Eurovision 2024: Semi Final 1

 Tonight the first group of nations will be performing and this will be the first that the public see of their 'real' chances as they take to the live stage instead of just being in a much-rehearsed video, auto-tuned recording or, at the other extreme. some poorly-produced party acts at various venues beforehand.

We can confidently expect Croatia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Ireland to qualify and, regrettably, idiots will vote for the awful Finland's Windows 95 man too. No-one else has a hope in hell of winning so it's pretty pointless to worry too much about who else gets through.

Serbia was the one nation in the rest that I originally thought had a good song but its chances have been at 1000-1 for a long time now so clearly the singer hasn't done very well other than in the video.

Cyprus have a pretty girl and excellent dancer who one would expect to get through but it seems her song is very much like another track released before so no-one is giving her a great deal of love. Just because she can sing and dance well, though, I'd quite like to see Cyprus qualify, at least.

Australia's performers and stage crew have come a long way so it's a shame to send them back to the other side of the world where it's autumn and getting chilly but they really have a rubbish entry that does not deserve to be heard again.

Slovenia have a smart singer, Raiven, who is said to be a witch but she'll need no special spells to get through, just a few more votes than the handful that most of her other remnant competitors will receive. 

Moldova have made virtually ever Final they've gone for and always seem to do far better with the public than anyone ever expects. So, despite their 1000-1 odds, my guess is that they'll make it though once more.

Iceland have been popular at Eurovision ever since they didn't win in COVID times and, of course, due to the excellent film. Goodness knows what happened this year, however, with a dreadful woman singing notes that I don't recognise in a very messy performance.

Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Poland and Portugal just leave me with nothing to say. They're just not tracks I would ever want to play again. Not as bad as Iceland or Australia but just boring or of no consequence whatsoever. Poland have a lot of voters so maybe that will get them through. Having Azerbaijan and Armenia in the same show could be troublesome so someone may fiddle the figures to keep Azerbaijan out as Armenia are pretty sure to qualify on Thursday. On the other hand, Baku bosses have pots of money to help their nation get its name on the screen so it really is anyone's guess. Whatever the case it won't matter much.

So, if I have to pick 10 to qualify it will be:

Croatia | Ukraine | Lithuania | Finland | Ireland | Cyprus | Moldova | Slovenia | Serbia | Poland

Update:

OK 8/10 isn't too bad!

Through to Saturday's Final are:

Croatia | Ukraine | Lithuania | Finland | Ireland | Cyprus | Slovenia | Serbia | Portugal | Luxembourg

Particularly strong performances by Croatia, Ukraine, Serbia and Portugal, the last one earning their place although still definitely not a winner. Ireland were pretty good but could have been presented better by the camera people and I am not so sure the dress stripping worked. However, you did get the genuine sense that they could actually win, everyone else fading slightly in comparison for one reason or another. Ukraine were divine and if they can reproduce that quality then they must be contenders. Croatia remain favourites, though, with a very professional performance and one really does have to hope that they steal many of the slightly Eurostuff votes from the awful Finland and Netherlands to keep them out of the running whilst not getting too many.

The Jury votes will have gone mainly to Portugal, Serbia and Ukraine.

Eurovision 2024

For a change there is no clear favourite this year so much will depend upon how well some of the best acts do on stage and at rehearsals in the last few days. The national juries, remember, vote on a special 'Jury Performance' which is never quite the same as we see in the Final. They also tend to award points more for the 'Song' part rather than the 'Eurovision' part of the Contest whereas there will always be some acts which gather thousands of votes by being just Eurotrash, very camp, very silly or just for reasons no-one ever quite understands.

The acts this year fall into some quite distinct categories: pop songs, ballads, dramatic performance stuff, Euro-nonsense and oddities.

Pop songs / chart material

Italy

A fairly good song with an excellent performer who we can probably rely upon to do well on the live stage. The girl is a good and experienced singer and dancer and will certainly attract a lot of interest and votes. It is a possible winner if her competitors don't quite make it on the night but not strong enough really to take the win on its own merits.

United Kingdom

Pretty typical chart stuff which is fairly pleasant as long as you don't look at the dancers or even Olly for that matter. He's a good singer but whoever put what appears to be the set and stage together for this needs their head examined as it just looked dreadful in rehearsals. The well-written song and good vocals by Olly should keep the British well away from the bottom this year. They're predicted to make Top Ten at the time of writing this but I have my doubts about that. But they will not be bottom as there really are some awful acts this year.

Greece

Another good and experienced girl performer but this song has not moved very well from video to stage. It's quite forgettable too. Greece will be quite popular and may make the Top 10 but it's not the best of the pop song group so will be likely to be beaten by the others.

Austria

For those who love rave dance music this is the one and it does stand out as such with nothing to match it. I can see it being a summer hit across Europe but it's not likely to get many Jury votes. If the girl really gets a good backing and the performance is as strong as some of the videos we've seen then it stands a good chance of a Top 5 but I have a feeling she will just be a bit thin and weak vocally, or it will all sound a bit tired, on the night. One to watch and enjoy, though, if you like that sort of thing.

Armenia

Another pretty girl from the old USSR who dances and sings along merrily and in a quite old-fashioned almost 60s style. I don't really know what to make of this and it's no winner but I can see a number of countries backing this one and a good result in the top half of the board.

Sweden

Looks like Sweden have picked a poor act this year, reminiscent of one of the UK's acts when they put on a couple of X Factor lads who were voted out at week 6. It's a pop song and there are some good-looking young lads dancing but it is very, very average and the bookies have already written off its chances. For a Swedish entry, that's bad.

Lithuania

This one sneaks in as it is kinda memorable for no particular reason. Lithuania often surprise us with a gentle track that is performed well and no-one expects it to get as many votes as it does. I see this one doing quite well but can't really tell you why other than the chap singing is quite pleasant and the track moves along insistently. But it's not going to win.

Ballads

France

There is really only one ballad and that is France, again, showing super quality with this selection. A big chap with a big voice and a classic love song belted out at full volume. It could have been issued at almost any time in the last 60 years and made the charts - and that's its negative as well as positive aspects. Some people will just let it waft over them, others will just not like this old-fashioned sort of thing while others will respect the performance if it is good and the Jury votes will be pretty strong, if not the top. So there will be a good level of votes for this from the Jury and also from those who like these big numbers as there will be none others to vote for. That could have a significant impact on the results where other acts get split support and allow France through.

Having said that, the guy's first performances that I've seen have been excellent but recent rehearsals show him on less than top form and I wonder how well he will actually do on the night. France had another superb ballad some years ago which ought to have won but teh singer simply didn't get things right on the night and it fared very badly.

Israel

This is a good song which would make the charts here if issued and it will get plenty of votes for the performance and the singer but only from those people who are not influenced by all that is going on in the world at the moment. Whereas we can expect Ukraine to benefit from the appalling behaviour of Russia in its continued advances across their country, there seems little sympathy for Israel now in the Eurovision community. This is a pity because it will undoubtedly have an impact on the singer's chances and many people will not want to be seen supporting her, despite the fact that she is one of the best in the show.

Drama

Ukraine

Ukraine nearly always manage to bring strong emotion into their tracks and this one is bursting with it. Coupled with what looks on first viewing to be an impressive staging, it is all down to how well the voices sound on the night. This is an anthemic type of track that really can only come from Ukraine and one girl's voice is superb. If she can repeat some of her recent performances when it matters and people are voting than this has a god chance of winning. It will get a reasonable Jury vote and a large Public vote and, if it doesn't manage the win then it ought to be Top 5 for sure.

Norway

This is one of most impressive performances of all - something Norway do well. It is all about the lead woman singer, though, and whether the whole thing carries the weight and strength that it needs. It is a vast performance with a lot going on, almost irrelevantly, in the background. People will either love it or hate it, depending upon whether the crazy drums and guitars come out on top or the great song itself. At the moment it looks like rehearsals have not gone well and the track is dropping down the bookies' charts like a stone, along with Sweden, Belgium and Armenia. It still has a chance, though, in my book. One to watch.

Georgia

I don't know a great deal about this one other than that there is a pretty girl and lots of fire going on. It has a bit of Cyprus's Fuego going on, therefore, which aways goes down well. I do not think there is a hope in hell that we'll be off to Tbilisi this time next year, though, but it should make the cut to be in the Final.

Belgium

'Wait till the party is over' gets repeated more times than I think the jury voters will like, despite it being in tune and well sung. This is a heavy song thrown at us by the guy on the stage but you do wish someone had taught him some of the other lyrics. At one point this was Top 5 with the bookies but even they seem to have got bored.

Euro-nonsense and oddities

Croatia

This was favourite almost since it was released, occasionally switching places with Switzerland. It's the one everyone says will win if you like Eurotrash. It's not bad Eurotrash, though, merely extremely repetitive and catchy therefore. The performer seems good and it is definitely going to do well. It will all be down to the Public vote on this as it won't get a big Jury vote but I just feel it will get enough to climb over the other potential winners at the end.

Netherlands

Now this is dreadful stuff about Euro-papa and is the sort of thing we can do without in the competition. It may be more of an oddity now I think about it. Unfortunately, the mad voters seem to be likely to vote for this, according to the bookies who had it in second place at one point. I think it may now have dawned on them now, though, that it could split the votes for this sort of stuff and so damage its own chances as well as Croatia's and Finland's. Good.

Finland

This is Windows95 man, who has had to have his T-shirt blurred in case we all rush out to buy the old Microsoft software. It's rubbish and looks awful, maybe as bad a Olly's lot. Regrettably it may well qualify as there is so much other terribly stuff to compete with and there are always votes for this crap.

Ireland

Now this is about as weird as it gets with this strange girl at one moment all sweet and gentle and the next a nasty-looking thug, hence the name Bambie Thug, presumably. Ireland have been really unlucky in recent years failing to qualify too often or with rather underwhelming performances of otherwise good tracks when they do. As it happens, this entry will qualify as it is at least vaguely interesting, or shocking or something people will remember in a group that has very few others anyone would want to see in the final. It is forecast at present to make not just Top 10 but is vying with France and the Netherlands for the 5th place. Personally I think it may struggle to make 10th with what is likely to be a very poor Jury vote and simply not enough weird fans across Europe and its environs to make up for that.

Switzerland

This is actually one of the favourites to win. Ever since the young lad performed this difficult track live and showed that he was a real competitor rather than just making some point about being trans or some sort of unidentified gender the bookies have put him at or near the top. There is serious talent here but slightly oddly presented for those of us not in the gay-trans-whatever world. It will go down very well as a topic with the vast majority of fans and it will also benefit considerably from the Jury vote which I reckon will be very large, simply out of acknowledgement of the guy's talent as a singer and performer. So, with both Jury and Public vote boxes well-ticked it really does stand a chance.

The only reason Switzerland may not win will be if, on the night, he doesn't quite get the performance right, is placed in a poor spot for voters to recall the track in the order of performance or, of course, there is a large audience of what I'll call 'ordinary' voters who simply don't get it and vote for Croatia / Netherlands or Ukraine / Italy instead.

The others

I have listed just sixteen here. There will be one or two others joining them like Germany and Spain but you can forget them now. They're awful entries by nations who seem to have give up on this. Germany have a bloke dressed in a rough old coat who sings and looks very much like the chap we put in a few years ago in a rough old coat and who came last. They could well take the last place once more in a terrible record for them over the last few years. Spain have a strange woman of a certain age singing some sort of pop song which just does not work at all. How on earth they chose that is beyond me.

All these others are at 1000-1 so that tells you quite a lot. One or two may get through the qualifying rounds and so I'll talk about them if any make it. Cyprus is probably the best of the lot but I have heard no-one being nice about the song which people seem to think is a copy of something else. She and the Maltese girl are both very good-looking and pretty impressive dancers from what I have seen, with vaguely reasonable pop songs too.

Eurovision 2023: Results

Here are last year's Jury and Public votes:

First, the Public votes:

And here are the Jury votes:

So, left to the public, the pretty mad and Euro-trash Finland entry would have been the easy winner. This explains how Croatia and Netherlands are expected to do well this year.

Only Sweden, Italy, Israel and Finland actually appear in both Top 10s. That is how mad the system can be. 

See how Spain were the bottom in the Public vote but placed 9th by the Jury.

Eurovision 2023 Update

Here are my last few thoughts about each of the Final competitors - in the order they will appear tonight.

Austria

Austria have possibly one of the most odd song themes of the night. Not as odd as Serbia's insistence on hygiene last year but to have Edgar Allen Poe as a ghost influencing what you write is weird enough for me. Having said that Serbia did very well last year and Austria's two women can sing well and the whole thing is well-constructed. Not enough to win, though, despite the attempt at a catchy Poe Poe Poe which just sounds wrong to me in English!

Portugal

One of those songs that grow on you. This started off at 1000-1 and no-one expected it to qualify but the singer keeps putting on good performances and it could be quite classy if she gets it all right on the night. She is known to miss notes and it can get messy in the middle so who knows what will happen? Not a lot, I suspect.

Switzerland

Another that was not expected to make the final. The song builds up but the singer hasn't much personality and I'm not so sure that its pacifist text will suit the mood at the moment. Forgettable and, whilst it may appear quite high in Jury votes at the start, don't expect a huge number of extra votes later from the public.

Poland

Now here's a good pop song - first of the night that you could imagine hearing on your radio, if anyone has a radio these days. A commercial number that is going to get plenty of public votes but probably very few from the national juries. So expect to see this leap up from the right side of the board to a fairly high finish position.

A bit of a poor copy of Cyprus from a couple of years ago and the girl is inclined to make mistakes too which may reduce her chances but I am expecting a Top 10 for her.

Serbia

This is pretty awful and I never expect much from a bloke lying on his back either. It's another track that had no right to get past the Semi Final stage but, as part of a group of totally useless entries, it somehow was less bad than enough of the others to get through. Forget this one and go make some tea or something until it's finished.

France

A class act from France. If the girl gets all the notes right and puts on one of her better performances then this should go down well. Expect to see her right up there with the leaders on the left hand side of the board at the start, with good national jury votes. Everything depends on how much support she then gets from the public at large. I don't think she'll get enough but should make Top 5.

Cyprus

Big ballad and this is a difficult song to sing so the bloke will get some decent votes from juries but I suspect very little more after that. One to forget.

Spain

Spain try a bit of ethnic stuff to pull in a few more votes and this should get plenty of support from the East and some Balkan places. It is quite a complex construction, certainly not very sing-a-long and that may damage its final result as it isn't something we'll remember when it comes to making the call. It deserves Top 10 but that's as far as it's likely to get.

Sweden

By far and away the favourite to win this year, it seems that everyone is expecting another Euphoria. It does have distinct similarities too but it remains just a shadow of that song. Despite Loreen's excellent performance and vocals - and she is head and shoulders and finger nails above almost everyone else in this competition - this is not something you'll be singing in the weeks ahead or seeing high in the charts. Having said that, a second-rate Euphoria is quite capable of winning tonight with such generally lousy competition.

Albania

This song has lurked at the bottom of all the betting lists at 1000-1 ever since betting on the track began. I don't really know why as is it not that bad and nothing like as tedious as many that you'll hear tonight. It's not something I particularly like but the family do make a decent job of hitting the notes and it is well-constructed and performed. No, it's not going to win but it won't come bottom either.

Italy

This was my original tip to win. I am still hopeful as it is an excellent, if slightly old-fashioned, ballad and the guy can sing well. Unfortunately, he doesn't always have the dramatic presence which he has had in early shows and in his YouTube version. Live on stage he often loses confidence and it hurts the song which has to be spot-on to work. If he got things right last night (when the Jury Vote took place) then I would expect to see him near the top of the table when voting starts. He is also likely to be a big hit with the public and is one of the very few rivals that Loreen has this year.

Estonia

This is quite a good performance of a reasonably good song. The National Juries will like it and it should start with a position not far out of the Top 10 on the board. However, I don't see many votes coming in from the public afterwards so it will slowly drift down and land up in the rather forgettable area in the bottom half of the competition.

Finland

According to the bookies, if Sweden don't win then Finland will as they are the only act anywhere close in betting odds terms. I don't like this at all and it doesn't even strike me as good Eurotrash, as Eurotrash it certainly is with the bizarre green outfit, very ugly supporting act with what could be some of the most awful dental replacements in history. Naturally, it will get bags of votes from those who do like this sort of stuff and there can be enough of them some years to make the difference between coming 5th and 1st. This year, I feel that the public will still prefer Loreen or even Ukraine to this appalling act but I have to recognise that the bookies do do their research and have a good reason for the odds being so low.

My guess is that Finland will be way out of the running when the results are first shown but, like Moldova last year, will fly into third or fourth place, maybe even take the lead briefly when the public votes are announced.

Czechia

Here is a group singing in close harmony and that can either work very well or not at all. With some modern break-like stuff in the mix and even a bit of Netta's song from a few years ago thrown in for good measure, this track has a chance of doing well. Not that well, though. It has a great atmosphere when presented well and that may attract a good Jury vote. For the public, though, I see this as finishing just outside the Top 10.

Australia

A bunch of old blokes doing old bloke music, the heavy stuff, like old blokes do. They look pretty awful but don't sound that bad. Australia have tried every genre so far as they attempt to score in Europe but so far they seem to be going from bad to worse. Not memorable, not particularly likely to score and not something that's going to win so go make tea or something.

Belgium

For some reason this has become popular overnight. Belgium were in the 1000-1 club a few days ago and expected not to be in the Final at all. However, somehow, possibly because everyone else is so bad, this bloke gets through and starts getting a lot of support. Imagine Boy George crossed with a few other gay icons from the 80s and this is your guy tonight. Very average singing a very average song but maybe there is nothing else for the gay community to root for tonight. Eminently forgettable but expect to see him get a good public vote but very little from the juries first.

Armenia

One of the other good pop songs from an attractive and talented girl. Armenia tend to do well with this sort of track and I would expect to see them at the bottom of the Top 10 or thereabouts when all is said and done tonight.

Moldova

We rely on Moldova to give us something by way of a surprise or just good fun at Eurovision. Not so much by way of good fun as this is actually a ballad and not some people messing around as usual. It could be a good ballad too if the bloke is sober and on the ball this evening. He's done some good performances but also some pretty useless ones so who knows what he'll manage tonight. Jury-wise, I suspect that he won't have had much credit so much will depend on the public. In the past Moldova have had a massive amount of support but this year I don't see them giving enough to put Moldova higher than around 5th or 6th at best.

The bookies still have them at 1000-1,

Ukraine

Last year's winners do not have a great entry this year. It's a pity as they could have won again with something impressive. Whilst the National Jury will not reward them at all highly for the performance or vocals the public will probably give them another massive amount of support and we should see them hoisted right up in the first three. There is just a chance that this could be enough to beat Sweden and Finland. Finland, maybe, but Sweden I think unlikely. It could all come down to just how many votes separate them at the start. Whatever the case, though, Loreen has by far the better song, as do Spain, Poland, France, Italy, Israel and even UK.

Norway

This has always been high in the bookies' lists - consistently around 6th. It is a quite anthemic type of track from a quite aggressive-looking girl and has a catchy type of chorus as it goes. It just doesn't strike me as a winning song. It will get good votes from the National Juries but not a lot after that. Top 10 maybe but I feel the bookies are optimistic there.

Germany

Awful loud rubbish I don't want to watch or listen to.

Lithuania

Despite this being in the 1000-1 club, I have a feeling that Lithuania could be one of those 'dark horse' entries which surprise us by getting lot more support than we expect. I think it deserves a top 10 position. Not a winner, I guess, but there is something quite strong about this which I believe could come across on the night and have some influence on people as they decide to vote. Coming, as she does, near the end is a bonus too and likely to mean she stays in voters' minds.

Israel

The other genuine pop song tonight. And it's quite good although the lyrics are a bit weird. The girl is a talented and experienced performer and should be relied upon to put on a good show and stay pretty much in tune. She'll get good votes from the National Jury people and I expect to see Israel right up there at the start of voting. Israel may not attract that much support after that, though. so may drift down the table a bit. I would still say they ought to be Top 5 but it may be that the idiot Finland group or sympathy for Ukraine edges out Israel.

Slovenia

This is really the only 'normal' group in the competition that, coupled with their position near the end, could be helpful in getting plenty of public votes. I don't expect they'll start off with many from the National Juries and will not be able to amass enough extra from their group supporters out there to take them into the Top 10 but maybe they'll have a decent finish at around 11th.

Croatia

This is the other Eurotrash entry this year and will be well supported for its stance on weapons and all that jazz. Pretty much rubbish but it this stuff always gets votes. I suspect they have zero from the National Jury vote at the start and then we'll see a good hefty number added which might catapult them to the left hand side of the board for a while. that's about it, though.

United Kingdom

Mae Muller has a reasonable enough single which made about 27 in the charts here. If that's all it can do here, though, then don't expect it to do much more abroad. We should get some credit for the help we're giving Ukraine and also as hosts - that's just the way it goes as the public tend to think about the host country and decide to give them a few points almost regardless of the quality of their entry.

This is not great and Mae is not a great singer and lacks the sort of personality needed to attract people back to voting for us. I don't hold out much hope, I'm afraid, but we won't come last, at least.

Winner

Sweden or Ukraine

Top 5

Italy Finland Israel

Top 10

France Poland Spain Armenia Moldova

Dark horses

Lithuania Czechia

Other possible top half

Austria Norway Estonia Portugal Slovenia Albania Belgium 

No hope

UK Australia Cyprus Croatia Switzerland Serbia Germany

Eurovision 2023

 It's Eurovision time again and, at last, we have all the entries released for the competition.

As usual there are some terrible attempts at a song and most of these have already received the dreaded 1000-1 odds and I shall not even bother to mention them. At the other end of the talent spectrum, however, there are some decent entries which deserve a few plays.

The big news, I suppose, is that Loreen, Sweden's winner in 2014 with the wonderful Euphoria, is back this year and is, by some margin, the favourite at the moment. She is a good performer and you just know that she will not miss a step or a note on stage either so I cannot imagine that she'll not be in the Top 5 at the end, scoring heavily with both judges for the performance and the public amongst which she has many fans who'll vote for anything she does. The winner? Maybe. I'd like to say definitely not but she has the whole package and all I can fault is that the song is not Euphoria. It doesn't stick in your mind like that did. It doesn't last. But that may not matter on the night.

Last year's winners, Ukraine, have a reasonable enough entry but it's no winner on its own merits. They'll do well, I think, again this year with many people just wanting to help the country after what will have been a year and a quarter of devastation and upset. With many millions now resident in countries other than their own there will be many votes being dialled in so they'll be up there - but Top 10 rather than a win.

The United Kingdom came second last year with the excellent Sam Ryder's Spaceman and we do seem to have found ourselves again after years of mediocrity. Mae Muller is another new person to us all but she is modern and has a great song that suits Eurovision. Many people expect this year to have a female winner and I'd like to say she stands a chance. The bookmakers don't, putting her a predicted 8th at 65-1, well out of the usual range for a possible winner. However, it is quite early days still and I shall not write her off on the grounds of her odds yet. If she can perform the song well live then, as predicted, she'll be Top 10 and I'm inclined to make her one of my possible winners. It's nice to say that again about a UK entry! I also believe the world takes a better view of the UK now and is more prepared to vote for us than might have been the case a few years ago.

Finland have one of the dreadful songs that isn't rated 1000-1 but, in fact, nearer 6-1 as the second favourite. It's not something that I can see a lot of people liking and it will almost certainly get forgotten afterwards but I'll accept that it has some catchy Cha Cha Cha lines which will get some votes. It's quite heavy too and a change from all the pop singer girls. Bookmakers are seldom massively wrong, though, and this is being talked about a lot so I guess it'll be another Top 10.

Norway are at 23-1 with a quite dramatic woman singing about Queen of Kings and belting it out big time. It's Eurovision and, in the absence of many other big songs it will garner votes from those who like this style. I'm not at all sure about her hitting all the right notes, though, so much will depend on the rehearsals as to whether Norway stay in the Waiting Room - what I call that area between possible winners and mere hopefuls. I don't see a win for Norway at all. Even Top 10 could be a struggle.

Spain are also dramatic with the strangely titled EAEA which is not exactly a sing-a-long number this year. It's a strong performance, though, with plenty of Balkan-sounding noises to help pull in some more votes. Spain either do very well or very badly. This year I see them doing very well but not quite winning.

Israel have a good pop song to rival Mae Mullers. It's something about a Unicorn and runs along nicely. I reckon if something like this is going to win then it'll be Mae Muller who gets the more votes of these two. But Israel deserve a Top 10 this year.

Austria have a bit of fun with Who The Hell Is Edgar? and a song all about Edgar Allan Poe which is quite extraordinary and also very catchy. Whether the world at large will get the meaning of the clever lyrics I don't know but it's a nearly-pop song with a twist that often does well at Eurovision so another Top 10 contender in my book.

Moldova always seem to have a mass of support out there in the public voting land but don't get much from the juries as a rule. this year I reckon they should do better with the juries and they do have a decent and catchy number which ought to help them maintain a good record of positions in this competition. They might even win the thing. With the bookies giving them odds of 250-1 at the moment that's quite a statement to make but there you go. If they do, remember I told you first. It's a bloke singing on his own this year and there aren't the usual sexy girls or references to excite us or offend others but it's all about some guy wanting to 'marry' some girl in the open air under the moon and stars and maybe even the sun too. All good stuff and no doubt some crazy costumes at least

Italy is one of my own favourites this year and I would give the guy a chance of winning. At nearly 200-1 as I write, having increased every day, it would seem that the bookies know something that I don't. The song and his performance are excellent and it is a powerful number, almost unique this year which has to mean it has something extra going for it. If you want a ballad, this is a good one, sung well and it is very, very Italian which I think voters like a lot. So why it is failing in the betting market I do not know. I'm going to stick with it as a possible victor.

I am not going to bother writing about any of the others as they all much of a muchness and not at all memorable or likely to win, with one exception and that is Ireland. They are verging on the 1000-1 area at 910-1 as I write and no-one has come back from those sort of odds. Why? I think people have looked at the two groups for Semi Finals 1 and 2 and concluded that, with Ireland in a tough Group headed by Sweden, there is a distinct chance that they will not actually qualify for the Final. It would be very sad if that were to be the case as the song is very much the sort of song that should be in the competition. A real pop song with lyrics which work well for Eurovision. Yes, it's commercial and I do have a problem with it reminding me very much of One Direction at times, specially the We Are Young, er, I mean One, bit!! I wonder whether Louie Walsh was involved this year? Anyway, never mind the similarity, Ireland should be in the competition Final and they should be back in the Top 5 again. No-one seems to think they stand a chance but I'm staying with them too and hoping everyone else is proved wrong.

So that's 11 tracks that compete for the Top 10. If I had to choose one that doesn't make it I'd say Spain today.

A different world

It's becoming a very strange world and quite the opposite of what I had expected in one particular way. 

One would have thought that the internet would have provided free transmission and sharing of information and, whilst there would always be a load of rubbish on websites, it would be much more difficult for governments to succeed with propaganda and downright lies about other parts of the world.

Now we learn that students in Hong Kong will no longer be taught that the city was a British colony from 1899 to 1997. All reference to this will be deleted from textbooks and China already has in place quite impressive filters on what data can be searched and found in this respect.

We have also become familiar with what would be amusingly farcical if it were not so serious; the increasingly regular news items on Russian TV which show empty supermarket shelves across the whole of Britain, Jeremy Clarkson's comments about soon needing to consider eating children or neighbours and there being no bread anywhere here either. They, of course, also continue to accuse Ukraine of inventing stories of destruction and civilian casualties every day.

We can verify almost any news we read. Sometimes very easily, sometimes it can be a little more difficult but the conspiracy theories and most copied drama we see on Facebook or in our email inboxes seldom stand up to much investigation. It seems that people in Hong Kong, China and Russia cannot. Moreover, many prefer not to question what their governments, teachers or TV presenters tell them and the thought of making an enquiry arises less and less frequently. 

They really are now living in a different world. 

We've known North Korean people are cut off from much knowledge about what happens outside their borders but that has been the case for so long we kinda ignore it, and them, for that matter. We may eventually be able to ignore Russia but I am not at all sure about China.

Eurovision 2022. The year when Moldova came 2nd in the public vote and the UK 1st with the juries.

 A very well-run show in Turin saw Ukraine take the prize (then sell it in order to pay for some tanks!)

The overall Top 10 looked like this.

1	Ukraine	Stefania Kalush Orchestra	631
2	United Kingdom	Space Man Sam Ryder	466
3	Spain	SloMo Chanel	459
4	Sweden	Hold Me Closer Cornelia Jakobs	438
5	Serbia	In Corpore Sano Konstrakta	312
6	Italy	Brividi Mahmood & Blanco	268
7	Moldova	Trenuleţul Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers	253
8	Greece	Die Together Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord	215
9	Portugal	Saudade, saudade Maro	207
10	Norway	Give That Wolf a Banana Subwoolfer	182

This comprised two sets of scores. The national 'professional' juries' points came first. It was great to see United Kingdom at the top. Portugal were very highly placed at 5th at this stage with the Netherlands, Australia and even Azerbaijan looking as if they might have a chance.

1	United Kingdom	Space Man Sam Ryder	283
2	Sweden	Hold Me Closer Cornelia Jakobs	258
3	Spain	SloMo Chanel	231
4	Ukraine	Stefania Kalush Orchestra	192
5	Portugal	Saudade, saudade Maro	171
6	Italy	Brividi Mahmood & Blanco	158
7	Greece	Die Together Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord	158
8	Netherlands	De Diepte S10	129
9	Australia	Not the Same Sheldon Riley	123
10	Azerbaijan	Fade To Black Nadir Rustamli	103

Look at what the voting public said, though! Clearly way out in front with a massive number of votes was the Ukraine entry and it was now more a matter of who might come second. Moldova, who nearly always get precious few points from the national juries were the public's second choice! An extraordinary result for a catchy but very unlikely winning song. The other entry where the public violently disagreed with the boring old jury people was Serbia's where some woman talking about good health and appearing to wash her hands incessantly and not always in time to the music was their 4th choice. It was very catchy, though.

Spain were consistent - scoring enough to hold 3rd place in each but they were just beaten by Sam Ryder's Space Man who took 2nd place overall. I had been expecting the two ballads to do well and the public agreed with me, placing both Poland's and Estonia's entries in the top 10. They also liked the yellow and black phenomena that was Norway's crazy-looking entry, which the national juries had left lounging near the foot of the table a little earlier.

1	Ukraine	Stefania Kalush Orchestra	439
2	Moldova	Trenuleţul Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers	239
3	Spain	SloMo Chanel	228
4	Serbia	In Corpore Sano Konstrakta	225
5	United Kingdom	Space Man Sam Ryder	183
6	Sweden	Hold Me Closer Cornelia Jakobs	180
7	Norway	Give That Wolf a Banana Subwoolfer	146
8	Italy	Brividi Mahmood & Blanco	110
9	Poland	River Ochman	105
10	Estonia	Hope Stefan	98

This format lends a lot of excitement and is fascinating to see the difference between what satisfies the national juries and what the public actually pay money and vote for. I do wonder now whether we should do away with the juries and just leave the public to decide. If it means Moldova come 2nd with a pretty poor number but it's one that people like then so be it. We are talking about Eurovision, not some professional concert.