Eurovision 2017 Grand Final predictions

With the two semifinals passed, it is now time for the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017!

But first, let’s see how many of the countries I predicted to pass Semifinal 2 made it into the Grand Finals:

Predicted Qualifiers: Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, Estonia, Israel, Belarus, Norway, Croatia

Actual Results: Austria, Romania, The Netherlands, Hungary, Denmark, Croatia, Norway, Belarus, Bulgaria, Israel

*countries bolded in the actual results are the countries on my Semifinal 2 predictions

Like SF1, I got a 7/10 on this one as well. Not sure if that makes me good enough to be a Eurovision expert predictor. There’s even more robbing in SF2 than in SF1. FFS, Estonia, Switzerland and Ireland were robbed! Especially Estonia whose only problem in the live staging was a mild technical error.

This is probably me to the SF2 juries right now:

Okay, but the show must go on and now, here is my prediction of the Grand Final. On this prediction, I’ll only show the entries who are likely to enter the Top 10 + a short comment on why it is so.

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Grand Final Top 10 [predicted]

12 points – France – Alma with “Requiem”

France has a huge chance of winning this year, for three reasons:

1. France performs last in the Grand Final which makes their song fresh in the minds of the viewers. That being said, people are more likely to vote for France.
2. “Requiem” has this unique charm that makes it a distinctly French entry. Eurovision audiences love that, especially when it is done seriously!
3. France saved themselves from fascist rule and Europe is celebrating it. They might as well extend the congratulations by awarding points to France at the Eurovision. Plus, something like this caused Ukraine to win last year – Europe congratulating them for returning to Eurovision after a one-year absence brought about by a political crisis.

10 points – Bulgaria – Kristian Kostov with “Beautiful Mess”

Previously my #1 until France gave us Alma’s staging for the Eurovision and Emmanuel Macron. Nevertheless, I still love Kristian Kostov and his song – it’s just that France is in the right moment to win Eurovision – they deserve to win this year after sending a good song and dodging a fascist in the process. As for Kristian and Bulgaria, there’s still 2018, and 2019 if 2018 isn’t going to favor them well. Kristian Kostov, if you are reading this, I still love you, really!

8 points – Portugal – Salvador Sobral with “Amar Pelos Dois”

This is the only ballad that doesn’t put Eurovision viewers to sleep. Plus, the song has a really heartfelt message personal to its singer (for those who missed it – it talks about Salvador’s bond with his sister, Luisa). Not to mention that Portugal is on top of the Eurovision predictions of bookies as well as majority of the fandom – when they’re not busy talking about Francesco Gabbani and the resurrected Harambe which leads us to…

7 points – Italy – Francesco Gabbani with “Occidentali’s Karma”

Previously the Eurovision fandom’s favorite to win until the Italian delegation somewhat fucked up with Francesco’s staging by giving us something less than we expected. However, they kept Harambe, the song has a profound message and Francesco is still a good sport about this so all is forgiven.

6 points – Belgium – Blanche with “City Lights”

This song has grown in me, I swear! Blanche slaying the semifinals made that happen. She piped down all the doubters and I love that. She is not going near the bottom of the scoreboard anytime soon – and that’s proven with “City Lights” soaring on the iTunes charts of various countries, and soaring on the betting odds, after she made it through SF1.

5 points – United Kingdom – Lucie Jones with “Never Give Up On You”

I almost made a typo there…almost typing “EU” instead of “You”. Some people believe UK’s entry is a subtle reminder of Brexit – after all, “Never Give Up On You” could be punned into “Never Give Up On EU” which either means (1) Remoaners or (2) Theresa May squeezing the EU until it gives the UK a good Brexit deal. Seriously though, this song has a fair chance of being in the Top 10 – coming from the fact that its singer won the X Factor a few years back, and that, the song is written by Emmelie De Forest, winner of Eurovision 2013.

4 points – Moldova – Sunstroke Project with “Hey Mamma”

Three words: Epic Sax Guy

3 points – Armenia – Artsvik with “Fly With Me”

Armenia has been sending fierce singers who can give Beyonce a run of her money since last year. “Fly With Me” is a fairytale in song form and the staging has pink all over it – and watch out for Artsvik voguing during the dance break.

However, Artsvik isn’t the only one voguing this year…

2 points – Azerbaijan – Dihaj with “Skeletons”

Also known as that other Eurovision entry where the singer is voguing. This one’s got a fierce singer too, which is a break from the screamfest that Azerbaijan sent last year. Seriously, Dihaj > Samra. Plus, she’s got a bloke on a horse mask with her.

1 point – Romania – Ilinca and Alex Florenca with “Yodel It”

I honestly thought this was a joke entry at first, maybe because of the yodeling. But seriously, this is Eurovision Top 10 material for the reason that the inclusion of yodeling was done with good taste. Would have done better as a Swiss entry though.

The Afterthought

Am I going to get a 7/10 on this prediction like the last two predictions I made for this year’s contest. I don’t know. What matters is that I hope France wins and Bulgaria stays in the Top 5.

A Milifandom vs. Mayllenials fandom war isn’t going to do any shit: An open letter

Dear Abby Tomlinson,

                Just like you, I’ve also found the existence of the Mayllennials an unexpected thing. Just as I found it unexpected that Ed Miliband still has a fandom after standing down as Labour leader in 2015. You and I, we are just young women, about to hit our 20s, who have taken a liking in the comings and goings of British Politics.

                And like you, I joined a politician’s fandom because I found them hot. I found Justin Trudeau hot, I jointed the Truhearts. I found Theresa May hot, I joined the Mayllennials. I found Emmanuel Macron hot, I am now part of the Emmanuel Macron fandom whose name has yet to be decided upon. Lastly, I too, am a part of the Milifandom thanks to the Ed Miliband fan blogs all over Tumblr that introduced me to him when I first sparked interest in British Politics.

                However, I stop short of agreeing absolutely to their policies. I disagree with how Justin Trudeau’s government has not paid attention to the First Nations (the indigenous people of Canada). I disagree with how Theresa May wants to include the re-legalization of Fox Hunting in the Conservative Party manifesto. Heck, I’m quite doubtful over Emmanuel Macron’s ability to unite the upper class and working class of France, due to his background of being the “candidate of the corporations”. Lastly, I disagree with Ed Miliband wanting to control UK’s immigration, a strategy, which I understand, he did in order to split the right-wing vote and deliver more votes to Labour.

                It has come to my attention that you throw petty insults to politicians you hate, but that’s okay, because I do that too. Here’s the thing – unlike myself, you are not just a fangirl of Ed Miliband now, you have morphed into a serious political figure – and that is a good thing for somebody who wants a serious future in politics. Unlike myself, I am still far from having a serious future in politics (and I doubt I’d ever consider having a political career of some sort, but that is up for consideration), while you, are already there.

Which brings me to the next point, in politics, petty insults begets petty insults (you’ve seen that in PMQs, come on! Whether it’s Theresa May, or your beloved Ed Miliband on the dispatch box, who is facing off against the party opposite to them). That my dear, is why you should not be butthurt when in the next few days, you may receive petty insults for the things you said about the Theresa May equivalent of your Milifandom. That’s because the way you reacted to them is like as if you’re reacting to a political party, rather than reacting to a fandom that is ready to call out on their fave whenever she makes a problematic policy.

                But, I doubt the Mayllennials would want to start a fandom war with your Milifandom. Both fandoms, are just fandoms at the end of the day, and not political parties. Leave the serious debates on policy to the respective parties of Theresa and Ed. At the end of the day, Theresa and Ed have two things in common – having an unflattering photo while eating in public AND having a set of dedicated fangirls to rally behind them when they’re not making bad policies.

                It’s alright to point out that you don’t like a politician, but for heaven’s sake, fandom wars are not the solution to making sure your party wins. If you think that doesn’t work, just take a look at the Canadian Politics fandoms – you’ve got the Truhearts on one side and the Rontourage (Rona Ambrose’s fans) on the other side; Some are in both fandoms, and most of the people in those fandoms know where to draw the line between fandom and political debate. That’s how they are able to co-exist.

                I know it’s sad for you to know that your beloved Milifandom’s spotlight is overshadowed by the Mayllenials, but calling them rubbish isn’t going to solve anything. It might just give you the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, which I am certain, is not what you wish for.

From one “political commentator” to another,

Sofia D.

Eurovision 2017 Semifinal 2 predictions

Welcome back to my Eurovision 2017 predictions. This time, I’m off to predicting Semifinal 2.

But before that, let me show you my Semifinal 1 predictions vs. the actual results.

Predicted Qualifiers: Armenia, Greece, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Australia, Portugal, Montenegro, Georgia, Cyprus and Belgium

Actual Results: Moldova, Azerbaijan, Greece, Sweden, Portugal, Poland, Armenia, Australia, Cyprus and Belgium

*countries bolded in the actual results are the countries on my Semifinal 1 predictions

It’s a 7/10 for me for Semifinal 1 which is not that bad – especially that Portugal and Belgium made it into the finals (although I genuinely feared that they wouldn’t). For Portugal, being the only entry to be sung in its country’s native language gave it an edge. For Belgium, I could say they just got lucky. Do remember that Belgium ranked last in the Press Poll.

Lastly, Montenegro was robbed and this is all I have to say about it:

Now moving on, here are the countries up for competition on Semifinal 2:

Most of my favorites are in Semifinal 2 so it’s not hard for me to predict who qualifies (unlike in Semifinal 1 where I only had two favorites, mind you, SF1 was a bit underwhelming in terms of the songs).

Eurovision 2017 Semifinal 2 qualifiers [predictions]

12 Points – Bulgaria – Kristian Kostov with “Beautiful Mess”

10 Points – The Netherlands – O’G3NE with “Lights and Shadows”

8 Points – Denmark – Anja with “Where I Am”

7 Points – Ireland – Brendan Murray with “Dying To Try”

6 Points – Switzerland – Timebelle with “Apollo”

5 Points – Estonia – Koit Toome and Laura with “Verona”

4 Points – Israel – IMRI with “I Feel Alive”

3 Points – Belarus – Naviband with “Story of my life”

2 Points – Norway – JOWST with “Grab The Moment”

1 Point – Croatia – Jacques Houdek with “My Friend”

Afterthought

The predictions I made may not be 100% accurate just as anybody else’s. This is just something I do for fun like the rest of the fandom does.

As for Semifinal 2, there may or may not be livetweets from me since I’ve got a commitment on that day that coincides with SF2. However, I will surely react to the results both on Twitter and on the Grand Finals prediction post as soon as I can.

Eurovision 2017 Semifinal 1 predictions

It’s that time of the year again!

Welcome to the first series of my Eurovision 2017 predictions where I predict the outcome of Semi-Final 1.

Eighteen countries are up to fight for the ten slots to the Grand Final for Semi-Final 1. Let’s take a look at the countries who are up for competition:

A quick observation is that Portugal seems to be the stand-out country in the languages department. It is the only country in semi-final 1 to use its native language for its entry. All the other countries use the English language.

Now, we move on to the predictions for the countries that will qualify to the Grand Finals. The Eurovision points system will be used to rank the entries and the order in which the entries will appear in the list is from highest to lowest.

Eurovision 2017 Semifinal 1 Qualifiers [predictions]

12 Points – Armenia – Artsvik with “Fly With Me”

Lauded as the favorite to qualify by the Eurovision 2017 Press Voting, Armenia has the highest chance to make it to the finals. The staging of Armenia’s entry has lots of pink in it, just like its music video. Also watch out for the vouging during the dance break of the performance.

10 Points – Greece – Demy with “This Is Love”

After years of fans begging the Greek broadcaster for Eurovision to send Demy to the contest, they finally got their wish. Enter 2017 and Demy is representing Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest. The song’s staging takes you to some underwater fantasy world. Despite being ranked as the last qualifier for SF1 by the Press Poll, it is pretty obvious that Demy can do more than just that!

I have to be honest, at first, I doubted that she’d ever qualify because her first live performance of the song (prior to the Eurovision pre-parties and the Eurovision rehearsals) was on a MADTv fashion show where she lipsynced to the song. Turns out, her live vocals are just as good as the studio vocals.

8 Points – Azerbaijan – Dihaj with “Skeletons”

Azerbaijan’s entry to the Eurovision this year is a notch higher than last year’s. Dihaj is a relatively unknown singer. However, she happens to be as good, if not, even better than the better known entrants of this year’s contest. The staging that Azerbaijan is using this year is quite unique, and probably the first of its kind to use chalkboards and a man in a horse mask.

Azerbaijan is ranked fourth in the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

7 Points – Iceland – Svala with “Paper”

Svala is not exactly a stranger to Eurovision – take it from her father who once represented Iceland back in 1995. Her staging may not have so much on it, but that’s the beauty of it. Her presence makes up for anything lacking from the LED visuals.

Iceland ranks at 15th in the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

6 Points – Australia – Isiah with “Don’t Come Easy”

For the second time in a row, Australia sends a ballad. What is different from the first two times that Australia entered Eurovision, is that this time, they used a fresh face to represent them. The song itself is fresh, the staging may seem ridiculous at times because we see Isiah’s face for most part, but the pyrotechnics make up for it. Does Australia have a shot at qualifying into the Grand Finals for the second time since last year? Very Likely!

Australia ranks at 7th in the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

5 Points – Montenegro – Slavko Kalezic with “Space”

Honestly, Slavko gives out Sinon Loresca vibes on his Eurovision entry. That of course, is what makes it quirky. That’s what gives Montenegro’s entry the “kitschy” vibe, the kind of kitschy vibe that would catapult their entry straight into the finals. This is the entry that takes us back to when Eurovision had a lot of joke entries, except this one only looks like one because Slavko decided to pull a Sinon Loresca. The song itself is not a joke, thank goodness!

Montenegro ranks at 13th in the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

4 Points – Portugal – Salvador Sobral with “Amar pelos dois”

Some people might call this a snoozer, but honestly, this is far from being a snoozer. The melody of Portugal’s Eurovision entry may be somber but it’s the kind of somber that makes you want to pay attention to the performance from start to end. It is worthy to note that due to Salvador’s health condition, his sister, Luisa, had to fill up for him on the first set of rehearsals – nevertheless, he is still up for qualification – after all, he ranks 5th on the Eurovision 2017 SF1 Press Poll.

3 Points – Georgia – Tamara Gachechiladze with “Keep The Faith”

Georgia is one of the first countries to unveil their Eurovision entry, so it is understandable why their entries would eventually end up on the bottom half of the rankings – whether in full rankings or in the Semi Final 1 rankings. However, don’t let that distract you from the beauty of the song and its staging. Georgia’s entry this year has redeeming qualities and it may very well enter the finals.

Georgia ranks 14th at the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

2 Points – Cyprus – Hovig with “Gravity”

I was probably underwhelmed with this one because while the song itself is good, the staging seemed to have been pulled out from remnants of Russia 2016 and Belgium 2015. The staging matters in the Eurovision just as the song does.

However, fear not, Cyprus can definitely qualify. Cyprus ranks 8th in the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1.

1 Point – Belgium – Blanche with “City Lights”

The song itself is fine but people can tell you many things wrong with the performance. First off, Blanche seems uneasy. It’s like as if she’s been trapped in a staging she did not help decide (pretty much like Spain 2016, except Barei held up like a good sport). In fact, some fans could not help but point out that come the second rehearsal, she was so close to breaking into tears.

However, some fans say that her unease is her way of feeling the song, the song, which has something to do with longing. In fact, that sentiment is echoed by the people whom I asked through a Twitter poll about whether Blanche is really uneasy in the performance, or if it’s all just an act to bring the song to life

This is the poll’s results as of the time I made this post

Either way, I do hope Blanche still slips into the finals. A lot of people do love her song.

Belgium ranks 18th at the Eurovision 2017 Press Poll for Semi Final 1

Afterthought

The predictions I made may not be 100% accurate just as anybody else’s. This is just something I do for fun like the rest of the fandom does.

To see my semifinal 1 livetweets, follow me on Twitter!

Things, can only get…

via Daily Prompt: Better

Decided to give this Daily Prompt thing a shot, and today’s prompt is “Better”. When I hear the word “Better”, this is the first thing that comes into my mind:

Sorry, wrong video!

I mean this:

Okay, that’s better!

Now, that video above, is Labour Party’s most famous Party Political Broadcast, “Do It” – but most people call it “Things Can Only Get Better”, after the song used for the PPB. Trust me, it’s the best 2 minutes and 50 seconds of your life.

This Party Political Broadcast won Labour a majority government twenty years ago, with Tony Blair as the Prime Minister of the UK. It was a shame that his quality as a politician (and perhaps, as a person even) declined after becoming a war criminal. It was so bad that the UK landed last place at the Eurovision in 2003, although their Eurovision song that year was underwhelming to begin with (but you know, Blair was the last nail on the coffin).

Who would have known, twenty years later, 1997!Tony Blair was given a second lease at life – in the form of Emmanuel Macron, the newly-elected President of France.

Unlike the original Tony Blair though, he does not have an iconic party political broadcast to begin with, so instead, he does the bottle flip challenge:

(sorry man, I can’t find any of Macron’s political ads/party political broadcasts/etc as of the moment so have this instead, because the original Blair would fail at this)

So are things getting better?

Well, if you considered the fact that France saved their asses from electing a fascist and elected 1997!Tony Blair, then yes, things are getting better. France just has to be sure that their new President does not end up in the same dark path as Tony Blair that is becoming a war criminal.

Twenty years later and Europe is given a second shot at what they could have done right in 1997. Maybe France is better than the UK in this whole “electing a dude like Tony Blair” business.

And to France (and Europe), I only have this to say:

What Sofia’s Doughnuts isn’t

Congratulations! You’ve stumbled upon a blog whose name sounds like it’s a doughnut shop. Let me be the one to break it to you, this isn’t a doughnut shop or a food blog. Just a blog talking about anything under the sun whose name happens to sound like a doughnut shop.

If you are seriously looking for doughnuts right now and would rather not be bothered by non-doughnut related content, proceed here. If not, carry on reading this post.

I’m the neighborhood karaoke bar regular that your drunk relatives warned you about. I’m also your neighborhood so-called political analyst whose only experience is calling the politicians I hate stupid (well not really, this is just self-depreciation, I can do more than just call an awful politician stupid). Lastly, I’m your neighborhood meme generator, or at least that’s what my friends see me as.

I also love doughnuts, which I pretty much made reference in on this blog’s name and URL.

Y’all can follow me on Twitter too!