Best of the decade

Greetings! The season is coming on again after a slow autumn and winter. Roll on the blogging!

I'll start by giving you Posh's favourite MF-songs of the last decade. Please let me know if you agree with me or if there's a song I'm a fool for having missed!

Part 1 (20-11th):




Part 2 (10-1st):



Good taste, eh?! :)

ESC goes Bollywood

It has been pretty busy a casa Posh since after the Globen weekend. I finally saw Melodifestivalen on TV four days ago. I even saw the voting again and loved Måns look when Petra Mede read the televotes. Classic tv. Alcazar's number looked very good but I was disappointed that you couldn't hear how everybody in the hall cheered and clapped the whole song through. In Caroline's number on the other hand the spontanious clapping was very much there and it gave me goosebumps. Again. Just a shame she got so taken that she forgot the lyrics in the end...

On Monday night Posh was reunited with old Becks and our pal Thomas for dinner and eurovision-gossip. We agreed on most songs in 2009 but as always my taste is the most exquisite! Wednesday I had a little marathon watching the preview videos of all Eurovision songs. I now own them on a dvd. Hurrah!

One of the songs that surprised me the most was Armenia. I didn't like it very much when I saw the performance from their final with shaky sound quality on youtube. This is why one should really wait for the previews and listen to all songs in good quality the first time instead. Most songs grew for me. Specially this one.


Armenia. Inga & Anush - "Nor Par"

Thanks to the success of Slumdog Millionaire I am sure that Armenia will score more than well. I wouldn't be surprised or particularly unhappy if the sisters gave the young Norwegian a run for his money. Start betting now!

The voting almost killed me

Winner of Melodifestivalen 2009 is Malena Ernman with "La voix". Congratulations to her and composer Fredrik Kempe. But it was a close race with my big favourite Caroline af Ugglas who came second, only 11 points behind. And more interesting - less than 4.000 televotes differed between the two women. It has never been that tight in the top ever before. Also, never before have the jury and the people had such different taste. I was well disappointed when Måns was in the lead and questioned what the members of the jury actually listened to. Fine, the voting sequence was TOO exciting for words and pretty darn good television but why, why, why would the juries vote for a song so similar to what we sent last year that fell flat in Eurovision? Aren't they supposed to have guide lines on how to think? (Fresh sound etc.)

It was amazing to be in the audience inside Globen to witness the whole shebang. Alcazar was clearly the favourite among the schlagerfans there but EMD had heaps of fans of their own in the seats too. I was sitting on the right side of the stage, just above the greenroom. Great seats and fun to follow the performers after they had been on stage. Caroline was dancing with hands and legs like crazy just like during the dress rehearsal to the other songs and became totally wild when "Tingeling" was performed. All singers stood up and danced to that. I haven't seen the broadcast yet but the camera must have caught them. I want to go out partying with that Owl-woman at some point during my lifetime. Such energy and devotion. Petra Mede and Malena Ernman could tag along too. Now, that would be a night to remember!

The final result looked pretty much like what I predicted yesterday. Except that Malena got far less love from the jury than I thought and Måns got more. I had been extremely disappointed if Måns or EMD would have gone to Moscow. Malena wasn't my first choice but I am pleased with the result and I think she will land Sweden a top 10 placing in Eurovision for sure. The Moscow line up is not the strongest of years so perhaps she'll do even better. Måns and EMD would have disappeard in the middle. I am not bitter about Caroline's second place as I never dared to believe all the hype. It was just too good to be true and I know that Caroline is more than overwhelmed with the result. Although now that I know how close it really was I can't help but think the "what if"-game.

Here is the result!

1. Malena Ernman - La voix 182p
2. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla snälla 171p
3. EMD - Baby goodbye 145p
4. Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & Glory 144p
5. Alcazar - Stay the night 139p
6. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on 87p
7. HEAT - 1000 miles 82p
8. Agnes - Love love love 40p
9. Emilia - You're my world 28p
10. Sofia - Alla 12p
11. Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna 2p

The Swedish televotes:
1. Malena Ernman 322.657
2. Caroline af Ugglas 318.952
3. EMD 231.098
4. Alcazar 199.014
5. Måns Zelmerlöw 182.651
6. HEAT 178.283
7. Sarah Dawn Finer 146.300
8. Molly Sandén 51.467
9. Agnes 49.819
10. Emilia 48.844
11. Sofia 19.885
A total of 1.748.970 televotes were registered.

The jury voted:
1. Måns 96
2. Sarah 75
3. Alcazar 67
4. HEAT 58
5. Caroline 51
6. EMD 49
7. Agnes 40
8. Malena 38
9. Emilia 28
10. Sofia 12
11. Molly 2

I'm off to a MF-dinner now with friends but when I come back I will sit down and watch Melodifestivalen on TV and then probably come up with more things I want to say about the show.

Melodifestivalen 2009 á la Posh

There is no way that I can predict the outcome of tonight's final but I'll give you my own opinions and a few pointers to how I think the jury and the Swedes might vote.

1. Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & Glory 3/5
A good MF-song and could have worked in ESC a few years ago. Not one year after Hero though. The song will be played to death on radio and in schlager bars but that is enough thank you. 1-4th place.

2. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla 5/5
Go back to my comment on the first semi final and see what I wrote. I knew quality from the beginning. I love the song and I love that Caroline is so different from all the other singers. I would be honored to have Snälla, snälla represent Sweden.

3. Agnes - Love love love 3½/5
While I hear the song I like it a lot but then I kind of forget about it. Agnes is gorgeous in her golden outfit but will her voice cut it tonight? Not too sure. I fear that she'll end up in the bottom and she deserves better than that. Think that many people could have the song as their second or third choice but not enough will actually vote for it.

4. HEAT - 1000 Miles 2/5
Good voice. Good schlager-rock. Boring performance. Would go nowhere in Eurovision this year. It used to be Finland that sent songs 2-3 years after everybody else had the same style but in this case it would be the other way around. Mid-table.

5. Emilia - You're my world 3/5
Cute and nice. Sounds positive but those words never leads anywhere in this competition. You need to stand out more to earn votes. I enjoy the song but same as with Agnes I forget about it when the song is over. Bottom half.

6. Alcazar - Stay the night 4/5
Professional number and a very effective chorus. Clubs will play it after MF. Could work in Eurovision but it won't get that far because since when did Alcazar get higher than 3rd place? Mid-table.

7. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on 5/5
A bombastic rock ballad sung by a voice strong as Koskenkorva. I still don't understand why people don't rate the song higher? I got goosebumps when I heard it live yesterday and it just grows and grows on me. Top 4 would be fair!

8. EMD - Baby, Goodbye 2/5
I am so bored with this group. So, so bored. Danny should just ditch the other two and come back next year with a cracker song instead. That would work for me. At the same time I know how effective the chorus is and it will score well. Keeping my fingers crossed that they won't be our first choice.

9. Sofia - Alla 1/5
Not up to standard with the rest of the songs tonight. The song is ok but Sofia ain't no Anna Vissi as I've said before. Just think if the international jury had picked BWO for this spot instead! Bottom half for sure.

10. Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna 1½/5
Molly is a good singer. Very good. But she deserved a much better song than this old fashioned standard ballad. With another song I would happily have showed her off for the rest of Europe to see. Oh well, maybe next year...

11. Malena Ernman - La voix 4/5
I did not like anything about the song when I heard the 1 minute clip online. I was annoyed with Malena's low voice in the verses too. Then I saw the performance and thought it was ok. Then I listened to the song some more in full and liked it better for each time. Now I see what the fuzz was about and I could very well send opera to Moscow. Never thought I'd say that but there you go.

Funny how my two favourites are from Andra Chansen.

Alright, so I think that the juries will give high marks to Sarah, Alcazar, Malena and Caroline. Low marks to EMD, Molly and Sofia (except the international jury perhaps).

The Swedes will give high marks to EMD, Måns, Caroline and Malena. A bit less to Alcazar, Sarah, HEAT and Agnes. That leaves Sofia, Molly and Emilia without points on the scoreboard from the televoting.

In this scenario the overall winner would then be one of the following: Malena, Caroline, EMD, Måns or Sarah. That is as much as I am willing to put on print. If you blackmail me I'd say that Malena will win...

Are you ready Globen?

I scribbled down a few notes during the dress rehearsal in Globen last night so everybody will know what to expect tonight...

- The opening is a clip of Petra Mede together with the singers in a board room. Then comes Christer Björkman driving into Globen in a golf cart with Petra as the queen of schlager singing a battle song to the music of Kylie's Your disco needs you. I couldn't hear much of the lyrics except the words Moscow, Hallelujah and Fight. After the golf cart the singers walk together in a troop up on stage. Petra then has a stand-up before the first song. She was witty all the way through the show.

- The audience were supportive of Måns throughout the song but I was getting bored half way through.

- Caroline got a spontanious applaud after the first "Snälla, snälla" and on one more occation. Oh, I am so in love with that song!

- Between song 2 and 3 Petra Mede is at it again. For me one of the funniest jokes of the night. Quite subtile but worked wonders. Exactly my kind of humour.

- Agnes did not get a heavy response before the song but when it explodes into disco after the first few lines people started clapping. The number is well placed after Caroline's naked performance. But what is wrong with her voice? Wonders if she was just saving it for today or if she's not well? She let the backing singers do the heavy work most of the time.

- The audince start clapping to HEAT from the beginning. The lead singer's voice is really very good. I couldn't sit still myself but the staging is boring. Little fires of pyro don't help much but the respons in the hall for 1000 Miles was good.

- A comedy postcard from Shirley Clamp is next. Perfect! Loved it and the line "Ett kycklinglår, åh så gott" will stay in my heart forever.

- What a joyful little number and Emilia is adorable. I couldn't sit still. Cute and with an addition of a pyro in the last chorus.

- Alcazar got a huge response before their presentation and before they even got up on stage. Talk about clapping along for support once the song started. And holy cow how good the number looks! The LED-screens works wonders when you are in the hall. The group saved their voices but still had heaps of energy and danced like crazy. Most applauds afterwards so far in the show.

- Sarah gave me schlagertastic goosebumps as soon as she opened her mouth. Whistles and applauds every now and then from the crowd. Her voice is increadably strong live. Almost lifted the roof. Wow!

- People with seats on the floor stood up throughout EMD:s performace clapping their little hands as hard as they possibly could. And the number IS a crowd-pleaser. The change of clothes was a smart move. Now you can actually see who is singing and who is just dancing. However, I could only hear Danny and not the other two guys. Loud applauds in the end. Me on the other hand just got Martin Stenmarck vibes. I don't believe in this in Moscow. At all.

- Poor Sofia coming after a big favourite. She recieved a few polite applauds in the beginning but they quickly faded away. It's an ok song but it doesn't touch people or speak to them whatsoever. The audience were suspicous and the applauds in the end stopped before Sofia got off stage.

- How sugary and innocent the stage show and Molly looks. The song is nowhere near as good as she is. Shame. But what's with the vibrato? Was something wrong with the microphone? Was she nervous? Or was it there back in the semi final as well?

- What luck Malena has coming straight after a Disney ballad and ending the whole thing. Handclapping as soon as the disco starts pumping in the first verse. Her voice is even stronger than Sarah's. My God, she doesn't even need a microphone to fill Globen. Amazing!

- At this point it felt rather obvious that the winner is going to be Malena. She blew the others away completely. But if people already decided before the show who they would vote for then they will probably stick with that choice as nobody made a fool out of themselves. (Except maybe Mathias in EMD but that's just my personal view...)

- During the reprise of the songs Caroline was gesticulating with great feeling in the greenroom. She seemed to like all the songs and was very supportive. Was fun to see. She reminded me of Siw Malmkvist in 1996 when she was singing and dancing during the songs when she was a presenter, standing on the side of the stage.

- Next is the international jury supposed to give their points while the viewers can still vote. A special guest who has been in this jury will come on stage to give the votes. Who it is is a secret until tonight but it appears to be someone people will recognise. A safe bet is Dana International.

- While SVT collects the voting from the regular juries we get to hear "Tingeling tingeling" on stage with a touch of Russia. Tacky dancers and the lot. I wonder what SVT was thinking? They will get in so much trouble over this when angry Russians take actions. It's not very flattering to the country and full of prejudice.

- Petra Mede is always hilarious in the greenroom chatting to the singers. She was saving the real jokes for today so she was just chit-chatting with them about nothing and still managed to be funny. Looking forward to this part tonight!

- The 11 juries cast their votes before the last reprise of the songs since the viewers can vote a few more minutes. This time Emilia was dancing away to all the songs in the greenroom and the members of HEAT went crazy when La Voix came on.

- While people are voting there's a clip of MF-songs in the last ten years ending with the obligatory performance of last year's winning song. This time MotoBoy interprets Hero. He does a decent job but wasn't as good as when I saw him do Dusty Springfield covers a few months ago.

- The televotes will be in at this point and the result will be ready to announce. During the rehearsal Therese Löf sang Hero as the show ended instead of a mockup winner from the competing songs. Caroline and Emilia were at it again dancing like crazy. On a personal level I would prefer if Caroline sing instead of dance at the end of the program tonight.

I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky

Tonight is the night! It's all very exciting because about half of the songs have a good shot at winning. It's been years since it was such an open field. So please vote tonight!

My dreams last night were full of schlager references. Petra Mede and I became best friends for instance. We were tipsy and giggly and had lots of fun. At some point Malena Ernman showed up as well together with a bunch of children. (My daytime job is in a pre-school. They were extremely envious of me going to the dress rehearsal. When asked who they'd vote for the answer was Malena and Alcazar.)

Then I woke up with Moving on playing in my ears. A few years ago that was a sure tip for what song would win on the night but lately I've lost my ability. In a few hours we'll know. Well actually I woke up to a text message from a Finnish friend asking if I would want a ticket for the live show as he had a spare one. I said yes please. So now I'm off to Globen again! Two nights in a row! That sort of thing has happened to me before. A ticket falling into my lap in the last minute. Eurovision 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Lucky me!!

Posh's Dream Final

As promised, my dream 11 out of the 32 songs in Melodifestivalen 2009. In no particular order.

1. Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla
2. Alcazar - Stay the night
3. Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & Glory
4. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
5. Agnes - Love love love
6. Malena Ernman - La voix
7. BWO - You're not alone
8. Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng - Killing me tenderly
9. Velvet - The Queen
10. Cookies n Beans - What if
11. Jennifer Brown - Never been here before

All in all the Swedes chose good songs to go to Globen but I would have skipped five of them in order to save some gems I will listen to for a long time to come. Admit that my personal top 11 looks much better than the actual result?!


BWO so deserved a place in the final. This will bug me forever.


Easily one of my top 3 songs of the year. Anna & Maria.

Tomorrow night will be spent in Globen with the real finalists singing their little hearts out during the dress rehearsal. Will be back with comments. But I doubt I'll change my mind on who will get my vote on Saturday. Caroline is the one and only for me. My crush on her song keeps growing and growing.

MF 2009 Running order

The running order in Globen has been decided. Who gets your vote on Saturday? Vote in the poll on the left side and comment below.

1. Måns Zelmerlöw - "Hope & Glory"



2. Caroline af Ugglas - "Snälla, snälla"



3. Agnes - "Love Love Love"



4. H.E.A.T - "1000 Miles"



5. Emilia - "You're My World"



6. Alcazar - "Stay The Night"



7. Sarah Dawn Finer - "Moving On"



8. EMD - "Baby, Goodbye"



9. Sofia - "Alla"



10. Molly Sandén - "Så vill stjärnorna"



11. Malena Ernman - "La Voix"



Looks like SVT has made up their minds about what songs they want to see fight it off in the top. Statistically starting position number 1, 6, 7 and the last one (here 11 instead of 10) are the ones they put the songs with the biggest potential.

That leaves Caroline af Ugglas with number 2 - the worst spot of them all. How cowardly of Björkman to do that. But if anybody is going to re-write history it is Ugglas. Fingers crossed. And I am basically just happy that Caroline will sing "Snälla, snälla" live to me in a crowded Globen Friday night during the dress rehearsal. It will be pure magic in the air!

Listening to all entries one after another like this make me realise what a strong line up we have. Still I would have preferred a few adjustments if I were in charge. Posh's dream 10 (or 11 rather) will be presented later during the week.

No surprises in Andra Chansen

Yes! Yes! Yes! The two songs I wanted to win last night actually did. I am so, so, so happy for Caroline af Ugglas. I voted 3 times for her. According to polls in tabloids and blogs she was the true star of Andra Chansen and I'm ecstatic that people fell for quality. Same goes for Sarah Dawn Finer. Powerful. My only loss is that BWO didn't beat Lili & Susie but I saw that coming. My predictions from last weekend were pretty accurate.

Scotts vs Sarah Dawn Finer
Jag tror på oss is dull as ditch water even though they shaped up the performance. Nothing could stand in the way of the Finest. Not even a bad cold.

Lili & Susie vs BWO
I love You're not alone but I was prepared for failure. Some Swedes just don't like that Alexander Bard speaks his mind and was, I guess, fed up with him and seeing BWO in the final every year. Shame. Show me heaven is a real stomper and people felt nostalgic but I thought the sisters had a bit too much fun on stage and forgot to sing in tune. It WAS a bit shouty.

Amy Diamond vs Star pilots
This duel was not exciting at all as I didn't care. Amy wasn't on top for some reason and Star pilots has a very effective chorus. Plus they were still in people's memory from last Saturday. But Becker was more screaming than singing in my opinion.

Rigo vs Caroline af Ugglas
I got u is fun while the song is on and it will no doubt become a hit on radio but I'm glad people realised that they will grow tired of the repetitive yoyoyoyoyoyooo and instead favoured the genuin and odd Snälla, snälla.

In the second round where SDF and L&S battled I weren't 100 percent sure but had my suspicions. Had L&S won then SDF had still got through with help of the international jury for sure. Now she got there without their help.

Between Carro and the pilots my hopes where sky high but underneath I was shaking. But I didn't have to worry as my fellow Swedes took to their senses and rewarded the best song and performance.

The International jury chose Sofia and her Alla to become the 11th entry in the final. With Sarah and Caroline already there the choice was just between Sofia and Amy.

Dress rehearsal Friday 13th

In all my anger yesterday over the stupid voting I went online to ticnet.se and bought myself 3 tickets for the Globen dress rehearsal. Wohoo! I thought everything would be sold out by now, even rehearsal tickets, but I was lucky. So now I can write a real review and publish it on here for the final. I won't be able to take any photos as we are faaaar, faaaar away (just under the roof in section C24-25 somewhere) but I'll listen good at Petra's jokes and response in the hall for the songs etc. etc. Really looking forward to this now! See you there?!?

Love love love la voix is moving on higher

Last night the result in MF semi 4 went like this:
Globen
Agnes - Love love love
Malena Ernman - La voix
Andra Chansen
Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
Star pilots - Higher
5. Thorleifs - Sweet kissin' in the moonlight
6. Next 3 - Esta noche
7. Sahlene/Haukaas - Killing me tenderly
8. Susanne Alfvgren - Du är älskad där du går

Was that the evening of the "skrälls" or what?!

- Sarah will meet Scotts in Andra Chansen next week while Star pilots will go up against Amy Diamond. I have a feeling they will both come out winners in those duels. But that does not mean that they are safe. Sarah will then meet either Lili & Susie or BWO. The pilots will meet either Rigo or Caroline af Ugglas. I sincerely hope it will be Caroline and that she will move on to Globen. I'm torn between Sarah and BWO as I'd love to have them both in the final.

- The international jury picked Moving on. Thank heavens for that! Even though I wouldn't have minded Killing me tenderly either. In previous weeks the jury has also picked Snälla snälla, It's my life and Alla.

- Petra Mede goes from strength to strength. She was great chatting in the greenroom and before and after the duels. Specially with the breast-and-voice-women. Did you see how resolute Fredrik Kempe looked when he came on stage to hug Malena and Sarah? He wrote both songs and probably felt like he couldn't be overly happy for just one of them. Also loved the "commercial spot" for Absolute Bortglömd. Hillarious! :)

- Agnes was ace! She looked gorgeous in her golden catsuit and her big hair. The whole number looked very professional and the song itself stood out in a very good way. Right choice to send her straight to Globen. I voted for her in the duel.

- On the other hand were Star pilots not the least fun to watch. The camera work lowered the act for me even more. But the song is pretty good and will get lots of airplay from now on.

- Susanne did her thing and was rather good at it but the song was too plain in its full 3 minutes. People forgot about it when it was time to vote or found other entries they liked better.

- I am still immensely annoyed and disappointed over the fact that people didn't get what a fabulous song Anna Sahlene and Maria Haukaas Storeng performed. Almost last? What a cruel joke! I voted and will love Killing me tenderly forever.

- I was afraid Thorleifs would go to Globen so thank you for not rewarding them higher than 5th. That was high enough after seeing their poor performance. If I thought the song had a little something based on the snippet then all fell apart when I heard the whole song and saw the dansband on stage.

- Sarah's voice is beautiful and her presence on stage is magical. The number looked wonderful and the song was lovely from the start. Why oh why wasn't she the winner in the last duel? Maybe people need to hear it more than once to understand. That's why I am confident that she'll walk it in Andra Chansen.

- More people voted for Next 3 than Sahlene/Haukaas. The scenario is like a nightmare to me. The chorus is ok but the rest... Am I getting old or what's the deal here?

- Malena Ernman's song grew a lot on me after hearing the whole song and seeing her on stage. It is still not my favourite and I hate the fact that it won over Moving on but it was probably my 4th favourite after seeing and hearing all entries last night.

The Swedes are killing me

I voted for Sahlene/Haukaas. For me it was the best song last night together with Sarah Dawn Finer. Perhaps even the two best songs in MF this year. What's the reward for that? A bloody 7th place (Killing me tenderly) and Andra Chansen (Moving on). I'm positive Sarah will reach Globen one way or another but her chances of winning the whole deal has reduced remarkably. In Andra Chansen she has to meet BWO or Lili & Susie. Tough game. Otherwise there's the international jury. The Swedes can be so phony sometimes...

Listen! MF semi 4

Christer Björkman you are killing me! This week there are 3 songs I need to see in Globen. Period. Saturday night will be painful when not more than one of them will get a direct ticket to Globen. Grr!

Agnes - "Love love love"
The song is close to Agnes recent hit "On and on". That is a good thing. Hoping the whole song is as good as the snippet because this is the one I liked the best on the very first run-through. On the other hand reports are stating that Agnes has voice problems and might not cut it live. Maybe the fantastic golden catsuit will help!

Star pilots - "Higher"
The first thing that comes to mind is an altered version of the old Baywatch theme. Rather nice retro-feel to it I must say and I kind of dig it. Could aspire on a 5th place in this strong line up.

Susanne Alfvengren - "Du är älskad där du går"
Likeable ballad with good familiar voice but not up to standard with the second ballad in this weeks' heat. So unfortunately it will be left outside the top 5. The beginning of the clip SVT has granted us with had me humming along to another song. Took me a good while to realise which one it was. Now I know - it's the chorus of "Lullaby" by Brandur from MF08.

Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng - "Killing me tenderly"
I have been waiting for this entry ever since the singers were announced. Norway was my favourite last year. I can't judge so soon if "Killing me tenderly" is as good but without doubt a favourite from MF09. 60s sound baked with modern pop and a stroke of schlager. Very close to what I listen to outside the ESC-bubble.

Thorleifs - "Sweet kissin' in the moonlight"
Lasse Holm. ABBA-piano. "Dag efter dag". This is nothing less than a total 80s schlager revival. Quite catchy even though I normally loathe dansband. Fair enough if the Swedes send Thorleifs to Andra Chansen but please not directly to Globen. There are so many better contestants.

Sarah Dawn Finer - "Moving on"
On first hearing I thought: very good ballad but better than "I remember love"? Then I played it again. And again. And again. Now I can't stop. It gives me serious goosebumps. SDF is always better live too. Just thinking about her live show tomorrow makes me all tingly inside. A ballad worthy Celine Dion and her likes that would be a world wide hit immediately. Moscow! Moscow!

Next 3 - "Esta noche"
The chorus and the Spanish part is good but rap in Swedish always fails. A lot better than say Mikael Rickfors' attempt in MF last week but still this entry is destined for last place tomorrow. Someone needs to come last too you know.

Malena Erman - "La voix"
Malena seems to be a fun woman and the stage show is said to be really tight. But opera in MF hasn't worked for me in the past and I feel something missing this time around too. I suspect others will love it and vote it into the top 5 but La voix leaves me cold. Sadly, as I had heard great things about it and had rather high expectations.

In the perfect world of Posh: I hate to pick only two of my three favourites but it's a tough world and it must be done. So Sarah and Sahlene/Haukaas to Globen. Agnes and Star pilots to Andra Chansen. Susanne 5th. Then Thorleifs, Malena and Next 3 in that order.

The Swedes will vote:
Globen
Sarah
Thorleifs
Andra Chansen
Agnes
Sahlene/Haukaas
5. Malena
6. Star pilots
7. Susanne
8. Next 3

Petra Mede is the queen of comedy

I know Velvet is not the best of singers but how can anybody seriously think that Mikael Rickfors' dead-boring gubbrock shite was better than "The Queen"? I need answers because I don't understand at all...


That performance (and song) is as close to Kylie Sweden will ever get.

Forgot to mention in the last blog entry that Petra Mede was hilarious this time. She has been funny in earlier weeks but on Saturday she was outstanding. This part of the night had me in stitches:


But what the hell SVT? Why did you cut the clip before she was done in the greenroom? The best part is missing! Cowardness?! Are you that afraid of Carola? Thank God for Youtube (as long as it is there before SVT takes actions...)



I love it!!! Brilliant humour!

You're not alone I got u så vill stjärnorna but baby goodbye

Tonight the Swedes voted almost as I predicted but I did not see Rigo & Rickfors getting that far...

Globen
Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna
EMD - Baby, Goodbye
Andra Chansen
BWO - You're not alone
Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat Red
5. Mikael Rickfors - Du vinner över mig
6. Velvet - The Queen
7. Sofia - Alla
8. Maja Gullstrand - Här för mig själv

- BWO will now compete against Lili & Susie in Andra Chansen. Shame as I like both songs but I seriously hope that BWO will win that game as the song was magnificent in its full 3 minutes. My sister and I were drooling like two teenagers when Martin looked straight into the camera.

- "Skrällen" Rigo & Co will compete against Caroline af Ugglas and by then I believe people have grown tired of the repetitive "I got u" and favours Caroline's heartfelt Janis Joplin composition instead.

- The international jury keeps surprising me with odd choices and this week Sofia got the ticket. Sweden will NEVER send a song in Greek to Eurovision so what's the point? Surely BWO should have taken her place. What were they thinking? Maybe next week they'll favour Thorleif!!

- Velvet did not sing well at all but the song deserved a much better fate than that and I hope it becomes a hit as soon as possible. Even "The Queen" would have been a more rational choice from the jury than "Alla".

- "I got u" was a cute little ditty and I could have lived with Rigo and friends ending up at 5th place but seriously, Andra Chansen? Well, rather them than Rickfors I suppose but still...

- Molly was beautiful and sang like an angel except for a frog during her winner's reprise. I got Sanna Nielsen-vibes several times and she'll do well in Globen but rumour has it that Sarah Dawn Finer has a killer ballad next week too. And really, it's Molly lifting the song and not vice versa.

- Erik, Mattias and Danny did fine considering the reports from rehearsals had been so and so. The song is no way near a master piece and I fear Globen as the young girls will vote, vote, vote for their idols. "Baby goodbye" can be a radio hit but I'd hate to see it as Sweden's hope in Moscow.

- What happened with Micke Rickfors? What's the deal there? I. Don't. Get. It. Was his song really that much better than Velvet, Sofia and Maja's? Really? Shame on you Swedish people.

- Maja's voice was better live than in the studio version and the performance looked ok to me. Thought she'd be 5th but what do I know these days...

- I don't know if I didn't pay enough attention or if the song wasn't as good in its full 3 minutes as I thought the snippet was. Sofia fell a bit flat for me during the show. Maybe I have to re-watch her performance on SVT Play.

- BWO! BWO! BWO! No more comment needed. That band always rise to the occation. So my voting didn't help them reach the final but just you wait until Andra Chansen and my phone bill will go bankrupt.

Listen! MF semi 3

Was supposed to have posted my comments last night. But I fell asleep. Simple as that. At least they're here now.

Velvet - "The Queen"
Best song tonight but what good does that do when Velvet has a habit of coming 5th. From what I've seen from rehearsals the number will appeal to children with the princess-theme and a castle on the LED-screens but kiddies are not allowed to vote as many times as teenagers (for EMD). Shame Velvet is not a great live singer, that could have convinced a few more people.

Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox - "I got u"
Rigo was once a member of Latin Kings. The song has a nice beat and is linked with "Mambo No.5", you'll agree. Though I think 1 minute is enough and fear that it won't be more than "I've got u, jojojojojo, I've got u..." 3 minutes straight.

Molly Sandén - "Så vill stjärnorna"
This song is the long lost cousin to "Kärleken är", every Disney ballad in the book, the complete works of Sanna Nielsen and a dansband ballad. Like it or not young Molly is a star in the making with a beautiful voice who makes the number believable so Globen it is. But sorry Pling, you are definitely losing it.

E.M.D - "Baby, Goodbye"
I've never been a fan of EMD (though like Danny's solo work) so had no expectations on their entry. The song seems ok and reminds me of something else. What? It will sail through no matter what just because it's EMD. Fjortisar will vote like crazy and the song will get picked up on radio stations but if anybody screams Moscow I'll punch them.

Mikael Rickfors - "Du vinner över mig"
How I dislike "gubbrock"! Tobbe Ek said that the chorus reminded him of Sandra Dahlberg's old "Här stannar jag kvar" and I can hear that too. Never liked that one either. I even have trouble understanding the jury who picked this over thousands of other suggestions. No thanks. Last?

Maja Gullstrand - "Här för mig själv"
I have no relation to Fame Factory-Maja as I lived in Finland at the time. I just know that I hate her juvenile voice but the song has its charm. Bossanova has made it before. Remember "A different kind of love" in 2005 - another weak semi final. Don't be surprised if Maja gets a ticket to Andra Chansen but I hope her fun stops at 5th place as best.

Sofia - Alla
With the title I was expecting the lyrics to be Swedish but it's in Greek and I should have known that really since Sofia's last entry was originally sung in Greek too. I quite like this and could imagine Anna Vissi singing this as an album track. She would do it a million times better though. Naturally. Anna is a Greek goddess after all. I'll send this to Andra Chansen but I doubt the Swedes will be as kind as I am.

BWO - You're not alone
This is not as strong as I had hoped for in the 1 minute snippet but then again I haven't seen Martin in action yet... But without even seeing the sexiest man in Sweden (Martin, not Alexander) it is my second favourite tonight. And Marina (possibly the sexiest woman in Sweden) has another sultry talking part just like last year. I hope it goes well for the bodies without organs.

In the perfect world of Posh: Velvet and BWO to Globen. Sofia and Molly to Andra Chansen. EMD 5th. Then Maja, Rigo and Rickfors in that order.

The Swedes will vote:
Globen
EMD
Molly
Andra Chansen
BWO
Maja
5. Velvet

I think Velvet will be 5th out of habit but it could also be that she change places with Maja. Sofia will just miss out.

Hope and glory show me heaven and I'll walk 1000 miles because it's my life

MF semi 2 result:
Globen
Måns Zelmerlöw - "Hope & Glory
H.E.A.T - "1000 Miles"
Andra Chansen
Lili & Susie - "Show me heaven"
Amy Diamond - "It's my life"
5. Cookies n Beans - "What if"
6. Markoolio - "Kärlekssång från mig"
7. Jennifer Brown - "Never been here before"
8. Lasse Lindh - "Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter"

- It was HEAT vs Amy and Måns vs Lili & Susie in the duels. I wonder if Måns was in the lead? But then that would mean L&S was only 4th. Or did the Swedes back rock and had Amy 4th? I'm such a nerd getting excited over these kind of things... ;)

- I'm guessing people already are at peace with the new voting system though. Right?!

- Now, what about that international jury? What's the deal? Sure, Amy was good but a more realistic choice would have been Brown or the Cookies. Scrap the current jury and give me the job instead!

- "Show me heaven" looked a bit messy on stage but never mind that when the Finnish sisters looked so happy to be back in the limelight. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one getting a smile on my face seeing the choreography straight from the 80s heydays. The song does stick around in your head too.

- The camera work during Lasse's number made me seasick. Or carsick. Everything was spinning too fast which made it difficult to concentrate on the song itself.

- Jennifer sounded out of breath and I missed a spark in her eyes. Also the performance would become more complete if she had worn a different outfit. I'm thinking a classy yet smoking hot black long dress with Swarowski stones and a vent to show some leg. I understood Jennifer would miss out on the final 5 after this but still her entry was the best song of the night for me.


Jennifer Brown - "Never Been Here Before"

- I stand by the fact that H.E.A.T wasn't much fun to look at but the singer sure can sing and being the only rock song in the field made it pretty obvious that people would vote regardless after having heard the whole song.

- A part of me feels sorry for Markoolio. He looked so nervous and he wanted to be funny but didn't quite get there. Having sung one of his usual stuff would have got him further.

- "Robo Girl" Amy was professional as always. But come on, you are 17 now you don't have to look 13 anymore even if your biggest audience is kids. They'll still like you if you grow up. New clothes in Andra Chansen please to match the song.

- Would have preferred to see the Cookies in Andra Chansen instead of Amy since they had the second best song of the night. Shame.


Cookies n Beans - "What If"

- I bet Mums Mums could sing anything and get away with it really. The number looked tight and well rehearsed but as my roomie pointed out we did not understand why the women on stage had to be half naked. "Hope & Glory" is a true MF-anthem and will live happily ever after but I think it would be a mistake to send it to Eurovision.

Next week: Velvet, Rigo & The Topaz Sound, Molly Sandén, EMD, Mikael Rickfors, Maja Gullstrand, Sofia och BWO.

Listen! MF semi 2

Has it already been a week?! The new songs are up and you can listen by clicking on the blog title.

Lili & Susie - "Show Me Heaven"
Talk about nostalgia! Posh was a Lili & Susie fan back in the days and even forced her poor grandmother to mime with her during their playdates. (I was Lili, she was Susie) With that said I'm pleased the comeback is full of pure 80s pop and a catchy chorus. The Gimme, gimme, gimme hook is a nice addition too.

Lasse Lindh - "Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter"
Similar to his entry last year but slightly better. I get Patrik Isaksson-vibes more than Håkan Hellström ditto. Likable but I don't think it will stand out enough in this crowd. Would have done better last week...

Jennifer Brown - "Never Been Here Before"
My personal favourite in this heat. Markus Larsson (Aftonbladet) compared it to Dusty Springfield in a column. At that point I was sold and suspicious all the same. Brown is no La Dust (then again nobody is in my world) but the style is definitely there. A soulpop ballad. Yes please!

H.E.A.T - "1000 Miles"
The influence from Bon Jovi and Europe is evident. A good melody, just not as instant as One Night of Passion or indeed In My Dreams (the best rock entry in ESC in my book). Good voice though but I think we might get bored watching them on stage. That could be their fall.

Markoolio - "Kärlekssång från mig"
The "Magnus Uggla of the 21st century" award goes hands down to Markoolio. The question is if he's serious or doing a parody? If the latter I quite enjoy it from the novelty perspective but I'm really not into that type of music otherwise. There's even a wink to Dima Bilan on stage but will folks remember his piano ballerina (2006), skates + violin (2008) enough to get it?

Amy Diamond - "It's My Life"
I prefer the verse to the chorus based on the clip. A more grown up and modern Amy and you can tell Mr Bard has a finger in the game here as the song easily could have been a track on the first BWO album. Just not sure if it would have been one of the singles. Amy is a pro but it won't be no "räkmacka" (prawn sandwich!) to Globen.

Cookies n Beans - "What If"
Release Me by Oh Laura was amazing. This is closer to Dolly Parton than that but what do I care. I've had a crush on Dolly a few years now so I dig What If. Everything but the dresses (update: they've changed the dresses! Thank God!). Nothing you'd expect to hear in MF but after last week I wouldn't be surprised if the girls advance to Andra Chansen.

Måns Zelmerlöw - "Hope And Glory"
You've heard it before. Several times. It's Kempe in a nutshell. Still he finds a twist to keep it interesting enough and by all means it's The Måns who performs the song. People will get what they expect and they won't be disappointed. Not sure I'd want to ship the entry off to Moscow but Hope & Glory deserves to be in Globen.

Why so few good songs last week and so many now? Unfair of Björkman to make me choose 4 songs out of this strong bunch. It will all come down to the live performance I guess...

In the perfect world of Posh:
Globen
Jennifer Brown
Måns Zelmerlöw
Andra Chansen
Lili & Susie
Cookies n Beans
5. Amy Diamond

I won't do a "Posh says the people will vote" after last week's fiasco. You just vote as you're told, ok! I have a sneaky feeling H.E.A.T might push one of my choices out when the people have their say though. Please just don't let it be Jennifer Brown...

Please please Stay the night because You're my world and I believe in us

Here is an apology to the Swedish people. I underestimated you. I'm sorry! Next week I'll predict the results only based on my heart and the outcome might be closer to the real result. "In the perfect world of Posh" I had 3 out of 4 winners yesterday...

MF semi 1 result:
Globen
Alcazar - "Stay the night"
Emilia - "You're my world"
Andra Chansen
Caroline af Ugglas - "Snälla snälla"
Scotts - "Jag tror på oss"
5. Nina - "Tick Tock"
6. Marie - "Disconnect me"
7. Jonathan - "Welcome to my world"
8. Shirley Clamp - "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus"

- The international jury chose to give Caroline another go. Even if she does not advance in AC there's still a chance for her to reach the final.

- The voting with duels was not at all so confusing as the tabloids want to give the impression of. This system has been used in Andra Chansen and the reactions have never been this harsh. Guess the Swedes still are conservative even though they got the songs right. I agree with Christer Björkman - in a few weeks nobody will whine anymore when they have gotten used to the idea. Don't be so bloody afraid of changes!

- Petra Mede made an agreeable debut. I liked her jokes but she had her head in the cue cards too much. Considering the dress rehearsal had been chaotic I don't blame her though. And the dress changes were fabulous!

- There were too many words in Nina's entry. I felt out of breath just listening. Forgettable.

- Jonathan gave me the same feeling as I wrote yesterday. The song does nothing for me. Boring.

- I nod in agreement with myself when reading what I said yesterday about Shirley's song. Too bland. I had never heard Clamp take a bum note before. Shame. But last place?!

- I have no new comment to share about Scotts. Just glad they lost out to Alcazar in the duel. Horrible song.

- The joy in Emilia's eyes when she got the golden ticket! That was nice to see. Though I wish she'd sing with more support from her stomach to get a fuller voice.

- Never thought Alcazar would beat Scotts but they so deserved a one way ticket to Globen and I'm glad people realised that for once.

- Yay! I voted for Caroline and in all my excitement I dialed the expensive number by mistake. At least I did a good dead by doing so, giving money to charity. "Snälla snälla" is still my favourite and it looks like I wasn't the only one. Didn't see that coming. I take a bow to the Swedes.

- It's not Marie's fault she flopped. It's the song. As I said yesterday, there's not enough heart in it and people saw through that.

- It was said that in the first duel the entry with most votes would compete against the entry in 4th position. It was Scotts against Alcazar. Alcazar won the duel but I would not be surprised if it was Scotts in the lead up until that moment. Why? Because dansband-fans are used to vote several times but over a longer period of time. Then in the duel they did not understand what short time space they had to vote whereas the Alcazar-fans did and called in a frenzy. Or where they in the lead the entire time? We'll find out for sure after the final in Globen when SVT reveals the exact votes from each semi.

Listen! MF semi 1

Sweden will stand still tomorrow evening. All that counts is Melodifestivalen. Specially the first semi when nobody has grown tired of the event yet. Whether you like MF or not, as a Swede, you need to watch it to have a view Monday morning when you're back at work or school. Melodifestivalen really is that big of a deal in this country.

One minute clips of the first 8 songs are up on SVT until Saturday evening. (Click on the blog title to get there.) I'll sum up my comments after only having heard them twice and predict the outcome.

Nina Söderquist - "Tick Tock"
I liked Nina's voice when she was in West End Star, it's big and rich, and it's fun to have her in MF. The song on the other hand does not grab me based on this clip. Too many words in a quick tempo and also very average. Nothing stands out. Good enough but I had hoped for more. Maybe better when we see the whole package?! (That goes for all the entries...)

Jonathan Fagerlund - "Welcome to my life"
This type of music leaves me totally cold. A shake'n'bake mix of Jimmy Jansson and other tween boppers whose highest goal is to be in a cheesy boyband someday. "Fjortisar" and I have never agreed on music. The boy isn't even that cute. Nah, I seriously don't get it and doubt Jonathan will kick-start his career tomorrow night.

Shirley Clamp - "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus"
The risk of trying again after three very good songs is that the pressure is ON. Shirley doesn't live up to her reputation this time and though I'm sure the Swedes will take her far the song has no chance of winning MF. It's more "För att du finns" than "Att älska dig" and I was never that into Sonja Aldén either. An OK ballad that will be lifted by Ms Clamp but nothing to put in the Christmas tree as we say...

Scotts - "Jag tror på oss"
Swedes love their "dansband". I don't. A dansband singing a badly rhymed shit song like this turns my stomach. I should not let it upset me but I can't help feel angry and annoyed. Because Scotts' popularity they'll go straight to Globen and I will cringe and swear and sulk.

Emilia - "You're my world"
Oh, I never say no to a bit of motown! The film Dreamgirls ought to have been the inspiration to the writers along with The Supremes. A happy, bubbly piece of cake with sweet and sugary Emilia (aka "Big, big world"-Emilia) as the cherry on top. I doubt she'll advance in MF but I say thank you for being there lifting up my spirit after dreary Scotts.

Alcazar - "Stay the night"
The clip is very repetitive but at the same time hopeful of a modern dance-friendly song that could go far. Sounds much edgier than Alcazar has done in MF before and I like that. Bet they'll have to take the usual tour by Andra Chansen though...

Caroline af Ugglas - "Snälla snälla"
The clip is from the verse so it's difficult to say too much about the song without having heard the chorus at all. But I'll say this much... I got goose bumps. I really like Caroline's special voice (either you love it or hate it) and her storytelling. Soft music that speaks to me but perhaps not the usual MF-viewer. My favourite after the first run through of the songs.

Marie Sernholt - "Disconnect Me"
Competent, good and probably a sassy big stage show but still I don't get overly excited. It feels like everything about the entry is too constructed and not enough heart has gone into it. Shame. It's like the total opposit from the last song but it will look good on tv and gather enough points for 4th or 5th place.

In the perfect world of Posh: Caroline and Alcazar to Globen. Emilia and Shirley to Andra Chansen.

Posh says the people will vote:
Globen
Shirley Clamp
Scotts
Andra Chansen
Alcazar
Marie Sernholt

It could also be that Nina takes Marie's place and she'll end up 5th. What usually happens during the first week of schlager is that people vote for the traditional MF-sound because that is what they have been longing for. Then in the weeks to come more fresh and edgy songs take the upper hand. But tomorrow the conservative bunch will vote and that will benefit Scotts and Shirley Clamp. Unfortunately.