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The Kalush Orchestra were contenders before Russia moved in. They were offered the spot on February 17, after finishing 2nd at Vidbir and after Alina Pash's withdrawal. For the week before Russia attacked, they were 5th most of the time on the bookies' boards. Yes; it may have contributed to their rise to number 1 on the boards; but for them, it had to be just as hard a job (if not harder, given the situation they're in) to stay there to the very end, as it is for the other contenders to steal it from them.

One other thing: GET YOUR CALCULATORS READY! Once the jury roll-call is over, they will announce televote points, quite probably (once again) starting with the country with the lowest jury score. With 40 countries in this contest, 4,640 points will be distributed; 2,320 from the jury and 2,320 from the televoters. When they get down to the last 4, we may have an idea of who might win. When there is one left, we will know who won minutes before they make the final announcement, because of the points that that remain on the board; but then again, there could be a scenario where there could be 2 countries remaining, and the points that are left on the board are not enough to overtake the leader if the lead is bigger than the number of points left to give out. When they're ready for the televote roll-call, start with 2,320 and subtract from there.

And here is how I saw the performances of the remaining 3 of the Big Five, as presented by Eurovision.tv: 9.59 United Kingdom Suffer no delusions; this is a potential winner for Sam Ryder (my #1 before the contest started); but I'm worried about 2 things: (1) That cage he is standing in, somehow, doesn't look right for a song like his; and (2) I'm really worried that his rearrangement of the end part with his guitar might cost him a few points here and there. I hope I'm wrong. 9.42 Germany If Malik Harris were singing this song alone on stage (no props), he'd be at an even bigger risk of coming away with a blank scorecard. What he has on stage is perfect for this song: Instruments around him, with the stage, lights and mist giving the appearance of a dusty studio after years of non-use by a band long disbanded; with him in regular clothes. He is giving us the appearance of how things are now, while describing the way things used to be. I hope it's enough for him to come away with some points, because he is singing in the middle (13th), at risk of being forgotten by those before him (Ukraine sings 12th) and after him. 9.48 Spain Is it just me, or is Chanel's performance top-heavy on dance and not enough on vocals? Though I (gravely) misread Eleni Foureira's 2018 performance, it had more of a balance between singing and dancing. Bookies have Chanel at #5 right now, and it remains to be seen if she gives Spain their first top-10 (and certainly top-20) finish since Ruth Lorenzo in 2014.

And once again, here I am with my take on the performances in this contest. The second semifinal was much harder for me to score than the first. I use 10 criteria to score the performances. 9.35 (14) Finland (Q) The Rasmus were my #4 for this semi and the bookies' #6 on Monday, but they were starting to slip on the bookies' boards. I didn't like the stage setup they went with (lots of yellow with balloons), and they didn't strike me as being as ferocious on vocals as they did in their recording, and I thought they were going to slip out of the top 10. Fortunately, rock is always a qualifier for Finland, with one exception for being way too short (PKN in 2015). 9.40 (10) Israel (NQ) Pair a well-choreographed routine with a good song, and in many cases you might have a recipe for qualifying. Before this week began, I didn't think Michael Ben-David stood a chance (he was my #13 for this semi); but after his performance, I thought he would steal a spot. Looks like my Sunday guess was the right call. But did his antics well after the semi performances kill his chances? I think maybe the next 2 performers dealt him the bigger blow... 9.53 (3) Serbia (Q) Biti zdrava...biti zdrava...biti zdrava...biti-biti-biti! Get a song with a catch-phrase that you can clap to, one that rings in your ears long after the song is over, and you're likely to strike gold! Other than leaving her dog home, Konstrakta didn't change much in her original setup, which goes perfectly with the subject matter in the song. She could get a ton of points from the other former Yugoslav republics, all of whom didn't qualify. She was my #17 overall before the contest began, and has been the bookies' #10 for nearly a week and may be rising. 9.44 (7) Azerbaijan (Q) Prop selection is very important when you're looking for residual points here and there; and when done right (consider 2013), Azerbaijan is among the best. Last time they had a ballad like this (2014), they qualified. This time, like last time, expectations are not that high, except for Nadir to hit that high note one more time. He could possibly finish in the middle of the pack. 9.27 (16) Georgia (NQ) Circus Mircus brought with them the shortest song in this year's contest. However, once the intro was done, the lyrics from there on didn't go very far. 9.25 (18) Malta (NQ) Biggest mistake for Emma Muscat was trading a retro-synth tune for a tune that could have been the final song in any talent-show championship final. The song was pretty much sold that way on stage, and I'm not surprised that she didn't qualify. 9.40 (12) San Marino (NQ) This may be a case of Achille Lauro doing too much on stage. Was the mechanical bull really necessary to sell his performance? 9.44 (6) Australia (Q) Bring an emotional song to the stage and let that emotion pour out, and you're likely to win over juries and televoters equally. But Sheldon Riley has an uphill battle if he wants to bring Australia back into the top 10. He's not the only one with a song like this. He was my #15 overall before the contest started. 9.42 (8) Cyprus (NQ) I docked Andromache for being off-key (although not dramatically) in a few places; but I still thought all the other aspects of her performance (including her backups and use of a stage prop) were enough to get her through. 9.26 (17) Ireland (NQ) Brooke might have sold this song better with (1) a serious musical revamp, and (2) a stage play, with her singing this song to an ex-boyfriend, while throwing money in his face. The slumber-party dance act (though not in pajamas) wasn't going to cut it, given that there were other dance routines that I thought were way better. 9.29 (15) North Macedonia (NQ) The stage setup for Andrea was quite appropriate for her performance; but it is hard to sell a performance in any other way when the song is overshadowed by so many others. Nonetheless, I'm not convinced she finished last in this semi. 9.51 (4) Estonia (Q) Stefan brings with him a western (not to be confused with country) song with a message that turns out to be quite appropriate today. I was afraid he'd be the odd man out, had there been one or two upset qualifiers. He was my #3 in this semi and my #10 overall. Nice simulation of film static from an old Western movie. Maybe singing last will help him finish in the top 10. 9.41 (9) Romania (Q) WRS was among those riding the razor's edge to qualify. His ticket to the final was pretty simple: A good song and a well-choreographed dance routine that went well with the song. He outdid Michael and Brooke on those 2 aspects. 9.60 (1) Poland (Q) We are so used to seeing comedy on the Eurovision stage, that it is very rare to see tragedy being portrayed so well. For that, Ochman ended up as my #2 overall this past weekend (Sam is my #1). He was the bookies' #7 at the start of this contest. Given that he will sing late (23rd) on Saturday, Poland should easily get its 4th top-10 finish. 9.36 (13) Montenegro (NQ) An appropriate message for the present day; but obviously both Vladana and her song were overshadowed by others in this semi. 9.40 (11) Belgium (Q) I thought Jérémie was holding back too much on his vocals, reluctant to hit some high notes that he did in the recording session; and for that, I thought it was going to cost him a spot in the final. He was my #6 in this semi (my #16 overall). 9.55 (2) Sweden (Q) Cornelia brought with her quite probably the most thoroughly-written song in the contest. But with superior props coming from other contenders, should she have updated her props or brought something new? She was my #8 overall before the start of this contest. 9.48 (5) Czech Republic (Q) In the battle of electronic dance tunes brought to this year's Eurovision stage, We Are Domi obviously fared better than did Lum!x and Pia on Tuesday. But how high can they go on on Saturday, given that they have to perform first? So; as was the case on Tuesday, 8 out of 10 on my scorecard qualified. All of my top 10 and 19 of my top 20 (Cyprus is out) are still in this contest. How many of those will finish in the top 10 or top 20?

Performances from two of the Big Five were made available at Eurovision.tv. Rehearsals, no doubt, the last ones before the start of the competition. 9.57 France I wondered if the art team of Alvan and Ahez could bring those graphics to the contest and work them into that semicircle behind them. Certainly more energy than when they performed this at the national contest C'est Vous Qui Décidez. They were my #5 before this contest and the bookies' #12 before the first semifinal jury performances began. If they don't get too early a spot, they might finish in the top 10. There were points where they were in danger of slipping well-off-key in the singing. 9.62 Italy The original song is 3:17 and had to be edited down to 3:00 without destroying the flow of the song, like they did in 2017. The song was edited down to 2:54, with an a cappella opening and a quiet fade-out at the end. The trenchcoat might go well with Mahmood if they simulated rain in the CGI; and they re-created the piano scene with Blanco. They are my #3 for this contest, and the bookies' #2 (slipping to #3 as we approach Saturday); but they're quite likely to maintain a top-3 finish in the end.

Ukraine is singing in the first-half of the final. Check out the draw at EurovisionWorld.com. I think Rosa from Armenia is going to end up singing first, because she has the biggest prop so far in this competition and the production team might want to get that out of the way. Given all the prospects for Germany, especially on the bookies' boards as the worst of the Big Five by far, Malik can't afford to be assigned 1st or 2nd in the singing order. He could be so quickly forgotten that he could end up with James Newman's dreaded double-0 by the time they get to the roll-call of points awarded. His stage setup is going to have to be reminiscent of Michael Schulte's (Germany 2018), to avoid ending up with a blank scorecard from either the jury or the televoters.

After what just happened to Ronela and her team's dance routine, Spain's chances may have become just a bit more problematic, even though I think Chanel's song is much better.

If you have a VPN, use it and set it to another country (preferably European). I have mine set to Belgium. If not, go to svtplay.se, and enter 'Eurovision Song Contest' in the search bar. If you can cut through the Swedish, it should lead you to the upcoming live streams of the second semifinal and the grand final.

And here I go; just got finished watching the first semi (starting at midnight) in NYC, at the Eurovision.tv site, with my VPN linked to a server in Brussels, Belgium; and it took another 2 hours to write all of this. Here is how I saw the performances: 9.44 (8) Albania (NQ) My benchmark for all of the performances that followed. I actually thought Ronela was going to qualify with that stage routine. But when it came down to one qualifier left to announce, I figured she wouldn't, given who was sure to take that last spot (NED). Some dance routines work, and some don't. The ones that followed, left her performance forgotten. 9.40 (10) Latvia (NQ) The one thing I thought Citi Zēni had going for them was the music. Unfortunately, in the ears of those who had their fate in their hands, comedy, sex and an environmental message didn't mix; and they were outdone on the comedy side. 9.33 (12) Lithuania (Q) The stage lights and CGI programmed for a nightclub setting, and a dress appropriate for the setting, changed the game dramatically for Monika Liu. Before the jury performances on Monday, she was sitting next-to-last out of the 40 contenders on the bookies' boards, after her stage and CGI setup were among those that were gravely compromised by the malfunctioning semicircle behind her. Quite a few performers may have to fall flat on their faces for her to finish in the top 10 on Saturday. 9.46 (6) Switzerland (Q) Marius Bear was my overall #7 before the jury competition. He had what I thought was one of the 5 best stage setups tonight; but there were signs where I thought he was slipping. I thought he was toast, given how much of a razor's edge he was on before this performance, until the announcers called out his country and got him out of the way quickly. For some reason, I still wouldn't sleep on his chances to finish in the top 10. Salvador Sobral (Portugal 2017) won with a ballad like this. 9.17 (17) Slovenia (NQ) Give Last Pizza Slice another 5 years, and they may be contenders. The music was always too basic when I first heard this song (along with all the others) on the first weekend of April, and Filip's singing sounded just a bit too robotic. 9.66 (1) Ukraine (Q) Cultural wardrobe, a mix of cultural vibes, electronic music and hip-hop, and the eyes of lead singer Oleh Psiuk's mother Stefania looking over the crowd on the big screen. They were my #4 going into this week, and the bookies' overwhelming favorite. Why were the EBU afraid they would get political here? Nonsense! This was about what one mother taught her son as a child. The camera shots looking down on the floor, as one member did his dance routines, was a big plus. They did not come to play games or be pitied; they came to win, just like everyone else; which begs the following question... Has a replacement artist ever won this contest? They finished 2nd to Alina Pash at their national contest Vidbir, but she dropped out and they took her place. 9.25 (16) Bulgaria (NQ) For a band that calls itself the Intelligent Music Project, they should have recognized that the people were not going to so easily accept any kind of rock they put in their ears. This kind of classic rock might have won in 1982, which made their rock sound out-of-place compared to what was to follow in this contest. Bad timing and maybe bad taste to talk war in a song, even if it was made months before all hell broke loose. 9.50 (4) Netherlands (Q) S10 was my #12 before this week, and the bookies' #9 before the jury competition. Dark stages and Dutch performances usually end with big points. Her art director knew this song required a dark stage with the image of water on the floor. She tried hard to hold it together at the end because she was about to cry. 9.50 (5) Moldova (Q) This is Zdob și Zdub's third appearance in the contest (2005, 2011), and they get an assist from the Advahov Brothers. They were my #13 going into this week, after watching that crazy train ride in their music video. Their chances of qualifying were on shaky ground 2 weeks ago; but who would have thought they'd arrive with a completely new musical arrangement for the show? I knew they had to qualify. 9.60 (2) Portugal (Q) Maro was my #9 this past weekend and the bookies' #11 before the jury competition. No question that she would have her backups with her. The only question was, how would they set up everything on stage? Obviously, less-is-more works better for Portugal. 9.32 (13) Croatia (NQ) A pop tune with none of the dramatic tinge (be it vocals or music) that some other ballads had (like SUI or NED) was destined to be out of place this time. Mia Dimšić didn't really have a chance here, especially given who she was sandwiched between. 9.30 (15) Denmark (NQ) Reddi's "The Show" sounded to me like a pop tune trying to be a rock tune. With hard rock tunes winning and finishing 6th last year, some people got the idea that any rock tune the following year will do. It doesn't always work that way, as Bulgaria also found out. 9.31 (14) Austria (NQ) Go_A finished 5th last year with a tune that started out prog trance and accelerated to psytrance near the end. Try as they may with trance, Lum!x and Pia Maria's was too short to begin with, and they had to come with a slightly tweaked arrangement to fill out the time they had available to them to get closer to the 3-minute limit. I wasn't exactly impressed with the stage setup they had. 9.39 (11) Iceland (Q) Systur's stage performance at Söngvakeppnin didn't impress me enough for me to think they had a chance at qualifying. But looking at the stage setup they had here (which was much better, thanks to the graphic floor and screen in the back), and despite the score I gave them, I thought they were going to qualify, and be the ones who sent Marius packing. They qualified, but so did Marius. They were my #31 over the weekend, and the bookies' #33 before the jury competition. 9.45 (7) Greece (Q) Amanda is in many people's top 10s, as the bookies' #6. She was my #18. If "Die Together" is meant to be a mid-pandemic tune (which is how I interpreted it, given its lyrics), they set the stage up just right, with the graphics and all of the chairs turned over. One of those dramatic tunes that screams top-10 finish. 9.53 (3) Norway (Q) Yum, yum, yum, yum-yum-yum, yum, yum, yum...! It was obvious what Keith and Jim were going to bring to the stage, since they brought it to Melodi Grand Prix. The only thing to watch for is if they or their backups missed a step in their dance routines! They were my #11 over the weekend, and the bookies' #8. 9.41 (9) Armenia (Q) This song is reminiscent of the Lumineers' 2012 hit "Ho, Hey!" It remains to be seen if Rosa Linn ever heard of this pop/folk/rock fusion band. She easily had the largest prop of the night. I must say I am looking forward to Thursday, even though I'm thinking it will be much harder to score.

I have a VPN, where I can watch it from NYC without being blocked. But I won't be able to watch it live. I'll be busy during the broadcast, and I will isolate myself from any news of the results before I watch it tonight and review the performances.

But has anyone come away with no points one year (since the current scoring format was introduced in 1975) and then won the next year? This will be a first in history, if Sam can pull it off. As for the competition itself, it began with the jury performances at 21:00 CET. At that exact moment, the odds for the top 10 were the following: (1) Ukraine; (2) Italy; (3) U.K.; (4) Sweden; (5) Spain; (6) Greece; (7) Poland; (8) Norway; (9) Netherlands; (10) Serbia. Betting is so heavy for Ukraine that they're given a 49% chance of winning. As for the first semi, the bookies say the following will qualify: (1) Ukraine; (2) Greece; (3) Norway; (4) Netherlands; (5) Armenia; (6) Portugal; (7) Albania; (8) Moldova; (9) Latvia; (10) Switzerland.

And after 5 weeks and 3 evaluations--of the songs and music videos (I never watch the rehearsals)--here are my top 10: United Kingdom 9.68, Poland 9.64, Italy 9.62, Ukraine 9.57, France 9.55, Spain 9.55, Switzerland 9.54, Sweden 9.54, Portugal 9.53, Estonia 9.53. The bookies now have Sam Ryder 3rd. If that holds, his song will surely be the best entry the U.K. has sent in 25 years. Never has a country gone from zero to hero in this contest; and last year (a first in history) the U.K. got no points on either card (jury or televote)

Aye. This is easily the strongest Big Five since Italy rejoined the contest in 2011. Unfortunately, the weakest link, in the opinions of many, is Germany. Malik Harris is sitting 25th on the bookies' boards (as of this posting), with Italy 2nd, U.K. 4th, Spain 5th and France 10th... ...25th, of course, is last in the Grand Final. His entry is way better than what they sent last year; unfortunately, the possibility of another blank televote scorecard could be unavoidable. There are too many guys in this contest capable of making him forgettable. His only hope of preventing Germany from getting its 3rd-straight zero-point score from the public is for him to be assigned a singing spot close to the end of the final, but not necessarily the pimp spot (last). If he is among the first 5 to perform, Germany had better brace themselves. Woe unto this contest if they assign him to sing first, because the death spot could potentially bring the same humiliation we saw for the U.K. last year.

In that case, any country who needs the LED display side and has time enough to reprogram their CGI for a portable big LED screen should consider bringing that screen to use as a prop .

Did my comment in this matter get erased here? In any case, Lithuania (riding the razor's edge to qualify) and Serbia (a potential top-10 finisher) are livid about this, because now they have to alter their stage setups to compensate for this problem. And they're not the only ones likely to suffer from this. Again, if it were up to me, I'd move the contest a week further, and hire a team with a lot more experience in this matter, and help them to fix this problem quickly; because I don't believe this fiasco is over.

Sorry I'm late. I had a package to drop off and items to pick up. I couldn't watch the show live, and I had to isolate myself from any possibility of seeing news of the outcome before I got home to watch the recorded broadcast. Be that as it may, Italy has never sent a trainwreck since I started watching this contest in 2013. Here is how I scored them throughout the course of the show: 12 points for Switzerland (9.70) 10 points for France (9.67) 8 points for Italy (9.63) 7 points for Iceland (9.62) 6 points for Bulgaria (9.61) 5 points for Malta (9.57) 4 points for Ukraine (9.57) 3 points for Israel (9.55) 2 points for Lithuania (9.53) 1 point for Norway (9.50) Sweden 9.49, Serbia 9.49, Greece 9.48, Russia 9.48, San Marino 9.47; Portugal 9.42, Finland 9.42, Netherlands 9.41, Cyprus 9.41, Belgium 9.41; United Kingdom 9.35, Spain 9.32, Albania 9.31, Azerbaijan 9.31, Germany 9.27, Moldova 9.26. When the jury roll-call ended with the U.K. getting no points, I thought to myself, could it be possible that we see a double-bagel for the first time since this split-scoring method went into effect in 2016? I actually thought Germany would turn the trick tonight. Sad to see 4 countries (including the host nation) get hosed like this; and I was afraid there would be one more before the night was over. When the jury roll-call was over, I had my calculator ready for the televote scores. With 39 countries representing, there were 2,262 jury points and 2,262 televote points available. I started subtracting from 2,262 from the moment they started announcing the televote points... ...Of course, there was nothing to subtract when it came to the U.K., Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Things got interesting when Lithuania got 165 points. But when Finland got 218, I thought Italy might be in a bit of trouble, with one rock band cannibalizing points from another rock band. Things really got interesting when Ukraine got 267 points. But then the sonic boom came when Italy got 318! Only 463 points were left. It was obvious that the battle between the French-language songs had been cracked. Nonetheless, Switzerland needed 258 of those 463 to win, and France needed 277. I knew Malta was going to be the odd one out, but how many of those 463 would Destiny take with her? We got our answer with 47. Only 416 points left. Now it was up to France and Switzerland, and only one could beat Italy, but the potential winner needed the required points to win. Barbara was next, and she needed 277... ...She came up short; 258. Italy won. Anyone with a calculator knew that to be the case minutes before the announcers delivered the bad news (165 points remaining) to Switzerland. On the whole, once again, and for the 9th year in a row (including the canceled year, with some potential winning contenders who either never got to sing on stage or ended up singing a new song), I was thoroughly entertained. This year, we had 2 hard-rock bands finish in the top 10; 2 French-language songs battle for the top; a trance tune (progressing from prog to psy) in the top 5; a retro-electro-funk tune that never had a chance to be performed in real time in front of a televised audience (fortunately Iceland's best rehearsals saved them); two 18-year-olds in the top 10; two acts taking the old-school approach (Portugal bringing me memories of 1973 with their song, and Belgium with a stage design that was completely old-school; no fancy CGI at all); a guy who overcame Tourette's syndrome (along with the bullying that came with it) to make this final (Tix); and a guy who had surgery on his vocal cords before this season (Tusse)... ...And yet, 3 of the Big Five are in the basement once again, and it is worse than ever for those 3 (U.K., Germany and Spain). Even worse yet, Spain has not finish in the top 20 since 2014; and Germany, 4th in 2018, completely lost their way faster than they found it. As for the U.K., one would think that anything they sent wouldn't have kept both of its scorecards from being left completely blank. Do they take a year off, lest they show up again with a decent song and go home empty once more?

And here is what I thought of the Big Five and the Netherlands, from the performances posted at Eurovision.tv: 9.70 France 9.55 Italy 9.40 United Kingdom 9.39 Netherlands 9.38 Spain 9.31 Germany Do I smell this contest ending in a French-language battle with Gjon in both the jury-points roll-call and the final televote tally? It's a possibility. How often is it that even the CGI fits the song like a glove? Would it be the same if it were performed on the Lisbon 2018 stage? I'd bet Barbara's graphic designer would have cooked up something for that stage as well. In any case, she carries this song alone extraordinarily well, that next year's competition may only have 25 in the final; and not only because of this... ...Because Måneskin is currently the top dog on the bookies' board. Italy has never sent a trainwreck since I started watching this show in 2013, and they've been in the top five 3 straight times already, 2nd two years ago. They're probably due for the big one, so that we may get lost in Verona. It would be 15 years since a rock song won (Lordi from Finland, 2006). But will Finland's current hard-rock entry (Blind Channel) cannibalize points from this band, or steal their thunder outright? This year's song from James Newman is obviously the better song, even though I thought last year's entire presentation (song and music video) was better. Here is a stage setup and performance that I think was better than anything they've sent in the 9 seasons since I started watching (including last year's canceled season). I wouldn't be surprised if he finished in the top-half of the board. I thought last year's song and video from Jeangu was worthy of a top-10 finish. An outstanding music video for this year's song is why I still have him in my top 15. The message is quite appropriate for this day and age, but I don't know if he is selling it enough on the stage to stay in the top 15. Entirely new music and an a cappella opening from Blas Cantó for his stage performance. Word has it he wrote this one for his grandmother. It's not looking good for him right now, because too many male solo and lead vocalists are capable of selling their performances better. One of them, Dađi, sings right before him. What can I say for Germany? They had a contender in Ben Dolič last year, to clean up that wreckage left behind by their hastily-created duo S!sters (no televote points in 2019), and they kicked him aside for an attempt at comic relief, in the middle of a pandemic. Jendrik's message is an interesting one (though for some reason I think he overdoes it); and yet, there are maybe 3 other acts who are funnier without even trying to be funny. So; does the French language rule tonight? Does Italy get their first title in 31 years? Will 18-year-old Destiny Chukunyere become the youngest champ since the minimum age limit of 16 was instituted in 1990, and become the first Junior Eurovision champ to win? Will Dađi og Gagnamagniđ become the comeback kids after nearly having to withdraw because of one of their members catching the virus, the result being Iceland's first win? Will a prog-to-psy runaway train from Go_A take it all? Or will someone else sneak up and steal the trophy from these top contenders?

It's more about how the performers, chosen to sing the song, sell the song to the public. You give your song to someone known to put out clunkers, you're probably going to catch that flight out of the host country the next day. Having said that, here is how I rated the performances from the 2nd semifinal: 9.67 Switzerland 9.64 Iceland (best rehearsal session used) 9.63 Bulgaria 9.51 Serbia 9.48 Greece 9.48 San Marino 9.43 Portugal 9.42 Denmark 9.41 Austria 9.41 Finland - - - - - - - - - - - - 9.32 Estonia 9.30 Albania 9.28 Georgia 9.28 Moldova 9.25 Czech Republic 9.20 Poland 9.11 Latvia When you have a song as extraordinary as "Tout L'Univers" (for which I gave a 10.0 for the music and musical arrangement, my only 10.0 since first watching this contest in 2013), you can sell it almost any way you want. Gjon and his team took the middle ground between low-key (mostly) and active. I'm glad they kept the stage mostly dark. He is my #1 overall for this contest, as was the case for last year's canceled contest. With Jóhann isolated and getting the fast track to treatment for the presence of the virus, it is one of their rehearsals that saves this band and Iceland. I wondered what they were going to do with those round portable prop keyboards. For the 3rd-straight year (including the canceled year), Iceland has proven to be serious contenders once again, the last 2 with 1980s-style retro-funk from Dađi and his band. Let's hope they're not forced to withdraw, because I expect them to finish in the top 5. The sands of time falling from the sky, and what looks to be a raft on the water. Interesting way to sell a performance; and I have no doubt that Victoria and her crew would have sold last year's song in a similar fashion. But her voice sells the song even more. She was my #2 last year and my #2 this year. This is an example of how to sell vixen. Your singing had better be as well as (if not better than) your looks. Fortunately, Sanja has been here before, proving it with her band ZAA in 2016, with a more low-key effort. "Loco Loco" is as crazy as it is good. I can't exactly call Stefania's "Last Dance" synthwave (yet), because it has bits and pieces of the late-1980s and early-1990s in it, a style that I have yet to come across at YouTube. But the lyrics are outstanding, and the CGI arrangement, excellent, something I didn't expect. The tiny city-state of San Marino (with a population of just about 35,000) seems to have finally found the formula for qualifying: (1) Ditch Ralph Siegel (who has not written or produced a worthy contender since 1999), and (2) quit being overly reliant on Valentina Monetta, who qualified in 2014 (with a Siegel song), but after 2017 has probably had her day. Who would have thought, a Turk (Serhat) with an engaging personality would save them, after failing once? Now, another (Senhit), who failed once (2011), comes back, teams up with Flo Rida and gets a production worthy of the 21st century, and has a chance to bring this tiny country to the top-half of the final standings. With a story from the point of view of a prostitute, I was not at first impressed enough that Portugal could qualify. But after watching Belgium sell their performance the old-school way and qualify (and deserve to qualify), I started to think that maybe the Black Mamba could squeeze into the final. After seeing the performance again, I was convinced that they were in. Bookies now think they could finish top-10. I thought we'd see one pure synthwave entry in the final. In Fyr og Flamme's case, it was the Europop style almost reminiscent of Modern Talking. I thought it would be a plus for them. Unfortunately I guessed wrong. This was the first all-Danish-language song sent to the contest since 1997. Wrong again, I guessed, in the case of Vincent Bueno. His less-is-more ballad approach ended up getting lost in a sea of superior ballads. I thought his singing would be more than enough to squeeze into the final. Finland and metal; perfect together. They bring energy and a hard-rock song to the Eurovision stage, they will qualify. Lordi (who won in 2006) and Softengine (11th in 2014) can attest to that. Can Blind Channel finish in the top-half? Will we finish with two rock bands in the top 10? Now, for the rest: For Uku Suviste, he obviously wasn't "The Lucky One" this week; and I happen to think he might have had a chance last year with "What Love Is". For Albania, songs with their cultural vibe kept intact get the public's approval way better than songs rewritten with English lyrics and the music rewritten (to its own peril) to attract a CHR audience (2014, 2016). For Anxhela, I thought she'd be forgotten in this tough semi. Tornike had a much better song last year with "Take Me As I Am". His attempt at a late-1960s-style psychedelic ballad was obviously too quiet for those who expected a sequel to his 2020 song. In the case of Natalia, this is an example of how not to vixen. The stage performance screamed cliché to me, and she's in only because of a couple of other acts whose chances of qualifying were problematic. I wouldn't be surprised if she qualified barely 9th or 10th. The last 3 were undoubtedly a mess. In Benny's case, he let the moment control him when he should have controlled the moment, something I think he might have done better with "Kemama" last year. Nonetheless, I expected better from him with "Omaga". Why did they dub so much of Rafał's singing in the track they used for the stage performance? He was singing over himself half the time! They were on the right track with the CGI in trying to sell a synthwave tune to the public, but he and his backups didn't deliver nearly as much, and I thought the Danes sold it better. OY! What can I say? Samanta was off-key half the time, for a song with lyrics that were all over the place. She and her backups hardly did anything on that stage that would keep the audience drawn to her. I hate to say it, but last year's performance might have been just as much a trainwreck, had the competition taken place.

HOLY $#!+! I nailed them all! And I thought I'd get rusty after a 2-year wait. I actually graded last year's songs and music videos. I wasn't going to let the year go to waste, not knowing how well they could've done without the virus throwing a monkey wrench into everybody's plans. Here is how I rated the first semifinal performances of this year (once again, as always, using 10 criteria): 9.57 Ukraine 9.56 Malta 9.53 Israel 9.51 Norway 9.50 Lithuania 9.49 Sweden 9.48 Russia 9.42 Cyprus 9.39 Belgium 9.32 Azerbaijan ------------------------ 9.31 Slovenia 9.29 Australia 9.28 Ireland 9.26 Croatia 9.24 North Macedonia 9.23 Romania When you take trance on a runaway train ride from progressive to psychedelic, you'd better be on your A-game. There was a point where I thought Kateryna would get tongue-tied after Go_A sped it up to full psy. I'm glad she held that last note. Destiny came ready for the big league. She entered this semi 3rd on the bookies' boards. If Italy and France show any cracks, she could be the first Junior Eurovision champ to win the big one. Her voice clearly defies her age (18). Suffer no delusions; I thought Eden would pay the price for the current situation happening in the Middle East. Be that as it may, that high note was the make-or-break moment in an excellent stage performance. For those who don't know yet, Andreas gets his stage name (Tix) from his childhood Tourette's syndrome condition, the tics. He was my number 7 going into this competition because of how well he told his story in his music video. His song was already growing on me before I took a peek at his bio. Obviously, being the first act on stage at this show, the Roop were my benchmark for this night. I have to say, that crazy dance reminded me of this... They are my #10 overall. Lithuania is the only Baltic country without a title. If they have to sing this early again, winning will be problematic. But then again, look who were in the top 5 on the bookies' boards before the show started. Showmanship and a very strong voice leave no doubt as to why Tusse (Tousin Michael Chiza) was a blowout winner at Melodifestivalen. Will that and a dark stage be enough to keep Sweden in the top 10? He was my #12 overall and the bookies' #11 before Monday's jury competition. Tell a good story (and quite an intriguing story after the translation), put on a good stage show, and you become a contender; or, in Russia's case, remain a contender. Manizha was before this contest. my #12 I've heard the song many times now, and I'm still wondering if Elena is talking about a wild boyfriend or a cocktail (or both; there is a cocktail named El Diablo). She did not try to do what Eleni Foureira (2018) or Tamta (2019) did; she did her own thing. Geike Arnaert was Hooverphonic's 4th lead vocalist, from 1997 to 2008. When the group was selected for this contest last year, Luka Cruysberghs was the lead (their 6th), for the song "Release Me", which I thought would have qualified for the final. This year, before the contest, just after Geike's return to the group for "The Wrong Place", they were my #34 and a likely non-qualifier. Bookies thought so, too. But amid all the CGI and (non-cultural) fancy clothing, absolutely nothing beats an O.G. stage setup when it is done right! With the band and background singer covering all 4 corners, and Geike in the middle, on a dark stage with screen images that look like they came from a VHS player, this is as old-school as you can get. They deserved to qualify. It takes more than a run-of-the-mill dance routine to qualify. The Roop gave us something we have rarely (if ever) seen. Efendi and her backups, we've seen that many times before. Her qualification was definitely song-and-music-driven. As for the non-qualifiers, in this semifinal it comes down to (1) the qualifiers having better stage performances, and (2) the unfortunate hard luck of having better songs last year and never getting a chance to present them on stage. Five of the 6 (with the exception of Croatia) are holdovers from last year's roster; and in my evaluations of last year's songs and videos, I figure that Romania, Slovenia, Australia and North Macedonia would have qualified with last year's songs. Roxen, in particular, had lots of trouble trying to stay on key. What remains to be seen is if my order of ranking is in the same order as the scores from the contest. We'll obviously find out on Sunday.

Immensely long time since I've been to this site. I'm busy with other things right now, but I will watch the recorded broadcast after midnight, and grade them as usual. For now, my top 10 overall picks are the following: (1) Switzerland; (2) Bulgaria; (3) France; (4) Iceland; (5) Italy; (6) Malta; (7) Norway; (8) Ukraine; (9) Israel; (10) Lithuania.

Crap. On Halloween, everything was working as it usually does... :sorcerer: I come back a month later, and the whole place is shot to hell! :o All my Eurovision commentaries and Idol top 10/12/13/14 rankings (both of which I prize the most here), gone! :x :'( Are you sure the backup got smashed to pieces? Or do you have a backup and you're having problems reconfiguring it all for this rebooted site?