Six wiwibloggers are currently running around Malmö overdosing on this year’s entries. After covering all the rehearsals and getting intimate with the Eurostars, our vision is getting a little hazy. So Alexander, our North Carolina correspondent, is chiming in with his picks. Distance can provide clarity, people!
Definite Qualifiers (in running order):
– San Marino
– Azerbaijan
– Norway
– Georgia
Will most likely qualify (in running order):
– Malta
– Iceland
– Greece
– Israel
Borderline Qualifiers–these could go either way:
– Macedonia
– Finland
– Bulgaria
– Switzerland
– Romania
Probably going to fail:
– Latvia
– Armenia
– Hungary
– Albania
As you can see, I’m really struggling to predict who will advance from this semi-final. Each of the borderline qualifiers are on a similar level
Now I’m throwing objectivity aside. These are the acts that I want to see qualify. It’s a matter of personal taste, people. Warning: Unlike my prediction list, it’s very biased!
MY PERSONAL LIST- WHO DESERVES TO QUALIFY (in running order):
– San Marino: Beautiful song that is beautifully performed
– Macedonia: Great vocals from Lozano mixed with interesting Gypsy style
– Azerbaijan: Catchy and dynamic ballad with excellent choreography
– Malta: Pleasant and catchy sing-a-long song
– Bulgaria: Unique mixture of folklore and drumming/rhythm
– Iceland: Amazing ballad, perhaps my favorite song in the contest
– Greece: Funny, troll-ish, and up-beat
– Hungary: Pleasant, sincere, and poetic
– Georgia: Beautiful ballad with excellent vocals
– Switzerland: This year’s anthem!
That leaves Latvia, Finland, Israel, Armenia, Norway, Albania, and Romania to not qualify *in my personal book*. The reasons:
– Latvia: Too much flash without substance
– Finland: Same as Latvia; it’s very tacky
– Israel: Moran is a great singer; it’s a shame “Rak Bishvilo” is so flat
– Armenia: Mediocre rock song
– Norway: This is a fan-favorite, but I can’t get into this
– Albania: Too repetitive
– Romania: I like Cezar and the song, but I hate the live performance (would’ve been much better if they kept the Romanian national final performance)
Although I’ve put Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Switzerland in my “personal qualifiers” list, I’m not sure if they will actually make the final. Lozano’s part of the Macedonian entry is strong, but Esma might ruin the whole thing. Bulgaria is a very polarizing entry this year, because Elitsa and Stoyan’s style appeals to a very specific niche. They have a chance if most of their fans from 2007 haven’t died (lol), and if the juries appreciate the drumming.
Hungary is a very pleasant song but the odds for it to qualify are extremely low. It’s slow and boring in a sea of dynamic performances, and will probably end up “lost and forgotten” (Peter Nalitch pun intended). This is also what happened to Croatia and Cyprus in the first semi. As for Switzerland, their success largely depends on their performance. If Lithuania could qualify in the first semi, then maybe Switzerland can make it as well. However, let’s remember that we’re dealing with a different set of voters and juries in the 2nd semi than in the 1st, so tastes may not be the same…
Finland and Romania are also iffy. I have a feeling Finland may go the route of Slovenia, and I don’t think it will be appreciated too much by the juries. I really have no clue how Romania will do. Sure, Cezar has a lot of fans, but most of them are in Romania and Moldova– neither of which can vote for him. Also, his live performance is disappointing, similar to Serbia’s. If Cezar wore his suit from the Romanian national final, then he might have a better chance. But he looks silly in this costume, and I have no clue how the juries will perceive it.
I don’t personally care for Israel, but I think it will qualify due to jury votes. Moran Mazor’s vocals are excellent and I’m sure her live performance won’t disappoint! On the other hand, Armenia and Albania are going to have a really tough time. Gor and Adrian are both good singers, but they are singing mediocre material. Also, Eurovision doesn’t tend to favor rock songs too much.
Iceland is in the same boat that Estonia and Cyprus were in: it’s a gentle ballad sung in a native language. Obviously, Estonia made it and Cyprus didn’t. Eythor will probably make it, because he’s a great singer and the chorus melody has a good hook. I think Malta’s chances are good because it’s a fun, pleasant, sing-a-long song. If it doesn’t qualify for some reason, it’ll be because it’s not the most dynamic entry in the pack. However, Malta will probably have high jury appeal.
San Marino, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Norway are obvious qualifiers in my book. Look no further than the outstanding support that they’ve been receiving, including our Wiwi Jury reviews, to see why.
Good luck to everyone performing and may the best acts get through to Saturday!
Photos: Dennis Stachel (EBU)
Alexander Green is a North Carolina-based correspondent for WiwiBloggs.com
@Z24 You actually have a point about Armenia. The juries and Black Sabbath fans might pull it through…we’ll see in a few hours 🙂
Thanks! Here some other things I thought…
-If Armenia goes through, I wouldn’t be surprised, tbh. Maybe some hype for their return?
-There’s a lot of Southern Europe going on here, We’ll see how this plays. Bulgaria got the Greek’s 12 points last time Elitsa & Stoyan were on, and that area also has a lot of “Roma” going on, that might affect FYROM
-Albania and Switzerland might give points to “little Italy”
My personal top, random order:
San Marino, Bulgaria, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Greece, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iceland, (either Armenia, Finland, Macedonia, can’t decide)
Alex: You’re thinking the way I’m thinking with regard to Norway. I listened to the audio track, and put Margaret 9th on my card for the audio alone. But when I found the official music video on YouTube, I saw almost no connection between the video and the song, and combined with the audio track, she dropped to 11th on my card. Tuesday produced an upset qualifier in Andrius from Lithuania, who was very low on the bookies’ boards beforehand. If there’s another upset tonight, could it possibly be Norway getting the bad news?
@Z24 Excellent analysis! 🙂
I hope Macedonia will get through..Now when the ex-Yu are out of the final haha
Kinda hope Finland doesn’t go through. It’s my family’s first Eurovision, how I’m gonna explain that? XD But seriously. Rooting for Bulgaria (Elitsa and Stoyan are the best and it’s a really catchy song) Israel (Best ballad) San Marino (Amazing song and amazing transformation) and Norway (Catchiest song). But the thing that will satisfy me the most is watching Hungary getting eliminated. Worst of all the 39. I wouldn’t count on Macedonia getting through. Balkans are out, its on a tough running order and didn’t hear any rave reviews of them. Hope Esma’s famous enough outside the balkans and in… Read more »