Author Archives: Samantha Ross
Snark and Spanakopita: The ESC Insider’s Preview Party
Last weekend, in preparation for my impending trip to Malmö (and to temporarily back myself out of the echo-chamber of Eurovision fandom), I scrubbed my apartment clean, set out the extra chairs, whipped up some meatballs and invited some of my closest friends over to my place for my now-Annual ESC Preview Party. While we’re all living in Minnesota now, we were actually a pretty global group, with some of us having lived or studied in Germany, Greece, Austria, Bosnia, China, Japan, and Chile.
The majority of my guests had not heard any of the songs before the event, and so all scores were based purely upon first impressions. Some had attended my little shindig last year, but others were complete and utter Euro-virgins. As we munched on spanakopita and sipped Belgian beer and Portuguese wine, we let our snarky sides run wild and free, rating each song on its own merits on a scale from one to ten. There was almost no talk of running order, cultural voting blocs, or previous Eurovision history (except for a wink and a nod to Valentina Monetta’s other contribution to the ESC). Here’s how the dozen or so of us voted: Read the rest of this entry
Eurovision 2013: By The Numbers
Ok, so we’ve got just about one month before the Eurovision 2013 Finals come to a head in lovely Malmö, Sweden. We’ve got the songs, we’ve got the artists, we’ve got the running order, and we’ve got our theme…
…so, now what? It’s just a bit over two weeks before rehearsals officially start, and the customary press conferences and interviews soon afterwards. Instead of just sitting and twiddling our thumbs, let’s take a quick peek at Eurovision 2013’s entries, by the numbers! Read the rest of this entry
Moldova’s Pick: Aliona Moon
The last National Final of the year was held in Moldova, where “O Melodie Pentru Europa” saw a total of 14 songs vying for the chance to head to Malmö (including one by my personal favorite constant also-ran, Doiniţa Gherman). Following a close 50/50 jury/televote split, the victory went to Aliona Moon’s ballad “A Million”: Read the rest of this entry
San Marino: “Crisalide” Emerges
Back in late January, Sanmarinese broadcaster SMRTV finally put to rest all of the rumors floating around their supposed participant (including a heavily-circulated rumor regarding 1956 champion/recent Swiss National Final also-ran Lys Assia), and confirmed that 2012’s performer Valentina Monetta would be representing the tiny republic once again, this time with an Italian-language entry entitled “Crisalide (Vola)”. Like 2012’s “The Social Network Song”, the entry was written by veteran composer Ralph Siegel (bringing Siegel’s Eurovision tally up to a staggering 22, starting back in 1974). Unlike last year, “Crisalide” seems much more tailor-made for a performer of Valentina’s genre and experience. Read the rest of this entry
Azerbaijan: “Hold Me”, says Farid Mammadov…
…and the fans say, “sure!”
Azerbaijan, the host of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, finally wrapped up its veritable marathon of a National Final process, the Milli Seçim Turu. Starting all the way back in December, eight week-long heats of either eight or nine singers eventually gave way to a ten-singer Final round. Taking the victory in Baku on Thursday night was 21-year-old Farid Mammadov (or, to be more precise, Fərid Məmmədov) and his powerful ballad “Hold Me“. Read the rest of this entry
Straight Outta Kotor: WhoSee’s “Igranka” released
Since returning to the Eurovision fray last year, the delegation from Montenegro has made it clear that they were going to take part in the contest on their own terms. Opening the show in Baku was Rambo Amadeus’s tongue-in-cheek spoken-word ode to the economic crisis, “Euro Neuro“, complete with a Trojan donkey. This year, hip-hop act Who See take the mantle, collaborating with Nina Žižić on “Igranka”, or “Dance”. Read the rest of this entry
France: Amandine’s “L’enfer et moi” Revealed
Back in late January, broadcaster France 3 revealed that “Nouvelle Star” champion Amandine Bourgeois would be following in Anggun’s footsteps and heading to Eurovision this May. It’s been a long wait, but the 33-year-old singer’s entry, “L’enfer et moi (Hell and Me)” has finally been introduced to the public. Read the rest of this entry
The Netherlands: Anouk reveals “Birds”
Despite being one of the first artists to announce their participation in Malmö this May, Dutch rock singer Anouk‘s song, “Birds” was one of the final entries revealed for this year’s roster of entries. Fans and onlookers weren’t sure what kind of song to anticipate from the veteran songstress. Would she be going back to her rock roots, á la “Nobody’s Wife“? Maybe a heartfelt, emotional ballad, like “Lost“? Or would she take a bluesier turn, as in “Down and Dirty“?
Fans and friends, we finally have our answer. Read the rest of this entry
Romania has chosen: It’s Cezar!
This weekend, Romanian broadcaster TVR hosted their Selecția Națională, the culmination of the process to pick their artist for Sweden. It was a competitive final, with a dozen songs from various genres. There were even a few familiar faces; Luminița Anghel, who gave Romania its then-highest-ever Eurovision placement when she sang “Let Me Try” in 2005, came back with the showstopping “Unique“. Last year’s Selecția Națională runners-up, Electric Fence, gave the contest another go with the Gypsy-folk-rock number “Emilia“.
But both were fated to fall at the final hurdle. Read the rest of this entry
The ESC Insider 
Samantha’s Unranked Rankings – 2013 Edition
May 6
Posted by Samantha Ross
And with that, away we go!
Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in 2013, Personal, Special Comment
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