Author Archives: Samantha Ross
JESC 2013 Preview: Part 2
In our first peek at who’s who in this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, we got to know the crop of young talent from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia. As of this moment, the performers have converged on Kiev and rehearsals are just ramping up. Let’s meet our next set of artists!
New Directions for Montenegro: Sergej Ćetković
Since their Eurovision debut in 2007, Montenegro has had a bit of difficulty finding its footing at the competition. A trio of pop entries (including one by veteran composer Ralph Siegel) failed to break through to the finals, and after taking a few years to regoup, an avant-garde entry from Rambo Amadeus and a modern rap submission from regionally popular hip-hop duo Who See also missed the mark. It seems like a change of tactic was in the cards… Read the rest of this entry
JESC 2013 Preview: Part 1
Well, we’re just about at the apogee of the Eurovision calendar, when we’ve got as much time behind our last ESC experience as we do before the next one. For some, that means that broadcasters are just beginning to publicize their plans, and the first names are beginning to be announced for a few early-bird nations. However, as the plans for the grown-ups lie somewhat dormant, their younger counterparts are gearing up for their turn in the spotlight.
This year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place on November 30 in “Ukraine Palace of Arts”, located in the heart of Kiev. The event will be hosted by 2013 ESC representative Zlata Ognevich and 2005 JESC host Timor Miroshnychenko (try saying that five times fast!), with musical appearances from Ruslana, Emmelie de Forest, and Zlata herself. Read the rest of this entry
A bold choice from Austria: Conchita Wurst
When it comes to their recent choices for Eurovision, the Austrians are often a somewhat unpredictable lot. They might sent straightforward power-ballads (like Nadine Beiler’s entry from 2011), positive-messaged pop (like Natália Kelly this year or Eric Papilaya’s 2007 entry)…or they might go completely off-the-wall and send Alpine-Cuban fusion, popo-wokiing rap, or whatever it was that Alf Poier was doing. So, after “Shine” failed to live up to its name during the First Semifinal, bringing the Austrians their second consecutive non-qualifier, one could imagine the folks at ORF shrugging their shoulders and saying “might as well try something different”!
And so they have. Read the rest of this entry
Macedonia has spoken: Tijana Dapčević goes to Denmark!
In that quiet no-mans-land between the end of the last year’s Final and the first news of future National Selections, news around the Eurovision sphere is often slow and sporadic. We may not know yet where the 2014 event will be hosted (a great venue in sleepy Herning, an improvised locale in bustling Copenhagen, or a completely off-the-wall suggestion from Horsens?), but at least we know the second name to be added to the show’s roster.
Earlier this week, Macedonian broadcaster MRT confirmed not only their participation in Denmark but also their flag-bearer: veteran pop star Tijana Todevska-Dapčević, who has been churning out hits since she came on the scene in the late ’90s. Her breakthrough performance came with her 2002 victory at the Sunčane Skale festival with “Negativ“, followed by hits like “Stepski vuk“, and “Sve je isto, samo njega nema“, which shines a light on the former Yugoslav republics following the days of Tito. Read the rest of this entry
She’s Baaaack…Valentina goes for the Three-Peat
We haven’t even had time to get over 2013’s round of PED, but fans are already eagerly looking ahead to what will happen in Denmark next May. Unlike this past year’s announcements from Sanmarinese broadcaster SMRTV, where we had to wait until January for an artist and until March for a song, the delegation from the Serenissima Repubblica have not only anonunced their participation in 2014, but they’ve revealed their performer: 2012 and 2013 alum Valentina Monetta, likely with yet another Ralph Siegel composition. 
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Eurovision 2013: Semi 1 Predictions and Hopes
We’re only a few hours away from tonight’s First Semifinal, where sixteen songs will vie for only ten spots in Saturday’s Final. After over a week’s worth of staring, examining, and likely over-analyzing each entry and presentation, most people here in the Press Centre have come up with their list of likely qualifiers, as well as their personal favorites.
…and who am I to argue with tradition? Read the rest of this entry
Impressions from First Rehearsals: Semifinal Two
Days Three and Four in the Press Centre (or, at the very least, at the Euroclub, which served as our makeshift work space) brought us our first glimpses of the Second Semifinal. Ballads, ethnic touches, hints of rock, whiffs of theatricality…we’ve got it all! Here are my general thoughts on what May 16 will bring to the table:
Impressions from First Rehearsals: Semifinal One
The days are long here in the temporary Press Centre at Slagthuset, and news flies fast and furious as we catch our first glimpses of rehearsals. Monday and Tuesday brought the first run-throughs from the first Semifinal (we’ll see Semi 2 on Wednesday and Thursday), and there were many impressions to be made! Let’s take a quick glimpse at what the past few days held…
The ESC Insider 
Semifinal 2: Hopes and Expectations…
May 16
Posted by Samantha Ross
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Posted in 2013, Personal, Special Comment
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