Eurovision 2023

[NorthWay]

So this is the last overdose of excess and insanity before the finals next weekend. Time to knuckle down and grit my teeth...

Sweden has Loreen back, doing what Sweden does best. Potentially winning.
Belgia does an upbeat banger in the style of some great 80s/90s female singers. I didn't see that one coming! It was like watching MTV back when they were about music.
Ireland does a Keane. I like.
Moldova rips off Ukraine from last year. And yet passable.

The rest didn't elicit enough plus or minus to prompt a response.

So my guess for biggest scores is France and Sweden. But this is ESC...

[Orava]

So semi-final 1 tonight then, the Finnish entry has now surpassed Sweden as the favourite to win, so should have no trouble getting through tonight. 8pm in UK, BBC.

[Orava]

Croatia, got to love a language that is so macho it thinks it does not need any vowels "Mama ŠČ" the sc somehow filled up with spit and stuff to make a word.

[Orava]

Semi-final 2 in 30 mins...

[Orava]

So is it going to be Ukraine again or the favourites of Finland and Sweden?

[PFVA]

I only saw a little bit of the Finnish song but the way they sang ´cha cha cha ' sounded to me like a classic shooting videogame. I didn't like Sedan's. I would vote for Finland.

[Orava]

10 minutes now, get your pretzels ready....

[Dio]

Ready when they are...

[Istar]

GAME ON

[NorthWay]

The flag walk-in music gets my thumb-up at least...

[Istar]

"She's still got it"

Got it? I think she's eaten it!

[KlaxonCow]

The flag walk-in music gets my thumb-up at least...

It's like the Olympic opening ceremony... except with Chemical Brothers and Shum in the background.

I'm here. Checking in.

[NorthWay]

For a moment I saw Austria as the time-traveled younger version of the Non-mentional grandmothers.

[Dio]

Austria: mental. I approve.

[KlaxonCow]

Russian

We don't mention them.