Are you desperate for entertainment during a midweek evening in May?
Are you the type that flicks through the channels like Sumo TV and SyFy?
Then there's every chance you'll come across the first Semi Final of
the 2013 contest on Tuesday the 14th of May. Go on, it'll break the
week up.
On this page you can see my predictions for the first semi-final 2013
which were made in late April. This is the semi final where the UK votes,
so I expect your full undivided attention on BBC3 that evening. Only
the hot bookies favourite could possibly withstand the pressure of the
Great Russian Bear tm by taking the win. The
real news comes in third, where that elusive Final place finally comes
to the Dutch...hoorah. Nothing can get in their way this time, to be
sure.
The show has just finished so some addled thoughts. The production
was alright, with more ceiling lamps than an Ikea clearance sale. Our
host Petra went to elocution school at ESL college, Mumbai, and is extremely
wearisome. The BBC3 hosts are, as ever, testing. As for the music, I'm
still not convinced by Denmark no matter what they say. Russia did a
commendable job, Ukraine was a mess. The over-riding feeling was that
of relief for the Dutch who finally got through. We'll find out on Sunday
morning if it was by the skin of their teeth or not.
I found myself feeling a bit sorry for Croatia who put in competent
Popera but failed to qualify, probably at the nonsensical expense of
the Lithuanian eyebrows. Dough boy Belgium was probably the biggest
shock though; he was the rank outsider of all 39 songs a week ago so
qualification is a real triumph for the low countries. Ireland got through
with an underwhelming show, Belarus & Moldova were by the numbers,
and I was pleased for fecund Birgit. Finally spare a thought for the
Montenegrin spacemen, who were hard done by.
---
I've also had a pop at the other semi final here
and the final already, so
confident am I at the predictions below (also I'm not going to be able
to update them following the semi-final). You can view it here.
|
