Reflections after the final | ESC 2006 
Congratulations Finland! After 40 attempts to conquer the Eurovision Song Contest, Lordi finally did it! It was quite a sensation, "Hard rock hallelujah" was not a big favourite, but Finland scored 292 points. A new record! The winning song is alright, but I think the masks are too much. And this will mean more rock in the contest next year, for sure. After three etno songs in 2003, 2004 and 2005 it was time for something new.
Russia made a great performance and should have won, in my opinion. Bosnia & Herzegovina was so beautiful, and I knew it would battle in the top 3. Romania almost matched their third place from last year. "Tornero" was great on stage. Sweden is number 5 again, as in 2001 and 2003. And same points, 170, as in 2004. But Carola did a better performance in the semi, now she chose not to sing the powerful high parts in the last chorus. Lihuania was a joke. Cannot understand how Ireland, for example, could give it 12 points. And the rest of Europe - is this really the kind of music you like. Or is it a protest against the contest? Ukraine was great again, as in the semi. Tina Karol - the Shakira copy - has an original and interesting voice. Armenia had a nice choreography and a good song. Greece had hoped for a better place. But the song was nothing special, actually. The song from Ireland was the second best ballad this year and deserved to be in top 10. The big 4 did - as always - a poor result. Why can't they qualify like other countries. They will at least compete in the semi, so they are back every year as well. And that would mean they put more efforts on the entries in future. Amazing how Malta only got 1 point! And Denmark only 18th place! The hosts did a great job and the show was fantastic. I would say 2006 is one of the best years musically. Prediction final | ESC 2006
 Two countries have been in the winning discussion for a long time: Sweden and Greece. I think Sweden has better chances in the final. Europe has already heard it in the semi, which is an advantage. Further "Invincible" is more Eurovision and sounds lika a winner. Greek "Everything" is in my opinion just a pretentious ordinary and strained ballad. But as a Swede it is not possible to vote on your own entry. So who will get my vote?
Watch out for Ukraine! Tina Karol was one of the best in the semi. "Show me love" was at once much better live. Bosnia & Herzegovina has a beautiful ballad, which will receive a lot of points from eastern countries. But a victory for this etno ballad would not bring the contest forward. Russia's effective smash hit "Never let you go" is very well produced. It could easily climb the charts after the contest. Bosnia's Hari Mata Hari is a good singer, but without much charisma. Russia's Dima Bilan has the charm, the voice and a nice performance. that's why Russia will get my vote in Eurovision Song Contest 2006. These 5 countries have best chances to fight for the victory: Sweden Russia Bosnia & Herzegovina Ukraine Greece Reflections after the semi final | ESC 2006  As always the results from the semi final were quite surprising. Neither Belgium, Slovenia nor Estonia went through. One of the favourite Kate Ryan was too weak on stage, but Sandra Oxenryd deserved a qualification. On the other hand a "crazy" song like Lithuania's "We are the winners" made it to the final. These kind of songs usually have success in the contest - remember Guildo Horn, Stefan Raab and Alf Poier.
What a magnificient performance she made - Carola! The best singer gave Sweden a place in the final. And rumours on the Internet claim she won the semi! After three years with semi finals we can come to certain conclusions: - FYR Macedonia has been in all three semis and qualified every year. - Estonia, Slovenia, Monaco, Andorra, Portual have never managed to qualify. - Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine have qualified ever time they participated in the semi; in 2004 and 2006. - Many of the songs from the semi end up in top 10 in the final; six songs in 2004 and seven entries in 2005. Prediction semi final | ESC 2006
There are a lot of good songs in the semi. Five countries - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden, Belgium, Russia and Finland - have been mentioned as winning candidates by different experts. All of them should qualify. esc.info.se predicts the following ten countries (see the ranking to the right) to qualify. Except these ten, Ukraine and Monaco could be possible finalists, too. As always it will be a nervous evening for the artists and fans. Winner prediction | Melodifestivalen 2006
All the speculations during the Melodifestivalen tour has been about Carola winning the contest in the end. It is fascinating with this magic relationship between Carola and the Swedes ever since she won with "Främling" in 1983. This year Carola has a quite typical Swedish pop schlager while BWO and Andreas Johnson have more contemporary music. So they will be Carola's toughest competitors. But watch out for Rednex. Even if they did not qualified directly to the final they are in the offing. Which one has the biggest chance in ESC? I think Carola will bring huge interest to her person (as a former winner) in Athens, which means she has an advantage in the competition. Carola has a huge experience after 23 years in business and an impressive presence on stage. But people have different views on her - some like her some cannot stand her. Let's focus on the music and choose the right entry for ESC in Athens. Here, to the right, you can read the lists of esc.info.se's prediction and favourites. Opinions on the 10 entries in the final | Melodifestivalen 2006
Prediction | Second chance
Which two entries will join the eigth winners in the final March 18? Many songs from the semis have not even got a second chance. For example "Under your spell", "Etymon", "This woman", "Aiayeh", "La chica de la copa" and "Naughty boy". It will be very exciting to see who it will be... Read what esc.info.se thinks about the songs. 
"Kameleont" | Electric Banana Band
What is this song doing here? Sahlene's "This woman" should be here instead! 
"The name of love" | Magnus Bäcklund
Magnus has a strong voice, which could lead him to the final. The song is powerful, but will it be enough? 
"En droppe regn" | Niclas Wahlgren
This ballad is not one of the best we have heard in Melodifestivalen. But Niclas seems to have a lot of fans. But they won't take him to the final, will they? 
"Mi amore" | Velvet
This energic latino song has a great chance to pick a ticket to the Globe Arena. Even if I think "Etymon" was better in the 2nd semi final. "Golden star" | Elysion
"Golden star" is a beautiful song. Well performed by two good singers. Maybe the show is too weak. 
"Faller du så faller jag" | Patrik Isaksson
Another ballad, but this one is better than "En droppe regn". This could be a finalist. 
"Silverland" | Roger Pontare
We know that Roger can sing. His songs are pretty much the same. But the viewers seem to like him, so he has a great chance to qualify. 
"Mama take me home" | Rednex
Quite unbelievable Björn Kjellman qualify directly and Rednex did not. This simple and funny country tune is acutally a bit amusing. |
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