (of Absolutely Fabulous fame) announcing her country's jury results.  It still is star-studded, especially learning that 2016 champion Jamala is very much pregnant with her first child, and it's nice to hear from the likes of Armenia's Brunette (2023) and Azerbaijan's Aysel (2009).  But there were two originally two 2023 Eurovision artists originally designated  as spokespersons who decided to back out last minute, apparently related to Israel's presence in this contest:  Nor, whoway's Alessandra because of her stance on the ongoing Gaza conflict, and Finland's Käärijä, who got caught up in a social media furor when he was photographed with Israel's representative Eden Golan and  Käärijä requesting the photos to be taken down as Israeli parties are using them as propaganda implying that he supports the Israeli side of the war (which of course is not the case).

Like in 2022, Martin Österdal stepped in to announce jury results for at least one of the countries.  But unlike in 2022 when it was involuntary and five of the countries involved in the Semifinal 2 jury collusion controversy were only told last minute that their actual jury votes would not be read out or used, this time it was because in protest over Joost Klein's disqualification, the Netherlands decided not to field any spokesperson, and hence Martin stepped in.  Because of teh aforementioned controversies, Martin was greeted with boos as he showed up, and the boos never relented whenever he's called or shown on TV.

After the jury results, it turned out SWITZERLAND was dominant, arguably more dominant than Loreen was when she won last year.  So the question was if any of the Televote leaders are able to amass points to offset SWITZERLAND's lead.  It turns out that even if CROATIA, ISRAEL and UKRAINE amassed at least 200 televote points each, SWITZERLAND amassed enough points to maintain its standing as champion.

re

COMING UP:  NON-TOP 10 FINISHERS

RESULTS REACTION & REVIEW: EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 2ND SEMI-FINAL

 

In other editions of Eurovision, the second semi-final would be a straightforward affair with a lack of an intro.  But this year, they decided to add a fun skit intro featuring the hosts Malin Åckerman and Petra Mede getting ready for the show and entering into tanning beds as they sang a spoof version of last year's winning song, Loreen's "Tattoo".  Needless to say, it was a very amusing and delightful treat.

Needless to say, the hosts this evening remain very reliable, delivering witty quips, keeping the show going, and engaging the audience.  Nothing to fault about them at all.   I especially love their banter when they compared themselves to previous champions ABBA and Herreys, that Malin is an international superstar while Petra pops in periodically whenever Eurovision comes along. The most memorable gag was that they tapped a very famous viral meme on the 2018 Miss Universe pageant, in particular the preliminary competition intro, where France's Eva Colas introduced her country's name in an unusual way because her voice was hoarse.

Of course after watching the semifinal we know how the postcards format work this time, so it's again a great watch to revisit each country's previous highlights and see personal glimpses of the contestants.  

For the interval act as the voting window opened, Malin and Petra noted that there is this long-running Swedish outdoor music festival called Allsång på Skansen [Sing-along at Skansen], where prominent Swedish artists perform concerts and engage audiences to sing-along with them.  So they decided to feature a twist on that tradition by doing a Sing-along with Eurovision champions Helena Paparizou (Greece 2005), Charlotte Perelli (Sweden 1999), and Sertab Erener (Turkey 2003).  All three champions sound terrific and engaging enough to turn the stadium into a mass karaoke party.

After the voting window closed and the results were being tabulated, this gave time for a well-conceived Broadway-style musical number featuring Petra.  This time it's about common fan reactions whenever Sweden wins lately, and basically Petra's rejoinder is simply, "We Just Love Eurovision Too Much".  She was joined again by Charlotte Perelli as they relay the ways Swedes love this contest too much.  And then they sprung a much welcome cameo:  last year's runner-up from Finland, Käärijä with his "Cha Cha Cha".  He was scintillating as expected but after that fiery performance, Petra dismissed it as "that didn't happen".  It may not be as iconic as her numbers with Måns Zelmerlöw eight years ago, but it's still a wonderful number.

The qualfiers' announcement turned out to be a very suspenseful affair as from the start they announced that an entry that most EUrovision fans and pundits felt was the cellar-dweller turned into a qualifier.  So as the announcement wore on, you worry that one presumed shoo-in would not make it, and indeed that happened.  Now in the previous semi-final, after all were announced Petra and Malin simply signed off with a gag about having cocktails afterwards.  This time, they have a closing musical number featuring the 19884 champions Herreys performing their song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley".  They are obviously no longer at their prime, but it's a nice, entertaining way to cap off the night.

I'll now devote time to discuss the non-qualifiers, starting with...

ALBANIA (Besa) undeniably delivered stellar vocals, but the fact tat the song revamp stripped it of its ethnic flair may have resulted with the expected bloc votes not rallying around this entry, so I think this ended up at the bottom of the fact.  The staging also lacks impact delivered by the other entries.

DENMARK (Saba) obviously needed jury support in order for it to make any serious inroads, as her vocals remain on point, but the simple staging simply fail to catch the fancy of the televoters.

We do have to salute CZECHIA (Aiko) as indeed her vocals were much improved from the national final, and te staging is sleek and polished, and the middle-of-the-song pause for dramatic dialogue worked.  It may even fare better than initial perceptions taht it would be a bottom feeder.

SAN MARINO (Megara) delivered on the brassy, sassy hard rock and yes, brought spectacle that deserve attention and acclaim.  I also have to give a shoutout to the backup dancers, woo were made up to look like skeletal ghouls--out of makeup, these are actually very beautiful girls, a welcome sigt amidst the bevy of hot hunks amongst the other delegations' backup dancers.

MALTA (Sarah Bonnici) undoubtedly gave her all with all the acrobatics and stunts in her act.  She deserves mighty props because she actually delivered a great performance.  But would that be enough to elp break this country out of its televoting doldrums as of late?  It's strange that in the 2000s, they used to be able to drum up televotes, as their two best finishes (2nd place) with Ira Losco's "7th Wonder" (2002) and Chiara's "Angel" (2005) both took place in editions where it was televote only.

Now the big shocker was the exclusion of BELGIUM (Mustii).  His vocals remain impassioned, but it was not as pitch perfect as the recording, and the staging looked lackluster--I think the choice of white pants instead of black leather may also have hurt his chances as it made him look more like a boy-band member instead of an edgy rocker which was what impressed me about the music video originally.  So sad as I still think this is a quality entry.

Before I discuss the qualifiers, let's talk about the automatic finalists:that performed in this round (and voted, of course).

SPAIN (Nebulossa) as expected delivered a fabulous presentation with those two hot backup dancers.  I still have much respect for this song and presentation, but I still have a gnawing feeling it will end up in the Bottom Five.

ITALY (Angelina Mango) got criticism for the choice of LED backdrop, as its imagery of tangled vines that although evocative of the music video, looked cluttered and busy onstage.  Some fans also felt that Angelina doesn't need any backing dancers for her performance, but for me, I'm fine with it and I salute that she featured female dancers of all body shapes and sizes, perhaps to underscore how her song's message is universal.  I still love this song and performance, but I can admit that in tis go-round, it is being overshadowed by...

...FRANCE (Slimane), who delivered a surprisingly intimate staging with the camera focusing on him in close-up.  But the highlight was when he sang the song's climax, he distanced himself from the microphone to project how powerful his vocals were.  It is indeed a major dramatic highlight I feel not only the uries will lap this up, but garner significant televote support.  This entry looks Top Five-bound--would there be room for him and ITALY considering there are other big contenders out there?

I got eight out of 10 of te actual qualifiers.  One of them emerged as a big shocker, and the oter I missed was simply because I thought the public vote might mirror the vocal protests and sentiments I've been hearing about the entry.

LATVIA (Dons) being announced first jolted me as I thought as polished and decent his presentation is, other entries are more compelling.  But it looks like he connected with a significant amount of the European televoters that he broke his country's six-year losing streak.  Good on im, tough I'm still not that crazy about his entry.

 

I was hoping that ISRAEL (Eden Golan) would get to air their piece and that would be it, and not cause further tension in the Grand Final by qualfiying.  However, they somehow pulled through, and based on leaked results from the Italian broadcaster RAI, they might be dominating the televote in some countries.  Is this reflective of the general public's actual sentiment towards Isarael's side in the ongoing Gaza war?

Admittedly, ESTONIA (5MIINUST x Puuluup)'s presentation is threadbare and a tad messy, but I'm glad its entertainment value garnered enough support from the general public to pull though.  Now let's see how it would fare with the juries and how the televote would pull them up.

AUSTRIA (Kaleen) is undeniably a bop that Eurofans would rally behind, but admittedly in terms of presentation, it pales behind the performances delivered by the entries below, and of course, MALTA.  Still I'm glad this advanced, but I fear my forecast taht tis would finish in the Top 10 is fast diminishing.

GREECE (Marina Satti), ARMENIA (Ladaniva), and GEORGIA (Nutsa Buzaladze) delivered high energy performances that even if I expect they traded points for each other, those high marks are warranted as all three are extremely entertaining and polished audience pleasers.  I'm glad GEORGIA joined LATVIA in breaking their drought.

I heard some viewers think NORWAY (Gåte) was "pitchy" but personally I found no fault with their performance and believe they're on track to finish in the Top 10.  However, I'm hearing som ebuzz that they are not as popular as Eurofans may perceive, as based on Spotify streams they are reportedly struggling.  I hope this doesn't be portent to their ultimate outcome.

Though there were some fans who complained that the NETHERLANDS (Joost Klein)'s presentation is not as polished as they expected (like in the music video) but for me it still dazzled onstage and is an entertaining visual treat.  But the highlight was the coda when the otherwise peppy song winds down into a mournful piece as Joost spoke about the loss of his parents.  That portion was what they used when they recapped the performances, so undoubtedly it tugged a lot of heartstrings.  Let's see how it fared as the results are disclosed after the Grand Final. 

The status of SWITZERLAND (Nemo) as a possible favorite to win remained secure with the performance delivered in this semi-final.  They delivered that appropriate amount of frantic energy as called for in the music, and the vocals were top-notch.  I may not be that into Nemo's outfit of a raggedy pink coat and simple withe miniskirt, but still it's a memorable, impactful performance.  I would rate this the best, but I have a feeling this didn't win the televote.

I have a feeling I'm going to be way off in my Top 10 forecast as the Grand Final unfolds, but I'll still be sticking to my forecasted Top 10.  Can't wait to see how the Grand Final would unfold.

JUST ME!

JOSPEH

RESULTS REACTION & REVIEW: EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 1ST SEMI-FINAL

 As is now tradition, the opening portion of the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest has to be grand, and the opening number fits that description.  We have famously highly regarded high finishers Eleni Foureira (Cyprus 2018), Eric Saade (2011), and Chanel (Spain 2022) performing their now-iconic numbers "Fuego", "Popular", and "Slo-Mo" respectively.  All were in top form, and I especially love the remix done on Eric Saade's song, as in its original mix I couldn't get behind it as I found it sounding like German duo Modern Talking in their 1980s heyday, which for me was what I associate with utterly tacky music as it was ubiquitously playing at jeepneys and low-grade honky-tonk bars when I was younger.  Anyway, there was controversy in this opening sequence as Eric opted to wear a keffiyeh on his wrist, whic the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officers view as an unwanted political statement denouncing the ongoing war in Gaza.  But for me, Eric has a right to make such a statement because he is of Lebanese/Palestinean heritage and as much as EBU has to appease a key sponsor and the Israeli side of the situation, there should be room for the other side to express their views, albeit silently.  This is why the EBU did not officially load this sequence in their official YouTube channel and we have to parse those sequences using other sources.

Of course, after the opening number, we were introduced to our hosts for the entire contest, actress Malin Åckerman and Petra Mede.  Both of them hit the ground running and prove to be terrific hosts, Malin proving poised and polised and Petra always being amusing and witty.  I especially love those quips Petra made about Malin being a famous Hollywood actress and her being famous mainly every time Eurovision comes along.  They were both flawless throughout this evening.

As the competition went underway, of course we could not forget that to introduce each entry we have the postcards.  This year, they have a format where they highlight clips from two entries from that country's history and then a TikTok-style video footage of the performers doing their everyday things.  It's a well-executed package that I wonder how subsequent editions could top it.

After all the performances were done and the voting window was open,   This of course calls for an interval act, and this time they hired the other perosn who won this contest two times--Ireland's Johnny Logan, who performed his cover of Loreen's 2012 winning entry, "Euphoria"   He did a good job adopting the song into his ballad style and I respect him turning the closing "up, up, up, up, uuuup" line in the chorus into a single, lengthy, sustained "up".  But I have to note his performance was far from perfect as there were a few cracks and the climactic high note wasn't sustained.  Still much respect to this Eurovision legend.

After the voting window closed and the results being tabulated, we were treated to a performance by 2018 alumni Benjamin Ingrosso, whose 7th place finish was jokingly quipped by Malin as "a disaster".  Benjamin performed a medley of his newer songs, "Look Who's Laughing Now", :Kite" and "Honey Boy".  I normally don't like guys who decided to grow their hair long, but Benjamin delivers an Aaron Taylor Johnson-meets-John Travolta energy and swagger that I dig it and ultimately don't mind the look.  It befits the disco direction his latest music is taking.

Then of course came the climactic moment of the evening, the announcement of the 10 qualifiers to the Grand Final.  Though I tend to know who were going to make it and nine out of the 10 I got correct, I felt that rush of satisfaction when I hear the names of the countries that qualifed announced and as the last country was announced, I felt sorry for tose that are left out.

It's sad that the two Eurovision returnees turned into the most obvious non-qualifiers in this batch.  We have to appreciate the effort MOLDOVA (Natalia Barbu) and ICELAND (Hera Björk) brought to their performances as vocally they were both on-point.  It's just that that songs and staging didin't make as strong an impact as those who qualified.

I also appreciate the stagng delivered by AZERBAIJAN (Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov) with those huge hand props and desert backdrop, but I knew the song just doesn't make that strong an impact.

We have to hand it to AUSTRALIA (Electric Fields) for bringing in a digeridoo player to jazz up the presentation, but we all know their standing was always precarious in this group.  Much respect to them even if they delivered the second time shut-out from the Grand Final for this country.

I expected POLAND (Luna) to make it based on its staging and the expected diaspora vote, but apparaently the latter failed to materialize.  I bet it only miss by a few slivers and perhaps what hurt its chances was that the vocals were not that pitch perfect.

Before we discuss the qualifiers, time to talk about the automatic qualifiers who performed alongside the semifinalists.

We have to salute GERMANY (Isaak) for the staging of the song and the strong vocal performance delivered by the artist.  Though I wish there was a fireworks climax at the end, hope for this country not finishing last this time seems to be going brighter and brighter.  Can they even rise above Bottom Five?

SWEDEN (Marcus & Martinus) as expected brought the Matrix-style presentation from Melodifestivalen to this stage and it's a spectacle to behold.  It will become a jury darling, no doubt, but will the televoting public also rally behind it?

But in terms of staging, I like UNITED KINGDOM (Olly Alexander) the best, as I like those sexy backup dancers.  They were such standouts that they were used in a gag where Petra needed help going down the steps so she can interview Bambie Thug and employed the assistance of Olly's backup dancers to escort her down the steps..  My worry though is that Olly's vocals are imperfect, so I don't know how that would impact in the voting.

It's time to discuss the qualifiers. 

I know I didn't forecast CYPRUS (Silia Kapsis) as a qualifier as I thought her streetwear style would be overshadowed by POLAND, but I'm not that surprised that she actually did, as her vocals and dancing were generally on-point.  And much respect as they didn't need GREECE's help to go through.

Now, I'm mightily pleased that the quality entries from SERBIA (Teya Dora) and SLOVENIA (raiven) got in, and though we can attribute it to a likely strong Balkan bloc that they form with powerouse CROATIA, I'm glad they seem to have enough support from the rest of the group to advance.  Was there a diaspora factor at play here as well?

In a similar vein, I'm also extremely pleased at PORTUGAL (Iolanda) making it.  I thought on LUXEMBOURG could propel this forward, but it seems the televoting public also appreciate a quality entry when they see one.

Speaking of LUXEMBOURG (Tali), I find her male backup dancers highly appealing that they rival Olly's hunks.  There were some fans who fret that they are vulnerable and might miss the cut, but I'm glad there was enough popular support for this entry, and this considering that traditional allies like BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, and FRANCE are not in their bracket.

The cheeky and flashy presentation delivered by FINLAND (Windows95man) is undeniably a televote magnet so qualification in this round is expected.  Now, I'm curious on how it will fare with the juries in the final.

LITHUANIA (Silvester Belt)'s moody club light show is a highlight.  Now can it deliver on its mission to bring forth this country's best finish in this contest ever?

IRELAND (Bambie Thug) delivered the artistic highlight of the evening, as indeed they cast an indelible spell with their presentation that combines interpretative dance and Wiccan rituals (yes, some conservatives may view this as "demonic").  I'm curious at how high it actually fared with both the juries and public at the Grand Final.

UKRAINE (Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil) can be relied upon to deliver epic staging and this entry doesn't disappoint in that aspect.  Some might be divided about the shaky-cam effect made when Alyona Alyona did her rap (is it a bit of a fat joke or just a reflection of the heft of the message Alyona was delivering?) but the closing LED floor tableau of women reclining is gorgeous and iconic.

As expected by now, CROATIA (Baby Lasagna) proved why he's a frontrunner to win this contest, as he delivered on charisma and fireworks worthy of this rocking number.  But tere are contenders performing from the second semifinal who could still wrest the crown from him.  Still, undoubtedly he dominated this round and I'm rooting for him to shine in the Grand Final.

So far, an impressive start for this contest.  Let's see how the second semi-final would unfold and how that would impact the Grand Final.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024 SONG PREVIEW: SECOND SEMI-FINAL

The second semi-final is emerging as one of the toughest semifinals to call.  Almost each entry has a compelling case on why they should advance to the final, but there are also factors that might also work against them--of course save for a few favorites.  There is also that factor on how much the public sympathizes with ISRAEL or those vocal protests against it because of the treatment of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza.  How will it all pan out?

01 MALTA:  "Loop" - Sarah Bonnici.  Most fans don't think the song is anything special, even if a revamp did improve prospects for the song.  But many would love to salute Sarah's daring in her performance, like that blindfold flip that she did in her national final that she intends to also retain in her performance on the main stage.  She is reportedly adding some other acrobatics into her performance so I wonder if all those would make more of the televoting public vote for her--I hope it does.

02 ALBANIA:  "Titan" - Besa.  She was not the winner of her national final, Festivali i kengest and in fact did not even finish in the Top Three, but she got the highest popular vote in that contest, and that gave her the right to compete in this contest.  It was of course originally performed in Albanian under the title "Zemrën N’dorë [Hand in heart]" and as it was I didn't find it as distinctive as the other entries turned out to be but I do love the melody of the chorus, as it reminds me of the Cranberries' 1994 smash hit "Zombie".  I thought it could coast by with the expected support from neighbors like ITALY, GREECE, SWITZERLAND (because of a significant diaspora), and possibly ARMENIA and GEORGIA.  

But then they decided to revamp the song by changing the language to English.  But not only did they change the language, they also changed the song's subject and made some radical rearrangements.  It's substantially a different song now, barring the melody which remains the same.  The Albanian original is about a spurned lover warning her departing ex that he'll be doomed without her, and the revamped English version is now an empowerment anthem about a person confronting the people who were obstacles to her goals and dreams that she's unstoppable and she'll "riiiiiiiiiiiise".  To be honest, I find the English lyrics trite, and what is a fully realized line in the chorus is turned into an extended one word "rise" in this version.  However, I don't mind the rearrangement to turn this a bit R&B and I do like the rave-up climax that reminds me of The Weeknd's 2020/21 longevity chart mega-smash "Blinding Lights".  But it's akin to the situation with songwriter Desmond Child when he rewrote "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" (a single for Bonnie Tyler) and converted it into Bon Jovi's mega-smash "You Give Love a Bad Name", except in this case it was done in reverse.  Will the traditional supporters still go behind this song?

03 GREECE:  "ZARI [DICE]" - Marina Satti.  When I listened to this song, what struck me is that it evokes Bollywood for me.  But Overthinking It revealed there is a whole lot more to this song besides being a catchy ethno-bop, like the fact that Marina's artistry comes from her knack of synthesizing and mashing up multiple influences to create her own sound, and that was the approach she did with the song--she had the Greek broadcaster ERT request for song submissions, and then Marina pick and choose elements of some of them and fused them into this song.  I also love Overthinking It's commentary about what tourists think of Greece and what the real Greece is very insightful.  It made me appreciate the song even more.

04 SWTIZERLAND:  "The Code" - Nemo.  In a way, this country is taking a risk with this non-binary artist as this is an avant-garde pop song that fuses rap, pop, electronica, drum-and-bass, and opera.  However, what seems an unwieldy fusion on paper works wonderfully as a cohesive whole in this song.  That derring-do alone makes this a standout favorite, but it is revealed that Nemo can perform all those intricate parts live turned him into the big rival who could stand in the way of CROATIA's victory.  It dawned on me that this potentially unwieldy fusion and theme of self-discover hearikens back to an iconic classic:  Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".  It's increasingly becoming evident that Queen's mega-shash was about Freddie Mercury coming to terms about his own queerness, Nemo's is about coming to terms and celebrating being non-binary.  The way Queen was inspired by various classical works in its opera sequence is also mirrored in Nemo's riff on "The Queen of the Night" aria from Wolfgang Amadeus  Mozart's The Magic Flute.  This is undeiably emerging as a jury darling, but will there be a close rivalry with, say, FRANCE or ITALY?

I do like this song but there is one thing that is preventing me from rooting for it wholeheartedly--Nemo resembles a whole lot like another non-binary artist, who happened to have a very dismal reputation--The Flash's Ezra Miller.  But as long as Nemo doesn't behave anywhere near like Ezra, I'll be fine.

L: Nemo; R: Exra Miller

05 CZECHIA:  "Pedestal" - Aiko.  This song sounded terrific as a studio recording, as it's a polished pop-punk ditty.  However, she was all over the place during the national final, barely holding her pitch that even if her entry was indeed the best, many felt she could become a cellar-dweller on the main Eurovision stage.  However, during the live pre-party circuit, many are complimenting on how her vocals were improving, and based on rehearsals we are going to see polished staging and improved vocals.  But would that be enough for this to advance?

XX FRANCE:  "Mon amour [My love]" - Slimane.  He's the first to release his entry, and many have placed this in high regard as this is a passionately sung modern chanson.. But of course with all the other entries coming in it got a bit drowned out in terms of buzz.  There are still adherents who still believe this will fare high, and perhaps this will win over the juries, but I'm not certain how he could be a contender.  We'll see how the actual semi-final performance turns out.

06 AUSTRIA:  "We Will Rave" - Kaleen.  Many Eurofans embraced this dance-pop ditty, and I get the appeal as it's well-produced and catchy.  But as the live pre-party performances came in, buzz towards this entry dissipated a bit--but I still think she delivers solid vocals,  But in terms of performance level there are others who seem to be edging her out.  Let's see how everything will unfold.

07 DENMARK:  "Sand" - Saba.  There are fans who love this electro-pop entry and placed this highly in their ratings.  I also appreciate this entry a lot as Saba is a strong singer--her music and presentation reminds me a lot of Latvia's Aminata with her 2015 entry "Love Injected".  But at that time Aminata had juries rallying behind her in both rounds and in this semifinal Saba doesn't have the benefit oF garnering jury votes, and although NORWAY and conceivably FINLAND may rally around her, it may not be enough for her to qualify to the final.

08 ARMENIA:  "Jako" - Ladaniva.  I've noticed that empowerment anthems in this contest tend to be serious and preachy.  They don't capture what it feels to be empowered.  This song addresses that and it's exhilirating.  The unbridled joy by singer Jaklin Baghsadaryan is just so palpable that you can't help but join in with her joy.  Her partner, Louis Thomas, supports in her joy with all that ethnic instrumentation.  I'm confident this will do well and the audience will participate in the call-and-response portion of the song.

09 LATVIA:  "Hollow" - Dons.  Dons has been attempting to represent Latvia for about a couple of decades now, and finally with this dignified pop ballad and a shaven-head look, he finally got his chance.  The song's quality is actually undeniable--it's a polised, well-sung ballad that sounds like a mellower version of Imagine Dragons' 2013 smash "Radioactive".  But with the televote-only semi-final, would he be able to connect with the public to break Latvia's six-years-and-counting non-qualification drought?

XX SPAIN:  "Zorra [Bitch]" - Nebulossa.  I've learned that the song title is actually considered a vulgar word, but to English-speaking ears, its sounded pleasant--my translation of te word is actually considered a mild equivalent.  There are a lot of Eurofans digging this 1980s synth-pop song and ranking it highly, but I have a feeling it may not connect as strongly with the rest of Europe as what the online Eurofans would presume.  Yes, it might have points from the Rest of the World vote thanks to Latin America, but other than that, I fret that it may not rise above Bottom Five.  Still, much props for lead singer Mery Bas giving Jennifer Coolidge-style fabulousness embracing her age, and those sexy backup dancers with their derring-do baring their butts.

Another piquant note:  last year, they tried out for the SAN MARINO national selection, but they didn't seem to have polish and sheen then and hence were eliminated in the first round.  This entry is indeed a big improvement over that entry and a worthy winner of Benidorm Fest.

10 SAN MARINO: "11:11" - Megara.  This act made a big splash at last year's Benidorm Fest with "Arcadia", which placed fourth.  This year they decided to try out for this country's national final, and they ended up securing their ticket to the big Eurovision stage.  Many fans still have a higher regard towards their previous entry, but this one still is a very listenable hard rock number.  This country is not known for faring well in this contest, but this looks like it will at least not finish last unlike last year.

11 GEORGIA:  "Firefighter" - Nutsa Buzaladze.  She's a charismatic perfoemer touted with great vocals, and she brings it with this ethno-pop banger.  Buzz increased as rehearsals wore on, so it's likely she'll break this country's seven-year-long drought and qualify to the final.

12 BEGIUM:  "Before the Party is Over" - Mustii.  When I watched the music video, I thought Mustii exudes this Iggy Pop-style charisma, and I found the song to be a powerful rocker that I thought this looks likie a shoo-in.  However during the pre-party circuit, many observers noted his vocal seems inconsistent and he doesn't quite exude much charisma as his glossy music video seems to suggest.  And buzz from rehearsals seems to be that there is disappointment with the staging.  But I feel the song has strong merits, so would tat help him still secure his slot in the finals?

13 ESTONIA:  "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi [We (surely) know nothing about (these) drugs]" - 5MIINUST x Puuluup.  At first listen, one might assume that this is a troll act a la the 2008 entry, Kreisiraadio.  But as thoughtfully explained by Overthinking It, these are two very popular acts in their native country that decide to combine forces because of genuine mutual admiration for each other, even if on the surface their genres were disparate.  5MIINUST (pronounced vees-mee-noost, meaning "five-minus" or "minus five") are a top-selling Estonian hip-hop leaning act that used to indeed be a quintet but still carried on with the name even if one member left for a solo career (love the shoutout to the Sara Bareilles-led Netflix musical sitcom Girls5Eva, Overthinking It) while Puuluup developed strong acclaim and following for their knack of combining modern musical styles while playing the traditional talharpa, a bowed lyre.

I will also defer to Overthinking It to explain what the song is really about, and it's both satirical and serious in its commentary on Estonian society.  So there is actual depth to what seems to be a very entertaining novelty party song.  But what made me obsess over this entry is the way various elements of this song triggered a lot of pop culture references in my already pop-cuisinart-addled mind.  Let me count the ways:

1)  The sing-song-y verses reminds me of Harry Nilsson's 1972 hit "Coconut",, which I first heard in a cover version by 1990s pop/hiphop duo PM Dawn as part of an epic three-song suit called "Fantasia's Confidential Ghetto" that include a cover of Prince's "1999" and the Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime".

2) The guttural vocals of Puuluup's Marko Veisson make me recall the vocals German producer Frank Farian delivered for 1970s group Boney M*4.

*4  Though Boney M fans know the male member being Aruban dancer Bobby Farrell, he never sang on those hit recordings though he did occasionally sing the male parts of the songs live.  He was basically hired for his looks and dancing skills.  Frank later pulled off this similar ploy a decade later with Milli Vanilli--interestingly that notorious duo has an actual Eurovision connection, as the late Rob Pilatus actually performed with the band Wind in 1987 with their entry  "Laß die Sonne in dein Herz [Let the Sun into Your Heart]" as they placed second behind Johnny Logan's "Hold Me Now".  Considering this was in an era where performers were required to sing and play their instruments live, and Rob was singing and playing a guitar, Rob must have had actual musical ability--maybe not to the standards that Frank Farian required, but still he should've given Rob a chance to use his voice and musical ability somewhere--I mean, Rob's partner, Fab Morvan has developed into a good singer and he's gradually rebuilding the act's tarnished reputation.

3) At the same time, Marko's parts made me think of those catchy guitar instrumental parts in Henry Mancini's iconic "Peter Gunn" theme from 1959 which then make me think of early-1960s instrumental surf music like Dick Dale's "Miserlou"*5 from 1962.

*5  It's actually a folk song of unknown Eastern Mediterranean origin but became popular starting in the 1920s as performed by Greek, Turkish, and Arab musicians all over.

4) At the same time, Marko's vocal parts made me recall the opening German lines on "Dancing Lasha Tumbai", that now iconic 2007 Ukrainian Eurovision entry by drag performer Verka Serduchka.

5) The instrumental talharpa sequences made me recall the opening portion of The Offspring's 1998 international smash hit "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" (the "Give it me baby / uh-uh, uh-uh" part) and I think we can overlay those vocals over the instrumental parts and it will work.

6) Since I don't know Estonian, I think of certain word associations when I listen to the chorus, and to my ears, the chorus sounds like "Khumb Mela / My gumamela / My gumamela / C'mon lemme at 'em!".  "Khumbh Mela" is a famous Indian religous festival along the Ganges, but I first came across the word as a brand for a range of knapsacks and outdoor gear.  "Gumamela" is a purple hibiscus that is very common in my country, the Philippines.  And "Lemme at 'em" is the catchphrase by the notorious Scrappy-Doo from the Scooby Doo franchise.

I know this number is not going to win over the jury, but I'm hopeful that it will garner enough televotes to bolster its fortunes, but I'm fretful about this round as SWEDEN and FINLAND are not in their bracket.  Hope they would survive and advance.

XX ITALY:  "La noia [The boredom]" - Angelina Mango.  Her facial features remind me of Lady Gaga and I see her as Lady Gaga's younger, arguably prettier sister/cousin with a more tasteful but still edgy sense of style.  I was drawn to this song and artist ever since her first night performance at Sanremo with this song.  It's spellbinding, engaging, danceable and boppable.  You can escape to its hypnotic Latin-inspired*6 rhythms, but the song's lyrics has a deep message about embracing the blues, grief, or boredom headfirst with a dance in your heart.  The message would strike a deeper chord when you learn Angelina is the daughter of a famous Italian artist, Pino Mango (often billed mononymously by his last name), who passed away when she was 13 (she's only 22 now).  The song continues to enthrall me after repeated listens and I'm rooting for this to win.

*6 Cumbia is actually a musical genre popular in Latin America, supposedly originating in Colombia then spreading northward to ga as far as Mexico and had also taken a hold worldwide.

The rhythms of this song also made me recall 2018 Eurovision veteran from Portugal, Claudia Pascoal's "Nasci Maria [Born a Maria]", which placed third at last year's Festival da Canção--much respect to Mimicat, but this is my favorite song from that competition and this is a way better showcase of Claudia's artistry than her 2018 entry, "O jardim [The garden[".

14 ISRAEL:  "Hurricane" - Eden Golan.  I know there is a lot of hate for this entry amongst vocal Euro-fans out there sympathetic to the plight of Palestinian civilians in the ongoing Gaza war.  What further fuels their ire is that even if the lyrics were watered down from its original incarnation as "October Rain", you still get the subtext that it's about the October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel, which triggered the war.  I stand with the Israeli victims of those attacks that they do not deserve it and sympathize with them, but Benjamin Netanyahu's government's scorched-earth response towards Gaza is not the right way to go.

I want to detach myself from all the drama and focus on the merits of te song and the singer.  First, Eden Golan is a gorgeous lady and a great singer, and she delivers heartfelt vocals to this song.  Melody and out of context, the song's composition is pretty, and somehow I have visions if Daft Punk's 2001 classic "One More Time" was slowed down into a ballad and mashed up with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's hit duet from te 2018 film A Star is Born, "Shallow".  It's a pretty ballad on its own, but I don't really connect to it.  It's similar to the sentiment I feel for the Eurovision 2015 runner-up from Russia, Polina Gagarina's "A Million Voices"--it's a well-sung, solidly composed and produced ballad that doesn't stir my heartstrings, and it has nothing to do with the hypocrisy of the sentiments expressed in these songs by the countries they're representing.

The question for me is this--how strong is the pro-Palestinian sentiment amongst the European public?  If the vocal protests mirror the general public sentiment and televote, then I feel this will then not advance.  I'm curious about how this would go.

15 NORWAY:  "Ulveham [Wolf's hide]" - Gåte.  The song is actually derived from an 11th century folk song whose melody has been lost to time.  The band (pronounced GOH--tuh) has long been fusing old fusic with extreme hard rock, and this entry is par for their course. Overthinking It again explains all tese fully in their video so I'm posting that video below.   For me, it's a tarrific number that I'm bullish it will continue in this country's series of strong finishes in tis contest as of late.

16 NETHERLANDS:  "Europapa" - Joost Klein.  When I first heard this entry, I first doubted if this country is bound to repeat the non-qualification of last year's entry, as this is not only sung in Dutch, it at first sounds like a silly novelty song that I thought most people outside of the Netherlands and Flanders portion of Belgium might not get.  However, I've heard a lot of growing positive buzz amongst Euro-fans and Joost's background and the underlying message of this song is striking a wide chord.  First, is Joost's background as having lost both of his parents at a very young age.  Then, as explained again by Overthinking It below, Joost has always been marrying bright, peppy, and sometimes silly music to this tragic backstory.  And then, the way Joost is talking about the state of Europe and link it with his own personal tragedy seems to indicate a fetful fear about the rise of nationalist / populist movements that could tear the European Union apart the way his parents' deaths seems to continue to loom over him.  Admittedly this song is starting to win me over, and in fact, the chorus makes me think of the ubiquitous brassy instrumental riff of Frankie Valli's 1966 mega-smash "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

So who do I think would qualify from this semi-final?  Here's my take:

TOP 10:  ALBANIA, GREECE, SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA, ARMENIA, GEORGIA, BELGIUM, ESTONIA, NORWAY, NETHERLANDS

BUBBLING UNDER:  MALTA, DENMARK, ISRAEL

And amongst the Big Five in this round, here's how I think they would fare:

TOP FIVE:  ITALY

TOP 10:  FRANCE

BOTTOM FIVE: SPAIN

If my own forecast holds, here's how I see how the finals would pan out:

FINALS TOP 10 FORECAST:  LITHUANIA, UKRAINE, CROATIA, GREECE, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, AUSTRIA, ITALY, NORWAY, NETHERLANDS

BUBBLING UNDER:  SWEDEN, IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM, LUXEMBOURG, ARMENIA, GEORGIA, BELGIUM, ESTONIA

Many times my own personal favorites don't match what would end up faring well in te contest, so here's my personal Top 10 ranking and others wo I held in high regard":

1) iTALY; 2) CROATIA; 3) ESTONIA; 4) SWITZERLAND; 5) NORWAY; 6) BELGIUM; 7) AUSTRIA; 8) ARMENIA; 9) SLOVENIA; 10) LUXEMBOURG

BUBBLING UNDER:  SERBIA, LITHUANIA, IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM, UKRAINE, PORTUGAL, GREECE, GEORGIA, NETHERLANDS

For me it seems to be a three-way race among ITALY, CROATIA, and SWITZERLAND, with UKRAINE and the NETHERLANDS looming strongly beind them.  Talk about ISRAEL looms large in this contest--would there be a fallout if it turns out ISRAEL would be doing well and advance to the final?

JUST ME!

JOSEPH