Eurovision 2013: My first thoughts

 Hello!

 As you may know, Eurovision 2013 is almost upon us: the semi finals are on 14th and 16th May and the final is on the 18th.

 I am a huge Eurovision fan - it occurred to me recently that Eurovision is probably my favourite yearly event. I love the way it unites so many people and the fact that for a few hours people all over the world are watching the same thing. It's amazing; a real feeling of the numinous, which is perfectly summed up in this clip:

 Last year I did a Eurovision countdown, posting about Eurovision past and present in the run-up to the competition in Baku.

 This year I will be posting some Eurovision-y things, including my commentary on the two semi-finals and the final, and maybe some Eurovision history beforehand. In the meantime, if you are a Eurovision fan and you haven't seen my countdown from last year I recommend it.

 Here are my initial thoughts on this year's contest:

 The host county/city: Sweden is a country I have wanted for a long time to visit, and I don't know a lot about the city of Malmö, so this year's Eurovision is a good opportunity to see and learn more about both.

 The Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo in 2010 was probably my favourite that I've seen so I'm hoping that having it in another Scandinavian country might bring about similar success.

 The venue: Malmö Arena seems to be smaller than some recent Eurovision venues, which I think is meant to give the show a more intimate feel - although to be honest I don't personally mind the bigger venues and if you're watching on TV it doesn't make much difference anyway.

 The host: There is only going to be one main host this year, Petra Mede. This is a bold step after there being two or three hosts the last few years, but having looked her up I see she seems very feisty and has a lot of presence so hopefully she can pull it off.

 Eric Saade will be the green room host; this Swedish pop star represented his country at Eurovision 2011 in Düsseldorf with the song "Popular" of which I am not a fan. However, I won't judge his hosting abilities until I see them.

 I am convinced, however, that he cannot better Krisse in Helsinki in 2007: there was an amazing green room host.

 Participating countries: Most of Europe seems to be taking part in this year's competition; notable exceptions being Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey (among others). 

 I am particularly sad about the absence of Portugal as I love Portuguese-language music. Bosnia and Herzegovina also produced one of my all-time favourite Eurovision songs:

 However, we still have plenty of countries taking part, and hopefully those who can't this year will be able to return in the future.

 The UK entry: Being from the UK, I have heard a lot about our entry for this year; namely Bonnie Tyler with her song Believe in Me. 

 I like Bonnie Tyler's older songs such as Total Eclipse of the Heart, and although Believe in Me isn't quite up to that standard in my humble opinion, I do think it is a nice song.

 I'm really looking forward to Eurovision 2013 and I hope you are too, let the competition begin!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Songs: 

Glow - Madcon - 2010

Pokusaj - Laka - 2008

Believe in Me - Bonnie Tyler - 2013

Eurovision 2012 Countdown: Intro - and Flashmob from Norway 2010

 Hello, bonjour, hola, olá, ciao, hallo!

 It's two weeks until the grand finals of Eurovision 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan and, as I have always been a huge Eurovision fan, I have decided to do a series of daily blogs in the run-up to the big event. I will highlight some of my favourite Eurovision songs past and present, and we can share some Eurovision nostalgia for classic acts such as ABBA, Johnny Logan and Katrina and the Waves, among others.

 Eurovision is quite a big deal in my house; we always have a Eurovision party and vote for our favourites. I just think it is amazing how they manage to unite so many people in so many different countries with one event. When you watch the contest, you have this wonderful warm feeling knowing that so many other people all over the world are watching the same thing as you. I love Eurovision ♥

 In the vein of uniting Europe, I thought the first thing I would share should be this, quite possibly my favourite Eurovision moment ever: the flashmob during Eurovision 2010 in Norway. It is simply breathtaking, and usually brings tears to my eyes. I think this is what people mean when they talk about the "numinous".

 This is just sensational - certainly the best interval act I have ever seen and, as I said, possibly the best moment of Eurovision I have ever seen. 

 You can tell from the beginning that it is going to be something special - and when the host Haddy announces, "Europe, it's time to dance!" she looks so regal, like a queen... she commands respect. If she asked me to dance I would dance!

 Madcon are brilliant and the whole seven and a half minutes of the song, and the dance, and the bringing together of all these people... just mesmerising. We should do this more often! I personally think they should do a flashmob like this one every year at Eurovision.

 Eurovision 2012 is on its way, and I am greatly looking forward to it! Bring on Baku! I will be back tomorrow with more Eurovision moments. 

 Liz x

Song: Glow - Madcon - 2010