Eurovision 2012: Semifinal Voting Thoughts

So here's some initial thoughts on the semi-finals.  Obviously there will be more, as well as thoughts on the finals.  However, so far, we've had a few good performers, songs, or acts that for whatever reason don't succeed.  Some highlights (or lowlights):

Joan Franka - "You and Me" (Netherlands)

The song grew on me over the past few weeks.  It's kind of sweet, and girl with guitar can go over really well (see, eg, Soluna Samay).  But Eurovision is about 3 minute presentations and most people were probably scratching their head at the bad 1980's-Cher head dress and didn't vote for her.  It probably didn't help that the closest neighbors and traditional supporters were all in the other semifinal either.  And that's kind of a shame.

Max Jason Mai - "Don't Close Your Eyes" (Slovakia)

This was the only true rock song, and one of the better entries in my opinion.  So what happened?  Slovakia was in the semi-final with a lot of former Yugoslav and Soviet states.  Whether it was all bloc voting or just a few guitar solos too much for older voters, it just couldn't get the support it needed.  It might have fared a little better in the first semi-final, which featured more of its neighbors.

Nina Badric - "Nebo" (Croatia)

Croatia was exactly where it wanted to be:  A good song, great performer, and in a semifinal with 4 other former-Yugoslav states.  I figured three of them would get in, and I was right.  Unfortunately, when it came down to it, Croatia and Slovenia were on the outs with FYR Macedonia sneaking in.  Bloc voting giveth, and bloc voting taketh away.

Filipa Sousa - Vida Minha (Portugal)

This was the complete opposite boat than Croatia.  A nice song with great traditional overtones, in a semi-final of Eastern European countries.  Neighbor Spain voted in the other semi-final, which probably didn't help Portugal break up the eastern blocs.

Pernilla Karlsson - "När jag blundar" (Finland)

A rather pretty little song from Finland (we've come a long way from Lordi) that against just didn't get the support it needed.  While Greece and Iceland have given Finland a lot of points over the years, it probably didn't help that Sweden, Norway, and Estonia (other traditional supporters) were in the other semi-final.  Also am I the only one who thought the first semi-final was pretty stacked?

Valentina Monetta - "The Social Network Song" (San Marino)

Again, my bias is showing, but I loved this song.  It was fun, cheeky, upbeat, and satirical, and Monetta was great to watch in the lead up.  Obviously the voters just didn't get it.  Europe's loss.

I'm sure we can analyze the voting until the cows come home.  What are your thoughts?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 2

Now that we've taken a brief look at Pot 1, let's take a look at Pot 2 for the 2012 Eurovision song contest. 

For those of you unaware, countries are divided into pots based on how those countries voted in the past and then the half of each pot competes in each semi-final.  Combining this with the critiques of block voting, it's easy to see why, for the most part, the countries in each Pot have similar demographics, including language and ethnicity.  While Pot 1 was made of states that were formerly part of Yugoslavia, today's Pot features Baltic and Scandanavian countries.

Denmark
First Appearance:  1957
Highest Place:  1st (1963, 2000)

Soluna Samay - "Should've Known Better"

Samay was born in Guatemala and did not emigrate to Denmark until 2000.  She is one of the youngest competitors, and her personal introduction, a capella singing, and use of her winning performance in Denmark all seems geared towards reaching the youth vote.  The song is catchy, she sings well, and I appreciate that she plays her own instruments.  While she has the whole hip, young superstar thing going (dare we say, we could totally see this as a winning song on American Idol), I do suggest that she gets a better outfit.  Current betting odds place her in the top 5.

Estonia
First Appearance:  1994
Highest Place:  1st (2001)

Ott Lepland - "Kuula"

Lepland won the Estonian version of Pop Idol and has the vocal talets to prove it.  Lepland certainly gets props for writing his own song (translation available here).  At first I was a bit bored, but to be honest, the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me.  I could see it either doing very well or falling into the bottom for just being "nice" (then again, Azerbaijan rode nice all the way to a win last year.)

Finland
First Appearance:  1961
Highest Place:  1st (2006)

Pernilla Karlsson - "Nar Jag Blundar"

A nice little minimalist piece from one of the youngest contestants.  It will probably grow on me, but I didn't necessarily like it or dislike it.  Interesting bit of trivia though:  The song, although from Finland, is sung in Swedish (translation available here).  Although Finnish is primarily spoken in Finland, Sweden is one of the two official languages of the country, and Swedish is the native language of 5.39% of of population.

Iceland
First Appearance:  1986
Highest Place:  2nd (1999, 2009)

Gréta Salóme and Jónsi - "Never Forget"

Is it me, or does Iceland seem to always send great songs year after year, and this is the second Icelandic guy/girl act in 5 years (Euroband competed in 2008).  There isn't much to complain about here (let's not get started on how beautiful the country is), and as a bonus, not only did Salóme write and compose the song, she plays the violin as well.  Not to be outdone, Jónsi competed for Iceland in 2004, placing 19th.  With so much success without winning, could this be Iceland's year? 

Norway
First Appearance:  1960
Highest Place:  1st (1985, 1995, 2009)

Tooji - "Stay"

The first of many high energy pop dance songs, this one featuring a former model and MTV host who certainly can dance and put on a show.  This is type of thing that audiences love and expect a high placement (it certainly worked for Eric Saade in 2011, who wound up in 3rd).  It's pretty infectious to boot.  Two bits of trivia:  Tooji was born in Iran but moved to Norway at the age of one, and he also co-wrote his own song.

Sweden
First Appearance:  1958
Highest Place:  1st (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999)

Loreen - "Euphoria"

Another dance number from the country that brought you Eurovision's most famous winners, Abba.  According to the betting odds, this is the clear favorite to win, and with its upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics, it's a pretty safe bet this will do well.  Interesting note, the producer for this song also produced "Stay" from Norway.  And one last thing:  Loreen, lose the house coat.  Seriously.

So there we have it, our second pot and there's not really a bad song in here.  While the odds are still in Sweden's favor, here's hoping this is Iceland's year.

What is your favorite act from Pot 2?