Eurovision Season 2018: 4 Weeks to go...
Yesterday was another milestone in the Eurovision world as it marked us being a month away from the Grand Final and a month away from crowning the next Eurovision winner! Whilst I am fairly certain that I don't have many regular readers who aren't family or friends (Thanks for reading this guys) I still feel a need to apologise for a lack of posts. This has mainly been due to me in the thick of my dissertation which is due for submission in a couple of weeks. However, as I am fairly confident with the position it's in, I thought I might check back in here with some insights as we go into the final month of the season!
Running Order
Not going to lie, I was pretty chuffed to see many of my predictions bang on the money for this one! Cyprus close the first semi as predicted, Norway open the second semi as predicted and Iceland get the first semi's golden deadly second slot! Winners from the draw in the first semi include Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland & Cyprus whilst the draw did no favours for Iceland, Belarus & Macedonia. Winners from the draw from the second semi include Norway, Sweden, Slovenia & Ukraine whilst not being particularly helpful to Romania, Denmark & Georgia. It is worth noting however that the running order means much more in the final than it does in the semis.
No Video Screens
Now maybe I am just completely inept on my tech knowledge but I didn't realise when it was announced that there would be no LEDs on the Lisbon stage that this also meant no video screens. In any case, finally coming to realise that makes me realise that we are in for a very interesting show in Lisbon the like of which will give this year a unique identity. It adds a challenge to national final performances that included video screens. One of these includes my favourite from the United Kingdom, a song that I love but one where the result on the night will be extremely driven by the staging. I am fascinated to see what the BBC choose to do with it! Likewise, it will be interesting to see how the contemporary feel of Israel's voice looper contrasts with the elegant industrial staging. We're in for a treat and one that will potentially define future Eurovision stages particularly with countries who choose not to spend a lot of money hosting the contest.
Prediction Changes
Since my entry on my initial Eurovision predictions, I have had some time to gauge the reactions of friends, family and fellow Eurovision fans. There aren't many changes I want to make to my predictions, but I do want to change the following: Austria have been gaining traction with their entry over the last few weeks. I feel that I have to include them in my list of qualifiers and as much as it pains me to say it, FYR Macedonia have to make way as the running order was not kind to them. My changes on the second semi are also running order-related with Russia and Hungary making way for Norway and Slovenia. My updated qualifiers list will be as follows:
Semi Final 1
Israel
Estonia
Czech Republic
Bulgaria
Finland
Belgium
Lithuania
Cyprus
Azerbaijan
Austria
Semi Final 2
Sweden
Serbia
Moldova
Netherlands
Australia
Ukraine
Denmark
Georgia
Norway
Slovenia
As for the final, please ignore all of my predictions. This development on staging means that it isn't so easy to see what every country will choose to do with the unique stage. The results will very much hinge on how the staging goes particularly for the big 5 + Portugal because it will be the first time their song is performed live to Europe! I will be able to make some final predictions once we see how each performance looks in Lisbon.
The Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is...
One thing I can say with certainty about this year is that we will have the most surprising result since 2011. As much as I admit that Israel will do very well this year, I predict them to come second. Of the other chasing pack, there are many good songs in there that will pack out the top 10 but few of them have the stomach and the WOW moment that a Eurovison winner needs. However, once the televote and jury vote has been split across Europe, I would like to predict that the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will be... Spain. I have a feeling the Spanish will stage this very well on the night, I have a feeling that certainly the televoters will connect into the young love conquers all vibe that Amaia and Alfred sell every time they sing the song and I think that it will attract votes from all around Europe even amongst the juries if the staging is classy enough and the vocals are on point (not to mention a good running order position). I have done an article on what it would mean for the favourites of this year to host Eurovision next year, but it goes without saying that the Spanish would relish the chance to host Eurovision in 2019 especially given their poor results in recent years. If they do win, my guess is that they will choose to host the contest in Barcelona but we are still a way's away from having that conversation!
These are my thoughts on this stage of the contest. Let me know your thoughts, opinions and predictions in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to the blog for more content (of which there will be much more as we wind down towards the live shows). Thanks for reading!
Running Order
Not going to lie, I was pretty chuffed to see many of my predictions bang on the money for this one! Cyprus close the first semi as predicted, Norway open the second semi as predicted and Iceland get the first semi's golden deadly second slot! Winners from the draw in the first semi include Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland & Cyprus whilst the draw did no favours for Iceland, Belarus & Macedonia. Winners from the draw from the second semi include Norway, Sweden, Slovenia & Ukraine whilst not being particularly helpful to Romania, Denmark & Georgia. It is worth noting however that the running order means much more in the final than it does in the semis.
No Video Screens
Now maybe I am just completely inept on my tech knowledge but I didn't realise when it was announced that there would be no LEDs on the Lisbon stage that this also meant no video screens. In any case, finally coming to realise that makes me realise that we are in for a very interesting show in Lisbon the like of which will give this year a unique identity. It adds a challenge to national final performances that included video screens. One of these includes my favourite from the United Kingdom, a song that I love but one where the result on the night will be extremely driven by the staging. I am fascinated to see what the BBC choose to do with it! Likewise, it will be interesting to see how the contemporary feel of Israel's voice looper contrasts with the elegant industrial staging. We're in for a treat and one that will potentially define future Eurovision stages particularly with countries who choose not to spend a lot of money hosting the contest.
Prediction Changes
Since my entry on my initial Eurovision predictions, I have had some time to gauge the reactions of friends, family and fellow Eurovision fans. There aren't many changes I want to make to my predictions, but I do want to change the following: Austria have been gaining traction with their entry over the last few weeks. I feel that I have to include them in my list of qualifiers and as much as it pains me to say it, FYR Macedonia have to make way as the running order was not kind to them. My changes on the second semi are also running order-related with Russia and Hungary making way for Norway and Slovenia. My updated qualifiers list will be as follows:
Semi Final 1
Israel
Estonia
Czech Republic
Bulgaria
Finland
Belgium
Lithuania
Cyprus
Azerbaijan
Austria
Semi Final 2
Sweden
Serbia
Moldova
Netherlands
Australia
Ukraine
Denmark
Georgia
Norway
Slovenia
As for the final, please ignore all of my predictions. This development on staging means that it isn't so easy to see what every country will choose to do with the unique stage. The results will very much hinge on how the staging goes particularly for the big 5 + Portugal because it will be the first time their song is performed live to Europe! I will be able to make some final predictions once we see how each performance looks in Lisbon.
The Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is...
One thing I can say with certainty about this year is that we will have the most surprising result since 2011. As much as I admit that Israel will do very well this year, I predict them to come second. Of the other chasing pack, there are many good songs in there that will pack out the top 10 but few of them have the stomach and the WOW moment that a Eurovison winner needs. However, once the televote and jury vote has been split across Europe, I would like to predict that the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will be... Spain. I have a feeling the Spanish will stage this very well on the night, I have a feeling that certainly the televoters will connect into the young love conquers all vibe that Amaia and Alfred sell every time they sing the song and I think that it will attract votes from all around Europe even amongst the juries if the staging is classy enough and the vocals are on point (not to mention a good running order position). I have done an article on what it would mean for the favourites of this year to host Eurovision next year, but it goes without saying that the Spanish would relish the chance to host Eurovision in 2019 especially given their poor results in recent years. If they do win, my guess is that they will choose to host the contest in Barcelona but we are still a way's away from having that conversation!
These are my thoughts on this stage of the contest. Let me know your thoughts, opinions and predictions in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to the blog for more content (of which there will be much more as we wind down towards the live shows). Thanks for reading!
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