Daniel.

That's a relief, I was worried there for a second :lol: I have a strange feeling that Riverside is going to STORM Semi Final 1.

It looks like my revolution will have to be put off till next time; f(x) are making a comeback soon, so maybe I have a shot with entering them again. I will only do odds for Semi Final 1, and I will only list them in order of how likely they are to qualify. I am quite simply retarded when it comes to any kind of math, it would take me ages/require too much thinking to do proper odds this early in the morning, so I will pass. Definite People's Republic of Jester: Alexandra Stan 'Mr. Saxobeat' Batidas: Agnes Obel 'Riverside' FSR Rontvia: Brittany McDonald 'Strawberry Shake' Ashton: Molly Sandén 'Det Är Inte Jag' Very Likely Dalisska: Austra 'Lose It' Lotopialand: Andreas Wijk 'Like My Style' Tinnmark: Anna Abreu 'Hysteria' Farahtyn: Ola 'All Over The World' Bignia-Zaragovina: Marvin Priest 'Own This Club' Lievant: Vanbot 'Make Me, Break Me' Yuxhaaq: Kate Ryan 'LoveLife' Aquafina: Maria Ilieva 'I Like' Espen: Mylène Farmer 'Lonely Lisa' Possible Unovia: Jolin Tsai 'Měirén jì' Sander van Doorn 'Love Is Darkness' Ojnoj: Jason Reeves 'Sticks N Stones' Unlikely/Outsiders Caerfyrddia: Katzenjammer 'Lady Marlene' Xanaga: Asa 'Be My Man' New Caprica: Lita 'Let Go' Isconia: Creep; Romy 'Days' Eledan: Gold Panda 'Quitters Raga'

New Caprica has voted. And here are my second set of comments after I've re-listened to them and put them in there final oder. The first number/symbol represents the amount of places a song has either gone down or up in my rankings from my first set of comments (which I have quoted above). As you can see, apart from my Top 3, there has been a lot of re-shuffling! I'm glad more people made some comments/ranks as well; Pavel, after reading yours, I fear this will be my first K-Pop entry that you don't like and gooddelta, I have a feeling mine might be the 2/10 that forced you to take your earphones out (or maybe I'm just paranoid :lol:). Anyway, on to the comments... Semi Final 1 [--] 10/10 - 12 points:: – There was never going to be any other winner from the moment I heard it, it just left me shell shocked at its total awesomeness. What I said before still stands, I go on some kind of trip with this song. I feel high. I feel amazing. I want this to win so badly, but it never will :( Leagues ahead of the competition, and would most likely be top for me in any other contest as well. Just WELL DONE to the person who sent this; the two riskiest entries are the best, and that should be a lesson for us all. [--] 10/10 - 10 points:: – Nice to see somebody take such a risk with their entry, and it has paid off in buckets loads, at least for me. Makes a nice change to hear just instruments and voices than just electronic production or however you describe it. The combination of the different instruments and the harmony of the voices and the rhythm is off-beat + quirky but utterly captivating; at points it becomes something almost tribal-esq. It’s a very haunting entry and it left me with goosebumps. Bravo to whoever sent this! And I have a feeling I know who did. [--] 10/10 - 08 points:: – This caught me off guard the second time I listened to it and it very nearly brought me to tears; her voice with just the piano is so utterly captivating and powerful. Love the lyrics too. My Top 3 are just a powerhouse, and each of them would be a worthy winner of the entire contest. [^8] 10/10 - 07 points:: - Gosh, this is so hard, I kept swapping this around with the song below it, but I settled with this getting 07 points in the end; for the reason that the woman’s vocals give me chills; combined with the space like production, it is incredibly melancholy. This and the rest of my Top 4 had the most emotional impact on me. Why it was so low down in the rankings (shocked that it ever had to jump 8 places) is only due to the fact that I listened to it near the beginning, therefore ended up undeservedly near the bottom. I knew from the start this was getting points. [^2] 10/10 - 06 points:: – A marvellous song that just lifts the soul, the production is pure, utter *_* it makes you feel like your floating on a cloud: like you’re listening to a witch’s spell or something. Wonderful. [v2] 09.5/10 - 05 points:: - The intro reminds me of J-Lo’s On The Floor, and the whole thing reminds me of some bittersweet, euro dance hit in the same vein as Stereo Love. Moving + catchy. [v2] 09/10 - 04 points:: – This seems to the most underrated song of the first semi and I don’t know why? When thinking about it, the song hasn’t really got impactful verses, and the chorus is good but nothing that would really lend itself for you to be overwhelmed by it; it’s a song that needs to be listened the whole way through to appreciate just how amazing it is; the weird structure and the spoken intro and middle 8 are amazing. It’s the way the chorus builds from the verses that gets me; the little production flourishes like sirens and breaking glass. The thumping bass. It reminds me of Robyn’s None of Dem. I haven’t changed my opinion from first listen, it just slips slightly because my appreciation grew for the other two songs more. [v2] 09/10 - 03 points:: – Such a cheesy song, and it reminds me of late 90s/early 00s pop; in particular 5ive’s Keep On Movin’ (for the life of me I don’t know why, it just does) and I get a nostalgia kick every time I listen to it. In fact it’s not just cheesy, it’s a big old cheese fest; but the dreamy production; vocals and those backing vocals are just so good, it breaks down my hard exterior, and I now fully embrace the cheese and love it regardless. [v1] 09/10 - 02 points:: – Listening to this again, I was struck by the same thought as last time; her vocals at points really remind me of Katy Perry. It’s like this would be the result if she ever wanted to go full on euro-pop, and in parts it does remind me of Who Am I Living For? Anyway, leaving the Katy comparisons behind, it’s probably the most bombastic, non-stop song in my Top 10. And that is where I think its weakness lies for me; there’s no room to breathe and strangely enough as a result it became rather more forgettable than I thought it would. Once again, this is a song that slid for me from when I first heard it, and was one of the songs I kept moving around at the last minute; finally settled on giving it 02 points. It just goes to show how strong the competition is, when I’m calling a song like this “forgettable”. [^6] 09/10 - 01 point:: –Well this came out of nowhere for me, while I liked it on first listen, I didn’t really consider it a contender for any points. But then I listened to it again...Her vocals are just so fierce especially before the chorus kicks in. While on first listen I criticised it for not having a particularly stand-out chorus (and indeed it’s more lacklustre than some of the others in the semi), the verses and the beat make up for it in spades. I like. [--] 09/10 - How close this was to getting 01 point, how very, very close. Why I was so blasé towards this on first listen I don’t know, it’s such a triumphant ballad that balls me over, and has my foot tapping along at the same time. There’s no fault I can find with it to say why it just missed out, other than that the competition was just so intense. I think if there’s any decision I may regret making it’s this, although I’m confident it will go through to the Final regardless of whether I give it points or not. If it doesn’t I will kick myself. [v 2]09/10 - The sax and beat is so summery and infectious and sophisticated I feel this would be my jam if I was ever to be lounging around in a 5* French hotel by the pool, smoking some Virginia Slims and sipping a martini during Cannes. At one stage this was getting my 07 points and along with a group of other songs, I kept switching it around like a merry-go-round until the last minute. Unfortunately, the bits where the sax lets up I don’t like as much, which is the only real reason this is ended up sliding down and getting no points. A real shame. [v 4] 09/10 - Now this song I had the most problems with, it’s been up and down my list like a yo-yo, and at once stage I was content with giving it 05 points. The woman’s vocals are probably my favourite of the entire semi, and remind me strongly of Zola Jesus and would fit perfectly into her Stridulum album. It’s a song that lingers in my memory, but it doesn’t stick like some of the others; but when I listen each time there’s a dark, haunting feel to that makes me want to give it points. Unfortunately, the fact that other songs hooks and bombastic productions have worked better, has meant it’s not getting any higher. I just wish this could have been in the second semi. [^1] 08/10 – I don’t know why I didn’t give this a higher score on first listen, the production is modern and quite frankly, incredible. I have no problems with the lyrics now, and from this song onwards, I really regret the fact that it misses out on points. [^ 4] 07/10 – I think this deserved to be higher up the ranks than I put it before; it’s a very well made song. As I said before, the chorus, especially the production there, really, really reminds of Justin Bieber’s Somebody To Love. Considering that’s one of the few Bieber songs I like that’s no bad thing. [^ 1} 06.5/10 – The verses and overall tone is very ‘Grenade’, and I love the guitar before the verses start, as well as the beat. It grows with every listen, but I remain kind of placid towards the song. It’s good, but isn’t strong enough to stand up against the competition unfortunately. [^ 1] 06/10 – This is a very modern sounding and yes, generic, but regardless it’s a solid song; I could imagine an act like The Wanted releasing this. Also, the chorus reminds me ridiculously of a recent hit, to the point where their choruses sound one and the same, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it’s called. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who has made the comparison because this is seriously going to bug me. [v 5] 06/10 – I can’t place the reason why this can’t click with me; it’s got a light, fun production; female vocals; fluffy lyrics - it just lacks any impact that makes me want to listen to it again, but when I do, it’s a very pleasant song. Just not for me. [v 5] 05/10 - On the first listen I loved the retro, funky feel with the feisty vocals and lyrics, however once it’s initial charm wore off, it is quite a dull song and one of the weakest of the very strong semi. [--] 05/10 – I think I was too harsh with this the first time around. It’s a perfectly fine song, but it’s terribly yawn-some, and I find the chorus and middle 8 to be very irritating (maybe it is just the vocals, like Robyn’s evil twin) even if the competition wasn't as strong as it was, I would have probably still ended up putting the song near the bottom. I can't believe how much I wrote :drama: Will start listening to Semi Final 2 today, but won't be making any comments. Hopefully will get a predicition in and maybe some scores out of 10.

I have just gone through with my second full listen (some tracks I listened to more to help me decide when it was close) and I have finally ordered them. I will vote tomorrow; I am currently typing up new comments for every song, and I am being kicked off the computer before I can complete them. The length is already double the first comments I made :drama: Should have them up late tonight or early tomorrow.

Today's airplay update: 19. BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends: 52.005 (+ 1.263) ▲ Also, Slowpoke, Katy Perry is the radio Queen at the moment along with Rihanna; so it's no surprise that E.T. (with such a well timed and well hyped video) is getting such great increases. Plus, like Tyler said, it's been building since before TTWE dropped. I can see her airplay building and stalling around the 60-70 mill mark; her increases keeps fluctuating between getting under a million update one day to over a million the next. Either way with it doing so well on iTunes (up to #3), decent airplay and video streaming it's a cert to go Top 5 next week, but with S&M and E.T killing it she has no chance at No.1 and BEP are also in her way.

All will be revealed soon :P And grebo69, I think pretty much everyone has that problem to start with, it takes a few contests, but eventually you start picking up who is who.

I think there are only a few that are guaranteed a place in the final, and it's hard to pick between some songs; there's such a thin dividing line because the quality is so high. Some of the people I didn't predict a place are my favourites.

In that case, I thought your song was good Lee, the last two comments don't apply to you; take your pick from the rest :P I will re-post the comments with the songs after Tyron finishes presenting the semi finals, I know just how EAGER everyone must be to know which comment belongs to them.

I remember her saying that a third part of the story was a long way off, if there is even going to be one. This is premiering on a tuesday (Holy tuesday in fact, the day that Judas betrayed Jesus, so rather fitting) and I'd expect it to go on iTunes the same day, like Born This Way. I was a bit hesistant at the earlier release date at first, but I love the fact that this is going to be released and played on radio during Holy week, and it will guarantee her a second monster hit to help promote the album; and if it is as good as it's supposed to be it will eradicate the lukewarm response some fans had to BTW. Plus, there's rumours that she will begin filming the second video for it soon too (there's a casting call floating around on the net); possibly to come out the same time as the album does?

Which country are you Lee? I only remember a few off by heart.

As Tyron said your song is neither of those things, so look higher...

I think its length has something to do with her video views; the official audio has been viewed 59,249,135 times and is still growing (which would put her on over 90 mill views overall); it seems people are choosing to just listen to the song rather than watch the 7 minute video. Plus, there has been a bit of an anti-GaGa sentiment about the video/song - it's too wierd etc. if Judas is as much of a pop banger as Bad Romance and Poker Face was, expect her next video to have insane views again. To be honest, as long as GaGa maintains her quality, I don't care how out there or long they are, or how many views they get. I'll bet you that the BTW video will last longer in popular culture than JLo's will.

> semi·final_one ^ Dalisska: Austra 'Lose It' ^ Lievant: Vanbot 'Make Me, Break Me' ^ Espen: Mylène Farmer 'Lonely Lisa' ^ Farahtyn: Ola 'All Over The World' ^ Batidas: Agnes Obel 'Riverside' ^ N-Lazone: Sander van Doorn 'Love Is Darkness' ^ Lotopialand: Andreas Wijk 'Like My Style' ^ Ojnoj: Jason Reeves 'Sticks N Stones' ^ Ashton: Molly Sandén 'Det Är Inte Jag' ^ FSR Rontvia: Brittany McDonald 'Strawberry Shake' ^ Xanaga: Asa 'Be My Man' ^ Caerfyrddia: Katzenjammer 'Lady Marlene' ^ Eledan: Gold Panda 'Quitters Raga' ^ Unovia: Jolin Tsai 'Měirén jì' ^ Yuxhaaq: Kate Ryan 'LoveLife' ^ New Caprica: Lita 'Let Go' ^ Bignia-Zaragovina: Marvin Priest 'Own This Club' ^ Isconia: Creep; Romy 'Days' ^ People's Republic of Jester: Alexandra Stan 'Mr. Saxobeat' ^ Tinnmark: Anna Abreu 'Hysteria' ^ Aquafina: Maria Ilieva 'I Like' I'm hopeful I'll scrape through, I think my song is the most BJSC friendly song I've entered *fingers crossed*.

Semi final 1 10/10 - Dirty, grimy, low-fi production. F'cking amazing, amazing, amazing. It's what I look for in songs, to make me feel like I'm on some wild trip, absorbed into the music and feeling just emotion. Euphoric. 10/10 - Lovely to hear some live music too; the instruments, the musicality is amazing and combined with the voices; the quirky feel and rhythm; the lyrics: it gave me goosebumps. Different + wonderful. 10/10 - Great start, overall very powerful and beautiful, but did it lose its impact in the second half? 09/10 - The audio quality in the chorus, didn't let it shine as much as it could have, it was like the chorus was trying to escape the limitations; the verses was 10/10 stuff. 09/10 - Amazing spoken intro, and overall it's great a dark pop song. Love how well produced it is, and how it builds. It's a sweeping, epic song. 09/10 - It seems cheesy, and something that deserves lower, but it's so ethereal, and easy to get caught up in, especially with the dreamy backing vocals. 09/10 - Marvellous pop song, the production and voice are great, absorbed me completely. Sounds like Katy Perry (a more upbeat version of Who Am I Living For? perhaps) 8.5/10 - Will it be as good second time round? The spoken part <3 8.5/10 - sensual, smooth voice that compliments the production, which is great in itself, it all seems edgy. A solid 8.5/10 for me. 8.5/10 - I love the tone of the woman’s voice, and it blends so well and complements the production, they mould into one; neither outshines the other. Upbeat and cool. 08/10 - Great song, but is there something missing? Potential grower. 08/10 - Beautiful, tender voice and melancholy, space like instrumental. Another potential grower. 08/10 - Along with the first 7.5 song, it's the most polished pop in the first 10. I love the instrumental. There is a Glee feel to it, for a lack of a better comparison. It's just lacking the initial 'oomph' I need to give it top marks. The vocals and the production don’t seem to complement each other as well as other songs do. They don’t feel like one. 08/10 - Love the retro feel and the tone of her voice, the production isn't flashy; it's just an all round lovely song. 7.5/10 - Great production, cheesy lyrics. Strong competition, maybe I scored too high? 7.5/10 -I love the build up to the chorus, especially her voice, but the chorus is a bit of a letdown, although made up for by the fantastic middle 8 and production. Overall, v. good song: like pretty much every song in this semi final. If the chorus was better it would be 8/10. 07/10 - Wasn't an instant song, but it's 'nice'; the guy's voice and general feel is more than the sum of its parts. A potential dark horse for me? 07/10 - Undeniable good pop song, the most current sounding of the bunch, it would not seem amiss if it suddenly popped up in the UKTop40. 06/10 - The chorus is catchy; but it feels too cheesy to deserve any higher. 04/10 - One of the first songs, and thought it was a below average pop song that are a dime a dozen, the clear weak spot. Will give it a second chance, maybe I was too harsh?

:kink: Let's just say, you'll find out soon enough. Only one more song to go! The standard for the first semi final is fierce, I thought I had such a killer song aswell, I don't think any of my other songs has had as much potential; I'm thinking it will be just enough to get me through to the final. Maybe. I've been making comments, so I will be posting them along with my full initial rate after I finished the last song. Fun, fun, fun, fun.

Does anyone else think that the chorus in Ola's All Over the World sounds really similar to Bieber's Somebody to Love. Either way it's irritatingly catchy; sounds like a 90s song given modern production flourishes. To add some drama, my initial ratings for the first four songs in SF1 are; 09/10 08/10 06/10 04/10 Speculate away.

I see Ashton and FSR Rontvia are in the same semi final :kink: I guess there's no seperating these two! Looking forward to hearing all the entries tomorrow ^_^ tonight is dedicated to unfinished c/w *sigh* Oh, and an early push, vote for Lita - Let's Go and let's start an AISAN POP REVOLUTION!

I just assumed it was a jingle, made specifically for the video. I think the beat is just an updated version of the robotic "Stardate: 2008..." bit before each previous tansmission episode. GaGa also doesn't tend to preview her music (apart from the remixes at Mugler fashion week), it doesn't make sense for her to drop even some of the instrumental for the song, she's going to be hyping this up for a while yet. Also, love the fact that she is releasing this during Holy week, and on the actual day that Judas betrayed Jesus. Scandalous. I really like the editing of it aswell, and the "if you have revolutionary potential..." quote that she used. Also, I find it quite impressive how much she has improved as a dancer, her choreography might not be complex, but she goes in so hard, and does it with such power, it doesn't really matter. Oh, and her black "timeless" dress and pearl neckless was stunning, and I'm loving the black bangs and long blond hair this era.

Whoops! Having completely forgotten about my national thread, and after re-reading it, I noticed your two comments, sorry for the delayed response! I agree with you Freeze, officially sticking to K-Pop for the rest of my time playing BJSC; hopefully, I will be able to create a niche for myself and an identity, and over time maybe even reach the dizzying heights of the Top 10 :drama: although I don't think I will strike gold as I did with Nu ABO, and if THAT couldn't do it.... Oh well, ss you very kindly said, hopefully it will create some more K-Pop fans, which would be fantastic, as it seems to me, to be the most underrated genre of pop music. Thanks for the lovely comment gooddelta, I'm glad I found you a K-Pop song you like, hopefully I will manage to do it again in the future ^_^ I've got to say I agree with yours and Freeze's praise, I haven't heard a K-Pop song that is as insane prodcution wise or as full of attidude as Nu ABO. They are making a comeback this year, so fingers crossed they will outdo themselves and if so I'll enter it. You might also like this song by them gooddelta, it'd from the same mini-album and it is a fan favourite. iqXFS4lDDeI

Confirmed! and I FULLY intend to vote on time for once. I can also confirm that New Caprica is sticking with its well worn K-Pop theme. If this is as well recieved as f(x) was, looking forward to that Top 20 smash.

Hopefully the rumours are true, and we will still be getting the stripped down version of Born This Way (and the second video) sometime in April, which would help to tie us over. But I'm with what everyone's been saying, I'm in no way sick of Born This Way yet, and like how there's going to be a nice sized gap between singles; it allows a breather and the songs to feel more like events. Ideally, I would like this to premier on the same day or the day after the Monster Ball tour airs on HBO. Not only would it make sense commercially, but it just feels like a good time.

This reminds me of how close Damages was to being cancelled, and considering Mad Men has a bigger profile (I'm sure DVD sales must be fantastic for this?) a deal should be made someway or another. Hopefully. This is on my To Watch list (currently working my way through In Treatment); the production design, sets and costume/make-up seems so stylish from the clips I've seen, it's a show that must be so beautiful to look at. Also, Breaking Bad, another show that I need to see...and Arrested Development *sigh* Btw love your sig ▲▲▲, Julianne Moore was (and looked) fantastic in A Single Man, should have got an Oscar nod for that performance.

Can't believe no one's posted this, but the full lyrics are out there. Judas, You never ever never Ever really ever loved me more, than I But Nemesis is watching over-high And this is your time, Judas, lie on lie, write Tears drop cause I cry The echo truth killed you so you may finally die Master Judas, My Judas you're all mine I spent my nights healing from your damaging bites My Judas, My Judas, you'll be fine I slept over your hard stoned shoulder I domestic flighted for you, baby Murdered as you might find me cooler, honey I'm just a holy fool, oh baby he's so cruel, He's the one who will make me a liar, Make my speech nothing worth But I'm still in love with Judas, Baby I'm still in love with Master Judas, Baby Jude, if my love is a sin, if no man seems to fit As I trust the world, to put me back on feet I'm just a holy fool, oh baby he's so cruel, He's the one who will make me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth But I'm still in love with Judas, since his birth I'm still in love with Judas, Oh Judas You bring me mirth Jude, if my love is a sin, if no man seems to fit As I trust the Lord, he'll put me back on ship Is it the shoe heel or the size of my feet I'm just a holy fool, oh baby he's so cruel, He's the one who will make me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth But I'm still in love with Judas, Baby I'm still in love with Judas, Baby Jude I promised you, I won't bother you As I crossed my fingers back from North I'm still in love with Judas, Oh Judas You bring me mirth. Overall, I love these lyrics, v. gothic.

Which is why critics are still very relevant, despite what some people say, I no longer go to see a film without reading reviews and getting the general word of mouth first. Unless, of course, it's something which I know I'm going to see regardless of what people say for personal reasons (e.g. Harry Potter, although to be fair, reviews for the latest film have been generally positive). Oh God, that film is pure comic gold, me and my friends had this playing when we where getting ready to go out, and when that infamous soliliquy came up, we literally could not stop laughing, and ended up being late because we stayed to finish it, just so we could take the p***.

Sia and Leona <3