Missing out this week...

If you people only knew how hard it is to blog on an iPad... This is my third attempt to publish this blog post. Soon I will know it by heart. And it grows shorter and shorter for each attempt...

This week, I will miss out on all the eurovision action as I am spending my weekend in Berlin - the best city there is. So I am not complaining, but I will be a bit short on the blogging and commenting.

But these are my short thoughts about the national finals coming up (and that I have in some way followed).

FINLAND

The third week of UMK will look like the second one - six acts will sing up for the jury, two acts will get eliminated. I keep my fingers crossed for my three big favourites Kaisa Vala, Leola and - above all - Ville Eetvartti to join obvious jury favourite Freeman for the next stage of the competition.

ICELAND

The Icelandic final seems rather likely to end up as a two horse race between two previous participants. If Regina Ósk and Jónsi really do fight it out in the end, I believe the latter one will win due to a more bombastic entry and performance. But even though five out of seven participants are good and have some sort of international potential, the unpredictable local televoters could just as soon favour the dead end folktune or the dismal boy band. And then it is Goodnight Iceland.

NORWAY

My guess is that dull "provocative" rock act Plumbo, who made complete fools at themselves commenting Madcon (and their skin colour) during the Norweigan Grammies, will win and secure Norway a second consecutive non-qualification in Baku. Therefore I have not paid too much attention to the line-up. Hopefully there is something really good there to enthuse the voters in another direction. Like the heart-throb singing Hanne Sorvaag's entry, even if he is better than the actual song.

SWEDEN

I have found myself firm favourites in the two slick, low-key, tastefully retro-tainted dance entries by Andreas Lundstedt and Mimi Oh, although I realise they are most unlikely to win through with the audience. Televoters will probably go in a spin over Ulrik Munther and Sonja Aldén and I can deal with that. But if they send Thomas di Leva (on old merits alone) and the rockabilly youth into the final, I have to question my relationship with Sweden and ask myself what we ever saw in each other.

ANYONE ELSE?

Is anyone else selecting this weekend? What kind of eurovision blogger am I? I will catch up as soon as I can once I am back from Berlin, so expect updates early next week.