Well, like I’ve mentioned before, tonight’s the Grand Final of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.  For the past two weeks or so, I’ve had the honor and the pleasure of writing not only for ESCInsider, but also for ESCKaz.com, the official website of the OGAE Rest of the World fan club.  My work with ESCKaz (and the press accreditation that comes with it) has afforded me the incredible opportunity to meet equally incredible people, from the fraternity of journalists here to the hardworking volunteers to the EBU staffers to the delegations and artists themselves.  I cannot express my gratitude deeply enough to the ESCKaz team for not only giving me the chance to work with them, but also taking me under their wing and helping me learn on the fly as I was tossed into the Deep End of the Eurovision world.

I had the chance to interview 20 of this year’s artists, and I got to meet nearly all of the performers either at the Euroclub or one of the myriad other events here over the past few weeks.  I got particularly close to the Icelandic delegation, the Greeks, Raphael Gualazzi from Italy, Finland’s Paradise Oskar, and the Sanmarinese staff.  Even the biggest divas here were sweet and welcoming; Albania’s Aurela Gaçe always greeted me as we passed each other in the hall (especially after I told her that I was from New Jersey).

As I’ve previously said, this entire experience has made me reevaluate the entire notion of “fame” and “celebrity”.  I’ve witnessed quiet moments of coffee-sipping, flirtation, personal breakdowns, musical jam sessions, and the panic of realizing that one is about to perform in front of 150 million people, not to mention YouTube clips ad infinitum.  Celebrities are people, too, my friends.  Treat them with respect (especially the newcomers on the scene).

I’m also still amused by the obsession with collecting the delegations’ promotional CDs.  I will happily accept the swag and goodies from countries that I either have a relationship with or enjoy the song of, but I’m not going to step over my own mother in order to get the promo material from Kreplachistan if I think the song is abysmal.  (That being said, the prize for the BEST promotional swag has to go, hands down, to the Georgian delegation, who provided selected members of the press corps with magnets, notebooks, pens, locally-produced teas, silk scarves, and even bottles of Georgian wine!)

Other things I have learned:
1) You catch more flies (and interviews) with honey than with vinegar.  By going out and simply being polite to the volunteers, heads of press, and other staffers here, one can make significantly more headway towards where you want to go than by going in charging like a bull in a china shop and making demands from the higher-ups.  The delegations don’t owe you anything.

2) Be more in charge of your own accommodation arrangements.  I left my housing to my colleagues in the OGAE Rest of the World.  While the housing was inexpensive and in a very safe location, I didn’t know until I arrived how distant my apartment would be from where the rest of the action was.  It took me nearly an hour every day to get to the Arena via public transportation, and the buses stopped running too early, meaning that I had to pay for a taxi home nearly every night, upping my daily incidentals by about 25 Euros per night.  Also, while my housemates were lovely people, I was the youngest of the four of us, and the only one who wanted to go out often and enjoy what the city had to offer.  Because of that dynamic, I feel like I’ve missed out a bit.

3) Never say “No”, and break down your own barriers.    I’ve been overwhelmed, stressed, and crazed at times, but I’ve never turned down an opportunity to shake a hand, do an interview, or smile for a random camera.  I’m also pretty shy by my nature, but I’ve overcome my own fears and put myself out there.  I don’t really like the way I look on camera or in audio recordings, but I recorded a handful of podcasts for ESC Insight and have been interviewed for Belarussian television.  I’ve felt my knees shaking as I got up to ask questions to Jedward, but I ended up creating a great moment (but, then again, with Jedward, aren’t they all?).  I often hate sitting alone, but I went on my own to Raphael Gualazzi’s showcase and it might have been the highlight of my time here.  I’ve made some great friends by keeping myself open-minded, and who knows where those connections will lead?

4) Enjoy every second.  There are about 2,500 accredited journalists here at the Press Center, and the vast majority of them are screaming Eurovision fanboys and fangirls.  We stress out, we freak out, we explode, but we love every moment.  The arguments, the punditry, the debates…we live for this.  We’re all hopelessly addicted, and we do this out of love.  Eurovision is our Summer Camp, our Prom, and our Bar Mitzvahs all rolled into one yearly event.  Veterans see old friends and make new ones year after year…often times, the question asked isn’t “who do you want to win?”, but rather “where would you like to meet up next year?”.  (That’s one of many reasons I’m hoping Iceland takes it…direct flights from Minneapolis to Keflavik!)

What else can I say?  I’m sure I’ll have quite a bit more to discuss in a few hours, once we figure out the results…but until then, you’ve got a bit more time to mull over the possibilities.

Catch you on the other side of Eurovision History, people!

Wow, Blogspot couldn’t have crapped out on me at a more inconvenient time…

Anyway, as some of you figured out, I went 9 for 10 on the Second Semi’s results, but I promise you that that is where my lucky streak will end.  I honestly have no idea who will take tonight’s Eurovision crown, and I’m not the only one here in the press room who’s up in the air!  People are guessing Azerbaijan, Ireland, the UK, France, Iceland, Denmark…I think Serbia might surprise us a bit and come up to the Top 5, but this year’s draw really put a damper on the pundits’ predictions.  Some of this year’s strongest songs are being performed in the start of the running order, with former underdogs now in the sweet spots in the lineup.  Then again, there are many who say that with the re-inclusion of the Jury’s vote and televoting now allowed throughout the entire show, running order matters less, but Dino Merlin still grimaced when he drew #2.  Only time will tell, my friends…

Well, tonight’s the first Semifinal, and in a matter of hours, we’ll have nine acts cut from the rosters and thrown into the bin of Eurovision History.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the songs are bad, or that the performances have left anything to be desired, but some might either be edged out via political voting, jury vs. televoting choices, or even something as arbitrary as running order or costume.  I had the chance to check out the first Dress Rehearsal yesterday afternoon (a few hours before the “Jury Final”, where the professionals give their verdict).

Here are my thoughts on what you might see tonight:

1) Poland: Magdalena Tul’s thankfully had her costume modified, so it no longer looks like she’s wearing a space-diaper.  She sounds pretty strong, and the fact that she’s kicking the Semi off with a moderately high-energy number should bode well for her.  She’s got a lot of choreography, but her voice doesn’t seem to suffer.

2) Norway: Stella Mwangi looks great and appears confident, and everyone agrees that the key-change from the National Final was a major help to this song.  There’s nothing else quite like it in the competition this year, and I’d be surprised to see this fail to go through to the Final on Saturday.

3) Albania: People are calling Aurela Gaçe “scary”, but I see her performance and styling as a piece of performance art. She’s blending the lyrics of the song, the LED backdrop, the flag of her nation, and her own personal styling in a really interesting and well-thought-out way that can only be described as “aquiline”.  (Look it up!)  She’s rocking studs, talons, and some seriously epic eye makeup…her voice is stunning, and she knows how to work a stage.  People in the hall yesterday seemed very impressed by the vocal quality for this entry, but the styling might put some people off.

4) Armenia: High-energy, cotton-candy fluff.  Boom-Boom, Chaka-Chaka, enough said.

5) Turkey: Last year’s Maltese Birdman evidently has a cousin in Turkey, and she has the uncanny ability to sit on her own head!  A good mainstream rock performance from the Turks, as per usual…should make it through to the Finals, I’d imagine.

6) Serbia: Nina’s still adorable!  She’s rocking the Edie Sedgewick/Twiggy look, and the song is pure fun.  Supposedly, the Serbs are worried about this one making it through, but I don’t think they should fret too much. 

7) Russia: Whenever I hear this one and see its 50’s-inspired styling, all my friend Ewan Spence and I can do is imitate a bit of John Travolta “Greased Lightning” choreography.  I’m still not a fan of this one, although if “Lost and Forgotten” could make it through to the Final last year, I’m sure Alexey will have no trouble.  (That being said, I should mention that Alexey brought his corgi, Elvis, to the Welcome Reception a few nights back…he was better-behaved than some of the actual humans there!)

8) Switzerland: A lovely little song, simple presentation, but is it enough?  The Swiss have been robbed over the past few years (Lovebugs?  Paolo Meneguzzi?  DJ Bobo, anyone?), and I hate to say it, but I predict a similar fate for this sweet little breezy number.

9) Georgia: RAWK!!  I absolutely love this song (although I could do without Sopho’s Christmas tree-ish ensemble).  The lead vocals are searing, and the rap actually blends in pretty successfully here.  I’m not just giving the Georgians a glowing review because of the great party the delegation threw and the FANTASTIC swag bags they’ve been giving out (I’ve gotten magnets, notebooks, tea, wine, and a scarf so far, not to mention the actual CD single itself).  If this song were Turkish, we’d have the Semi’s possible winner on our hands…but will people get Eldrine?

10) Finland: Everybody say “awwwww”…Paradise Oskar’s an undeniable cutie, and despite the fact that he’s still a bit of a new artist, he knows how to work a camera.  He’s giving these long stares and grins into the camera…he’ll connect with the audience and make hearts melt.  His vocals are spot-on, and the staging is simple.  The backdrop on this one is also pretty impressive, with a dramatic view of the Earth rising.  I’d be shocked to see this fall at this point.

11) Malta: Glen Vella has been a fixture here at the Euroclub for the past week and a half, and I’ve never witnessed him having less than full-on energy.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure if that energy is enough to save “One Life”, especially considering how many other strong performances there are here.

12) San Marino: Senit is truly lovely, and the folks at the Sanmarinese Delegation have been my neighbors here at the Press Center.  I’m just not sure if “Stand By” has enough “oomph” to make it through to the Final.  People in the press center are divided on this one’s quality, with some saying that the song comes across well, and other half less enthusiastic.  We’ll see…

13) Croatia: Daria’s brought a quick-change or two to the stage, but that’s really the only major appeal to “Celebrate”.  Meh…

14) Iceland: I still love this one, and now that I’ve gotten to meet the guys a few times throughout this whole process, I’m head-over-heels for it.  I have a worry that a lot of this entry’s televote chances hinge on what the commentators say about Sjónni Brink and his story, but if there’s any justice, this should make it through to the Final.  For my sake, I hope so, because I’ll be sitting in the front row tonight, next to a number of Icelandic friends and family members!

15) Hungary: This one was a bit of a train-wreck during the first rehearsals, but it looks like it’s been cleaned up quite a bit, and I’m a bit more satisfied with the result.  Many people are still invoking the blessed name of Kate Ryan, however, so who knows what will happen?

16) Portugal: Some of my friends at the ESCInsight Podcast made an interesting point today.  For Homens Da Luta to really get their message across, they should have taken advantage of the smaller satellite stage, to get them closer to the fans.  For now, the staging is still pretty basic and static, but it’s definitely fun.  It could be a shock qualifier…

17) Lithuania: Evelina Sasenko’s voice is beautiful, but the song is just…blaahhhh.  What I will give this song credit for, however, is Evelina’s dress, which makes her upper half look absolutely prodigious!

18) Azerbaijan: Yeah, there’s a fair amount of “sketch” in this one…Eldar and Nigar still look a bit awkward together, and the nine-year age difference between the two comes through.  But it’s Azerbaijan, so it should probably go through.

19) Greece: When this song was picked by the Greeks months ago, many had doubts about its success.  However, as the staging has coalesced into a cohesive unit, and the whole thing is being presented, you can really see how effectively the whole package has come together.  The entire performance is wall-to-wall eye candy (I’ve had the pleasure to hang out with the delegation a number of times, and…yes…::sigh::), and Greece, being Greece, should qualify.

The postcards are quite sweet, with citizens from each of the participating countries hanging out in various parts of Germany, ending with the words “Feel Your Heart Beat” either spoken or written in their national language. 

I can’t wait to see the final product (or, technically, the semi-final product!), and see how my favorites do tonight!  I’ll catch you all on the other side of the Semi! 😉