4 days until rehearsals start!

Its getting a pretty exciting time for any Eurovision fan this week, as it is the lead up to the rehearsals for this year's contest! On Sunday the rehearsals for the first semi-final will begin, and we can get a sneaky look into the stage production, any changes to the song, outfits and nerves! During the rehearsals I will be doing posts throughout the day, updating you of the latest news and gossip, with clips and photos of the rehearsals.


For any of you that didn't see, here is a basic schedule for the rehearsals.


The First Rehearsals for each song will be as follows -

Getter Jaani, one of the
favourites this year,
will be rehearsing on
the 4th, 8th and 12th
of May!



1st May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia and Finland

2nd May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Malta, San Marino, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Greece

3rd May 2011: Semi-Final 2 - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova, Sweden and Cyprus 

4th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 - Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Israel, Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, Denmark and Ireland

The Second Rehearsals for each song will be as follows -


5th May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia, Finland, Malta, San Marino and Croatia
6th May 2011: Semi-Final 1 & 2 - Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine and Moldova
7th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 and First rehearsal of Big 5 - Sweden, Cyprus, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia and Israel. France, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain.
8th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 and Big 5 - Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, Denmark and Ireland. France, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain.


Dress Rehearsals -


9th & 10th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Semi-Final 1
11th & 12th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Semi-Final 2
13th & 14th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Final and voting


To check out the full schedule visit http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/press-downloads/2011/RehearsalSchedule2011_press.pdf

Slovakia

Slovakia
Artist - TWiiNS
Song - I'm Still Alive
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 5

TWiiNS consists of sisters, Daniela and Veronika Nízlová. In 2000, the twins were offered a record contract in Slovakia, and went on to release four albums, which gave them three golden records and one platinum. In 2008, they were backing singers for the Czech Entry, "Have Some Fun". In 2010, they released "Boys Boys Boys", which was a cover version of the song by Italian singer, Sabrina Salerno. In March 2011, they released another single, entitled "Welcome to Hollywood". The song was written by Andreas Carlsson, who has also worked with famous singers such as Britney Spears.

On the 18th February, it was announced that TWiiNS would be representing Slovakia at the ESC 2011.

Their song, "I'm Still Alive", was written by Bryan Todd, Sandra Nordstrom and Brano Jancich, and composed by Bryan Todd.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 100/1
My Prediction - Beautiful song from Slovakia, yet they had a great song last year but didn't qualify. I fear the same could happen.

                       Veľa šťastia!

Ukraine

Ukraine
Artist - Mika Newton
Song - Angels
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 6

Oksana Stefanivna Hrytsay, better known as Mika Newton, was born in 1986 in the Ukraine. Her first album was released in 2005, and was called "Anomaliya". Mika is the lead vocals in a rock band, known well in Ukraine. From the 31st October 2010 to the 26th February 2011, the Ukrainian National Selection took place. Mika reached the Final, and was against famous Ukrainian singers such as Jamala and Anastasia Prikhodko. Mika recieved full points from the internet voting, jury and televote.

Yet after the final, controversy hit the contest. There were rumours of fixed results, so the Ukrainian broadcaster NTU, decided to hold another final. This would be between the top three acts from the previous final, Mika Newton, Zlata Ognevich and Jamala. After a few days, Jamala withdrew, stating that the votes would only be rigged again. Soon after this Zlata withdrew, as she was already due to take part in another show. It was then announced that by default, Mika Newton would represent Ukraine in Germany.

Her song "Angels", was written by Ruslan Kvinta and composed by Maryna Skomorohova. The song will be performed in English at the ESC.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 100/1
My Prediction - For the second year in a row, Ukraine has had controversy. In my opinion this song is more set for a funeral than the Eurovision Song Contest. No doubt it will qualify, but to me there are more worthy songs.

                                 Удача

                                              

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina
Artist - Dino Merlin
Song - Love In Rewind
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 1

Edin Dervišhalidović, more commonly known as Dino Merlin, is a popular singer/songwriter from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Not only is he popular in his own country, but also in the former Yugoslavian countries, such as Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia. In 1983, he founded the band "Merlin". They had hit albums such as "Merlin" and "Peta strana svijeta". Dino wrote the first Bosnian National Anthem called "Jedna si, jedina". This was used until 1998. He wrote the Bosnian entry to Eurovision in 1993, and sung the entry in 1999, placing seventh.

On the 1st December 2010, it was announced that he had been internally selected to represent the Balkan country in May.

The song, "Love in Rewind", was both written and composed by Dino Merlin.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 14/1
My Prediction - Obviously Bosnia will qualify. It's a catchy song, and has grown on me. Top ten.

                 Sretno!

Results of the Last Two Polls!

The results of the last two polls are in! Let's take a look -

Remaining Western Countries
United Kingdom - 46%
Germany - 37%
The Netherlands - 21%
Switzerland - 20%
Belgium - 12%
Ireland - 10%
                                  Total number of votes - 79
So Blue from the United Kingdom and Lena from Germany will go through to our Big Poll!

Remaining Eastern Countries
Poland - 45%
Albania - 31%
Romania - 31%
Slovakia - 22%
Bulgaria - 11%
                          Total number of votes - 70
Magdalena Tul from Poland has qualified for the Big Poll.

*** Due to there being a tie for second place, a poll between Albania and Romania will open for one day. The winner of that poll will take the last place in the Big Poll 2011. ***

The Netherlands

The Netherlands
Artist - 3JS
Song - Never Alone
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 3

3JS consists of Jan Dulles, Jaap Kwakman and Jaap de Witte. The band officially formed in 2002, and reached fame after the release of their first album, "Watermensen" in 2007. Also that year, a programme called "3JS komen eraan" was shown, and ran for eight weeks. After this they released their second album, "Kamers van m'n hart" in 2008, and their third album, "Dromers en dwazen" in 2010.

On the 15th July 2010, only two months after the ESC in Oslo, it was revealed that 3JS had been internally selected by TROS. The Nationaal Songfestival took place on the 30th January 2011, to decide the band's song for May. The voting was made up of 50% jury and 50% televote. In the jury, were two former Dutch representatives, Rene Froger (De Toppers) 2009, and Hind from 2008. The song "Je vecht nooit alleen" was the favourite with both the jury and the public, therefore was picked as the Dutch entry for Germany.

At Eurovision, the song will be sung in English, under the title "Never Alone". It was written and composed by 3JS. The song reached number one in the Dutch charts.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 80/1

My Prediction - This may be the first year since 2004 that the Netherlands qualify. Great song, with a nice meaning.

                               Geluk!

Belarus

Belarus
Artist - Anastasia Vinnikova
Song - I Love Belarus
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 16

Anastasia Vinnikova was born in 1991, in Dzerzhinsk, Belarus. She studied at the Minsk State Linguistic University. After this, she admitted into the Youth Variety Theatre. From an early age she has loved to sing, and it had not gone unnoticed by her friends and colleagues.

On the 28th February, it was announced that Anastasia had been internally selected to represent Belarus, with the song "Born in Byelorussia". At first it was rumoured that the song could be disqualified due to its reference to the USSR. Yet it was eventually disqualified for a different reason.....the song had been performed a year earlier. After a few days of wondering whether the country would actually participate this year, it was confirmed that Anastasia would sing a different song at the ESC, "I Love Belarus".

"I Love Belarus" was written and composed by Evgeny Oleinik and Svetlana Geraskova.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 150/1
My Prediction - I actually love this song, and think she has a great voice. But I don't know whether this will qualify.......

                 Поспехі

Moldova

Moldova
Artist - Zdob şi Zdub
Song - So Lucky
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 7

Zdob şi Zdub are a band that formed in 1994, and represented Moldova at their debut in 2005 at the ESC, with "Boonika Bate Toba". Their style is a mixture of hip-hop and hardcore punk, with an element of tradtional Moldovan music. They have toured Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Italy and Hungary, so they are well known throughout Europe. At Eurovision 2005, they placed 6th, which is also Moldova's best placing to date.

On the 26th February, the band took part in the Moldovan National Selection once again. When the votes were announced they had recieved second place with the jury and second place with the televote, meaning they had won the show. In second place was 2007 Moldovan representative Natalia Barbu, who placed first with the jury, yet only fourth with the public.

Their song "So Lucky", was written by Andy Shuman and Marc Elsner, and composed by Roman Yagupov, Mihai Gincu and Marc Elsner.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 100/1
My Prediction - I didn't like them in 2005, and I don't like them now. I don't think that they will be as popular this time as they were before, so I think that Moldova shall not qualify.

                                   Noroc!

FYR Macedonia

FYR Macedonia
Artist - Vlatko Ilievski
Song - Rusinka
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 11

Vlatko Ilievski was born in 1985, in Skopje. In 2000, he performed in the Macedonian Rock-Fest and won two prizes. He was a student of acting at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Skopje, where he graduated in 2010 with the drama "Anger". In 2007 he started his solo career. In 2010, Vlatko participated in the Macedonian Selection, "Skopje Fest 2010", for the ESC. He came second to Gjoko Tanseki, although Vlatko did recieve the most points from the televote. In 2011, he participated in Skopje Fest again, winning with the song "Rusinka".

"Rusinka" (Russian Girl) was written and composed by Gilgor Koprov, Vladimir Dojcinovski and Jovan Jovanov.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 200/1

My Prediciton - I'm not a fan of this song, and I think that Macedonia need to find something really special for next year, instead of mediocre songs.

                       Со среќа!

Estonia

Estonia
Artist - Getter Jaani
Song - Rockefeller Street
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 15

Getter Jaani was born in 1993, in Tallinn. She rose to fame by participating in the Estonian talent show, "Eesti otsib superstaari" (a show similar to "Pop Idol" and "the X Factor"), singing hits such as "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus and "Happy" by Leona Lewis. In the show, she came 4th, which eventually led her to have a role in "High School Musical" in Tallinn, playing Sharpay Evans. She attends the Centre of Vocational Disciplines, training to be a stylist/tailor.

During February 2011, Getter participated in the Estonian National Selection for Eurovision, "Eesti Laul". She was in the first of the two semi-finals, placing second with the jury and first with the public. In the final, she received 7 points from the jury, along with 10 from the televote. Getter and a group called "Outloudz" proceeded to the super final, with her winning with 62 % of the overall vote.

"Rockefeller Street" was written and composed by Sven Lõhmus, who also wrote previous Estonian entries, "Let's Get Loud" and  "Rändajad".

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 6/1
My Prediction - Great catchy song that sticks in your head. I think that this will qualify, placing in the top 10.

                               Õnne!!

Belgium

Belgium
Artist - Witloof Bay
Song - With Love Baby
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 4

Witloof Bay are band made up of Senjka Danhieux, Etienne Debaisieux, Benoît Giaux, Nicolas Dorian, Florence Huby, and Mathilde Sevrin. They all come from different parts of Belgium, thus the band represents Belgium as a whole country. In late 2007, they relesed their first album entitled "Witloof Bay". Between the 20th September and the 12th February, the Belgian National Selection took place. The National Final voting was rather peculiar on the other hand, as each judge had to say yes or no to each song, with Witloof Bay being the only act to get all four judges to say yes. (A rather unreliable way if you ask me!!!) From this, those results were changed in to the typical 12, 10, 8-1 votes and then the public would vote for the other 50%.

Their song "With Love Baby", was both written and composed by RoxorLoops and Benoît Giaux.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 200/1
My Prediction - Such a disappointment after Tom Dice, but I can understand why others like it. I don't think that this will qualify.

                             Bonne chance!! / Geluk!!

Another New Top Ten!!

William Hill have announced yet another top ten!! A few countries have swapped position, and we have one newcomer! Let's take a look -

9/2 France
6/1 United Kingdom
6/1 Estonia
10/1 Azerbaijan
10/1 Sweden
12/1 Hungary
12/1 Germany
14/1 Norway
14/1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
20/1 Ireland

Just missing out on a top ten place this time, is Denmark (knocked out of 10th place), Russia and Italy.

After browsing through nearly every ESC site on the web, I have noticed a few trends -

France appear to be top with nearly all bookmakers, yet only rank at about 4th/5th with public polls.
Hungary do not seem to get in the top five with any bookmaker, although on public polls they are 1st in most.
Italy and Ireland seem to be making the best improvement in terms of public opinions. As each day passes, they move up a little on the leader boards.
Germany seems to be losing popularity, with most people feeling it is a bit of a let down after "Satellite".

Note - These are not my personal opinions, they are trends which are happening on many ESC sites!

Bulgaria

Bulgaria
Artist - Poli Genova
Song - Na inat
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 10

Poli Genova, born in 1987, rose to fame as a member of the children's vocal group "Bon Bon". Shortly after this, she became the first presenter of a show under the same title. As well as being a singer, Poli can also play the clarinet. She is part of the Unicef Charity Project "The Magnificent Six" and stands as a vocalist for "Azis' Show" & "Dani Milev Band" in the first edition of the reality show "Dancing with the Stars: Bulgaria". In both 2005 and 2006, she took part in the Bulgarian National Selection, yet failed to win on both occasions.

On the 23rd February, Poli won the Bulgarian Selection, and will represent her country at the ESC.

Her song, "Na inat" (For Spite), was written and composed by Poli Genova, Sebastian Arman, Boris Milanov and David Bronner.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill)  - 150/1
My Prediction - I can't make up my mind with this song. One minute I like it, the next I don't. I think the problem is, that its forgettable. I don't think that this will qualify.

                                Успех

Check back later today, when the Turkish profile will be added!

Sweden

Sweden
Artist - Eric Saade
Song - Popular
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 8

Eric Saade was born in 1990, in Kattarp, to a Swedish mother and Lebanese father. In 2007, he took part in a competition to find a new Swedish boy band. He made it to the final, and was one of the four members of "What's Up!". With the band, he reached number five and sixteen with two of their singles. In August 2009, Eric signed a contract with Roxy Recordings, where he would be going solo. In December 2009, he released his first worldwide single, "Sleepless", reaching number 44 in the Swedish Charts. In 2010, it was announced that he would be taking part in Melodifestivalen, with the song "Manboy". He won his semi-final, and got a place in the Globen. In the final, he came 3rd, just being beaten by Salem Al Fakir and Anna Bergendahl.

In 2011, it was announced that he would be participating in the National Selection again, with the song "Popular". With no suprise, he won his semi-final, and in the final he was the hot favourite to win the show. He proved everyone right, and became the Swedish representative for the ESC 2011.

"Popular" was written and composed by Fredrik Kempe. He also wrote previous Swedish entries, including "Hero" and "La Voix".

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 10/1
My Prediction - Its a catchy tune, but I think Eric needs to do some serious vocal work before May. This will definitely qualify, top ten

                            Lycka till!!

Romania

Romania
Artist - Hotel FM
Song - Change
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 14

Hotel FM formed in 2005 and is made up David Bryan (singer), Gabriel Băruţa (piano) and Alex Szűz (drums). David is British, although Gabriel and Alex are Romanian. In 2010, they participated in the Romanian National Selection, "Selecţia Naţională". Their song "Come As One" placed fourth on the night, with Paula and Ovi winning the competition. In 2011, they took part in Selecţia Naţională again, with the song "Change". They recieved 10 points from the Televote, and 12 from the Jury, thus winning the show.

"Change" was written by Gabriel Băruţa and Alexandra Ivan, and was composed by Gabriel Băruţa. Former Romanian representatives Mihai Trăistariu and Paula Seling, praised the song on its good beat, message and vocal performance. The song entered the Romanian charts at number 98.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 100/1

My Prediction - I think this could qualify, but they have a long way to go to beat "Playing with Fire".

                          Noroc!

Changes in the Voting Procedure??

When the draw for the running order took place in March, something that was expected, didn't happen....
The draw for the voting order. Usually the countries are drawn at random, to determine the order that they will announce their votes. The EBU have announced that there will be a change to this year, but what could it be??

Some theories include -

The order will be decided on the night of the final, to try and make it a more exciting show. By doing this, they can make it a race for the top, rather than previous years, where it has been fairly obvious who will win by the 10th country announcing.

Another theory is that only the countries in the final will vote, thus making it more thorough. Or the countries that didn't qualify, will give their votes as one.

To me, these seem rather radical, although the first theory could work. I suspect that the changes will only be minor, but as soon as its announced i'll let you know!!

Check back later today for the Romanian profile!!

Latvia

Latvia
Artist - Musiqq
Song - Angel In Disguise
Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 17

Musiqq are a Latvian duo, made up of Marats Ogļezņevs and Emīls Balceris. Musiqq gained popularity, through radio hits such as "Abrakadabra", "Klimata Kontrole" and "Dzimšanas diena". Marats was also a singer-songwriter for the Latvian act "Device".

From the 5th to the 26th February, the Latvian National Selection took place. Musiqq were placed second in their semi-final, thus gaining a place in the final. In the final, they came second and went forward to the super final, and won the show.

Their song for Eurovision, "Angel in Disguise", was written and composed by Marats Ogļezņevs.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 150/1

My Prediction - I personally love the song, but I doubt it will qualify.

                       Lai jums veicas!

Israel

Israel

Artist - Dana International

Song - Ding Dong

Draw - Semi-Final 2, Place 12

Sharon Cohen, better known as Dana International was born in 1972, and is arguably one of the worlds famous transsexuals. As well as this, she was also the winner of the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, with her smash hit single, "Diva". Sharon was born as Yaron Cohen, but at the age of 13, she came out as a transsexual. In 1993, she released her first album, "Danna International". (After the first few years, she dropped a "n" out of Danna). In 1995 she tried to represent Israel at Eurovision, but failed to do so, coming second in the pre-selection. In 1998, she successfully represented Israel, and won the show, as well as winning the hearts of many european nations. After this her fame boomed, and Sharon became famous all over Europe, as well as having Israel's most selling single in 2007, "Love boy". She also wrote the song that represented Israel in 2008 "The Fire in Your Eyes", that was sung by Boaz.

It was announced that Dana International would return to K'dam, and after a great national final, she won the show with the song "Ding Dong".

Dana International wrote the song herself, and it is performed in both Hebrew and English.

Current Betting Odds (William Hill) - 80/1

My Prediction - A lovely song, with a beautiful meaning. I definitely think this will progress to the final. Placing between 8th and 22nd.

                                        בהצלחה

What do the Statistics predict??

As any Eurovision fan would know, it is thought that if you are drawn to sing nearer to the end of the contest, you are more likely to qualify for the final, or win the show. ESC fan site, ESCNation, recently released the odds of each country getting through, in terms of their draw. Lets have a look (the percentage shows the chance of qualification) -  

1. 50% (Poland / Bosnia-Herzegovina)
2. 50% (Norway / Austria)
3. 25% (Albania / Netherlands)
4. 25% (Armenia / Belgium)
5. 13% (Turkey / Slovakia)
6. 38% (Serbia / Ukraine)
7. 38% (Russia / Moldova)
8. 50% (Switzerland / Sweden)
9. 38% (Georgia / Cyprus)
10. 75% (Finland / Bulgaria)
11. 38% (Malta / FYR-Macedonia)
12. 50% (San Marino / Israel)
13. 75% (Croatia / Slovenia)
14. 100% (Iceland / Romania)
15. 50% (Hungary / Estonia)
16. 75% (Portugal / Belarus)
17. 50% (Lithuania / Latvia)
18. 88% (Azerbaijan / Denmark)
19. 75% (Greece / Ireland)

So it seems that place number 14 is the most likely to qualify, with place number 5 the least likely. But with Turkey at place 5 this year, do you think that could change?

Check back later today, when the profile of the United Kingdom will be added!

Full Rehearsal Schedule is Released!

In preparation for Europe's biggest show, the full rehearsal schedule has been released!


The First Rehearsals for each song will be as follows -


1st May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia and Finland
2nd May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Malta, San Marino, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Greece
3rd May 2011: Semi-Final 2 - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova, Sweden and Cyprus 
4th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 - Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Israel, Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, Denmark and Ireland


The Second Rehearsals for each song will be as follows -


5th May 2011: Semi-Final 1 - Poland, Norway, Albania, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Switzerland, Georgia, Finland, Malta, San Marino and Croatia
6th May 2011: Semi-Final 1 & 2 - Iceland, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine and Moldova
7th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 and First rehearsal of Big 5 - Sweden, Cyprus, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia and Israel. France, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain.
8th May 2011: Semi-Final 2 and Big 5 - Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, Denmark and Ireland. France, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain.


Dress Rehearsals -


9th & 10th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Semi-Final 1
11th & 12th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Semi-Final 2
13th & 14th May 2011: Dress rehearsals for Final and voting


To check out the full schedule visit http://www.eurovision.tv/upload/press-downloads/2011/RehearsalSchedule2011_press.pdf