Posted May 11, 20223 yr @1524135078212866053 No rest for the wicked and it's already time for round 2! Another 18 countries are competing for the final 10 spots in Saturday's grand final. Again, the national juries who are responsible for 50% of the result will be voting on tonight's dress rehearsal (hopefully that will go smoother than this afternoon's first run through!), whilst the other 50% come from the televote during tomorrow night's live show. All 18 competing countries will be voting, along with Germany, Spain and United Kingdom. 8q4bW_Fcnmw
May 11, 20223 yr Another contractually obligated plug for escXtra's livestream possibly featuring Iz. If Tuesday night was a surprise set of qualifiers then I really can't call Semi 2 yet at all!
May 11, 20223 yr Another contractually obligated plug for escXtra's livestream possibly featuring Iz. If Tuesday night was a surprise set of qualifiers then I really can't call Semi 2 yet at all! live now x (apparently the first dress rehearsal was a disaster, taking 4 hours, let's hope the jury final doesn't suffer similar)
May 11, 20223 yr Press poll for the jury final: https://escxtra.com/2022/05/11/press-poll-r...m-semi-final-2/ 'Qualifiers': Sweden 9.7% Serbia 9.6% Poland 8.9% Czech Republic 8.7% Australia 8.1% San Marino 7.8% Estonia 7.6% Finland 5.6% Azerbaijan 5.6% Ireland 5.1% San Marino really surprised me there (that's probably NOT in the jury top 10, they'll hate it, but it sounded great) and seeing Serbia almost winning the poll is awesome, makes me feel a lot more comfortable about Konstrakta's chances. She sounded great tonight. Ireland sounded really polished tonight, I'd imagine that's in the jury top 10, Estonia and Czech Republic also sounding very strong. Montenegro and Cyprus sounded a bit weak.
May 12, 20223 yr Im really nervous for Ireland tonight, would be over the moon if we qualify as i love it and from what i have seen on line the staging seems to be good and Brooke is really putting everything into her performance. Brooke would be over the moon if she can get us back into the final again even if it doesnt do much on Saturday night.
May 12, 20223 yr MY SEMI FINAL 2 PREDICTIONS: 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi NOTE: I think that Romania and Ireland *could* replace Australia and Cyprus. Georgia, Israel, North Macedonia and Montenegro are the only clear NQs for me out of this group. Such a strong semi :cheeseblock:
May 12, 20223 yr Author Think 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi Finland is very borderline, I feel it may get forgotten by the end of the semi. Israel should get through based on the vocal and whilst I feel the revamp was a little disappointing, 99% of the viewers will not have heard that version. Serbia is my favourite of the night and whilst I was worried about it pulling a 'Telemoveis' at first, I think she's a dead cert to go through now, the Balkan vote for this will be huge. Azerbaijan is also incredible vocally and they've still only failed once (even that was 11th) so they're safely through. I thought Georgia had a chance to sneak in before we got to Turin, but sadly I don't think the staging is enough to push it through. Malta will probably do it's traditional 'through on the jury but dead last on the televote'. San Marino. I WANT it to go through, especially after the semi 1 results, this is needed on the Saturday night. This should be through on the televote even without Italy voting tonight, it all depends how the jury took to it. Australia would've been top 3 on the jury last night so I think they're through regardless how well they do in the televote tonight. Cyprus feels borderline, I can see it getting lost but they're on a strong qualification streak, think it can sneak through in 9th or 10th. Ireland is the first pure pop banger of the night. If the juries are looking for a radio hit, I can't see how they could've ignored this. North Macedonia was always going to be an uphill battle, think it's got last place on lock unfortunately. Estonia should be safely through, if 'Storm' in 2019 could come third in the televote then 'Hope' should have no problem. Romania have done the best they could've possibly done with this, sadly I think it's going to just miss out in 11th or 12th, really hope I'm wrong though! Poland 's vocal will carry them through, if we were to have a shock NQ of the 3 sad boys, I think this would be it but I think it's unlikely. Montenegro and Belgium are very competent and done well, don't see where there votes will come from though. Sweden and Czech Republic should both be through easily, could well be the top 2 of the semi overall, both excellent. Want 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi
May 12, 20223 yr Predicting 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi Jezebel is the one I'd say is most borderline but I feel like this semi is pretty clear cut which probably means we're in for shocks again :lol:
May 12, 20223 yr After the car crash that was the SF1 results, I’m so worried for Czechia, Poland, Estonia, and Ireland. All should easily walk it in a just world but the SF1 results were just ????
May 12, 20223 yr CIRCUS MIRCUS LETS GET IT *.* (and by that I mean the wooden spoon probably lmao) Prediction-wise Sweden and Poland are safe ofc, I can see Finland doing enough (the rockers at home gotta have something to get behind) with Australia/Azerbaijan being jury darlings. San Marino and Romania I reckon will do well with the public but there's every chance the killjoys might decide to bump them out Czech and Ireland are probably borderline but I'm hoping both can make it, cos this final could really use a dose of energy right now lol Also my gut instinct of Malta qualifying thanks to paid-for jury votes still stands :arrr: (if I've called this when no one else has I am going down as the greatest predictor in ESC history)
May 12, 20223 yr This is a much tougher semi to predict than Semi 1 (which I still only got 8/10 on) but I'm going for: 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi I really do think and want Cyprus making it too but I am worried about it standing out in a bit of a crazier and more fun semi. Would love you guys to be right about Brooke too. I've posted pretty much all of this here~ 1Mgf-OkHVbE I'm gonna definitely need some bops making the final tonight after Semi Final 1's results ngl.
May 12, 20223 yr Semi-final 2 predictions: 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi Finland will stand out again being the best rock entry in the contest bar maybe Denmark but that's more alternative. If the jury doesn't back this up, the public will surely do. Personally, I think Sweden is dead set. Australia worries me because a couple of fan results put Australia as an NQ. While I think the jury will eat this up, I have a feeling the public could drag this down enough to make it NQ. I sincerely hope that won't be the case because the overall package looks pretty stunning. Serbia is getting a lot of fans and it remains to be seen whether as Iz said the juries back this up, given Portugal 2019 flopped hard. Azerbaijan is another jury grabber and the staging looks very promising, and there are vocal slayage moments which will leave you in awe. A lot of people don't think the song is strong enough but as far as SF1 results go, I think this looks more and more likely to qualify given songs with more personality and genuine backstory seem to stand a better chance. Cyprus is beautiful and it has its ethnic elements which should technically translate well. I fear it may bore a few which I think could be our shock non-qualifier. Ireland as much as the odds don't agree with should qualify as they have a good upbeat song and Brooke's vocals seem to come together now, which is unlike last year where stunning staging doesn't seem to be feasible. Romania's staging looks incredible and surprises me a lot after I heard it was tampered by the immobile sun. Poland's staging looks like a mess like Albania and as far as genuine ballads go, this sounds overproduced which could be another shock non-qualifier in my opinion. Finally, Czech Republic is hugely popular and the staging looks sick especially they showed us so far. I don't see any huge issues with qualifying here. This semi is a bloodbath for sure and I like this semi more than SF1. Israel is camp but the song is not strong enough. I doubt they will qualify. Georgia could be our surprise qualifier like Moldova in SF1. The genre is very niche but if it convinces enough people from both the jury and the public, I could see this sneak in. Malta is bland and dull, and I think locking between two iconic entries don't help either. I also don't see how this would be a jury grabber given the musical side is not as strong as the other Maltese jury grabbers. San Marino will probably barely miss the qualification which I think would be down to the song itself as it does feel messy. Circles is not going to qualify and I don't think good staging would save this either. Estonia's second rehearsal looks like a car crash and the song itself isn't remarkably strong, so I think that will flop hard unless major improvements on the staging are made. I really want Montenegro to go through but the vocals do sound very shouty and strained, which I think the juries would not like and the song itself doesn't capture the public as much as I thought. Finally, Belgium is pretty nice and cute, but does come across as forgettable. My wishlist: 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi Edited May 12, 20223 yr by uhsting
May 12, 20223 yr Predict 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi Want 01. Finland: 'Jezebel' by The Rasmus 02. Israel: 'I.M' by Michael Ben David 03. Serbia: 'In corpore sano' by Konstrakta 04. Azerbaijan: 'Fade To Black' by Nadir Rustamli 05. Georgia: 'Lock Me In' by Circus Mircus 06. Malta: 'I Am What I Am' by Emma Muscat 07. San Marino: 'Stripper' by Achille Lauro 08. Australia: 'Not The Same' by Sheldon Riley 09. Cyprus: 'Ela' by Andromache 10. Ireland: 'That's Rich' by Brooke 11. North Macedonia: 'Circles' by Andrea 12. Estonia: 'Hope' by Stefan 13. Romania: 'Llámame' by WRS 14. Poland: 'River' by Ochman 15. Montenegro: 'Breathe' by Vladana 16. Belgium: 'Miss You' by Jérémie Makiese 17. Sweden: 'Hold Me Closer' by Cornelia Jakobs 18. Czech Republic: 'Lights Off' by We Are Domi
May 12, 20223 yr Pre show Qualifier Predictions: Sweden - never in doubt Czech Republic - elevated the song with the staging, sorted out the vocal mixing and a strong closer Serbia - the subtitles they've added at various points will help people "get it" on first viewing that maybe wouldn't have done without them Australia - is probably through on jury votes alone but seems like they've done all they can to get a decent televote (for Australia) Poland - less sure this is a big contender like some thought it might be but should be safe enough ...and after this I'm feeling like a lot of this is very "on the cusp" Finland - should be a big impactful opening but it wouldn't surprise me if this is the shock non qualifier and there's a lot for a jury to mark down Ireland - Elevated to the best it could be and really stands out in the middle of the semi Azerbaijan - the song is very middle of the road but it's well sung and staged AND this is Azerbaijan Estonia - there's enough there quality wise but I feel like this might be a it of the UK syndrome where people like it but not enough for it to be in people's top 3-5 to make them televote for it AND the jury have got other priorities in this semi. Cyprus - JUST sneaking in on the basis of nothing else really being in this one's lane AND pretty effective staging but would not be surprised to see this as a surprise loss Cuspily Out San Marino - the call between this and Cyprus is I think the jury will swing behid Cyprus a bit more AND Cyprus's televote starting point is that much higher than San Marino's effective 0 without Italy voting. Wouldn't mind this knocking out Estonia/Finland but my gut says a "only superfans will know this" treat this will remain! Belgium - with Australia, Poland and Azerbaijan already through, I don't think there will be room for Belgium in the big male jury bait songs. Plus Sweden and Czechia really memory hole this. Romania - ultimately all it's ever really been has been an endearingly camp naffbop. If Albania were victims of death by juries, I don't think Llamame can overcome the hurdles in front of it. Israel - kind of the same deal as Romania, only without the balkan vote advantage And it's been lovely having you but time's up... Malta Georgia Montenegro North Macedonia
May 12, 20223 yr Open question does seem to be where the "rock vote" will swing behind between Finland, Georgia or San Marino...
Create an account or sign in to comment