The Time Is Nigh!

Eurovision 2014 is upon us! Performers arrived in Copenhagen last week to rehearse for the big event. The running order for the two semi-finals have been established, and there's no doubt it's going to be a spectacular week.

The competition is fierce this year. For the first time since I started watching Eurovision, I have no idea who will win. Usually, there are clear front-runners, and you just know they will do well, as with Alexander Rybak in 2009, Loreen in 2012, and even Emmelie de Forest in 2013. But the competition this year is neck-and-neck. There are at least ten very strong entries, and quite a few dark horses that have people talking.

What this means is that we have a very exciting week ahead of us. Since most of the songs are so good, the actual performance on the Eurovision stage will count for a lot. That, and running order in the final, which is determined by officials from the host country (Denmark, of course) after the second semi-final. The strongest position to have is in the last quarter of the show. Whoever wins will have to really fight for it.

Semi-finals are Tuesday and Thursday, and the finale will be on Saturday. You can watch live through the eurovision.tv website. Tomorrow, I will start analyzing the contenders. I'll be posting all week, bringing news from Copenhagen.

Melodifestivalen: Andra Chansen

Saturday was the long-awaited Andra Chansen (the second chance round) for Melodifestivalen entries. The opening included a musical interlude that I can only guess was about these entries escaping death and crawling their way to the Andra Chansen round. Have I mentioned that these programs are entirely in Swedish (aside from some of the songs), and I do not speak Swedish? I can't find a video of this, so you're just going to have to trust me on this one!

The line-up:
1. "Raise Your Hands," Ammotrack
2. "Bröder," Linus Svenning
3. "Love Trigger," J.E.M.
4. "All We Are," State of Drama
5. "En himmelsk sång," Ellinore Holmer
6. "När änglarna går hem," Martin Stenmark
7. "Survivor," Helena Paparizou
8. "Echo," Outrigger

The Question on Everyone's Minds

Who is going to win Eurovision 2013?

The contest ends today. I don't pay attention to betting odds (yes, there are betting odds for Eurovision) mostly because I don't understand how they work (and I'm too lazy to Google it). So my picks for the winner are based completely on my own knowledge of what the average Eurovision audience member is looking for.

1. SPECTACLE! Is it exciting to watch? Is the song dynamic? Does it have a key change about 3/4 of the way through? Is the performer compelling in some way? Where is the DRAMA?
2. Is the song universal? Can everyone in Europe relate to it? Are the lyrics in English? Because that usually helps.
3. Does the song celebrate the country's individual culture and heritage? But not like, in an annoying way. Don't be ostentatious. Universal. Greece, I'm looking at you. Refer to point #2.
4. Every few years, it seems that a certain region of Europe holds popularity. It was very fashionable to vote for Eastern Europe around ten years ago. Then the Scandinavians broke that streak, and Finland, Norway, and Sweden have all won in the past six years. Are Europeans still interested in what Scandinavia has to offer? Or will voting patterns shift? The one tried and true rule is that no one ever votes for the UK. Sorry, Bonnie Tyler. I think you're great.

So, with that being said, here is who I think will win.