escYOUnited
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Finland FINLAND 2020 - Aksel Kankaaranta - Looking Back
- Thread starter escYOUnited
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I have a very high tolerance of what some fans may call "tasteless"
Her vocals were good and the staging matched the song.
But song about a pornstar would be way more memorable than a break up ballad number 648
RainyWoods
Croak-kay
It was visually the best three minutes of my life. For what it was, everything was done to perfection. May not be to everyone's taste certainly, but to those that enjoy kitsch, fabulously bizarre things with a bit of cheeky wink, it was wonderfully staged and everything totally captured the essence of the song. It was brimming with charm and personality. A moment like it won't come again.
cassio
Well-known member
I think its sad that Erika didn't win. We need freakshows in the ESC who should we else point or fingers at. Freaks have done very well in the past so its not only a couple of people who needs a good laugh. Erika performance in Pink surrounded by bears was hilarious and I can imagine who peoples vanity must have enjoyed watching something as ugly as they think they look them selves.
I feel your pain, but I'm sure there will be other songs you'll be as enthusiastic about. Take heart.
To me, and many others from what I've seen, the performance was not at all what she sold us with the lyric video.
It was a plastic hellscape complete with brimstone, she looked menacing, not playful and sex-positive, and there was none of that soft, playful Cicciolina aesthetic anywhere.
That feeling of disconnect might have been what cost her the victory.
RainyWoods
Croak-kay
I feel your pain, but I'm sure there will be other songs you'll be as enthusiastic about. Take heart.
To me, and many others from what I've seen, the performance was not at all what she sold us with the lyric video.
It was a plastic hellscape complete with brimstone, she looked menacing, not playful and sex-positive, and there was none of that soft, playful Cicciolina aesthetic anywhere.
That feeling of disconnect might have been what cost her the victory.
This felt like THE one though which makes it more difficult. As I've said as well, I'm never granted fun songs I love like this through national selections. I just have to hope for an internally selected bone thrown my way every now and again.
I get all what you're saying there, but I think I'm so weird and insane at times that all those negatives to me were delivered as positives. I've seen people mention that Erika came across as like a villain but I got those naughty vibes anyway even from the music video. I was shocked people loved Erika as much as they did, as usually I'm quite alone enjoying niche songs like Cicciolina. Also the staging was super wonderful and I thought very well done and memorable. It would have polarised for sure but easily left its mark at the big contest.
Perhaps all the elements of the performance mentioned could have cost her the win, but I think the unbalance of the selection (1 man vs 5 female acts) and the choice of keeping lines open after Erika was sitting behind two other competitors looking in a bad place already also could have played a role. Ultimately though it was the jury that stopped her winning, which was predictable but also sad.
opinionsigotem
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cegs5
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I don't know what happened to me then. You well know I like all what you described above but I just didn't feel that with Erika's performance, it let me down to the extend to be even mad, I feel Erika did not deliver it and I can't blame IJ for not giving her more.
Also, I see a lot of bitterness among fans being channeled to Aksel, as if it were his fault. I honestly fon't think his song and performance is the rubbish angry fans are rating with pleasure lots of zeros.
I wish Cicciolina had won and saved what seems to be a boring edition though, but I can see why it did not get a smashing televoting victory like PKN did in 2015 that helped them to win it all after the jury scores.
LastDreamer
Banned
I didn't care about her song before the performance.
Uto
Veteran
Juries exist to help combat the problem of televoters choosing sub-par shit that is unlikely to do anything. This year we have seen defective juries. If they are defective, don't scrap the juries, but improve on how you are going to select them. Given what was chosen before in other countries, Finland was left with two viable entries: Bananas and Cicciolina. There was no jury pet and these two were most likely to get televoters mobilized across Europe. Aksel might have the most accessible song with a decent enough package, but he will be eaten alive in Rotterdam. Juries exist to make such judgments, to make expert calls on a difficult subject. It seems like jury slots are just thrown around as presents.
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RainyWoods
Croak-kay
It is strange how we have such different opinions here on the performance. It literally had me sitting there gasping for air, but you obviously have a point as others have mentioned their disappointment too.
And yes, you're right. It's a general problem of the fandom though, working themselves up with hype and then when it all comes tumbling down unleashing emotions in not very nice ways on whoever it is that they perceive robbed their favourite.
Aksel's song though is literally everything I dislike about Eurovision right now. He basically turns me into @A-lister. I used to be about 50/50 on juries years ago. They helped out a lot of songs I perceived as special and unique such as Et S'il Fallait Le Faire and Suus but I've been watching them now for years suck the charm and personality out of the contest. Erika might not have landslided it as expected with the public but she was still their winner, but eight small random groups of foreign professionals decided Finland were to be sending man with indistinguishable ballad #2394. Could have had a song beaming with joy, charm and personality, that would have been totally one of a kind this year, but instead it was decided Finland would join the blur of monotony that has shaped up to be 2020.
LastDreamer
Banned
I still wait when my niche favourite will get a huge love from Eurofans.
Usually my favourites died in the end of personal rankings on YouTube / forums.
I always wanted to find the peoples, who like something from my NF favourites. Especially from non-selected songs.
For three consecutive years NF song from my choice was last in Worldvision spin-offs.
RainyWoods
Croak-kay
I still wait when my niche favourite will get a huge love from Eurofans.
Usually my favourites died in the end of personal rankings on YouTube / forums.
I always wanted to find the peoples, who like something from my NF favourites. Especially from non-selected songs.
For three consecutive years NF song from my choice was last in Worldvision spin-offs.
My favourites used to be the same, disliked by most but recently this weird shift has happened. I never expected fans to take Serhat's return song into their hearts so dearly for instance. I was almost alone supporting I Didn't Know. Same for The Social Network Song (Oh Oh-Uh-Oh Oh). Maybe because the contest has taken such a serious route lately that fans are missing the days when Eurovision entries were more colourful and fun?
Uto
Veteran
No, I don't think so. The fact of the matter is that the serious entries in Eurovision have become very good and the fun and colorful entries simply upped their game recently. The gulf in quality between I Didn't Know and Na Na Na is fairly obvious and the most seminal example one can give as the songs are comparable in quality and style:
The production in I Didn't Know is just bad and unimaginative, it doesn't have any dynamics. Although the staging wasn't bad per se it certainly didn't spice up the song and it didn't go anywhere. For Na Na Na the production is totally acceptable, the song pops and bounces. And look at the staging. It was fantastic, shit was happening all over the place, it was extremely colorful and there were pretty impressive retro graphics all throughout the song. He went from meh to being thoroughly entertaining in two or three years.
There is no weird shift, many entries that used to be filler are finding ways to become more than their source material would indicate. People don't really notice this as part of a bubble I've found, but Eurovision has gone from being a bit of a cringy niche show to absolutely unironically awesome in about a decade or so and its improvement is not showing any signs of stopping.
Yes, I did. It was a completely trashy garbage.
cegs5
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I absolutely see the damage juries can do to the contests sometimes and I have seen myself wishing them to disappear as well... but then I remember Amar pelos dois was saved by the juries of its NF and became the smashing winner of the whole edition, setting a new record even. Not that all the saved songs are going to have the same fate, but they can't be that evil either. We have seen fanwanks doing well or at least not too bad with juries too.
Mrm
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Exactly the same, and led effects are so beautiful..Yes, 12 points from me - the song is beautiful and I really love Aksel's voice,
NikolaiMoller
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Erikas performace last night was the performace I've always been dreaming of having, but didn't know!
The fire, the bears, her outfit!
I'll be watching it every day for, who knows how long?!!!
The fire, the bears, her outfit!
I'll be watching it every day for, who knows how long?!!!
