Eurovision 2012: Baku

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Belgium

Belgium had a two-song national final in which both songs were sung by the same person. They're both ballads, and neither is extremely impressive. Belgium alternates between Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgium) and Wallonia (French-speaking) getting to choose its song. Wallonia is usually awful, and last year was no different. This year is a Flanders year though, so I had at least some hopes for it, which I guess weren't totally let down.

Belgium: Iris--"Would You"

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Only one song left to be chosen, from the United Kingdom. As I mentioned earlier, it will be Engelbert Humperdinck. The British announcement will come on Monday.

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Iceland

Iceland changed its song to an English version. I think the Icelandic one was a bit better, but this is still pretty good.

Iceland: Greta Salóme & Jónsi--"Never Forget"

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United Kingdom

It's strange to see someone like Engelbert competing in Eurovision. It really feels like he doesn't fit there. I don't think his song is going to do too well since most of the voters for Eurovision are going to be younger, but he'll definitely be popular among the older ones. My mom, for example, was brought to tears by it because she was reminded of my dad.

United Kingdom: Engelbert Humperdinck--"Love Will Set You Free"

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It was my understanding that most of the voters are older people. UK will not do very well because they have no natural "friends" on the continent.

[morct]

It was my understanding that most of the voters are older people. UK will not do very well because they have no natural "friends" on the continent.

I'm not sure that it is older people that vote, I think it's actually younger people but I stand to be corrected. Ireland has the same problem as the UK as regards the voting, it tends to be neighbouring countries that vote for each other.

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I'm not sure that it is older people that vote, I think it's actually younger people but I stand to be corrected. Ireland has the same problem as the UK as regards the voting, it tends to be neighbouring countries that vote for each other.

It tends to be neighboring countries voting for each other, but that tendency has been weaker in the past few years.

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San Marino

As previously mentioned, San Marino was forced to change its song. Instead of doing the wise thing and scrapping it altogether, they instead changed a few lyrics to replace Facebook with Social Network and such because the European Broadcasting Union accused them of essentially advertising Facebook. This version's even worse than the previous one.

San Marino: Valentina Monetta--"The Social Network Song"

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Now that's all of the songs. I plan to put the songs alone in a separate thread soon, and also to pair each song with a tennis representative, if anyone would be interested in reading that. The first semifinal will be on May 22nd, the second on May 24th, and the final, which the contest will be based on, on May 26th.

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Current Eurovision odds from Bet365:

Sweden: 2/1
Italy: 7/1
Russia: 9/1
United Kingdom: 14/1
Serbia: 14/1
Denmark: 14/1
Spain: 16/1
Ireland: 18/1
Germany: 20/1
Iceland: 20/1
Norway: 22/1
Greece: 25/1
Romania: 33/1
Cyprus: 33/1
Turkey: 40/1
Azerbaijan: 40/1
Estonia: 50/1
Ukraine: 50/1
Slovenia: 66/1
Belarus: 80/1
France: 100/1
Netherlands: 100/1
Finland: 100/1
Hungary: 100/1
Moldova: 100/1
Lithuania: 100/1
Austria: 100/1
Switzerland: 100/1
Latvia: 100/1
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 100/1
Slovakia: 100/1
Bulgaria: 100/1
Belgium: 150/1
Croatia: 150/1
Israel: 150/1
Albania: 150/1
Macedonia: 150/1
Malta: 150/1
Montenegro: 150/1
Georgia: 150/1
Portugal: 150/1
San Marino: 150/1

Sweden's odds are some of the lowest in quite some time.

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Over the next week, I'll be revealing which songs I think can win this year's Eurovision. Last year I wasn't overly successful, but I at least listed Azerbaijan. Hopefully this year works out a bit better. First up though, I'll go through the songs which are in the top 10 of the odds posted above but which have no chance of winning.

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Germany (16/1): I don't know why this is ranked so high in the odds. There's nothing special about the song, his voice, or the performance. I'd say it is more likely to finish in the bottom five than the top five.

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Ireland: As I've said before, the song and the performance just don't fit. This should do at least 5 places worse than Jedward's song from last year, which finished 8th.

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Since I missed a couple days, it's time to catch up.

Spain: I really like this song, but it's Spain. Anyone remember this? It finished second to last. That said, I think this should be top 10; it just doesn't have any chance of winning.

Soraya - La Noche Es Para Mi

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Denmark: This song is okay, but Denmark has sent better. They'll probably finish in the top 10 again, but still a safe distance away from the winner's circle.