BillyH

Yo. Noticed some errors compared to the jury final. The reveal of Mans live in the studio was completely missed, the sketch clip ended a lot earlier (missing the end credits) and the camera cut to him live at the wrong time. That got a *huge* cheer in the jury final but nothing in the main one. Jamala's stage invader was a bit of a scary moment! Amazing how she carried on completely unphased, what a pro. Scoreboard was close to impossible to read as it was on a couple of tiny screens on the sides, fairly sure that's normal though. The only way I knew the UK was getting jury points was because it was the longest name along with The Netherlands. I was surprised by how many people got up and left after the songs had finished, the voting especially felt a bit flat as more and more left the arena as it became clearer their own countries hadn't won. The only people left in my seating row by the end were from the UK! Stayed around for a bit to watch the contestants leave the green room. Sunstroke Project as mentioned were properly celebrating and dancing in front of fans. Lucie beaming and getting a great reaction from the fans still in the hall, even the likes of Germany amd Spain putting on brave smiles.

It's great how varied the winners are each year these days. 2002-05 had four scantily-clad young women in a row with big choreographed dance performances, which by the time of My Number One was beginning to get a bit irritating. Then Lordi gloriously shook everything up in Athens and we haven't really had any identical winning sounds or looks since, the closest I suppose being 2012-2013 but even then they're hardly comparable. We've also shaken off the Scandinavian dominance that was getting a bit overkill by the time Mans won, now feeling like the whole continent has a chance again and not just the few countries that border Sweden. As much as I love Portugal's win, it would be nice to have another upbeat banger next year. Feeling like Bulgaria has a strong chance of gaining their first win in the next few years given their recent performances. Otherwise, maybe a long shot, but we are well overdue a contest in Reyjkavik and Iceland will surely come back with a blinder of a song to make it past the semis soon. Or the UK will finally send Robbie Williams, by which time he'll look as old as Englebert and come 23rd...

Those iTunes results just make me sad it isn't still 2014...imagine Lucie, Blanche and Salvador making the UK top 40 in the way Conchita, the Common Linnets and Sanna did! Damn streaming.

Now I've woken up, full thoughts: * I guess I'll be in a Buzzjack minority regarding Portugal, as I still think it's a brilliant winner - absolutely my douze of the night - and didn't mind his speech at all, it clearly wasn't meant to be big-headed in any way as some have already said. I also still love 'Euphoria' with all my heart, so it's not like I'm a ballad snob! It reminds me of how I can't stand some of the biggest songs of recent years, like Happy or Rather Be, but I've long accepted that they simply appeal to and are enjoyed by a lot of people. Like it or not, juries and televoters were spellbound by it, and it's a shame it's not that well liked here but oh well. The reprise with his sister was a wonderful moment. * UK - If anyone's moaning that 15th is some sort of disaster for us then they're idiots, our best result since Blue and hopefully a positive step in our selection for future contests. Lucie did us proud last night, the juries rewarded us generously, we just didn't convince enough televoters to vote for us and that's something we need to look at for next time, more promo maybe? * LOL at Moldova being third but I really loved it!! Really fun party track and one of the biggest jams in the contest along with Norway. Sunstroke Project were beaming as they left the arena, dancing down the corridor to cheering fans. Seems crazy it got so many televotes but well deserved! * Got to feel sorry for Italy. They'd all but won in the odds for weeks and weeks but the momentum completely disappeared, missing top 5 was something of a shock. Can see any early favourites from now on being very sceptical of their chances, and the odds viewed with a lot of suspicion until the rehearsals actually start - a good thing really as there were only two surprise winners between the years 2008 and 2015, and now we've had two in a row! * Very happy for Blanche. Did "the Poli", starting strong in the odds, plummeting when the staging was revealed but still storming it based on the song. To think some were worried she wouldn't qualify - I was unsure on how she'd do but the audience reaction in the hall made me think she had a good place settled. * I'm mostly happy with the results all round - no hugely unfair flops like Barei last year - it's really only Armenia who deserved to do a lot better than the final gave her, easily one of my faves. Maybe not as efficiently run as Sweden last year, but still a great contest and looking forward to how the Portuguese manage next year!

It's 3am Ukraine time and I'm too tired to write too much for now, but Portugal was easily my favourite of the night and I'm overjoyed it won. Astonished by the hatred and fury some are giving it here, bloody well done to Salvadore I say. Looking forward to Lisbon 2018 if I'm actually able to get a ticket!

I sadly don't get Bulgaria - other than that main synth hook there's nothing in the song that grabs me. I'd be a little disappointed if it won - particularly as I adored Poli last year - but with Italy and Portugal so seemingly polarised it may well be the winning all-rounder. The fact that Kristian was born in the year 2000 also makes me feel incredibly old. Belgium would be a huge but delightful shock, but I think its surely between the other three!

Pretty perfectly (Alma is adorable!) though it might suffer from coming both last in the running order and after Bulgaria. Last year Armenia were last and still did brilliantly, but Iveta had the less challenging task of following Joe & Jake. I was in the Golden Circle for the Family Final this afternoon, generally a better crowd but still absolutely dominated by locals in a way that Sweden last year wasn't. Most still performed in full costume except Italy, Francesco just wearing a casual shirt and the gorilla just wearing his head! Croatia's reaction better, Blanche pretty flawless and Lucie again storming it.

Portugal based on last night, but if the jury/televotes are split between them and Italy then Bulgaria could top overall...my thinking is Portugal, but I'd be more than happy for Italy.

Same, I was at the jury final last night and needed some thinking time! I've sent them just now but if too late then no probs, will post them here later on :) Here's what I would have voted for in 2016, as found on my old phone: 12 Australia 10 Ukraine 8 Russia 7 Bulgaria 6 Netherlands 5 Sweden 4 France 3 Spain 2 Austria 1 Poland Yes really at Poland, Color Of Your Life was awesome. Still annoyed at Say Yay's floppage...

Just got back from the jury final. Really odd and flat atmosphere compared to Sweden last year, every line from the hosts met with total and utter silence from a mostly Ukrainian crowd - that'll be the English barrier I think. Everyone around me seemed more concerned with having conversations and taking selfies than listening to the actual songs, only perking up for the Ukrainian entry. I bailed out once France were done so won't see the interval until tomorrow. Thoughts: * Really think Portugal could win this. Italy got an ok reaction but nothing huge, Portugal was really well received. Bulgaria's never really clicked with me but vocally he was on form. * Lucie was note perfect. Brilliant reaction even from the Ukrainians. As long as she doesn't mess up tomorrow we're surely due our best result since Blue, anything else would be cruelly unfair. * Worried about Blanche. I don't think she's "nervous" at all, just in character for the song, but a casual viewer (and maybe jury member) may find it hard to tell. Crowd reaction muted as it followed Ukraine and some were watching back their phone videos during the song, but I really want it to do well. * No one seemed to give a shit about Croatia, which seemed a shame as I rather enjoyed it! Hadn't heard it before tonight. Other faves - Armenia, Moldova, Netherlands and Romania. Looking forward to the real final tomorrow!

Was the Rome one where they held the 1991 contest? Toto to make a comedy cameo next year please.

Oh bollocks. My flight to Kiev is in two hours and was looking forward to woah-oh-ohing along in the arena : Can't complain too much as my other mega fave of Belgium got through at least, plus Netherlands, Romania, Moldova etc!

LOL, well yeah, the flight to Kiev actually cost more than the ticket for me :P I did swap my Final Rehearsal Fanzone ticket for the Golden Circle section at least, so I'll be right up close to the gorilla...

It's like the Oscars - people love a "comeback" from the wilderness, Norway 1985 and Finland 2006 being two huge examples. The UK and Portugal are in a great place right now to do the best they've done in years, possibly best ever in Portugal's case.

I'm a huge fan of Estonia's this year, would be proper gutted if that didn't make it through, but it seems quite popular so would have to be a shock for it not to. Romania, Moldova and Netherlands would all be welcome too.

Ticket sales have been so low for this that standing fan-zone and hundreds of seated tickets have been reduced to €17. I'd buy one but I don't arrive in Kiev until Friday morning!

So this is basically nowhere near selling out, either for the semi final on Thursday, the two final rehearsals and the live grand final itself - tickets are easily available for every event. Semi 2 especially is looking very empty.

If we do badly then the UK press are going to say it's because we left the EU. If we do brilliantly then the UK press are going to say it's because we left the EU, and Europe are trying to coax us back in :P It's like how "Iraq" was blamed for years and years post-Jemini (not at all to do with crap unmemorable songs, no...), and even way back in 2000 people were saying Nicki French flopped because the UK didn't adopt the Euro as its currency or something. Ironically the first full contest I watched was in 2002 - when we came third - and poor Jessica Garlick didn't get much attention at all, if anything people dismissed her because she didn't win!! I suppose Katrina was only five years ago at the time so third was (ridiculously) seen as an average result then.

Some of the posts on this page are depressing to read, showing how stale the charts (and new artists) are right now. Imagine streaming in 2000 - "Ok, that's the 14th week at number 1 for Robbie, who's next?" "Probably Robbie's next single" "Nah, Kylie has a new one out, that's got the next four months sorted I reckon" "Lol, imagine if Robbie and Kylie did a song together..."

Let's see if I get something as useless as Montenegro was last year... 34

I remember thinking that, in ten years time (which has already passed, yikes), the Crazy Frog would be hailed as some kind of iconic reminder of people's child/teenagehood and be hailed nostalgically on internet forums of the future. Except that hasn't happened and instead people seem to have quietly forgotten it out of embarrassment :P At its peak, you could literally flick through every music channel on Sky, and see this song at least once before having to go back to the beginning - either as an advert or as a full video. It did annoy me that various news sources at the time called this "the first ringtone to be number 1" - it's not, it's a three minute song with a ringtone sample slapped over the top, not actually just the ringtone on its own! But it made headlines at least and gave a new generation an excuse to complain about how terrible the charts are compared to their youth.

I think I paid a quid for that at a charity shop a couple of years ago! Now 30 used to be really sought after because of Oasis's Whatever, which wasn't on any of their main albums and couldn't be easily purchased until downloads arrived. By the late noughties you could get it for a pound though.

Not too long to go and Italy look unbeatable, far and away the favourite on all booking sites. In (distant) second place is Bulgaria, presumably after drastically underestimating Poli last year. No surprises with Sweden being 3rd, amazingly though Portugal follow it in 4th - that would be a hell of a comeback for them, their first Final appearance since 2010 and first top 10 since 1996, their 6th place that year being their current all-time best. Over-optimistic hype or one of the year's biggest surprises? Belgium complete the top 5 (slipping from #2 a few weeks ago), some offering as low as 20/1 for Blanche which could well be worth a punt. I do think Italy have all but won this, but other than Sweden god knows about the rest of the top 10. Last year Russia, France, Sweden, Australia and Ukraine at least seemed assured of top ten places, this time I've no idea!

My current ringtone is a Monophonic version of Alice Deejay's 'Better Off Alone', played out of a modern smartphone :P I think in a few years there'll be a big nostalgia wave for early mobiles and how they looked/sounded - keep onto those 3310s!

Seem to recall a fair bit of rage when So Much Love To Give came out - not only did it completely rip off the Together track, but they even had the cheek to call themselves the Freeloaders!! Dave Pearce (whose show by now I was listening to religiously on Radio 1 every weekend) gave the Freeloaders and Together versions fairly equal plays during this time. Adagio for Strings was indeed huge despite its peak, still getting played when I first started going to clubs in 2007-08. Don't think it was available on downloads at all at the time and you had to buy it physically, but it still got heaps of radio play. I'll always prefer Ferry's version but Tiesto's is pretty damn great too, even if it makes me a little sad remembering how brilliant he was in the early-mid noughties compared to the chart bollocks he was coming out with nine years later...