Weird broken records of EUROVISION 2023!

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Every year, including this one, we witnessed numerous peculiar results, variations between finals and semifinals, top rankings in records, and so forth. So, let’s examine each of them individually, shall we?

1. Albania

 

Albania, despite finishing 9th in the televote of the semi-final, achieved the second-best result among the countries from the second semi-final in the final itself, following Poland. This success led Albania to secure the 10th place overall in the final audience. Well done Albania!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI9rSDhXwyc&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

2. Austria

 

In contrast, even though Austria achieved the second position in the semi-final audience, in the final unexpectedly ended up in the very last position among the countries from the second semi-final. Unfortunately, Austria could only manage to secure the 22nd place in the final. Ouch.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uk64V9h0Ko&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

3. Serbia

 

Serbia managed to get the beloved ticket to the final, earning just 37 points and maintaining a significant gap of 37 points(!) from the next contestant in 9th place. Interestingly, 9th place had twice as many points as the 10th place. Wow, that’s symmetry brah. However, Serbia achieved a new record for the lowest number of points obtained by a contestant in the 10th place during the semi-final, surpassing Iceland’s previous record of 39 points in 2022.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPRfg9wzbpw&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

4. Australia

 

Australia pulled through and won their semi-final, convincing the crowd that they had the best track among the 16. The crowd must have been forgotten somewhere in the final, as Australia only climbed to 20th place, earning the record for worst-placed semi-final winner in the final, when it comes to the televote. Followed by Greece in 2010 and Romania in 2013, with 7th place in the final, as semi-final winners. I think they completely forgot about Australia, they might have been snacking during the “promise” performance and not paying attention. Shame, shame, shame, first the music then the eating people!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSoy_mJMlMY&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

5. Sweden

 

Sweden overtook Ireland in wins, Loreen became the first woman to win the trophy twice and also this year’s Nordic country’s entry managed to set a new record by winning Eurovision with no 12 points from the audience. Like it or not, these are the trade-offs. Finally, this year’s Swedish entry managed to win, having a distance of 133 points from the winner of the televote, breaking the previous record, which was again its own, in 2015 with a distance of 87 points. In conclusion, 4 records for this year’s winner. Well played!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2Fj0W4jP4&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

6. Estonia

 

Alika, just 20 years old, against all odds, made it to the final by finishing 10th in her semi-final. Hopefully, the judges had other plans, and while in the audience of the final she finished in 19th place (one place above the winner of her semi-final, Australia!), they shared her 146 points, giving her a decent place in this year’s top ten! Not being among the 10 favourite to pass in the big final, and finally reaching the final top ten, is undoubtedly something that even she did not expect. (credits to Katerina Mitika)

 

 

Did we miss any record or something peculiar this year? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Australia: 202,000 viewers watched the final of Eurovision 2023!

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The viewing figures of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Australia have been published.

A big night was waiting for the SBS as the prime time repeat of the Grand Final of the Eurovision 2023 attracted 181,000 viewers, while 202,000 viewers tuned in at 5 am local time to watch live the final and 299,000 watched the victory of Sweden. It also represents SBS’s best share in weeks.

SBS was fifth in both primary (8%) and network (11.4%) rankings.

The biggest country of the continent of Oceania was represented by the Voyager group and the song “Promise” which brough the Commonwealth of Australia in the 9th place of the final with 151 points. Worth to be mentioned is the fact that Australia qualified first from the second semi-final.

https://youtu.be/GSoy_mJMlMY

Source: TV BlackBox

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Eurovision 2023: See the results of Press Poll just before the grand final!

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As we informed you, Press Poll 2023 has begun. After all countries have had all technical rehearsals, it is now time for the accredited to vote for the country that believes she will be the winner of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

Below are the results of the final of today’s 13/5 at 21:45:

In the vote for the winner, Finland leads, Sweden is second, and Spain is third!

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Source: Ogae International

Eurovision 2023: The last bets before the Grand Final!

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With just under ten hours to go until the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final, your favourite column will present for one last time the betting odds for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Liverpool.

Your favourite column will bring you everything that has changed since last night’s Jury Show, both in terms of the winning case and the countries within the Top 10.

Winning probabilities

We seem to be heading towards a deafening victory for Sweden, as the odds for a victory for the Scandinavian country have reached an all-time low during this year’s Eurovision season. The performance in the first semi-final has given Loreen a ‘winning edge’, with the Swedish victory being played at as low as 1.36 at some firms, with the maximum available odds being 1.53.

In second place, with a clear downward trend in some companies, is Finland. Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha” are Loreen‘s rival in this year’s competition, with Finland‘s win odds now ranging between 3 and 3.75. The Finnish entry has bounced back in recent days, with its odds dropping, effectively becoming the only country that can threaten Sweden from its historic seventh win.

Alone in third place is Ukraine, whose maximum win odds have risen to 15. Israel has moved up to fourth with an odds of 34, now being the highest position it has been in betting-wise during this year’s Eurovision season. The top five is completed by Spain, together with France. Both Big 5 countries are both being played at a maximum odds of 41, having lost ground in recent days after.

In seventh place is Norway, which is offered at odds of 67. Significantly, Norway‘s win odds show a huge discrepancy, with the lowest at 12 and the highest at 67. In eighth place is the United Kingdom at the same odds as ninth place Italy, with their win options offered at odds of 101. Finally, Austria completes the top ten at 126 odds.

Top 10

Of particular interest is one of the most popular markets for betting companies, that of entering the Top 10. Looking at the table below, it can be seen that bookers largely consider entry into the top 10 to be assured for a large proportion of the countries involved in the Grand Final.

Sweden and Finland are seen as the most certain to make the top 10, with bookers offering this particular option between 1.01 and 1.06. In other words, they consider a finish outside the top ten for the aforementioned countries to be an unrealistic scenario.

The same is largely true for Israel and Norway, whose finish inside the Top 10 is offered slightly higher between 1.10 and 1.18.

Quite good chances for another result inside the top ten, continuing the streak of the last few years, seem to be offered by Ukraine and Italy. Both playing between 1.30 and 1.36. Next, Spain and France are seen as the seventh and eighth most likely to occupy a spot within the top 10, being hand in hand as in the win odds. The presence of Spain and France in the Top 10 is being played at 1.44.

Armenia are also among the big favourites to take a place within the Top 10. Brunette and “Future Lover” are the latest country to be offered at odds below double, with Armenia‘s entry into the Top 10 being played between 1.40 and 1.67. If the bookers are correct, it will be the country’s best result since 2016.

A big battle is expected for the final spot in the Top 10; with bookmakers believing that four countries have high enough odds to place within the top 10. Belgium, Austria, Croatia and the Czech Republic return just under 3 times the stake of anyone betting on their presence in the Top 10.

Particularly value for money for those who like high odds is also Slovenia, who made an impression in Thursday’s second semi-final. Slovenia‘s entry into the Top 10 quadruples the stakes.

Conclusions

We are only a few hours away from the big winner of Eurovision 2023 and the truth is that Sweden is considered by the bookers as the most likely to win. Throughout Eurovision 2023, the Swedes have taken the lead and they won’t let it go until the end, with Finland lurking until the last minute claiming their own chances of winning. It remains to be seen whether the predictions will be confirmed this year as well.

As for the rest of the countries, places 3-7 are very close, while for the last Top 10 places the odds keep changing. One thing is for sure, everything can change and the bets are nothing but a reflection of the players’ trends at the betting companies.

Eurovision 2023: Grand Final takes place tonight!

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The moment that every Eurofan waited for is finally here! The 67th Eurovision Song Contest officially comes to an end tonight, as the Grand Final takes place tonight, live from Liverpool!

The twentysix remaining countries will take part in tonight’s show, but only one will be the winner of Eurovision 2023.

The hosts of this evening will be Julia Sanina from The Hardkiss, Hannah Waddingham, Alesha Dixon and Graham Norton.

The 26 finalists of this year’s Grand Final are:

1. 🇦🇹 Austria | Teya & Salena – Who The Hell Is Edgar?

2. 🇵🇹 Portugal | Mimicat – Ai Coração

3. 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Remo Forrer – Watergun

4. 🇵🇱 Poland | Blanka – Solo

5. 🇷🇸 Serbia | Luke Black – Samo Mi Se Spava

6. 🇫🇷 France: La Zarra – Évidemment

7. 🇨🇾 Cyprus | Andrew Lambrou – Break A Broken Heart

8. 🇪🇸 Spain: Blanca Paloma – Eaea

9. 🇸🇪 Sweden | Loreen – Tattoo

10. 🇦🇱 Albania | Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje

11. 🇮🇹 Italy | Marco Mengoni – Due Vite

12. 🇪🇪 Estonia | Alika – Bridges

13. 🇫🇮 Finland | Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha

14. 🇨🇿 Czechia | Vesna – My Sister’s Crown

15. 🇦🇺 Australia | Voyager – Promise

16. 🇧🇪 Belgium | Gustaph – Because Of You

17.  🇦🇲 Armenia | Brunette – Future Lover

18. 🇲🇩 Moldova | Pasha Parfeni – Soarele şi Luna

19. 🇺🇦 Ukraine | TVORCHI – Heart of Steel

20. 🇳🇴 Norway | Alessandra – Queen of Kings

21. 🇩🇪 Germany | Lord of the Lost – Blood & Glitter

22. 🇱🇹 Lithuania | Monika Linkytė – Stay

23. 🇮🇱 Israel | Noa Kirel – Unicorn

24. 🇸🇮 Slovenia | Joker Out – Carpe Diem

25. 🇭🇷 Croatia | Let 3 – Mama ŠČ!

26. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Mae Muller – I Wrote A Song

Apart from the 26 countries taking part, some non-participating countries around the world can vote, as there is a new category that can vote, in the Rest Of The World.

The Grand Final will be broadcasted on 21:00 CET and you can watch it live from your country’s public broadcaster, or from the livestream on the official Eurovision YouTube channel:

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Eurovision 2023: Grand Final Jury Show – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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After the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the contestants that got the golden ticket are ready for the Grand Final tomorrow at 21.00 CET. 50% of the Grand Final result will be determined tonight, in the Final Jury Rehearsal that has just started and will be evaluated by the national juries of the 38 participating countries.

Earlier today we saw the Dress Rehearsal and you can read our commentary here.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Grand Final tomorrow May 13th.

The Show

The contest begins with an introductory video featuring the Kalush Orchestra singing the winning song “Stefania” in the Kyiv subway, while Sam Ryder is featured playing guitar. We actually listen to a remix of “Stefania” with lyrics in English as well. Then we move to the M&S Bank Arena stage where the Kalush Orchestra are now singing live.

Next comes the flag parade, during which Go_A (Ukraine 2020-2021), Jamala (Ukraine 2016), Tina Karol (Ukraine 2006) and Verka Serduchka (Ukraine 2007) perform.

After the flag parade, the 4 presenters present themselves and welcome us. A very interesting addition is the display of the ranking of the countries with the most wins in the competition and the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Austria

The Eurovision party starts with a fun and sleek performance from the Austrian female duo. Teya and Salena give one of their best performances, in terms of vocals and energy, that could be appreciated by juries. A great opening act but maybe performing so soon will reduce their chances for a top-10 result.

Portugal

Mimicat was lucky to qualify, but unlucky to take the 2nd spot in the running order. Nevertheless, she manages to fill the stage with her great vocals, tamperament and sassy choreography. A decent entry that will probably struggle to avoid the last places of the scoreboard.

Switzerland

Remo Forrer sings his contemporary ballad “Watergun” as good as always. Perhaps he doesn’t give all the energy he could tonight, but his pitch perfect vocals and professional staging will surely boost his jury score a lot. However, I doubt the televoters will remember this performance once the show is over, so his televote could be very low.

Poland

The big surprise of this year’s contest, Blanka from Poland, that earned her place in the Grand Final, delivers a decent performance of her summer bop, that the tv audience will surely enjoy tomorrow. The juries on the other hand, could rank it much lower, due to the singer’s limited vocal abilities and to the fact that “Solo” is a very repetitive song.

Serbia

Luke Black is yet another singer with limited charisma and vocal abilities that could struggle to gather votes from the juries. However, Serbia has managed to hide the performer’s disadvantages, creating a memorable energetic show with clever graphics and camera cuts. Luke doesn’t have the best spot in the running order but could get a decent televote score tomorrow.

France

La Zarra is the first of the big favourites to appear in the Grand Final with a performance that oozes French class. Vocally she’s good but certainly not great, with the backing vocals sometimes overpowering her. She manages to hit the high note! An entry that will probably do well enough with both juries and televoters, but hasn’t reached its full potential and could miss out on the top spots.

Cyprus

Andrew delivers a very good performance of his power ballad “Break A Broken Heart”. It wasn’t his best time vocally and the backing vocals overpowered him at times but overall a great “package”, that could sadly underperform due to it’s unfavorable spot in the running order, between many favorites.

Spain

Up next, one of the most artistic and engaging acts of the entire show by Blanca Paloma. Vocally and visually stunning, the juries should reward Blanca with many points. The televote result, on the other hand, remains a big mystery, especially as Spain appears right before the absolute favorite of Eurovision 2023.

First Break

Sweden

It’s time for the big favorite, Loreen from Sweden, performing her hit-single Tattoo, that is already charting all over Europe. The camera angles, lighting and colors have been perfected, making the act as impressive as it was in Melodifestivalen. Loreen’s vocals are amazing and she owns the stage more than ever. The shot with the “tattoos” on the led screen during the bridge is finally caught by the camera! It will be a big surprise if Sweden doesn’t win the jury vote in a landslide and the contest overall.

Albania

The Albanian family defined all odds and qualified to the Grand Final! A big success already, no matter what place they reach in the Final, Albanians can be proud as this is a very professional act. Tonight we see some different camera work in the beginning, improving the show even further.

Italy

Marco Mengoni is back in his sparkly silver top and leather pants. His vocals are very strong, as always, and we can see more shots of the dancers in the background. It would help if Marco connected with the camera a bit more, but Italy will surely get a great result, continuing their top 10 streak.

Estonia

Yet another act that wasn’t a certain qualifier but managed to get through thanks to a professional performance. Alika is pitch perfect once again and sings her ballad beautifully but being squeezed between many favorites means she will probably finish in the last spots of the scoreboard.

Finland

The second favorite of this year’s contest, Kaarija from Finland, gives us a great fun performance, together with his “Cha Cha Cha” dancers. Kaarija doesn’t have the best vocals and sounds tired by the end of the act but the entire arena parties with him. He ends his crazy show saying his catchphrase “it’s crazy, it’s party” and he will definetely get a huge televote score tomorrow. His jury score however will probably be significantly lower.

Czechia

Vesna, the Slavic “sisters”, proved that they are more than capable performers, crafting a great and meaningful show on the Eurovision stage. Maybe not perfect vocally but still strong, this remains one of the most unique songs of the contest. Performing right after a “televote magnet” however could hurt their chances.

Australia

Next up on stage, the progressive metal band from Australia, Voyager. Their lead singer is one of the most consistent and obviously experienced performers of the contest. It is no surprise that they deliver yet another excellent live vocally and staging wise. It remains to be seen how juries and televoters will react to this song.

Belgium

Gustaph, considered as sure non-qualifier when first selected, managed to turn the table around and qualify to the Grand Final as a sure qualifier. The crowd goes grazy for his 90s inspired dance track, his impeccable vocals and voguing dancer. An act that surprisinly stands out and could manage to crack the top-15 tomorrow, gathering points from both juries and televoters!

Second Break

Armenia

Brunette managed to define statistics and qualify from the 2nd spot of the Semi-Final, delivering one of, if not the best performance. Tonight she gave her best live so far! Beautiful vocals, clever staging and a captivating dance break that should give Armenia their best result since 2016, especially if juries respond to it.

Moldova

Up next, an entry that stands out with its ethnic-techno vibes. A good performance by Pasha, made memorable by the clever staging with the flute-playing dwarf and backing dancers-singers. Moldova is hoping to receive a strong televote result, as usual, but the juries probably wont’t rank this very high.

Ukraine

Last year’s winning country returns with a modern and sleek entry. Tvorchi give a good performance, perhaps not their best vocally but overall this is a strong package that should be respected by juries and could get a very big televote.

Norway

Alessandra starts her act more confident than ever. However, it seems there is some audio issue as a strong echo can be heard. In the second verse she’s a bit off vocally. Thankfully, the talented performers overcomes the problems and finishes the performance with lots of energy and a succesfull, but maybe flat, whistle note. The televoters will surely love this but will the juries respond as much? It remains to be seen.

Germany

Lord of The Lost, the second rock band of this Eurovision edition, are also vocally on point and impress with their effortless energy that the Liverpool audience certainly enjoys. This should hopefully be enough for Germany to at least avoid last place for the first time after a few years.

Lithuania

Monika Linkyte and her backing singers give us yet another great performance. Even if she lost her breat once and asked the audience to sing, that was a very impressive live that should be rewared by juries and will definetely get televote points tomorrow, at least from the Lithuanian diaspora.

Israel

Noa Kirel, the Israeli superstar, commands the stage, looking and sounding better than ever. An amazing MTV-awards-level show that will surely impress both juries and tv viewers and land in a high spot tomorrow night.

Slovenia

Joker Out, the charismatic band from Slovenia that managed to bring their country back to the Grand Final, deliver yet another energetic concert-like show, that gets the crowd going. Performing late in the Final could give Slovenia their best result in years.

Croatia

In the very favorable penultimate spot of the Grand Final, we see the most bizarre act of the year. You either love it or hate it but you can certainly not forget it. Could Croatia be the biggest surprise of the year getting a huge televote tomorrow night! I would’t be surprised!

United Kingdom

Mae Muller has sadly proven that she is the weakest performer of the year. A colorful finish to the show, drowned in pre-recorded backing backing vocals and subpar singing from the British representative. This would definetely be more entertaining in mute, meaning the UK is returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.

Intervals acts

The interval acts start with Sam Ryder. “Liverpool Song Book” follows.

First up is Mahmood (Italy 2019 and 2022), who performs “Imagine” by John Lehnon, whose birthplace was Liverpool. Next is Netta (Israel 2018) singing “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. Then, Daði Freyr (Iceland 2020 and 2021) with “Whole Again” and Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022) with “I Turn to You”. Last, Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) sings 30 years after her participation “Better the Devil You Know” and also Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019). In some moments we also see Ruslana from Ukraine. The common denominator of all these appearances is the city of Liverpool. Very moving interval act.

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Portugal: Maro is announced as the Portuguese spokesperson for Eurovision 2023!

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On their official Festival da Canção Instagram account, RTP announced that the spokesperson to announce the points from the juries of Portugal would be Maro. Maro performed last year in Turin with the song “Saudade, Saudade” and placed 9th in the Grand Final.

Confirmed Spokespersons for Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool:

  • Albania – Andri Xhahu
  • Austria – Philip Hansa
  • Australia – Catherine Martin
  • Azerbaijan – Narmin Salmanova
  • Belgium – Bart Cannaerts
  • Cyprus – Loukas Hamatsos
  • Estonia – Ragnar Klavan
  • France – Anggun
  • Germany – Elton
  • Greece – Fotis Sergoulopoulos
  • Israel – Ilanit
  • Italy – Kaze
  • Lithuania – Monika Liu
  • Malta – Ryan Hili
  • Netherlands – S10
  • Norway – Ben Adams
  • Poland – Ida Nowakowska
  • San Marino – John Kennedy O’Connor
  • Slovenia – Melani Mekicar
  • Spain – Ruth Lorenzo
  • Switzerland – Chiara Dubey
  • Ukraine – Zlata Ognevich
  • United Kingdom – Catherine Tate

Below you can watch the Eurovisionfun team commenting on this year’s Portuguese entry.

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Πηγή: RTP

Eurovision 2023: Dress Rehearsal of the Grand Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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After the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the contestants that got the golden ticket to the Grand Final are ready for their Dress Rehearsal.

EurovisionFun will be watching all the 26 countries competing and will serve you feedback and opinions of the show.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Grand Final tomorrow May 13th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The contest begins with an introductory video featuring the Kalush Orchestra singing the winning song “Stefania” in the Kyiv subway, while Sam Ryder is featured playing guitar. We actually listen to a remix of “Stefania” with lyrics in English as well. Then we move to the M&S Bank Arena stage where the Kalush Orchestra are now singing live.

Next comes the flag parade, during which Go_A (Ukraine 2020-2021), Jamala (Ukraine 2016), Tina Karol (Ukraine 2006) and Verka Serduchka (Ukraine 2007) perform.

We also had a second run of the flag parade due to Jamala’s unnatural appearance in the first run.

After the flag parade, the 4 presenters present themselves and welcome us. A very interesting addition is the display of the ranking of the countries with the most wins in the competition and the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Austria

First on stage are Teya & Salena. Overall a very good performance, without any change from what we saw yesterday. Personally, I find them a bit sloppy for this particular song. It’s undoubtedly a great opening entry for Saturday’s Grand Final, though, even if that reduces the chances of a very good placing in the voting and may be forgotten in the flow of the show.

Portugal

Portugal is a country that made a surprise and got the ticket to the Grand Final. Mimicat’s weapons are her incredible temperament and vocal abilities. The order of appearance, however, certainly doesn’t help Mimicat and perhaps speaks to her narrowly missed Final. Portugal will probably be ranked very low tomorrow night!

Switzerland

Another vocally solid performance from Remo Forrer with a purely professional and contemporary approach to a dynamic ballad. However, it’s not the most interesting song in this year’s competition, and the order of appearance certainly doesn’t help. This in relation to the public vote, because the juries’ support for Switzerland’s participation is a given, due to the exceptional vocal abilities of the singer, as well as the jury-friendly genre of the song.

Poland

That’s how you turn a weakness to power! Despite all the hate she got, bejba managed to qualify to the Grand Final! Today’s performance was nothing different from what we have already seen, but being a rehearsal we had the opportunity to see Blanka without make-up! I don’t know what will be the fate of participating in the competition, but Blanka will definitely be one of our winners of Eurovision 2023.

Serbia

Another very nice performance from Luke Black. The video game graphics add a very nice touch to the look. Doubtful, of course, his fate in the final situation!

France

Perhaps La Zarra’s best vocal appearance. With the air of a French diva, she marches into the final and everything suggests that France will be placed very high in the ranking table.

Cyprus

Very strong performance from Andrew Lambrou. Although it was a rehearsal, he was vocally perfect, while the LED graphics blend very well with the song and make the whole look impressive.

Spain

Blanca Paloma has powerful vocals. Powerful! Spain’s stage appearance is similar to that of Benidorm Fest. Red dominates and there is a lot of smoke. Juries will love it, televoting hardly.

This is followed by a break with a Junior Eurovision-related video.

Sweden

It’s time for the odds’ favourite with more than 50% winning chance, Sweden. Loreen serves vocals, as always and the performance is the same to what we have seen. Great camera angles hiding the ”disadvantage” of having much smaller led screens than in national selection performance.

Albania

Albania was the outsider for qualification from semi-final 2, being 13th at the odds before the rehearsals. As in Poland, once again we get the chance to see the singers without make-up! Very powerful performance, showing in a great way the connection of the family.

Italy

Similar performance to Sanremo, but there is an addition of a staircase prop with 2 dancers. Marco Mengoni is vocally perfect and emotional. Juries will love this.

Estonia

Alika suprisingly managed to reached to the Grand Final, even though her song is not that televote-friendly. She is rehearsing without make-up and she seems to holding strength for the juries tonight!

Finland

The only entry that can ”fight” Sweden for the win. An energetic performance, hoping to get as much as televoting support to reach the trophy. Not sure if the juries will appreciate this tonight.

Czechia

A song with a strong message! The singers, without make-up, seem to be holding back and not giving their 100%. The juries tonight will appreciate this, but also the televote from the slavic countries will support this entry a lot! A top 10 performance.

Australia

Uplifting performance from Australia and Voyager. Not much differences from what we have already seen. A powerful and memorable performance, there is no way the audience won’t remember this after the show. Not sure how massive the televoting support will be, as Australia is usually not getting much support from the audience. Also, not sure if the juries will give this many points.

Belgium

Gustaph, considered as sure non-qualifier when first selected, managed to turn the table around and qualify to the Grand Final as a sure qualifier. A rehearsal with improvisations to the singing and dancing. Potential Top 10 at televoting, and could also do very well at juries!

Armenia

Brunette with the suprise dance-break is next on the stage. Could be better vocally, but Brunette undoubtedly has one of the best stagings this year. A big question mark how the televote and juries are going to react to this entry. Deserves a top 10, though

Moldova

Definitely a memorable entry! Folk is greatly represented by the flute. The dwarf will help Moldova get many televoting points. Predicting a Top 10 at televoting, but don’t think that the juries will go for it.

Ukraine

Time for the co-host country to rehearse. This song with ”The Weeknd” vibe would get a great result, even if it was sung by another country. Great use of the LED screens and the singer seems to be holding back. There is no doubt Ukraine won’t get the Top 5 result, especially in the televoting.

Norway

The entry that got viral on Tik Tok and will likely get a massive televoting score. Alessandra is not vocally perfect and underwhelming, hoping to see her more energetic tomorrow. Predicting a low Top 10

Germany

A shock performance and not because of the staging or the song, but the lead singers’ clothes. He is not wearing the typical costume, but a black sleeveless, a pants with a cat over his black and white trousers and sunglasses.

Lithuania

Even though it is a rehearsal, Monika is vocally excellent. She is without make-up and seems to enjoying the rehearsal. Juries will love this song, but would not be surprised with a bottom 5 in televoting.

Israel

Noa Kirel is a goddess and could do the surprise at televoting tomorrow. Vocally, she is quite unstable, but she is definitely delivers a great show, that is going to be appreciated at the Grand Final tomorrow.

Slovenia

A performance full of energy! Joker Out know how to rouse the audience. The lead singer is vocally great and give an uplifting number. Could get a suprise result tomorrow.

Croatia

Even though the lead singer was ill, it isn’t obvious in this performance. Not a flattering entry for Croatia, but will get the country’s best result in years. The juries won’t give it much points, but the televoting will go for it.

United Kingdom

Last but not least, Mae Muller comes on stage for her rehearsal. The worst vocal performance today, but she gives a great and colourful show! Predicting below 20th place.

 

Intervals acts

The interval acts start with Sam Ryder.

Later, “Liverpool Song Book” follows.

First up is Mahmood (Italy 2019 and 2022), who performs “Imagine” by John Lehnon, whose birthplace was Liverpool. Next is Netta (Israel 2018) singing “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. Then, Daði Freyr (Iceland 2020 and 2021) with “Whole Again” and Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022) with “I Turn to You”. Last, Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) sings after 30 years her participation “Better the Devil You Know” and also Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019). In some moments we also see Ruslana from Ukraine. The common denominator of all these appearances is the city of Liverpool. Very moving interval act.

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Eurovision 2023: Family Show of the Second Semi-Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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Just hours before the Second Semi-Final of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, its time for the third and the last general rehearsal before the Semi-Final. The family show has just started and the the Liverpool Arena is filled with eurofans! Like every year, the evening before each live show, a more financially convenient show for families, identical to the live one, takes place.

EurovisionFun will be watching all the 16 countries competing and will serve you feedback and opinions of the show. Also, the journalists have the chance to fully watch the rehearsals of United Kingdom, Spain and the winner of last year’s edition, Ukraine.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final today, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The show has started and we are watching a recap from everything that happened in Tuesday night with the First Semi-Final. The three female presenters are on stage and welcome everyone on the show again! The explain the voting system, the united vibe between Ukraine and United Kingdom and within the first five minutes the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Denmark: Reiley – Breaking My Heart

Reiley is dressed in pink inside a prop that looks like a house. The prop rotates in different rooms with different colour but the performance is based in pink. In the middle of the perfomance, Reiley walks to the second stage and the led wall becomes in lime colours with a lot of white shaped hearts. Reiley seems to be vocally weak and annoying enough with the backing autotuned vocal.

Armenia: Brunette – Future Lover

This act starts with Brunnete laying in a inclined plane in pink and purple colors. Then in the rap part the lights become in black and white. After the rap part, THERE IS A DANCE BREAK EVERYONE!!!! The goosebumps I got from this performance. She literally KILLED IT. She was vocally on point and she will qualify for sure. Congratulations Armenia!

Romania: Theodor Andrei – D.G.T (Off And On)

Theodor is charismatic and a great performer but the song ain’t it… sadly the entire performance and staging, with distasteful led content and awkward choreography from Theodor and his dancer, seems very amateurish. Romania will be lucky if they avoid the absolute last place of this Semi-Final.

Estonia: Alika – Bridges

The performance begins with Alike sitting in a piano, the croud has their flashlights open, the song become even more intense and dramatic when she singer elevates her vocals even more. The staging is based in blue and white colours, matching her dress.

Belgium: Gustaph – Because Of You

Without any doubt, Gustaph carries on the performance with his vocals allong with the backing singers and a dancer doing voguing. Gustaph gives the show some much needed energy, with his 90s themed song. The LED are like the videoclip, some shadows dancing on the rhythm of the song and also him on the outfit of the video clip. A very energetic performance!

First Break

Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou – Break A Broken Heart

The performance starts with Andrew being alone in a blue LED scene,it reminds me of the water element. He looks good dressed in black and vocally good. In the first chorus we see a waterfall behind him and towards the end it becomes a huge flame with many fire jets. The whole performance is based on the nature elements. An easy qualification for Cyprus.

Iceland: Diljá – Power

A very energetic and hyperactive perfocmance from the Icelandic singer. Vocally was a bit off and the performance feels completely all over the place, with the young singer doing unnecessary acrobatics and coming off rather aggresive. The camera shots aren’t great, making the viewer feel dizzy and overall quite bored, if not annoyed.

Greece: Victor Vernicos – What They Say

The younger artists takes the stages with a emotional and dynamic ballad reminding us that we need to be ourselves. He is very improved vocally, compered to his previous attempts. The beginning of the performance, with him laying on the floor is very interesting visually but the rest of the staging is quite messy. Victor is not bouncing a lot so vocally was more stable and he seems like he enjoyed it a lot! Maybe he could sneak into the final but I’m not so sure…

Poland: Blanka – Solo

It’s time for our BEJBA! The biggest suprise of the rehearsals.  The dance break is nice, she seems confident and there’s no blur effect BUT the whole performance give the vibe of last year’s Poland with the SFX effects and it’s not really good. The Blanka hologram doesn’t seem real at all. Vocally is so improved and I enjoyed the whole performance. Europe will vote for this for sure!

Slovenia: Joker Out – Carpe Diem

The charismatic band is on stage… the audience gives the pulse, elevating the performace in the 150%. They really own the stage and the croud seemed to love this! The seem confident and cool with their 80s style of clothing. The singer is vocally just like the recorded version and the whole lights are red. In the end, the members of the group, bowed towards the crowd and we see a huge “Joker Out” in the LED. They are fighting for the first place in this semi-final.

Georgia: Iru – Echo

Iru is standing in a small platform the whole perfomace wearing a white dress with silver jewels. ED behind her are dark and in the end everything become brighter. A wind machine is helping her to serve a very dramatic look. A very statc performance and vocally was bit off, seemed annoying.

Second Break 

San Marino: Piqued Jacks – Like An Animal

The show starts with a huge mouth in the LED. In generall, the LED is in red shades in the whole performance. The singer is vocally on point and the staging is decent but the song by it’s self is really repetitive and weak to make it through.

Austria: Teya & Salena – Who The Hell Is Edgar?

It’s time for the favourites of this semi-final.  The croud is clapping and singing in Poe Poe rhythms in the whole performance. Visualy this performance is amaizng in black and red colors but the singers are very static. Both of them are on point and everyne enjoyed it! The biggest clap in the show.

Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje

The outsiders of this semi-final are on stage with Albina giviving everything vocally and the croud cheering her. Also this performance is based in black and red colors like the Albanian flag. A very emotional performance and the whole family are giving a great show! This definetely stands out as the only ethnic song and is performed professionaly but perhaps has a very limited audience. I hope Europe will see the potential of this song and manages to qualify.

Lithuania: Monika Linkyte – Stay

Reaching almost at the end of the contest part, Monika Linkyte delivers a vocally powerful and visually pleasing, warm performance, accompanied by her backing vocalists. They manage to create a beautiful atmosphere that the audience seems to enjoy. She made the croud to sing with her and it was a very good feeling and for us from home (*screams* CIUTO TUTO FINALLY MY HEART IS BEATING).

Australia: Voyager – Promise 

This song is not my cup of tea BUT vocally the front man was very good! Excellent staging with 80s vaporwave vibes and a car on stage. The arena loves them, as they deliver an excellent performance, full of energy, that is guaranteed to qualify tomorrow night. A great way to close the show!

Certain Qualifiers

Armenia

Belgium

Cyprus

Poland

Slovenia

Austria

Albania

Lithuania

Australia

Borderline Qualifiers

Estonia

Greece

Georgia

Non Qualifiers

Denmark

Romania

Iceland

San Marino

 

Ukrainian singers Mariya Yaremchuk, Otoy and Zlata Dziunka perform a medley of Ukrainian songs. Then we watch another recap and get ready for lines to close.

Three drag queens take the place of the presenters and perform “Be Who You Wanna Be”.

Mans Zelmerlow and Filomena return with the “game” of guessing which countries they have or have not qualified in the past.

Big 5 and Ukraine

We will be watching a small clip from the rehearsal of those countries, down bellow you will find my comments.

Spain: Blanca Paloma – EaEa

A very similar to the national selection perfomance with Blanca serving vocals once again. During her perfomance we see a light hitting her hand and the backing vocals screaming her name. A very impacful perfomance.

Ukraine: TVORCHI – Heart Of Steel

Ukrainians show once again that they are the masters of staging at Eurovision. TVORVHI probably have the most sleek, stylish and modern performance of the year. It starts a bit low energy but that is quickly fixed, when pyro jets join the show. Great act but the song is probably a bit forgettable. Of course, Ukraine’s result is maybe the biggest mystery of the year, as we don’t know how the sympathy and diaspora votes will impact their score.

United Kingdom: Mae Muller – I Wrote A Song

Mae Muller will close Saturday’s Grand Final with a fun and upbeat number, staged cleverly with colorful pop art vibes. Her vocals however are perhaps the worst in this year’s contest and completely destroy the act. She’s struggling to hit the notes and looks uncomfortable, which means United Kingdom could be returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.

The Results

Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the purposes of the rehearsal were the following:

Greece, Denmark, Romania, Georgia, Australia, Albania, Austria, San Marino, Poland and finally Slovenia

 

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Eurovision 2023: The bets before the second semi-final!

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We are just a few hours away from the second Eurovision 2023 semi-final and the betting tables are on fire, with the odds constantly changing.

Your favourite column will bring you everything that has changed in the last few days, both in terms of the case-win, and in terms of qualifying from tonight’s show to Saturday’s final.

Top 10

New shuffles emerged yesterday after the first semi-final and yesterday’s dress rehearsals of the second semi-final in the betting tables. Nevertheless, one thing has remained and will remain constant: Sweden is the heavy favourite to win the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The performance in the first semi-final has given Loreen a “winning air”, with the Swedish victory being played at some bookmakers at as low as 1.40, with the maximum available odds being 1,55.

In second place, with a clear downward trend in some companies, is Finland. Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha” are Loreen’s rival in this year’s contest, with Finland‘s odds of winning now ranging between 3 and 4.6.

It is understood that the narrowing of the gap between the two countries in previous days is now a thing of the past, with betting companies largely believing that Sweden will win the Eurovision Song Contest for the seventh time.

Alone in third place is Ukraine, whose maximum odds of winning have fallen to 13. Spain has moved up to fourth with an odds of 23, taking advantage of France‘s drop after the release of La Zarra‘s performance at Monday’s Jury Rehearsal. France is now fifth, offered at odds between 9 and 31.

Sixth is now Israel, which gained slight ground after the first semi-final, where the explosive Noa Kirel won the hearts of the audience. Israel is now playing at 36 and seventh-placed Norway at 41, dropping one place compared to our last analysis.

From there, the differences have widened dramatically, with the last three countries rounding out the top ten offered at odds of up to over 100 at some companies. In particular, a potential bet on eighth-placed Austria returns up to 101 times the stake, while a corresponding bet on the UK and Italy returns 126 times the stake.

2nd Semifinal

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, today’s article will also deal with the chances of the countries in the second semi-final, according to the bookers.

Looking at the betting tables for the first semi-final, betting companies are almost taking the qualification of 5 countries for granted. Austria, Australia, Cyprus, Armenia and Slovenia are the firm favourites to qualify today, with their qualification odds not exceeding 1.10.

Lithuania and Belgium are also largely assured of a place in the final and are offered slightly higher at around 1.17. Next up is Georgia who are being played at 1.25, while largely assured of qualification for Saturday’s grand final is Poland who are returning up to 1.30 times the stake.

Beyond that, a big battle is expected for the tenth ticket where four countries will be vying for a place in the Eurovision 2023 final. Estonia, Denmark, Albania and Greece are very close, with Estonia seemingly having the edge at the moment. Tenth – at the given time – Estonia are offered at 1.83, at the same time as eleventh placed Denmark are offered at 2.10 and twelfth placed Albania, who are steadily climbing the rankings, are offered at 2.25.

In a particularly difficult position seems to be Greece who are the big loser of the two weeks in Liverpool. From ninth place at the start of the rehearsals it is now in 13th, with Victor Vernicos and “What They Say” steadily losing ground in recent days. It is telling that the maximum odds that can be placed on the Greek qualification is now 2.80.

Finally, Iceland are seen as underdogs for qualification at odds of 4, while San Marino and Romania have already packed their return bags, with bookers at some companies offering qualification at an astronomical 17.

It’s wide open as to the chances of winning the second semi-final, with Austria having the edge, yet four countries are being played at odds of under 10 for a win. Austria, Australia, Armenia and Slovenia are expected to battle it out to win the second semi-final. Maximum odds offered for Austria are 2.5, Australia 4.33, Armenia and Slovenia 9.

Which countries do you think will qualify from the second semi-final to Saturday’s grand final?