All Things Eurovision
« Let Freedom Reign Through Eurovision in Moscow 2009
Who is Going to Qualify and Who Is Going to Fall By the Wayside?
FOR any Eurovision fans who have tried to predict the success or otherwise tonight's first semi-final starting at 11 pm Moscow time will prove a perfect opportunity.
In the event, 18 songs are be battling it out for 10 prized spaces in Saturday's final. Of these nine will be selected by tele-voting while one country one will be chosen by expert jury.
There's a real variety on offer too with opera, Elvis impersonator, a gipsy superhero, power ballads, a cry for peace and many other diverse styles and songs.
However, the songs seem to be falling into distict categories - certainties, either ways and unlikely.
In the first group the songs from Bosnia, Turkey, Iceland and Malta seem fairly certain to be in Saturday's final. The Bosnian song has been gathering momentum and is likened to a modern military styled marching song; Iceland is offering a crisp, catchy, powerful ballad nestled between a rock song and a dance track, so it's likely to stand out. Malta has the twice previous entrant Chiara, so the public is almost bound to give her a ticket to the final; and Turkey's modern 'East meets West' pop always does well in the competition.
That leave us with six to choose from in the 'either way' category. Andorra deserve's a spot with its radio friendly chirpy pop guitar number; Sweden sent a pop-era, but as good as the somg is it doesn't seem to transfer well to the screen; Belarus has a pure rock number that will go down well in Eastern Europe; Armenia's ethnic offering with dance routine will prove popular with some countries, as will the more traditional sounds from Israel and Portugal. And then Switzerland have some quality indie rockers.
The UK can vote in this semi final too - so you have a chance to influence who will be in the final.
In summary expect to see Turkey, Iceland, Bosnia, Malta, Armenia, Sweden, Belarus, Andorra, Israel and Portugal in the final. But then again, anything can happen!
Posted by Peter Devine on May 12, 2009 12:24 PM | Permalink
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