Anastasia

Eurovision Song Contest 2013 - Malmö, Sweden - The Grand Final

The 58th Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest  was held last night at the Malmö, Arena  Sweden and was broadcast  live. More than 125 million people from all over the world watched the planet's biggest song contest. Beautiful 20-year-old Emmelie de Forest from Denmark won the contest with her song "Only Teardrops" scoring 281 points. That was one of my favourite songs. Emmelie, singing barefoot and sitting on the floor sang her heart out on stage and deeply touched Europe. She definitely deserved the first prize.

 

Although I had predicted that Greece would be in the top ten, I was pleasantly surprised to see that  Agathonas and Koza Mostra scored 152 points and came sixth!

 

On the other hand, I was very disappointed to see that Bonnie Tyler came 19th although she did better than Engelbert Humperdinck last year. She gave a brilliant performance and her song "Believe in Me" was a magical rock ballad. I wonder...what went wrong? The final result was decided by a fifty-fifty split between professional juries and televoting from all 39 participants regardless of whether they had  qualified for the Grand Final or not.

 

Bonnie Tyler sings Believe in Me for the UK

Photo Credit

Emmelie de Forest - The Winner

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The Malmo Arena

Photo Credit

The Greek Entry - Agathonas and Koza Mostra

Photo Credit

 

Here's how Europe voted:

1. Denmark: Emmelie de Forest, Only Teardrops - 281 points
2. Azerbaijan: Farid Mammadov, Hold Me - 234 points
3. Ukraine: Zlata Ognevich, Gravity - 214 points
4. Norway: Margaret Berger, I Feed You My Love - 191 points
5. Russia: Dina Garipova, What If - 174 points
6. Greece: Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis, Alcohol Is Free - 152 points
7. Italy: Marco Mengoni, L'Essenziale - 126 points
8. Malta: Gianluca, Tomorrow - 120 points
9. Netherlands: Anouk, Birds - 114 points
10. Hungary: ByeAlex, Kedvesem - 84 points
11. Moldova: Aliona Moon, O mie - 71 points
12. Belgium: Roberto Bellarosa, Love Kills - 71 points
13. Romania: Cezar, It's My Life - 65 points
14. Sweden: Robin Stjernberg, You - 62 points
15. Georgia: Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani, Waterfall - 50 points
16. Belarus: Alyona Lanskaya, Solayoh - 48 points
17. Iceland: Eythor Ingi, Eg a lif - 47 points
18. Armenia: Dorians, Lonely Planet - 41 points
19. UK: Bonnie Tyler, Believe In Me - 23 points
20. Estonia: Birgit, Et uus saaks alguse - 19 points
21. Germany: Cascada, Glorious - 18 points
22. Lithuania: Andrius Pojavis, Something - 17 points
23. France: Amandine Bourgeois, L'enfer et moi - 14 points
24. Finland: Krista Siegfrids, Marry Me - 13 points
25. Spain: ESDM, Contigo hasta el final - 8 points
26. Ireland: Ryan Dolan, Only Love Survives - 5 points

The host country, Sweden, went out of their way to offer the world  a glamorous show and great entertainment. I would like to congratulate Sweden and the city of Malmö on this impeccable evening which started with an Olympic style flag march where the artists entered the Arena to the anthem We Write The Story, written by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.The latest IT technology was used to give the show that ultimate touch of perfection.

Eurovision Song Contest 2013 - Malmö, Sweden - The Second Semi-Final

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 took place last night and was aired live from Malmö, Sweden. The last 10 countries to go through to tomorrow's Grand Final are:

 

The Butterfly of the Swedish TV for Eurovision 2013 summarises the Eurovision spirit nicely. We are one in Europe.

 

- Hungary

- Azerbaijan

- Georgia

- Romania

- Norway

- Armenia

- Iceland

- Finland

- Malta

- Greece

Oh yes! I am so glad Greece made it through. It's an amazing song which I loved so much and deep down I knew it would qualify for the Final. Albania, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Israel, San Marino and Switzerland all failed to make it through to the Final. Just like yesterday, my vote will go to Greece tomorrow but I also liked some other songs like the songs from Denmark, UK and Bonnie Tyler, Estonia and Malta. UK along with Germany, Italy, France, Spain and host nation Sweden automatically qualify for the Grand Final on Saturday, May 18 2013. And may the best be the winner.

 

Bonnie Tyler represents the UK with the song "Believe in Me" Isn't she ageless and divine?

Eurovision Song Contest 2013 - Malmö, Sweden - The First Semi-Final

Being a Eurovision fan, I watched the first semi-final on Tuesday night. I wasn't surprised Cyprus did not make it to the Grand Final on Saturday. I hated both the song and the singer's poor performance. Despina Olympiou was simply miserable despite her effort to ...sing! The countries that got the ticket to the Grand Final are:

Estonia

Denmark

Russia

Ukraine

The Netherlands

Belgium

Belarus

Moldova

Ireland

Lithuania

 

In less than half-hour tonight, there's the second semi-final and I hope that Greece gets through because the Greek song is a hit! I love it! Good luck Agathona and Koza Mostra!

 

The Eurovision Song Contest 2012

I am an incurable Eurovision fan and have been watching the Eurovision Song Contest live on TV since 1978. Naturally, I was so glad - almost delirious - to see on Tuesday's first semi-final that Greece and Cyprus got the golden ticket to tomorrow's Grand Final. Congratulations to both of our amazing girls! Here they are at the first semi-final:

Ivi Adamou sings La La Love for Cyprus

 

And here is Eleftheria Eleftheriou also from Cyprus, who sings Aphrodisiac for Greece 

 

The Eurovision Song Contest is 56 years old today. Here's how all started half a century ago,  on May 24, 1956:

Already for 56 years, the Eurovision Song Contest is Europe's favourite TV show. After more than five decades featuring some 1,100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic, strongly embedded into Europe's collective mind. ..
In 1955, the EBU came up with the idea of an international song contest whereby countries, represeted by their respective public broadcasters, would participate in one television show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations.

This was conceived during a meeting in Monaco in 1955 by Marcel Bezençon, a Frenchman working for the EBU. The competition was based upon the Italian Festival di Sanremo, held for the first time in 1951, and was also seen as a technological experiment in live television: in those days, it was a very ambitious project to join many countries together in a wide-area international network.

Satellite television did not exist yet at that time, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne was born!
Without interruption, the Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every year since 1956, which makes it one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. In 2003, the first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place, while the Eurovision Song Contest celebrated her 50th anniversity 2005. Viewers picked ABBA's Waterloo as best ever Eurovision Song Contest song.

2008 running saw a record of 43 represented countries, as Azerbaijan and San Marino joined the family.The competition has been broadcast throughout Europe, but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, even though these countries do not participate.

(Information collected from Eurovision )

Eurovision 2005: Elena Paparizou gave Greece the victory for the first time with her amazing Number One. 

 

And this is the best Eurovision song ever picked by viewers all over Europe! Waterloo by ABBA - Eurovision winner  1974

 

Finally, here are the 26 finalists from all over Europe for Eurovision 2012

My Best Eurovision Song Ever! Johnny Logan and Hold Me Now for Ireland - Eurovision winner 1987

 

 

 

The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 - Part II: Predictions....

With one space left in the final, the cameras were focussed on Sweden’s Anna Bergenthal, and Denmark’s Chanee and N’evergreen. The scores will be revealed on Monday, but with the final place being awarded to the Danish duet singing a song that had been rejected by the Swedish broadcaster two years ago, you have to feel some sympathy for Bergenthal. Fair play to Denmark, as the couple finally found the spark of performance that has been lacking in this Schlager pop number that throws everything including the kitchen sink at the key change. Which looks to have been successful.

A Eurovision final without Sweden is going to be a strange place, up till now they’ve been there every year they’ve entered, but it’s a welcome return to Cyprus for the Saturday night show as Jon Lilygreen and the Islanders proved a popular qualifier. The fact that Jon is welsh, and the backing band includes Scots and Irish musicians might give the BBC some food for thought when the Cypriot result is compared to the UK’s Josh Dubovie.

Still, it should mean we get one tradition back, namely the annual exchange of twelve points between Greece and Cyprus!

via blogs.thestage.co.uk

Yes!! After five years of absence at the Eurovision Song Contest ,Cyprus passed to the grand final.Watched by an audience of 18,000 in the Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway, and more than 120 million TV viewers in front of their TV sets in no less than 45 countries, the Final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest will be held tonight, starting at 21:00 CET (22:00 EET).

For the first time ever in a Eurovision Song Contest Final, you will be able to cast your vote right from the beginning of the show by SMS or phone in all 39 participating countries. The televote will account for 50% of each national vote, with the remaining 50% being determined by 5-member expert juries in each participating country. The combined vote of each nation will be transformed to the Eurovision scheme, with 12 points to the first placed entry, 10 to the second placed one, and then from 8 down to 1 point from the 3rd to the 10th place, and then they will be announced live on air by spokespersons from each country. 

Tonight, you can also watch the Final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest on your mobile phone. The mobile site is available to many different hand sets. Check this out 

If you are not situated in one of the 45 countries where the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is broadcast live, you can watch the show here, on ESCTV player.

Now, if you ask me which country I'll vote tonight, of course it'll be Greece!!! I can't vote my own country, but even if I could I'd give 12 points to OPA! This said, I also hope Cyprus will be in the first ten out of twenty-five.

Jon Lillygreen from Wales, UK and The Islanders, will sing for Cyprus "Life Looks Better In Spring" My ... top ten exit poll! 1. Armenia 2. Greece 3. Ireland 4. Iceland 5. Georgia 6. Turkey 7. Azerbaijan 8. Germany 9. Cyprus 10. Israel

The Eurovision Song Contest - Part I

I rarely watch TV but there's one show I never miss: The Eurovision Song Contest. I've been watching this show since I was 12. When I was a student in Switzerland, all my Greek friends would gather together at my place to watch the show and cheer for Greece and Cyprus, of course. I'm not really a respected Eurovision fan as I don't know or remember the details of 54 yearly shows! Considering I was not born when the Contest started in 1956, here is some more info about the show.

Already for 54 years, the Eurovision Song Contest is Europe's favourite TV show. After more than five decades featuring some 1,100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic, strongly embedded into Europe's collective mind. Read on to find out how it all started over half a century ago...

After 54 years, the database with Eurovision Song Contest facts and figures, stories and anecdotes is huge! A true, die-hard fan knows how many points Luxembourg got in 1980 (56), who came last in 1972 (Malta, with 48 points) and how many times the Netherlands got 12 points in 1996 (once, from Austria). Because no one can expect you to become a living Eurovision Song Contest encyclopedia, Eurovision.tv takes you through the contest's history in fast forward. It's all you need to know before you dive into the rich history of the Eurovision Song Contest...

How it all Began

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed on 12th February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in Devon, United Kingdom. It was on the 6th of June, 1954, that Montreux became the venue for the first transmission by the EBU's Eurovision Network of the Narcissus Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats. The first Eurovision viewers eagerly watched on four million television sets in homes, bars, and shop windows in Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

An Ambitious Project

In 1955, the EBU came up with the idea of an international song contest whereby countries, represeted by their respective public broadcasters, would participate in one television show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations. This was conceived during a meeting in Monaco in 1955 by Marcel Bezençon, a Frenchman working for the EBU. The competition was based upon the Italian Festival di Sanremo, held for the first time in 1951, and was also seen as a technological experiment in live television: In those days, it was a very ambitious project to join many countries together in a wide-area international network. Satellite television did not exist yet at that time, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne was born!

The Success

Without interruption, the Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every year since 1956, which makes it one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. In 2003, the first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place, while the Eurovision Song Contest celebrated her 50th anniversity 2005. Viewers picked ABBA's Waterloo as best ever Eurovision Song Contest song. In 2007, Europe could see the first ever Eurovision Dance Contest.

The 2008 running saw a record of 43 represented countries, as Azerbaijan and San Marino joined the family. The competition has been broadcast throughout Europe, but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, even though these countries do not participate. In 2010, the format will be launched outside of Europe so that various other parts of the world will be introduced to the concept behind the show.

via The Eurovision Song Contest - Oslo 2010

In the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, our Elena Paparizou gave Greece the first prize for the first time!

And last year's winner was Alexander Rybak from Oslo, Norway, who enchanted Europe with his Fairy Tale

Eurovision Song Contest 2009 - The Grand Final

 

The Eurovision Song Contest has been by far Europe's most favourite TV show for 53 years now. It is also the world's longest TV show! After more than 5 decades, featuring some 1,100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic strongly embedded into Europe's collective mind. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest will be held at Olympisky Arena in Moscow , Russia who was last year's winner. After the two semi-finals, which took place last Tuesday and Thursday, here are the 25 finalists out of 42 in the order in which they will appear tonight at 9:00 pm CET

1. Lithuania - Love

2. Israel - There must be another way

3. France - Et s'il fallait le faire

4. Sweden - La Voix

5. Croatia - Lijepa Tena

6. Portugal - Todas as Ruas De Amor

7. Iceland - Is It True?

8. Greece - This is Our Night

9. Armenia - Yan Yan

10. Russia - Mamo

11. Azerbaijan - Always

12. Bosnia and Erzegovina - Bistra Voda

13. Moldova - Hora Din Moldova

14. Malta - What If We....

15. Estonia - Randjad

16. Denmark - Believe Again

17. Miss Kiss Kiss Bang

18. Turkey - Dum Tek Tek

19. Albania - Carry Me In Your Dreams

20. Norway - Fairy Tale

21. Ukraine - Be My Valentine

22. - Romania - The Balkan Girls

23. United Kingdom - It's My Time

24. Finland - Lose Control

25. Spain - La Noche Es Para Mi

Now  here are my own predictions for the three top winners:

1. Turkey

2. Norway

3. Greece

What are your predictions and who would you give your 12 points? (Bearing in mind that this counts for only 50% this year). The other 50% will be the EBU committee's verdict!

Eurovision 2009 Countdown!

The Eurovision Songcontest will be held in Russia following its victory in the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia with Dima Bilan's "Believe". Despite the unwillingness of the Mayor of Moscow to hold the contest in the city,[4] Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Russia, eventually stated that the contest will be held in Moscow.

It was proposed by Channel One, that the contest be held in Moscow's Olympic Indoor Arena and this proposal was evaluated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and confirmed on 13 September 2008. The Director-General of the venue, Vladimir Churilin refuted rumours of emergency reconstruction of the building, saying: "It will not be required for the Eurovision Song Contest. We now can take up to 25 thousand spectators."

 Contest 2009 is the 54th Eurovision Song Contest, taking place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia. Changes in the voting procedure will occur with the re-introduction of a national jury alongside televoting while the format of the semi-finals will remain the same. Forty-two will participate in the contest; Slovakia has announced it will return to the contest, while San Marino has withdrawn due to financial issues. Latvia and Georgia originally announced their intention to withdraw, but it was later stated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that both countries would indeed participate.However, Georgia decided to withdraw once again after the EBU rejected its selected song claiming a breach of contest rules.

Here are my 10 most favourite songs :

1. Greece

2. Montenegro

3. France

4. Ireland

5. Turkey

6. Island

7. Sweden

8. Portugal

9. Israel

10. Malta

What are your Eurovision 2009 top ten ?

YOU ARE THE ONE ..MY NUMBER ONE !!!!!

Μπράβο στην Ελλάδα !!!  Σκίσαμε !!! Είμαστε και ΟΙ πρώτοι !!!!!! Ολο κλαίω.... σήμερα !!!!! Για διάφορους λόγους ... Ευχαριστώ Λάκη ... από καρδιάς ...για το ...προγραμματάκι που σκότωσε τον ...αυτόν τον   .... Blubsters

YOU ARE THE ONE MY NUMBER ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

skisame !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VIVE LA GREC E

ΜΠΡΑΒΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ !!! ΜΠΡΑΒΟ ΕΛΕΝΑ !

GREECE FOR EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 ... Welocome to Athens !!!!  Believe me ! Better than football !

YES!!!!!

elena paparizou