During the first semi-final at Eurovision 2012, fire shot into the air, and bag pipe players did the moonwalk—and that was just during Romania’s performance. The first semi-final saw Romania, Moldova, Iceland, Albania, Denmark, Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Russia, and Ireland advance to the grand final. Wiwi and Meows Kitty attended the press conference afterwards where sweaty [...]
Every year the Eurovision press corps looks into its crystal ball and divines who will who will win each of the semi-finals. Hundreds of pompous journalists and ESC insiders have cast their votes, and we can now reveal they believe that Greece’s Eleftheria Eleftheriou will win this evening. She’ll be followed closely by Romania and [...]
When Cyprus’ Ivi Adamou and Greece’s Eleftheria Eleftheriou square off in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2012 this evening, it’ll be something of a reunion. The two Cypriot-born singers first competed against each other during the second series of Greek X-Factor, which took place from October 2009 until February 2010. Eleftheria, now 22 years old, [...]
Following last night’s second dress rehearsal, which was judged by a panel of music industry professionals throughout Europe, Russia’s Buranovskiye Babushki have emerged as the odds-on favourites to win the first semi-final. Team Wiwi have averaged the odds from Britain’s 18 leading betting agencies and come up with the following list. We’ve only listed the [...]
The first dress rehearsal of the first semi-final took place last night, and the team from WiwiBloggs.Com was inside Baku Crystal Hall as the action unfolded. Who shined? And who is still sitting in the dressing room crying? Below we offer a taste of what you can expect during tonight’s live broadcast. We also include [...]
Tooji—Norway’s incredibly charming Eurovision 2012 contestant, invited Team Wiwi to his hotel room this afternoon. We never say no when a celebrity offers us a taste of five-star luxury, so we packed our cameras and our tightest pants and headed over. As you can see in the video below, the “Stay” singer has a big [...]
Wiwi, Vebooboo and Meows Kitty took to the streets last night in search of the best Eurovision party Baku had to offer. We walked past a lame gathering for Joan Franka of the Netherlands. And then we ignored an invite to Russia’s official party, which was taking place on a beach in the middle of [...]
On May 20 the Israeli delegation hosted a party at Euroclub to celebrate Izabo’s ESC 2012 song “Time.” But the real star of the evening turned out to be Sweden’s Loreen. As you can see in the video below, she belted out “Euphoria” like a volcano spits out lava. It was seriously hot. Unfortunately, it [...]
Team Wiwi is exhausted. We are working all day in the press center and then dancing all night at the Euroclub: that’s why we all look like we’ve been punched in the face. But in between shifts on Sunday we managed to watch Anggun’s second dress rehearsal. Her back-up dancers once again showed off their [...]
Wiwi’s readers cast a total of 8,318 votes in our first semi-final prediction poll. If the results are anything to go by then the first semi-final is a three-horse race. Greece’s Eleftheria Eleftheriou leads the pack with her song “Aphrodisiac.” She earned 1,300 votes, or 15.5%, suggesting that her song really does turn Europe on. [...]
Sweden’s Loreen and Romania’s Mandinga remain the favorites in our poll “Who Will Win Eurovision 2012?” Launched on March 25, the poll has recorded 16,812 votes as of May 20. Loreen (“Euphoria”) currently leads with 2,542 votes. That’s 278 more than more than Mandinga (“Zaleilah”). Last week Sweden led Romania by just 147 votes, so [...]
The Wiwi Jury—our international panel of music unprofessionals—has reviewed all 42 Eurovision 2012 entries. Below you can read the individual reviews, and see our final rankings. Recommend on Facebook Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend
Wiwi, Vebooboo, and Meows Kitty just came from Engelbert Humperdinck’s second rehearsal at ESC 2012. It was fantastic. As we explain in the video below, he kept is simple as in his first rehearsal. But today he traded the ragged jeans and trashy t-shirt for an all-black number that hints at mourning: this song is [...]
Today the Wiwi Jury—our international panel of music un-professionals—headed to Lisbon to review our final act of 2012. Portugal’s Filipa Sousa hoped to wow us with “Vida Minha” (Life of Mine). Did we like her life? Or did we want her to get a life? Read on to find out… Recommend on Facebook Share with [...]
Vebooboo: What a classy performance from an elderly gentleman. Engelbert really commands the stage, even if he did wear ragged jeans and a t-shirt in today’s first rehearsal. (You can actually by Engelbert t-shirts on our web site). A welcome surprise was the sight of an interpretive dancing couple who play a minimal role in [...]
Vebooboo: Pastora Soler must have been a construction worker in a previous life, because girl knows how to build drama! At first I was slightly worried when I saw Pastora hugging her microphone and doing nothing else on the stage, but then the song builds and she brings out her entourage and a bucket-load of [...]
Vebooboo: The music never dies, but my interest in this song sure has. Sabina owes a huge thank you to Ell & Nikki for gifting her an automatic berth in the final. To be honest, without that gift I’m not so sure we’d be seeing her on Saturday. Girl can sing, don’t get me wrong, [...]
Wiwi: First comes the rise—and then comes the fall. For weeks bookies have been bigging up Nina Zilli—Italy’s answer to Amy Winehouse. Sadly, her first rehearsal left her looking and sounding like an Amy Winehouse tribute act. The fantastic choreography and visual feast we saw in her official music video for “L’Amore E’Femmina” (Out Of [...]
Vebooboo: Ukraine is the land of the Orange Revolution, but I was super pleased to see the fashion gods followed the most sacred of staging rules — put a black woman in a white dress, and you’ve got a winner. From the first few seconds of today’s second rehearsal, Gaitana made it clear that she [...]
Vebooboo: Ok, let me start out with the positives. I love this song. I really do. And more importantly, I love what the lyrics stand for. If you haven’t read them, make sure to check them out now. Sofi’s song is all about tolerance and love — exactly what Eurovision stands for. So A+ for [...]
Vebooboo: Roman Lob is a cutie, and it ain’t a fluke that he’s currently leading our search for Eurovision’s Next Top Male Model. In his first rehearsal today, his voice was on point as expected, and the song’s sweet quality remained perfectly intact. He definitely has a good chance of securing a top 10 spot [...]
Wiwi: Loreen gave Wiwi a scare when she delivered sub-par vocals during her first rehearsal earlier this week. Thankfully the Swedish diva has benefited from some rest: she gave it to us full throttle, and in perfect harmony, this morning at the Baku Crystal Hall. Loreen unveiled her costume as well. It’s basically the same [...]
The Wiwi Jury—our international panel of music unprofessionals—hitchhiked to Bratislava this morning. After we told our driver we would only pay in cash, and not in kind, we reviewed Max Jason Mai’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” We kept our eyes open. But what about our ears? Read on to find out. Recommend on Facebook Share [...]
When it comes to choosing the hottest piece of man meat at Eurovision 2012, Wiwi’s readers are spoiled for choice. Whether you prefer the wurst of Germany’s Roman Lob or the spotted dick of Britain’s Engelbert Humperdinck, our schmorgasbord is gonna fill you up. And you guys seem hungry: so far you have cast a [...]
Wiwi: In our recent interview with Anggun at Eurovision in Concert, the Indonesian-born beauty hinted that she would be flanked by several muscle divas on stage in Baku. She is a woman who keeps her word. While Anggun focuses on her vocals, she lets a series of hot back-up dancers lift her into the air: [...]
We launched our semi-final prediction polls on March 18. Since then Wiwi’s readers have cast a total of 15,514 votes to to determine who will win the first and second semi-finals at ESC 2012. In our fourth update, we see that Greece’s Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Cyprus’ Ivi Adamou, and Romania’s Mandinga remain in control of the [...]
Today the Wiwi Jury—our international panel of music un-professionals—traveled to Belgarde where we spray painted the streets with graffiti and reviewed Zeljko Joksimovic’s 2012 Eurovision entry, “Nije ljubav stvar.” That means “Love is not a thing.” Was this song our thing? Read on to find out. Recommend on Facebook Share with Stumblers Tweet about it [...]
Portugal’s Filipa Sousa lit up the stage during her first Eurovision rehearsal earlier this week. But she was already blowing up our camera at the recent London Eurovision Party. WiwiBloggs.Com’s Deban Aderemi sat down with Filipa to talk about her chances in Baku, her favourite entries, and what it’s like to represent a country that [...]
We at WiwiBloggs.Com don’t like to gossip, but when circumstancial evidence lands in our lap, we gotta stroke it. Teenage girls, brace yourself! Recent events seem to indicate that Kurt Calleja and Can Bonomo have gotten mighty close. Let’s walk you through the data points. Recommend on Facebook Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe [...]
Turkish Airlines has been voted Europe’s best airline. They sure proved that to me the other day by providing me with juicy Eurovision content during my long-ass flight from Amsterdam to Baku. The airline’s in-flight magazine included a three-page spread on the nation’s ESC representative, Can Bonomo. You can read the full text by clicking [...]
Vebooboo: If we were to judge Eurovision by the quality of the first act this year, then nobody would splash out on a ticket to Baku. Rambo Amadeus opened up the second rehearsals today with another appalling performance of his song “Euro Neuro.” Even the people at eurovision.tv felt so bad that they only recorded [...]
Deban: Max Jason Mai …mmm. Where do I start? For new readers joining this site, please turn your attention to the article I wrote on him a short while back. Max, your avoidance of the media has made you so introspective, it seems like you’ve really lost the plot! Did you think anyone enjoyed that? [...]
Kurt Calleja’s PR team has been seriously hard at work. Malta may be tiny, but it has big aspirations this year to prove that this is their night. While we at WiwiBloggs.Com aren’t so convinced by the song’s chances of fulfilling Kurt Calleja’s dreams, we do appreciate his PR team’s efforts to create a buzz [...]
Vebooboo: Eurovision fans are fickle, and we operate on a supply-demand basis. Unfortunately for Maya Sar, there are way too many pretty girl singing slow songs this year. And I don’t need an MBA to know that too much supply means too little demand. Girl is not going to make the Finals unless her neighbouring [...]
Last night the Wiwi Jury, our international panel of music un-professionals—flew to Barcelona to review Pastora Soler’s Eurovision entry “Quédate conmigo.” That means “stay with me.” After hearing her song, did we actually want to do that? Read on to find out. And then let us know whether you think Pastora could find work as [...]
Elena Ionescu has filmed a special greeting for Wiwi’s readers, and the men of Mandinga have filmed themselves working out in honor of their fans on WiwiBloggs.Com. So it’s only appropriate that Mandinga and Wiwi finally got to hook up in person at the recent Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam. In the video below, [...]
Deban: One thing is clear: Turkey won’t draw an indifferent reaction. You’re either going to love it, or hate it. I hate the song, but the staging is very clever. It reminds me of the 2011 Greek Entry “Watch my Dance.” “Love Me Back” is an Indie song that’s very Turkish in its instrumentation and [...]
Deban: Ott Lepland is a star. Unfortunately, he’s hoping to shine on the wrong platform. I like “Kuula,” but most people won’t. The staging is simple, and the lights work well, particularly in the distant shots. The backing singer is statuesque. She adds treble to his bass tones. Lepland is commanding and delivers perfectly. However, [...]
Deban: This is pure laziness! His entire performance is a carbon copy of what he staged in Vilnius. It worked in his national pre-selections, but now it’s just tawdry. Did you say that was three minutes? It felt like nine! It’s like sitting through a card game knowing all the tricks. What a bore. The [...]
Deban: This rehearsal raises the bar for all other entries. Loreen brings Scandinavian minimalism to life on stage in shadow and strobe effect. Her costume exudes the austere tailoring of Japanese design. The choreography is an art-form in itself, incorporating butoh, urban and contemporary elements. This is contemporary dance at its finest, against a backdrop [...]
Wiwi: Anri Jokhadze shouts, at times through a glitter megaphone, that he is a rocker and a joker. As he runs around the stage breathlessly we also see that he moonlights as a pianist and a drummer, and, given his genital-hugging pants and low-cut top, that he fancies himself something of a gigolo. In any [...]
Deban: Eva Boto listened to the Wiwi Jury. She ditched the hats! Unfortunately, she went too far by stitching the bouquet of flowers to her flowing white robe. Her gown looks so heavy, there are times I wonder if she’s shackled to the ground. Her backing bridesmaids also performed on stage in long white dresses, [...]
Deban: This rehearsal cracks me up! Nina’s dress is so distracting I spend the first two minutes trying to work out what the stage gimmick is going to be. Will the twirls attached to her dress transform into a parachute? Ambitious thinking some might say, but, hey, this is Eurovision after all. Recommend on Facebook [...]
Deban: Tooji listened to his critics, and revised his homework. His vocal delivery is much stronger. Instead of working through the motions and appearing ‘forced,’ he now sways with confidence. The staging appeases the demographics his song targets. The Balkan beats laced with Turkish violins, and hints of ethic/folk dancing should score high marks from [...]
Today the Wiwi Jury—our in-house panel of music un-professionals—headed to San Marino where we attempted to have cybersex with Valentina Monetta. Just kidding. We were actually there to review her Eurovision entry “The Social Network.” Did we have digital chemistry? Or did we shut down our computers and Valentina’s chances at climbing the Wiwi Table? [...]
Gabriel Broggini, the lead singer of Switzerland’s Sinplus, did not break up with his girlfriend after he and his brother won Switzerland’s national selection. That’s just one of the juicy tidbits Wiwi squeezed out of the Swiss Eurovision contestants during a chat at Eurovision in Concert last April. In the video below, we find out [...]
This week Wiwi and Vebooboo size up the battle between Greece and Cyprus; we evaluate Slovakia’s Max Jason Mai (and his pecs); the Wiwi Jury reviews FYR Macedonia, Greece and Bosnia; we take a look at the finalists for Eurovision’s Next Top Model and Eurovision’s Next Top Male Model; Engelbert Humperdinck poses as four rock [...]
Anggun is an Indonesian-born beauty with the best cheekbones at Eurovision. Sabina Babayeva is a babe from Baku with eyes as deep as the ocean. Both women can sing. Both women can dress. And, as you can see in this photo, both women know how to seduce the camera by moving their hair behind their [...]
Question: How do you generate much-needed PR and add spice to a dated pop number? Answer: Go to the town square and choreograph your captive public. Recommend on Facebook Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend
Anggun just dropped it like it’s hot on Hungary’s Got Talent—the country’s most popular TV program during Saturday prime time. The French songstress teamed up with Viktor Varga for the May 12 show, singing a duet of her Eurovision entry “Echo (You and I).” They danced alongside 15 fit dancers, and seriously blew Team Wiwi away. [...]