Eurovision Song Contest 2012: Baku, Azerbaijan

by **VoteMe** » Tue May 15, 2012 10:39 am

Pernilla Karlsson - När Jag Blundar (English translation video): http://t.co/drhxwkBl < Even more in love with this song now!

by **greek_boy** » Tue May 15, 2012 3:35 pm

Cyprus had a great rehearsal!

Denmark was very good and San Marino's Valentina was so enthusiastic!

Damn, Moldova will definitely qualify :-?

Check out all the rehearsals there: http://www.youtube.com/user/eurovision

by **Terence** » Wed May 16, 2012 11:52 am

A few thoughts about the semifinal:

Serbia - excellent rehearsal, as expected. Finalist.
Macedonia - another great rehearsal. Potential finalist.
Netherlands - this left me cold. She was so stiff and unnatural
Malta - one of the better rehearsals but still doesn't quite make the final cut.
Belarus - good job. Awful microphone stands
Portugal - like Malta, this will get lost in spite of the great job
Ukraine - the annual 'choreography + stage presentation > song' from Ukraine. Qualifying
Bulgaria - no chance in hell. They could've invested in some dancing

Slovenia - great but to be honest I expected better
Croatia - too much drama on stage for a ballad. Other than that, this is fine but Slovenia will eclipse it.
Sweden - as in the MF. Great rehearsal. Backing vocalists sounded a bit low to me
Georgia - eccentric, too much going on on stage. Still qualifying
Turkey - not impressed. Qualifying nonetheless
Estonia - today's first wow moment. He's a very good vocalist.

by **robert989** » Wed May 16, 2012 12:28 pm

^^^^^^^^
yes yes yes to macedonia going into final i am so happy for kaliopi

by **emilhot** » Wed May 16, 2012 4:06 pm

Jedward and Soluna Samay performing Should've Known Better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf96UK2DLZA

:lol:

by **greek_boy** » Thu May 17, 2012 4:13 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiLctXo3oLI

Amazing second rehearsal for Cyprus!

emilhot wrote:Jedward and Soluna Samay performing Should've Known Better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf96UK2DLZA

jlo17 wrote:Georgia - eccentric, too much going on on stage. Still qualifying

i think it is a mess. Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan cannot vote for Georgia this time but you never know... :-?

by **Terence** » Thu May 17, 2012 5:44 pm

...but Lithuania, Belarus, Turkey and Ukraine can... probably enough to qualify

by **greek_boy** » Thu May 17, 2012 7:04 pm

Hackers break into Azerbaijan Eurovision websites

(Reuters) - A group of hackers calling themselves Cyberwarriors for Freedom attacked the official websites of the Eurovision song contest on Thursday, demanding that the host nation, Azerbaijan, cancel next week's competition.

Azerbaijan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic, won the right to host the contest by winning last year's event in Germany, and sees the competition as a chance to showcase the country. The grand finale is scheduled for May 26.

But activist groups advocating a broad spectrum of issues - from human rights to religion - have also sought to seize the occasion to draw attention to their campaigns.

In an Azeri-language message on the affected websites, the little-known hacker group demanded President Ilham Aliyev cancel the event altogether.

"In response to the indifference of the Aliyev regime to calls ... not hold the Eurovision competition, we have carried out a hacking attack on a series of websites," it wrote.

"Our demand is to stop carrying out Eurovision 2012 in Baku and not allow gay parades, otherwise there is no life for Aliyev's regime."

The four websites, including www.eurovision.az and www.eurovisionaz.com, were down as of late Thursday.

The song contest has cast a spotlight on Azerbaijan's human rights record and exposed deep religious rifts in the officially secular country. Azeri officials in private blame neighboring Iran for Islam's growing influence in the country.

Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Iltimas Mamedov said security forces were trying to determine the identify of the group and where it was based.

"Together with special forces an investigation is being carried out into the attack on the Eurovision sites and the origins of the hacker group," he told Reuters.

Azerbaijan has spent millions on a city facelift intended to showcase its achievements since it became independent from Moscow in 1991, including the construction of a "Crystal Palace" where the contest will be held.

Rights groups say homes in the area of the venue have been destroyed to free up space around the site.

Amnesty International on Thursday said Azeri authorities should release detained opposition activists and guarantee freedom of expression for protesters planning peaceful demonstrations ahead of the contest.

Critics accuse Aliyev of clamping down on dissent but Baku says the country enjoys full freedom of speech.

"When viewers across the world tune in for the Eurovision this month, the most convincing way for Azerbaijan to present itself as a modern, progressive nation will be for the authorities to end their ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression," John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

Amnesty and Human Rights Watch said they welcomed the release of opposition activist Elnur Majidli, who was arrested together with hundreds other demonstrators at a peaceful demonstration in Baku in April 2011 but called for the release of another 17 activists who remain in prison.

(Writing by Thomas Grove and Margarita Antidze Editing by Maria Golovnina)

REUTERS

jlo17 wrote:...but Lithuania, Belarus, Turkey and Ukraine can... probably enough to qualify

Lithuania & Ukraine will def. give Georgia high points but will it be enough to qualify? Not sure. Also, i highly doubt professional juries will vote for that crap.

by **Terence** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:38 pm

I want esctoday back

It's one of the 3 sites I visit on a daily basis (along with UKMIX & obviously Facebook) So much hard work put through that website![/b]

by **Fragola** » Fri May 18, 2012 9:53 pm

When it was selected, I didn't pay much attention to it but I've "discovered" it this week: I like Kuuuula from Estonia

by **greek_boy** » Sat May 19, 2012 10:05 am

http://www.dublin24.com/eurovisionary/

Top 10 right now on Twitter

1. Russia
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Germany

jlo17 wrote:I want esctoday back It's one of the 3 sites I visit on a daily basis (along with UKMIX & obviously Facebook) So much hard work put through that website![/b]

+1

by **emilhot** » Sat May 19, 2012 10:13 am

greek_boy wrote:http://www.dublin24.com/eurovisionary/

Top 10 right now on Twitter

1. Russia
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Germany

Well i hardly see any of Portugal, Austria & Georgia make it to the top 10, so i don't take it too seriously! :lol:

by **NoAngels** » Sat May 19, 2012 1:22 pm

Security should really be tight in the day of the event.

TVP won't be broadcasting the final as I predicted.

I guess I'm gonna have to watch it on Das Erste.

by **greek_boy** » Sat May 19, 2012 5:21 pm

emilhot wrote:
greek_boy wrote:http://www.dublin24.com/eurovisionary/

Top 10 right now on Twitter

1. Russia
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Germany
Well i hardly see any of Portugal, Austria & Georgia make it to the top 10, so i don't take it too seriously!

well that top 10 just shows the popularity of the entries on twitter!

NoAngels wrote:Security should really be tight in the day of the event.

TVP won't be broadcasting the final as I predicted.

I guess I'm gonna have to watch it on Das Erste.

Is TVP the Polish broadcaster?

Why don't you watch it on BBC, TVE or eurovision.tv?

by **emilhot** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:10 pm

greek_boy wrote:
emilhot wrote:
greek_boy wrote:http://www.dublin24.com/eurovisionary/

Top 10 right now on Twitter

1. Russia
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Germany
Well i hardly see any of Portugal, Austria & Georgia make it to the top 10, so i don't take it too seriously!
well that top 10 just shows the popularity of the entries on twitter!

I know. I just felt the need to point it out :wink:

by **greek_boy** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:57 pm

Rehearsals

Azerbaijan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T0nWrdgcdo&feature=plcp

Beautiful! I love the visual effects and her dress!

Spain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlmFzHc7BHc&feature=plcp

Simple but strong vocal performance. I really like Pastora! Not sure how this will do, considering it follows the German entry which is a ballad in English. One of them won't do well, obviously.

UK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScI0luNEo10&feature=plcp

Lovely ballad, but i'm not impressed by his vocals. Juries will love it, what about the viewers? Not sure.

Italy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5KYhWoLv3M&feature=plcp

Amazing song! Classy performance, i love the retro background.

France:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns9wseiIWtI&feature=plcp

Good vocals and hot dancers. I can't wait to see the second rehearsal. However, i expected Anggun to be more energetic and the choreography didn't impress me.

Germany:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUVgA0EWTno&feature=plcp

Simple and very good! Roman is cute and i guess his looks alone will give Germany some extra points.

by **NoAngels** » Sat May 19, 2012 9:29 pm

greek_boy wrote:Is TVP the Polish broadcaster?

Why don't you watch it on BBC, TVE or eurovision.tv?

Yes, I've been watching it there since 2008 because of its good broadcasting quality, TVE's quality isn't as good and I don't have BBC unless you mean the BBC news channel??. I think "Das Erste" is my only hope.

I can't wait for next Saturday.

by **VoteMe** » Sun May 20, 2012 4:51 pm

So adorable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pEVXc5D ... ure=colike < Hope Europe votes for it!

by **Blondini** » Sun May 20, 2012 7:19 pm

UK CHARTS:

76 (64) Engelbert Humperdinck - Love Will Set You Free

UK COMPILATION ALBUMS:

30 (9) Baku 2012

by **Terence** » Mon May 21, 2012 8:44 am

First semifinal tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My predicted finalists:

Russia
Greece
Romania
Moldova
Denmark
Ireland
Israel
Albania
Iceland
Cyprus

Watch this space!!! Anything can change following a bad performance!

by **VoteMe** » Mon May 21, 2012 10:21 am

In order of likelihood for semi 1:

Romania
Iceland (as long as Jónsi's vocals aren't as poor as they have been!)
Russia
Hungary
Cyprus
Greece
Finland
Denmark
Albania
Israel

Moldova & Switzerland will be in the mix too, this is the stronger semi IMO.

Surprise non-qualifier: Ireland

by **Terence** » Mon May 21, 2012 11:20 am

The surprise non-qualifier would be Cyprus for me.
Surprising qualifier: Belgium.

I know this goes against my predictions but I wouldn't be shocked if that actually happened.

by **robert989** » Mon May 21, 2012 11:28 am

if kaliopi doesnt enter in finale all peoplei know would eat me alive since i have been constantly talking she will go in finale :lol:

by **Terence** » Mon May 21, 2012 1:45 pm

My ideal 10 qualifiers:

Iceland
Greece
Latvia
Romania
Switzerland

Cyprus
Denmark
Russia
Hungary
Moldova

by **Joona** » Mon May 21, 2012 2:18 pm

I finally bought the album and listened to all the songs today. I was actually suprised there were so many pretty decent or good songs after I've read a lot of comments in different sites about the bad quality this year.

Anyway... here are the songs I hope will get through
(in no particular order)

Semi 1

Iceland
Greece
Romania
Switzerland
Finland
Cyprus
Denmark
Russia
Hungary
Latvia

Semi 2

Serbia
Malta
Portugal
Slovenia
Sweden
Turkey
Estonia
Norway
Lithuania
Croatia