My Predictions 2013: First Semifinal

Dreaming of Malmö

The bad thing about Eurovision for me, here in Alaska, is that it takes place so early in the day.

While Europeans are at home enjoying a night of light entertainment, I'm at the start of my work day here in Alaska.  It means I'm constantly refreshing the Internet, looking for updates while attempting to do my job.

For the most part I succeed.   But Eurovision is much more fun that making sure numbers balance on ledgers or keeping up with the latest news on health care reform.

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Enough about the joys of human resources in Alaska, you're hear to learn my choices to make the final from the first semifinal.

But after spending a few months listening and ranking these songs, it's time to give my choices on the songs I think will go to the semifinal.

• Belarus
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Ireland 
• Russia
• Serbia
• Slovenia
• the Netherlands
• Ukraine

The amazing thing about this list is that there are only three that I am completely confident of making it through--Denmark, Russia, and Ukraine.  Denmark has been the favorite of many people in the Eurovision community (although not mine) and Russia and Ukraine are perennial qualifiers and the songs aren't completely horrible, so they're locks.

Ireland and Serbia are the second tier. They're likely to make it through.  Ireland has had a lot of good buzz which means people will likely vote for it.  Serbia's song is pretty terrible, but with a good placing and likely Balkan Bloc voting it will be make it through.

That pretty much leaves Belarus, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia, and the Netherlands as my final five choices.  I have no real reason to say about these five other my choices are a combination of personal favorites and what I think Europe will vote for on Tuesday night.

I can see any of those five being replaced by Austria, Croatia, or Moldova.   All eight of those songs have an  opportunity to take the final five places.

The only three that I can't see any chance of making it through are Belgium, Lithuania, and Montenegro.  The  first two just seem lame, while the third is so "out there" that people aren't likely to get it.  (Although I must admit I love the astronauts.)

So there's my two cents on the final.   Now here comes some begging.

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Please.  Please. Please.  If you live in Europe and vote in the first semifinal, kindly consider using one of your televotes for this song.

Anouk   "Birds"   The Netherlands

You'd make a Eurovision fan who can't put in his two cents very happy.