Author Archives: Samantha Ross
News from San Marino: The Return of Valentina Monetta
(Warning: the following post may cause slight nausea in some readers, heart palpitations in others, and general feelings of déjà vu in most. Please consult your doctor before reading. Or at least post a status on Facebook.)
Well, San Marino, we meet again. You think you could fool us by refusing to deny the various rumors spreading about the blogosphere about the return of Lys Assia. You thought you could confuse us by posting calendars in Chinese on your Facebook page and not stopping the significant number of tweets sent out to Eurovision fans by a pair of (now disappointed) singers from Hong Kong. But uh oh, uh oh oh, it appears that you had the last laugh in the end. Read the rest of this entry
A Winner in Denmark: Emmelie de Forest
Ten songs went to bat tonight in Herning, but, as is the custom, only one could win the ticket to Malmö. After being winnowed down to a three-song Superfinal, one song stood head-and-shoulders above the rest and join the pantheon of Eurovision 2013 performers.
Preview: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix
After a seemingly interminable dry spell, where Eurovision fans went literally weeks without a new song being chosen, we finally break through the ice for the first time this year with this Saturday’s Danish National Final. Unlike the other Nordics, Denmark’s Melodi Grand Prix is a one-night affair, with no heats, semifinals, or second-chance rounds to wade through. By the time the night is over, we’ll know who will take the baton from Soluna Samay and cross the Øresund/Öresund into Malmö this May. Read the rest of this entry
Welcoming back Armenia with Gor Sujyan
This year, despite the disheartening news that four nations would be withdrawing from Eurovision (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Slovakia, and Turkey), the 2013 event welcomes Armenia back into the competitive fold. Skipping the show in Azerbaijan citing security reasons, nearly as soon as the curtain fell in Baku, the team from ARMTV confirmed their participation in Sweden. Of course, the rumors about who would carry the nation’s tricolor started swirling. The ever-present whispers of Armenian-American rockers System of a Down were quelled, and the gossip about the return of 2008 alumna Sirusho simply resulted in a lot of great publicity for her new single (which happens to be quite good)! Read the rest of this entry
“Nouvelle Star” Amandine Bourgeois for France
Continuing their trend of selecting an artist internally, broadcaster France 3 has delved into their Rolodex of reality television victors and pulled out a versatile, promising name: Amandine Bourgeois. The winner of Season Six of “Nouvelle Star”, the now-33-year-old singer impressed judges on the show with songs ranging from “Nothing Compares 2 U” to “Rehab” to “Bring Me To Life“. Now she’s impressed a panel of musical experts from France Télévisions, who have given her the ticket to Sweden. Read the rest of this entry
A quick game of catch-up…
Ok, I’ll admit it, I’ve been a bad blogger. Due to illness, travel, and that pesky 40-hour-per-week job of mine, a few major bits of news haven’t quite made it to the site yet! (What can I say? The ESC Insider is a one-woman project, and sadly, I only have two hands.) Let’s take a quick look back at the four internal artist selections that were made in Spain, Georgia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. Read the rest of this entry
News from Malmö: Theme Art Revealed and Semifinals Drawn
The wheels keep on turning over in Malmö as preparations for Eurovision 2013 kick into high gear. On Thursday, the highly-anticipated theme and logo for this year’s event was unveiled to fanfare by some and minor confusion by others. The Semifinal Allocation Draw, held later that day, kept the gossip and punditry flowing as new rules were put firmly into focus. Let’s take a look at the day’s highlights: Read the rest of this entry
Zlata Ognevich for Ukraine
Another early-decider for the 2013 ESC was Ukraine, who held their National final during the morning of Sunday, December 23. Following a 19-song (after one disqualification) event, one song stood head-and-shoulders above the others, winning a maximum score from both the public televote and the jury’s scores. The third try was truly the charm for the lovely Zlata Ognevich, who will be taking the dramatic ballad “Gravity” to Malmö this spring. Read the rest of this entry
A Winner in Albania: Adrian & Bledar’s “Identitet”
A marathon of a National Selection took place in Tirana’s Pallati i Kongreseve tonight, as Albania became the next nation to select their song for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. After three and a half hours worth of performances, commercials, retrospectives, and voting, we finally have a winner, and therefore the fifth song to add to ESC 2013’s lineup. Read the rest of this entry
Lithuania has decided: it’s Andrius Pojavis!
After a selection process stretching as far back as November, Lithuania has finally chosen their winner. Fighting off momentum from acts like DAR, Gerai Gerai & Miss Sheep, and constant NF also-ran Linas Adomaitis, it was underdog Andrius Pojavis who took the title with his self-penned song “Something”, despite only coming in third and fourth in his qualification heat and semifinal, respectively: Read the rest of this entry
The ESC Insider 