vineri, 14 martie 2008
luni, 3 martie 2008
Eurovision 2008 - Armenia
Qele Qele
Sirusho
Music: Sirusho
Lyrics: Sirusho
History (1956 to 2007):
Armenia's previous appearances: 2 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 2006-
Best result: 8th (2006, 2007)
Armenia made its first appearance at Eurovision in 2006, where Andre's 'Without your love' successfully negotiated the Semi Final before settling in an impressive 8th place in the Final. As a result, Armenia finds itself directly qualified for the Final in 2007.
In 2007 Armenia was represented by Hayko finising 8th again.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
This year Armenia sends an oriental-folk catchy song. I don’t know what to say about this entry. I like the song and Sirusho is hot.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 8th to 12th
My prediction for the Final: Likely qualifier; 8th to 12th
duminică, 2 martie 2008
Eurovision 2008 - Belgium
O julissi na jalini
Ishtar
Music: Michel Vangheluwe
Lyrics: Micel Vangheluwe
History (1956 to 2007):
Belgium's previous appearances: 49 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1956-1993; 1995-1996; 1998-2000; 2002-
Best result: 1st (1986)
One of the original Eurovision entrants, Belgium had to wait thirty years before scoring its first victory in 1986. It did so with probably the most nauseating Eurovision winner ever, 'J'aime la vie', performed with horrific gusto by 13-year-old Sandra Kim. Watching the 1986 Contest as a 12-year-old, I was staggered that what I felt was the weakest song in the whole show had triumphed, beating superior efforts by Switzerland's Daniella Simons and the fabulous Doris Dragović for Yugoslavia - two decades later, my feelings haven't changed. Fortunately, the EBU has since decreed that all Eurovision entrants must be aged 16 or over, while those who are underage now have their own Junior Eurovision to take part in.
Looking at Belgium's record since 1986, the country may have to wait another thirty years before its next victory. Following its Eurovision win, no further top ten places were forthcoming until 1998, when Melanie Cohl managed 6th place with the likeable 'Dis oui'. However, this flash of success was not sustained, with Vanessa Chinitor only managing a mid-table 12th in 1999. The following year, Natalie Sorce sang the unfortunately titled 'Envie de vivre', or 'Desire to live'; the song wasn't that terrible, but by the end of her performance most of Europe had certainly lost the 'Envie de vivre', and it finished last with just 2 points. 2001's song, 'Sister', did better, but even that stalled in 13th place. Urban Trad's excellent result with 'Sanomi' in 2003 certainly gave Belgium a welcome boost, not only coming within a whisker of winning, but also affording the country its first top five placing since Sandra Kim's 1986 victory. It was seemingly a blip, however, with the highly-tipped Xandee and '1 life' - directly qualified for the Final - causing one of the shocks of 2004 by finishing 22nd with just 7 points. Nevertheless, it was the year's bestselling song in Flanders (and a hit elsewhere in Europe), once again proving the 'Gina G rule' that a chart hit does not necessarily translate into Eurovision glory.
Unfortunately for Belgium, Xandee's poor result meant that the country had to compete in the 2005 Semi Final to stand a chance of appearing in Saturday's Contest proper. Its chosen song, 'Le grand soir' by Nuno Resende, was an old-fashioned French ballad that most people wrote off from the start. Sadly, the lack of enthusiasm for the song was well-placed, Nuno limping to 22nd place despite a stunning vocal performance on the night.
Of course, Belgium is unusual in that two separate broadcasters have responsibility for choosing the country's Eurovision entries, with French-language RTBF and Flemish VRT taking part in alternate years. Though Belgium's overall record is not terribly impressive, it does disguise the contrasting success of RTBF and VRT, with the former being responsible for almost all the country's best results, including 'J'aime la vie', 'Dis oui' and 'Sanomi'. Indeed, you have to go back to 1977 to find the last occasion that a Flemish entry finished in the top ten at Eurovision. 2006 was VRT's turn, yet there was much optimism that Kate Ryan - riding high in the fan polls - could deliver a great result with 'Je t'adore'. It was a strong song, but sadly Kate fell at the first hurdle, failing to make it out of the Semi Final thanks to a combination of poor vocals, overelaborate choreography and ropey camerawork. As a result, Belgium must once again try and secure that elusive top ten Semi Final placing if it is to progress any further.
In 2007 Belgium was represented by The KMG's failing to qualifi to the Final.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
No, Belgium. It won’t work the 2nd time. In 2003 you where represented by Urban Trad singing a song in an imaginary language, and you got 2nd place. This year you are sending another song in an imaginary language.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 17th to 19th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
Eurovision 2008 - Bosnia & Herzegovina
Pokušaj
Elvir Laković Laka
History (1956 to 2007):
Bosnia-Herzegovina's previous appearances: 13 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1993-1997; 1999; 2001-
Best result: 3rd (2006)
While its ex-Yugoslav neighbours, Croatia and Slovenia, have regularly finished in the top ten at Eurovision, Bosnia's record has tended to be less impressive; however, given the country's conflict, still ongoing at the time of Bosnia's first appearance in 1993, its very participation was poignant and welcome.
Bosnia was marooned in the mid-teens for much of the 90s - 16th in 1993, 15th in 1994, 14th in 1995 and 13th in 1996, before falling back again to 22nd in 1997. Missing 1998 through relegation, the country did surprisingly well in 1999 when Dino and Beatrice hit the heights of 7th place with 'Putnici', performed in a combination of Bosnian and French. Unfortunately, the system of calculating each country's five year average meant that Bosnia had to miss 2000's contest, before resuming normal service with a 14th place in 2001, 13th in 2002, and 16th in 2003.
With the fabulous Deen and 'In the disco' finishing an impressive 9th in 2004, Bosnia deservedly found itself directly qualified for the 2005 Final, where Feminnem's 14th place for 'Call me' signalled a return to the usual form. In 2006, however, Hari Mata Hari sailed through the Semi Final with ease, his beuatiful song 'Lejla' finishing up with 229 points and 3rd place in the Final - Bosnia's best ever placing. Needless to say, the country is now directly qualified for the 2007 Final.
In 2007 Bosnia & Herzegovina was represented by Marija Šestić, finishing 11th.
This year's entry:
My prediction & opinion:
This entry is strange; it reminds me of the Romanian singer Ada Milea.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 18th to 20th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
Eurovision 2008 - Croatia
Romanca
Kraveli Ulice & 75 cents
History (1956 to 2007):
Croatia's previous appearances: 15 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1993-
Best result: 4th (1996, 1999)
While never challenging for victory as an independent nation, Croatia is a consistently solid performer at Eurovision - it is the only one of the east European newcomers not to miss a contest due to relegation, managing a continuous run of entries from 1993 to date. Furthermore, Yugoslavia's 1989 winners, Riva, hailed from what is now Croatia, with the 1990 contest held in Zagreb's Vatroslav Lisinki Hall - perhaps we will return there if Croatia ever wins Eurovision under its own flag.
After a dodgy start to its Eurovision career in 1993, Croatia has been in the top ten more often than not, finishing 6th in 1995, 4th in 1996 (after an early lead in the voting), 5th in 1998, 4th in 1999 with the statuesque Doris (though points were retrospectively deducted for using recorded backing vocals), 9th in 2000, and 10th in 2001 - 1997's disappointing 17th place was the only blip in Croatia's form.
The country has slipped a little in the last few years, managing 11th in 2002, 15th in 2003, 13th in 2004 and 11th again in 2005. Nevertheless, the results of the last two years were better than many had expected prior to the Contest.
In 2004, few people rated Ivan Mikulić's chances in the run-up to the Semi Final; consequently, securing a place in the Final, ahead of the more highly fancied Denmark and Finland, was one of the night's big surprises. Indeed, Ivan's 13th place in the Contest proper with 'You are the only one' was nearly good enough to secure direct entry to the 2005 Final; unfortunately, tying on points with Malta with only one place in the Final left, Malta went through by virtue of gaining points from a greater number of countries.
As a result, Croatia once again found itself participating in the Semi Final in 2005, this time with Boris Novković's 'Vukovi umiru sami'; and once again, the country did much better than expected, easily qualifying for the Semi Final with 169 points and 4th place, including high scores from places as unlikely as Austria, Switzerland and Sweden. Unfortunately, despite an enthusiastic performance, Boris was unable to maintain this momentum in the Final, falling behind many of the other qualifying Semi Finalists to finish with 115 points and 11th place. Frustratingly, this meant that for the second year in succession, Croatia fell one place short of directly qualifying for the next year's Final, and was therefore expecting to participate in the Semi Final in 2006. However, with Serbia & Montenegro's late withdrawal freeing up a space in Saturday's show, Croatia benefits from its neighbour's discomfort and secures direct entry to the Final after all - a deserved reward after missing out so narrowly twice in a row.
In 2006 Croatia was reprsented by the folk singer Severina (the one with the sex-tape scandal), and in 2007 by Dragonfly & Dado Topic.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
What? A romance sanged by an old man? I don’t like this song, I thought Croatia takes Eurovision seriously, but now I changed my opinion.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 16th to 20th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
Eurovision 2008 - Denmark
All night long
Simon Mathew
Music: Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Bogvad
Lyrics: Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Bogvad
History (1956 to 2007):
Denmark's previous appearances: 36 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1957-1966; 1978-1993; 1995; 1997; 1999-2002; 2004-
Best result: 1st (1963, 2000)
With a 37 year gap between its wins in 1963 and 2000, Denmark holds the record for the longest period between successive Eurovision victories. Austria will manage to take the record if it ever wins again, though the prospects of that happening are fairly remote now that broadcaster ORF has withdrawn from the Contest all together.
Since televoting, Denmark has seen highs and lows. The country missed the 1998 contest due to relegation, but did better than it deserved with the painful 'This time I mean it' in 1999, which finished 8th. In 2000, Denmark strolled to a surprising victory with the Olsen Brothers' 'Fly on the wings of love'. As usual, the single was a hit everywhere apart from the UK, though ironically, XTM's dance cover was a UK smash in 2003 - purists might not have liked it, but it was a great example of a cover version managing to do something completely different to the original. Denmark almost won again in 2001, with the enjoyable 'Never ever let you go', but it was down to earth with a bump in 2002 when Malene and 'Tell me who you are' finished last. Needless to say, Malta - always good at spotting an underdog - was among the few countries who gave it any points at all. To be fair, the song wasn't too bad, but Malene gave a tuneless, uncomfortable performance, proving just how much this can matter on the night. After that there was little for Denmark to cheer about - having had to miss 2003 through relegation, the country competed in the Semi Final in 2004, where Tomas Thordarson - widely regarded as having one of the year's better songs in 'Shame on you' - could only finish 13th, missing out on a place in the Contest proper.
With Denmark having to take part in the Semi Final in 2005, few people had high expectations for Jacob Sveistrup and his song 'Talking to you', with the bookies initially rating his chances of victory as 66-1, while voters in the Soult.com Eurovision Poll 2005 placed it 35th out of 39 songs. However, Denmark pulled off one of the year's surprises, a strong vocal performance from Jacob propelling his song to 3rd place in the Semi Final, and 10th in the Final - just enough to secure direct qualification to the 2006 Final.
In 2006 Denmark was represented by Sidsel Ben Semmane, and in 2007 by a drag queen called DQ.
This year's entry:
My prediction & opinion:
This year Denmark is sending a pop-folk song, the clothing of the singer is old-fashioned and the song is boring.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 14th to 16th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
Eurovision 2008 - France
Divine
Sébastien Tellier
Music: Guy-Manuel de Hommen Christo
Lyrics: Guy-Manuel de Hommen Christo
History (1956 to 2007):
France's previous appearances: 51 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1956-1981; 1983-
Best result: 1st (1958, 1960, 1962, 1969, 1977)
France is one of Eurovision's most successful nations, winning on five occasions and appearing in all but one of the 49 contests to date. However, these statistics hide a stark contrast between the country's early form (with five victories in a 20 year period between 1958 and 1977) and its more recent performance. It is now nearly thirty years since France's last Eurovision victory; perhaps, more worryingly, Celine Dion in 1988 was the last time an artist representing any country won Eurovision with a song performed in French.
France ought to have won a deserved victory in 1991, when Amina performed the unusual and beautiful 'C'est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison'. Unfortunately, France and Sweden were tied not only on points, but on the number of 'douze points' that both countries had received; in the end, Sweden's Carola clinched victory due to her entry receiving the highest number of second-placed 'dix points'. Today, the system is slightly different in that ties are resolved by counting the number of countries awarding an entry any points at all - interestingly, this rule would have delivered victory to France and Amina, given that her song received votes from 18 of the 21 other countries, compared to 17 for Sweden. Hindsight, I would suggest, has favoured France's entry; while Amina's song remains fresh and interesting, Carola's 'Fangad av en stormvind' sounds very much of its time.
Frustratingly, France has never come close to another victory, though it maintained an impressive run of top ten finishes in the early 1990s, before slumping to an undeserved 18th place for Dan Ar Braz's beautiful and unusual Breton-language 'Diwanit Bugale' in 1996. Subsequently, the country had to rely on its 'Big 4' status to avoid relegation, with poor results in 1998 (24th), 1999 (19th) and 2000 (23rd). More recently, France had a brief spell of doing well with Celine Dion-esque power ballads, finishing 4th in 2001 and 5th in 2002, though one senses that the country's dogged insistence on performing in French - beautiful language though it is - may not have helped its Eurovision prospects. The last four years have seen further disappointing results, with the pleasant but lightweight 'Monts et merveilles' finishing in 18th place in 2003; Jonatan Cerrada's 'A chaque pas' gaining a better 15th in 2004; Ortal's 'Chacun pense à soi' equalling the country's worst ever result by finishing 23rd with 11 points in 2005; and Virginie Pouchain's 'Il était temps' scoring even fewer points (5) but a marginally better placing (22nd) in 2006. Fortunately, being in the 'Big 4' means that France joins the UK, Germany and Spain - all under-achievers in both 2005 and 2006 - in qualifying for the Final anyway.
In 2007 France was represented by Les Fatals Picards.
This year's entry:
My prediction & opinion:
France is one of the countries with no worries; they will always be in the Final. This year’s entry makes me think about Bob Sinclair.
My prediction for the Semi Final: N/A
My prediction for the Final: 20th to 22th
Eurovision 2008 - Germany
Disappear
No Angels
Music: Remee, Hanne Sorvaag, Thomas Troelsen
Lyrics: Remee, Hanne Sorvaag, Thomas Troelsen
History (1956 to 2007):
Germany's previous appearances: 51 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1956-1995; 1997-
Best result: 1st (1982)
Together with France, Germany has made more Eurovision appearances than any other country, participating in 49 of the 50 contests to date. The only gap is 1996, when the country failed to get through the pre-selection stage - the sole occasion that such a process has been used. Ironically, the intended German song was one of the best it has come up with in recent years, with Leon's hi-energy 'Planet of Blue' sounding modern and fresh compared to many of the German entries before or since. On the other hand, German displeasure at their unjust ejection helped precipitate the introduction of 'Big 4 ' status for Germany, France, Spain and the UK, thus preventing any of the 'big beast' Eurovision nations from missing out again.
Considering the number of occasions that Germany has appeared, its record of Eurovision success is unspectacular. The country has won just once, in 1982, but did so very easily with Nicole and her beautiful song 'Ein Bisschen Frieden'. As 'A Little Peace', the song went on to international success, including spending two weeks at No.1 in the UK. Scarily, that was the last time a Eurovision winner scored a UK No.1 - even Johnny Logan in 1987 and Katrina in 1997 had to make do with a No.2 and No.3 respectively.
Back to Germany, the country's recent record has been mixed. Returning in 1997 after its enforced absence the previous year, Bianca Shomburg's 'Zeit' was tipped to do well, but could only finish 18th. Trying something completely different, Germany sent Guildo Horn in 1998, memorable for him clambering all over the set if not for his singing talent. Still, it was great fun, and the televoters rewarded him with 7th place. Normal service resumed in 1999, with a song written by the prolific Ralph Siegel, the composer of Germany's winner in 1982, among many others. 'Reise nach Jerusalem' was sung in a mix of German, Turkish and English, and was probably the strongest German entry since Nicole; it came close to winning, but eventually had to be happy with 3rd place - not bad for a song that only got to represent its country when the original winner of the National Final (Corinna May's lovely 'Hör den kindern einfach zu') was disqualified as a result of being released by a different singer in 1997.
In 2000, Germany went for humour again, with Stefan Raab - who had written Guildo's song two years earlier - performing a song himself. Once again, it was well-rewarded, finishing 5th. Interestingly, Raab qualified for Eurovision ahead of Corinna May, back for another go with the powerful 'I believe in God', after her abortive effort the year before - however, finishing 2nd, she once again missed out on representing her country.
In 2001, Corinna May had a year off, and Germany sent Michelle, a helium-voiced singer who made 'Wer liebe lebt' sound like the theme from 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'. Still, someone must have liked it, as it finished 8th; perhaps it was a vote for originality, given the novelty of a song not written by Ralph Siegel or Stefan Raab?
After a good run of top ten places, hopes were high for victory in 2002, with Corinna May finally getting to go to Eurovision with an extremely strong song - 'I can't live without music' - once again written by Ralph Siegel. Though it was the pre-Contest favourite, the performance on the night just didn't work - it seemed awkward and stilted, and the song finished a very disappointing 21st. Never one to give up, Ralph Siegel came back in 2003, this time with the orange-haired, wide-mouthed Lou. It was debatable whether the song or Lou herself was most frightening, but the televoters were unimpressed and 'Let's get happy' ended up a relatively disappointing 11th. Deciding that enough was enough, Germany's 2004 national final was restricted to successful chart acts, with techno group Scooter among the popular names taking part. The eventual winner, Max, secured a massive hit in Germany with the soulful and fresh 'Can't wait until tonight', but had to be content with 8th place at Eurovision. Still, it was enough to qualify Germany for the 2005 Final on its own merits, rather than by virtue of its 'Big 4' status.
For 2005, Germany once again sought a credible, chart-worthy entry, the result being Gracia with her song 'Run and hide'. Sadly for Germany it proved an unfortunate choice. First, 'Run and hide' gained the unenviable distinction of being the most scandal-hit entry of 2005, with allegations of chart manipulation causing the song to be expelled from the German Top 40 - quite a rumpus ensued, given that the song's eligibility for the Eurovision selection was as a direct result of it being a Top 40 hit. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Gracia's performance in Kiev managed to pick up just 2 points each from Moldova and Monaco, her 24th (and last) place managing to rob Stone and Stone (1995) of their place in history as Germany's worst ever Eurovision placing. However, Germany's dismal result was perhaps mitigated by the fact that the four bottom placings were all occupied by 'Big 4' countries, making Germany's failure seem less remarkable in the light of similarly poor results for France, Spain and the UK. Of course, the 'Big 4' nations automatically gain a place in the following year's Final regardless of how they perform the year before, a rule that seems increasingly anachronistic now that all countries are guaranteed participation every year.
In 2007 Germany was represented by the Romanian-German jazz singer Roger Cicero.
This year's entry:
My prediction & opinion:
This year Germany is sending a summer song, like the one Spain sent in 2006, but a little better.
My prediction for the Semi Final: N/A
My prediction for the Final: 14th to 16th
Eurovision 2008 - Iceland
This is my life
Eurobandið
History (1956 to 2007):
Iceland's previous appearances: 20year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1986-1997; 1999-2001; 2003-
Best result: 2nd (1999)
For many years, Iceland's record at Eurovision was unimpressive, 4th place in 1990 the best result from its twelve efforts between 1986 and 1997. The country's first enforced absence due to relegation, in 1998, appeared to give Iceland the boost it needed, charging back in 1999 with the catchy 'All out of luck'. Selma's 2nd place promptly gave Iceland its best ever result, beaten only by Sweden's Charlotte Nilsson with what was, arguably, a less impressive song. After that, Iceland stuck to powerful, uptempo songs, with variable results - while 2000's 'Tell me!' finished a mid-table 12th, 2001's 'Angel' inexplicably (I rather liked it) scored only 3 points and ended up last. After another relegation-enduced absence, Iceland bounced back with a slice of Selma-lite in 2003. Birgitta's energetic performance of 'Open your heart' was always likely to finish strongly; while its creditable 8th place was enough to secure Iceland's participation in the 2004 Final, the country's first victory remained elusive. in 2004, Jonsi's beautiful ballad - 'Heaven' - promised great things; however, a disappointing live performance on the night failed to do justice to a stunning song, its 19th place meaning that Iceland had to participate in the Semi Final in 2005.
Eurovision fans were delighted when it was announced that Selma would once again represent Iceland in 2005 - a chance for her to secure the victory that had so narrowly eluded her six years earlier. The choice of song also boded well, with 'If I had your love' coming across as a strong and very contemporary track, and most people assumed that Selma would qualify for the Final fairly easily. On the night, her vocal was good, certainly on a par with the one that secured her 2nd place in the 1999 Contest, and the visual presentation - if a little busy - seemed appropriate to the song. However, it was not enough - in one of the biggest shocks of the evening, Iceland ended the Semi Final in a disappointing 16th place with 52 points, and thus missed out on reaching the Final. In 2006, Iceland must therefore once again take part in the Semi Final if it is to stand a chance of progressing any further.
In 2006 Iceland was represented by Silvia Night and in 2007 by Eiríkur Hauksson.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
Oh, no Iceland. When will you understand that Europe wants to hear your language? STOP TRANSLATING YOUR SONGS IN ENGLISH! Overall I don’t think this song will do much.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 12th to 16th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
sâmbătă, 1 martie 2008
Eurovision 2008 - Malta
Vodka
Morena
Music: Philip Vella
Lyrics: Gerard James Borg
History (1956 to 2007):
Malta's previous appearances: 20year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 1971-1972; 1975; 1991-
Best result: 2nd (2002, 2005)
Malta had a brief dalliance with Eurovision in the 1970s, taking part in 1971 (finishing last), 1972 (last again) and 1975 (a slightly better 12th). After that run of 'success', it's hardly surprising that Malta gave up, only returning in 1991. By this time, Malta had realised the advantage of singing in English, rather than the Maltese of its first two entries. Remember, from the late 1970s until 1999 only those countries with English as a native language - the UK, Ireland and Malta - could perform in English at Eurovision. Making its comeback in 1991, Malta used English to good effect, finishing in the top ten every year between until 1998, including two 3rd places (Mary Spiteri's 'Little child' in 1992, and Chiara's 'The one that I love' in 1998).
However, with the free language rule reintroduced in 1999, Malta seemed to suffer, its song 'Believe'n Peace' slumping to 15th. In truth, though, the song was weak, its poor result reflecting crimes against both spelling and singing. Indeed, it was back to normal after that, with an 8th place for Claudette Pace in 2000, 9th for Fabrizio Faniello in 2001, and a tantalising 2nd for Ira Losco's '7th Wonder' in 2002. Then, in 2003, Malta sent chirpy Lynn Chircop to Eurovision... Unfortunately, Lynn finished in 25th place with just 4 points (3 of those from Ireland), spared the indignity of coming last only because the UK's Jemini scored nothing at all. If Malta was hoping to win the contest, it had 'To dream again', as it were.
Since Malta takes Eurovision very seriously, heated debate ensued in the light of this shock result, slightly tempered by the fact that the new Semi Final system gave Malta a chance to participate in 2004 when previously it would have missed that year's contest through relegation. Luckily, Julie & Ludwig's 'On again, off again' restored some Maltese pride, qualifying for the Final with relative ease, and doing enough on the big night to finish 12th and - by the skin of their teeth - secure Malta's direct qualification to the Final in 2005.
2005 represented both the welcome return of an old face and a welcome return to form, with Chiara - seeking to better her 3rd place from 1998 - giving a stunning performance of her self-penned 'Angel'. It was enough to give Malta a well-deserved 192 points (including six 10s but only one 12) and 2nd place in the Final, beaten only by Greece's Helena Paparizou.
With a place in the 2006 Final in the bag, hopes were high that another Eurovision returner - this time Fabrizio Faniello - could deliver another strong result for Malta. Unfortunately, an off key vocal performance left Malta languishing at the bottom of the Eurovision scoreboard for the first time since 1972, a solitary point from Albania averting a 'nul points' disaster by the narrowest of margins. However, notwithstanding this poor result, Malta retains the best record of any country that has yet to actually win the Contest, having finished 2nd and 3rd on two occasions each. The Maltese will certainly be hoping that 2007 can restore the country's Eurovision pride.
I must confess to being rather pleased when I read that Olivia Lewis had won the right - by a landslide - to represent Malta in 2007.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
After last year’s beautiful entry, Malta decided to send a rhythmic folk song, a bad Ruslana imitation. It was rather odd, because the favorite of the public and the jury was Claudia Faniello (the sister of the 2001 and 2006 representant Fabrizzio), but she decided to send two songs to the Final, so the points where divided. Anyway this entry is weak, definitely not among the favorites.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 18th to 20th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
Eurovision 2008 - Montenegro
Zauvijek volim te
Stefan Filipović
Music: Grigor Korpov, Ognen Nedelkovski, Vladimir Dojcinovski
Lyrics: Grogor Korpov, Ognen Nedelkovski, Vladimir Dojcinovski
History (1956 to 2007):
Montenegro's previous appearances: 1 year(s) out of 52
Years participated: 2007-
Best result: 23rd in Semi (2007)
2007 might mark Montenegro's first Eurovision appearance as an independent nation, but the country has a long history of participation - first, with Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Serbia, as part of Yugoslavia (27 entries between 1961 and 1992), and more recently (2004 and 2005) under the flag of Serbia & Montenegro. Indeed, in terms of their Eurovision selection processes, independence has made little difference to either Montenegro or Serbia; broadcasters RTCG and RTS will still hold their Montevizija and Beovizija festivals respectively, but with the winner in each country now guaranteed a place in Helsinki rather than having to brave a combined - and usually controversial - Serbia & Montenegro final, Evropesma.
Serbia & Montenegro's Eurovision presence might have been shortlived, but it was certainly successful, being the only country other than Greece to manage top ten placings in both 2004 and 2005. In 2004, Željko Joksimović performed 'Lane moje', winning the Semi Final, but having to be content with the runner up's position in the Final.
2005 brought further success, with Montenegrin boyband No Name and 'Zauvijek moja' mustering 137 points, including three 12s, and a very respectable 7th place. However, the flaws in the Evropesma voting process were already beginning to show, with Montenegrin judges accused of favouring their own act at the expense of Serbia's Jelena Tomaševic. A year later, these rumblings came to a head at Serbia & Montenegro's 2006 Evropesma, held on 11 March. Technically, the competition - and a place in the Eurovision Final in Athens - was once again won by Montenegro's 'No Name', singing 'Moja ljubavi'. However, while the Montenegrin jurors gave no points at all to the Serbian acts, the Serbian jurors awarded just enough points to the Montenegrin acts to inadvertently scupper the chances of the Serbian favourites, Flamingosi. No Name's victory was therefore not recognised by Serbian broadcaster RTS, while Montenegro's RTCG refused to budge - No Name, it could be argued, won on the basis of the voting system that was set out, even if that system was inherently flawed and open to abuse. Sadly, with the two nations unable to agree on a winner, Serbia & Montenegro had no option but to withdraw from the 2006 Contest. Shortly afterwards, Montenegro's vote for independence ensured that there would never be another Serbia & Montenegro entry at Eurovision; however, we will never know to what extent the Eurovision furore contributed, as some have claimed, to Montenegro's narrow decision to go it alone. Nevertheless, despite their strained Eurovision history, it would be foolish to bet against Montenegro and Serbia exchanging 12 points with each other in the 2007 Semi Final.
This year's entry:
My opinion & prediction:
It will by another year without Montenegro in the Final. The song Is weak, same as the vocals.
My prediction for the Semi Final: 15th to 19th
My prediction for the Final: Will not qualify
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