The first semi-final is a mixed bag of brash and bold vs staid and strait-laced, at least in Eurovision terms. The handful of openers represent a fairly slow-burning start to the contest, one in which only Estonia is likely to add much in the way of anything likely to keep ordinary viewers glued to the screen, be it in horror, bemusement or otherwise.
After Azerbaijan bursts onto the scene - having for reasons unknown (unless, as some have suggested, there will be two ad breaks, before songs 8 and 14) chosen 7th as its starting position as one of the lucky three wildcards for this semi-final - it is likely that the next entry to make people sit up and take notice, for better or for worse, will be Ireland. Assuming of course that there isn't only one ad break and that it isn't after song 10, in which case half of the audience might have wandered away from their televisions.
The last half of the semi-final arguably offers more songs that are likely to get people to vote for them, whether because of their immediacy or the traditional support they receive, including Armenia and Russia and the more left-field entries from Bosnia & Herzegovina and Finland.
Trying to predict anything about this semi-final is difficult, especially with the unknown effect of the reduced voting (and jury wildcard) under the new system. I will be looking at the pros and cons of each song and speculating as to their chances accordingly, but overall I would say the draw has played into the hands of each of the last four songs as well as Belgium and Azerbaijan. Conversely I would say that it is probably Andorra and the Netherlands that have come off worst. Time will tell.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
milking the trash (mos)cow
Home of pomposity and vitriol (and the occasional flash of brilliance)
Blog Archive
About me
- phutty
- Australian in Estonia.
1 comment:
By far the more satisfying of the two semis in my humble opinion, in terms of build and overall quality. There's plenty to like during that slow-burning start while the big guns at the end provide a climactic finish you can never take for granted at Eurovision, given the luck of the draw element.
I'm a little dumfounded by the way the semi split has been particularly rigorous in separating some notorious voting combinations while leaving other benefactors with a clear head-start on the competition. I reckon Armenia is going into this semi-final 36 points ahead of its rivals before a note has been sung, while Romania already has 22-24 points in the bag.
The jury wildcard is a fascinating aspect this year and many a fan seems to have succumbed to the temptation to summon it like a genie to fly to the rescue of their pet no-hoper entry. Given that the history of the contest is littered with deserving songs that were neglected by the massed juries of Europe, I don't hold out terribly much hope. Uncle Svante's claim that the jury preference differs little from that of the televoters may well be truer than many of us diehards would like to believe.
In trying to predict the qualifiers, I get as far as four dead certs and four reasonably strong candidates, leaving two slots intriguingly wide open.
Post a Comment