Norway NORWAY 2020 - Ulrikke - Attention

[escYOUnited]

 

[LastDreamer]

Rein Alexander (4.5)
Didrik and Emil (4.0)
Liza (3.5)
Magnus Bokn (3.0)
Tone Damli (2.5)
Sondrey (2.0)
Kristin Husoy (2.0)
Ulrikke (1.5)
Raylee (1.0)
Akuvi (1.0)

Rein Alexander and brothers duet are not bad choice for contest, Liza is 50/50, the rest are just "No".

 

[Morpheus]

Any Norwegians in the house?

I heard anyone can vote in the finals regardless of location, and that all you have to do is create a free account.

Is this accurate or BS?

 

[lavieenrose]

"People tell me I'm a fish" has very "do you ever feel like a plastic bag?" energy, and the drop has the same energy as the song from this video, masterfully titled Tallia Storm Wear See Through Dress.

 

[njdevils94]

 

[NikolaiMoller]

Any Norwegians in the house?

I heard anyone can vote in the finals regardless of location, and that all you have to do is create a free account.

Is this accurate or BS?

I would like to know too

 

[Citelis]

This song is so amazing!!

 

[VikingTiger]

Any Norwegians in the house?

I heard anyone can vote in the finals regardless of location, and that all you have to do is create a free account.

Is this accurate or BS?

I've just registered and read throug the information on NRK website. It seems that all it takes is to register as a user. When voting one have to choose what part of the country you are voting from
.
So... it seems to me it will be possible to vote from abroad as well.

 

[Morpheus]

I've just registered and read throug the information on NRK website. It seems that all it takes is to register as a user. When voting one have to choose what part of the country you are voting from
.
So... it seems to me it will be possible to vote from abroad as well.

Oh, wow. I was hoping it was BS. I think Norwegians should pick their own representative.

 

[njdevils94]

With the finals coming up Saturday I did recaps for all 5 semis the night of or day after that regional semifinal so I willpost them over the next day or so.

Recap NMGP 2020

Southern Norway Semifinal

Kevin Lee and Sarah McTernan in the opening roll singing along to Spirit in the Sky. Anyway that draw was not random really. Those pieces of paper barely moved.

1. Geirmund - Coming Alive

He models his hairstyle after Karin Gunarsson.

This exceeded my expectation in a big way. Very powerful performance with the drummers adding a nice touch. If he really did get screwed over with people unable to vote then he should be given a wild card.

2. Lisa Børud - Talking About Us

Disposable pop song. She looked like a deer in the headlights at the beginning and sounds like a low budget- Malou Prytz with much less charisma. Not much going on here.

3. Kim Rysstad - Rainbow

This was so so so so bad. The lyrics are cheesy as can be and the song is three decades dated. The staging was non-existent plus he's not an engaging performer

4. Raylee - Wild

That ponytail though is so long....

Well once Geirmund was out this was the clear winner even if the lyrics are questionable. I much prefer Louder (her 2015 song) to Wild but oh well. Very energetic song and she's a good dancer. Those attempted high notes at the end that she obviously can't hit should be scrapped for the final. The background images were nice.

Auto Finalist: Sondrey - Take My Time

A slightly better version of Good Loving but not really digging it. Probably never best to take staging ideas from Lighthouse X with the light up mic-stands.

Southern Norway Rankings
1. Geirmund - Coming Alive
2. Raylee - Wild
F: Sondrey - Take My Time
3. Lisa Børud - Talking About Us
4. Kim Rysstad - Rainbow

 

[njdevils94]

Recap NMGP 2020

Eastern Norway Semifinal

Why are the hosts dressed as magicians though? Not the two strongest songs being drawn against each other in the semifinal. xrip

1. Tore Petterson - The Start of Something New

Everything about this one is truly horrendous. The lyrics. The staging. The performer. Only thing I remember was his yellow suit. Just no.

2. Kim Wigaard & Maria Mohn - Fool for Love

Still not really a fan of this Never Forget knock-off but it was way better than Tore and deserved to be in the final duel for Eastern Norway. Kim and Maria both sounded strong and violinists in the back and pyro at the end made a decent impact for the song.

3. Jægar - How About Mars

A lot going on here with her on than spinning platform most of the time. All in all the staging looked pretty good but it was a bit to effect heavy for me. That is to distract from the repetition in the lyrics I guess. So much pink. Her hair and spacesuit.
The holograms were fine I guess but the green screen background was messy for me.

She sounded ok.

4. Rein Alexander - One Last Time

Wow! That staging blew everything out of the water in this semi and I can see why it won. He sounds deeper than Rasmussen from Denmark who went for a similar theme in 2018 His look is great with the Hodor-esque beard and the backing dancers as his clan doing all those acrobatics. The fire trick was done by Grete Paia last year but was still cool.

Of the 4 confirmed finalists we have heard so far this would be at the top for me.

Auto Finalist: Didrik & Emil - Out of Air

Being that it was written in 2013 it should come as no surprised that this is dated cheese. They both sound great but Out of Air really doesn't do much for me. I found the kid dancers appearing out of nowhere and piggybacking each other randomly quite strange. I guess because Didrik represented Norway in 2010 is why this was pre-qualified.


Eastern Norway Rankings
1. Rein Alexander - One Last Time
2. Jægar - How About Mars
F: Didrik & Emil - Out of Air
3. Kim Wigaard & Maria Mohn - Fool for Love
4. Tore Petterson - The Start of Something New

 

[njdevils94]

Recap NMGP 2020

Central Norway Semifinal

What great results. Certainly the most intriguing semi do far. I see it's fancy hat day in NMGP this week

1. Alexandru - Pink Jacket

Yeah, this is not my type of song really. His dance moves in the beginning were quite awkward. I liked the pink jacket being on display at the start. After about 2 minutes though I was checked out on this.

2. Sie Gubba - Kjære du

The country-rockers Sie Gubba really stomped all over the Pink Jacket song. I was engaged from the start with the opening strings. They brought great energy and got a warm applause. If only this was a slightly stronger song this could've ended up in the Final of NMGP especially as they were doing well in the spotify streams.

3. Thomas Løseth - Vertigo

What a touching postcard. :happycry:

They made this more interesting live and sold the idea of the song well with children's choir and Erika on one side of the colored see through glass walls and Thomas on the other in the middle. He had some hiccups singing falsetto for most of the song. More needed to be going on in the last minute that just hearing I'll be gone forever 10 times over but a respectable effort none the less.

4. Kristin Husøy - Pray for Me

She did it. Gospel :switzerland: Stones is in the final of NMGP!

This is how you do lighting. I liked the black and white start. Serving that sass too. The verses are better than the chorus though. She's clearly more comfortable with the high notes. Kristin was clearly nervous and a bit stiff at the beginning but got better and more into it as at went on. Best of luck to her in the final.

Auto Finalist: Akuvi - Som du er

Finally a song worthy of being an automatic finalist. Akuvi with a strong dance-tropical house number here. I can see the Renaida - All The Feels comparison here. I find this a bit stronger although the Norwegian language probably has a part to do with that. Also you could tell she wasn't just taking this as a dress rehearsal. Really giving it her all out there and putting on a show.

Central Norway Rankings
1. Kristin Husøy - Pray for Me
2. Sie Gubba - Kjære du
F: Akuvi - Som du er
3. Thomas Løseth feat. Erika Norwich - Vertigo
4. Alexandru - Pink Jacket

 

[njdevils94]

Recap NMGP 2020

Western Norway Semifinal

Oh wow. My favorite won for a second straight week So the hosts went with the greek/roman look this week.


1. Magnus Bokn - Over the Sea

He's going with that grizzly barbershop look with the suspenders and bowler cap I see. Well I can see why this won tonight. Staging for this was so on point. The backing singers in their amish wear to the violinist, the kids, and square dancing. Getting that Norwegian rural country vote. This was my favorites of the semifinalists in Western Norway and his performance tonight solidified that.

2. Oda Loves You - Love Who We Love

Hey she has the same eye color as me. She sounded and looked good but this song is terribly repetitive and no amount of a stage show is going to save that. It all seemed pretty random with the stilt walking fire jugglers and acrobats. I guess she was going for the carnival theme but it was just a bore after 1:30 for me. That seizure inducing flashing effect was awful.

3. Nordic Tenors - In This Special Place

This was very simplistic with just the three tenors on stage and some violinists occasionally spotted in the background. I can understand this having a sweetness factor but unlike Magnus I found it boring.

4. Hege Bjerk - Pang

OMG what the heck is she wearing ? It looks a different color of Partick Thistle's mascot.

Prepare yourselves now.....

The beat is good though. More basic staging than I expected. Just some triangular platforms and some smoke/mist. I wonder if it being in Norwegian it?

. Anyway I certainly preferred it to the Nordic Tenors in Duel 2 though.

Auto Finalist: Ulrikke Brandstorp - Attention

This is very different from Places in 2018 but a far better song. Stunning performance from Ulrikke. She was the focal point with the violinist and cello players on the sides. That last chorus. Wow! It sounded like an NMGP winner. Not going as far to say ESC but bravo to her. The lighting was on point and her emotion shone through.

Western Norway Rankings
F: Ulrikke Brandstorp - Attention
1. Magnus Bokn - Over the Sea
2. Hege Bjerk - Pang
3. Oda Loves You - Love Who We Love
4. Nordic Tenors - In This Special Place

 

[Mainshow]

Rein Alexander (4.5)
Didrik and Emil (4.0)
Liza (3.5)
Magnus Bokn (3.0)
Tone Damli (2.5)
Sondrey (2.0)
Kristin Husoy (2.0)
Ulrikke (1.5)
Raylee (1.0)
Akuvi (1.0)

Rein Alexander and brothers duet are not bad choice for contest, Liza is 50/50, the rest are just "No".

Now I do understand why you rank all songs so low and you're still a fan.
If Liza is a 50/50 (= average, mediocre) entry for you, why do you give her only 3 out fo 12 points? Isn't the half of 12 pts = 6 pts?
To be honest, reading your rankings always make me feel bad for you because I think you never enjoy Eurovision but if 3 points is a 50/50 for you, you're fine, I guess.
That said, you might overthink your statement that a 10 ranking is too overrated/inflated. It's a 90/100 for me (since 12 is the maximum on this forum) and I guess you would give it a 6 or 7 xD

 

[njdevils94]

Recap NMGP 2020

Northern Norway Semifinal

This was probably my favorite opening of the 5 semi-finals with the black and white 1960's look from the hosts.

1. Jenny Jenssen - Mr. Hello

Well at least she did this genre better than Tore Petterson. The staging was ok with the backing dancers/students on the leather bench being lovestruck by Jenny. That doesn't save this being a terrible song that never changes gear though. Rhyming Mr. Hello with Romeo

. My least favorite of tonight.

2. Elin & The Woods - We Are As One

Well this was clearly the only serious song of the night and the best as well of the 4 Northern Norway semifinalists. Unfortunately Norway decided to troll and vote from a meme song and the even the weaker one at that rather than Kevin's one. Of course this s far weaker than their entry from 2017 First Step in Faith (Oadjebasvuhtii) and had it have made the final it wouldn't of been anywhere near the top four but still sad it's out compared to the rest of the competition tonight. Elin looked like a true sami princess. I liked the nature/woods vibe to the staging with all the fake plants but too much English and not enough joik for my liking. Still would've added a little more variety to the final.

3. Kevin Boine - Stem på mæ

Well Kevin really went all out here for a joke song. Plenty of energy here. His own self-brand logo all over the stage on the backing dancers clothes and that podium. A lot of cheesy moments with streamers being shot into the crowd and that honky-tonk chorus. I thought this had a lot more dynamism than Liza in general. The podium was actually pretty clever. The song literally translates to "vote for me" so it makes sense.

4. Liza Vassilieva - I Am Gay

So the pride song won here. She's singing I am gay but she's straight. I get the message of being happy and shouting out being gay but it does come off her singing it as cringe and slightly naive when there are so many other people in various countries that simply don't have that luxury. Also the music behind this song is not for me. It sounds like something on a Kidz Bop cd. I doubt this will go very far in the final.

Auto Finalist: Tone Damli - Hurts Sometimes

This is certainly no Butterflies from 2009 but still deserving of an auto finalist spot. Her one-piece opal jumpsuit was quite the look. I don't see it as a winner but it does have an anthemic quality to it which could attract viewers next week and a very personal song for her I'm sure. Clearly one of the more expensive stagings too with those fade and dissolve effects of Tone at the beginning. Still happy that she is back at NMGP regardless of the result in the final. Like last week with Ulrikke it was the best of the night in my view.

Northern Norway Rankings
F: Tone Damli - Hurts Sometimes
1. Elin & The Woods - We Are As One
2. Kevin Boine - Stem på mæ
3. Liza Vassilieva - I Am Gay
4. Jenny Jenssen - Mr. Hello

 

[LastDreamer]

@Mainshow

My rate system :
10 - Anmary - "Beautiful Song"
9 - Iconic
8 - Wonderful
7 - Very good
6 - Good
5 - Average
4 - Forgettable
3 - Weak
2 - Bad
1 - Very bad
0 - Awful

From 6 to 10 - positive marks, wish to see more songs with these rates.
From 3 to 5 - average, I don't have anything against them on Eurovision.
From 0 to 2 - negative marks, don't want to listen it again.

Sometimes "6" was enough for my top 3 in ESC ranking and it's lowest score level for my Ideal Eurovision.

2016
1. ManuElla - Blue and Red (Slovenia) - 9
2. Lidia Isac - Falling Stars (Moldova) - 7
3. Gabriela Gunchikova - I Stand (Czech Republic) - 6

2019
1. Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity (Australia) - 8
2. Paenda - Limits (Austria) - 6
3. Carousel - That Night (Latvia) - 6

 

[LastDreamer]

ESC 2010s decade and my rates (Number of songs with 6 and more points) :
2010 - 7 songs (8-8-7-7-7-7-6)
2011 - 8 songs (8-8-7-7-7-6-6-6)
2012 - 7 songs (10-9-8-7-6-6-6)
2013 - 8 songs (9-9-8-8-7-7-6-6)
2014 - 5 songs (9-8-8-6-6)
2015 - 7 songs (8-7-7-7-7-6-6)
2016 - 6 songs (9-7-6-6-6-6)
2017 - 7 songs (8-8-7-7-7-6-6)
2018 - 4 songs (8-7-7-6)
2019 - 6 songs (8-6-6-6-6-6)

 

[LastDreamer]

The best years are 1972 and 1971 with 11-12 good songs.

1971
1. Marianne Mendt - Musik (Austria) - 9
2. Hanne Krogh - Lykken Er (Norway) - 9
3. Clodagh Rodgers - Jack In The Box (United Kingdom) - 9
4. Katja Ebstein - Diese Welt (Germany) - 8
5. Saskia and Serge - Tijd (Netherlands) - 7
6. Tonicha - Menina Do Alto Da Serra (Portugal) - 7
7. Angela Farrell - One Day Love (Ireland) - 7
8. Lily Castel and Jacques Raymond - Goeiemorgen, Morgen (Belgium) - 7
9. Monique Melsen - Pomme, Pomme, Pomme (Luxembourg) - 6
10. Severine - Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue (Monaco) - 6
11. Peter, Sue and Marc - Les Illusions De Nos Vingt Ans (Switzerland) - 6

1972
1. Sandie Jones - Ceol An Ghra (Ireland) - 9
2. Grethe Kausland and Benny Borg - Smating (Norway) - 8
3. New Seekers - Beg, Steal Or Borrow (United Kingdom) - 8
4. Betty Mars - Come-Comedie (France) - 8
5. Anne-Marie Godart and Peter MacLane - Comme On S'aime (Monaco) - 8
6. Serge and Christine Ghisoland - A La Folie Ou Pas Du Tout (Belgium) - 8
7. Paivi Paunu and Kim Floor - Muistathan (Finland) - 7
8. Vicky Leandros - Apres Toi (Luxembourg) - 7
9. Milestones - Falter Im Wind (Austria) - 7
10. Veronique Muller - C'est La Chanson De Mon Amour (Switzerland) - 6
11. Mary Roos - Nur Die Liebe Lasst Uns Leben (Germany) - 6
12. Tereza Kesovija - Muzika I Ti (Yugoslavia) - 6

Worst - 1988, was my # 1 with

 

[Loindici]

My favorite song is in my banner.

 

[BorisBubbles]

Ulrikke should probably win because her song perfectly describes every conv I've had with Matt and Sean since joining the editorial team.

SO WHY???
Why do I think it's ok
censoring myself 'cause of ~YOU~(nited)​

And what do you want me to say?

What do you want me to do?​

To get press accreditation. ​

 

[AlekS]

Melodi Grand Prix. The final

Webcast #1

Webcast #2 (Only for )
​