Thanks for all the votes and congrats, Lisa<3! I didn't think Kick the Habit would do that well, since the song isn't the best!

Zena Donnelly wins Ireland's ticket to JESC after placing as a runner-up last year. She has a great voice, but I still think Irish sounds like Simlish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXmWz56RIzE

Absolutely hate it

Here's a crazy thought - if she doesn't win X-Factor & have to get entangled in the Cowell web of labels & obligations, bearing in mind her new-found British fanbase & experience with UMK...could Saara go to Kiev for the UK?

Someone asked her that on a web chat a couple of weeks ago - she'd be up for it!

I'm not convinced that the British public would vote for her. I'm slightly concerned that voting in the British national finals will go the way of many other talent show votes. We'll see.

I thought that ITV had a block on X Factor artists releasing anything within 12 months of the winner's single being released without special permission? I doubt permission will be granted to benefit the BBC.

She's annoyingly caught up in the XF machine now I think as the thought did cross my mind too. She's made the tour, which effectively rules her out of our NF unless Simon signs her and agrees- She'd make a great entry imo and I guess Syco might be persuaded to take part if they can launch her across Europe and she's successful?

Is that the Gaelic/Simlish dubs for Let It Go?

It's a bit worrying isn't it that JESC is less than two weeks away and Ireland have only just selected their song, Albania's revamp still hasn't been released and Israel don't have a song at all beyond its title!

Regarding Saara singing for the UK - I think we might just be desperate enough to try something like that.

I am not a great believer in flags of convenience. Yes, yes, Celine Dion and Switzerland, but Celine Dion is Celine Dion, she's a completely different league. It pains me that the last UK winner ever isn't actually British but at least the Blessed Katrina had lived here since 1976, she had properly gone native, she had a British band and the song was written, produced and arranged by Brits. We are never going to replicate that re-flagging somebody now, nobody actually agrees on what being British is anyway. It's also quite a different thing when you represent somewhere you don't have that much of a connection with, Saara, as good as she would be for Finland and as much as she will mature and grow as a performer in the coming years, does not represent anything distinct from this country or its immediate neighbours, our traditions and what's going on in our country in the broader sense whilst having enough there for other people to connect with a la ' Molitva', never-mind '1944'. Re-flagging a creative team to stage it (a noticeable BBC weakness) or bringing in an outside song-writer with a proven track-record to add a little universality is about presenting those themes - but the themes have to be ours to start with to feel real. The artist is the Ambassador for their nation - what does it say when the artist doesn't even come from the neighbourhood of that nation?

Say we do borrow somebody for example Scandinavian, they still need to be content with whatever crap the BBC is prepared to provide for them vis a vis staging (I can't see any real professional with a wish to do well being so) and it'll be very obvious the minute they opened their mouths to speak how desperate we are. Re-flagging doesn't always work (Nana Mouskouri sang for Luxembourg of all things in 1963 and she was only 8th and lets not even mention Gina G). That's before they contend with the fact the fact its the UK with the baggage that comes with that, after-all Theresa May will be knee-deep in spectacularly falling out with most of the rest of Europe a la Brexit next May (necessitating us being very nice to such paragons of democracy as Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan, for points, ironically Ukraine doesn't often give us much) and therefore we are looking at a very poor point-score indeed barring a miracle.

I am not completely convinced that it would not be a great idea for the BBC to drop-out for a few years after Brexit and indyref2 is done with and come back when we've got our s**t together as a country or broken up therefore have a bit more of a sense about what the hell we are sending somebody to represent in the first place and we maybe have a reason to start caring again or just don't even bother sending half-assed attempts taking up a slot Bosnia and Herzegovina would have killed for and then end-up embroiled in the inevitable "we're not in it so we refuse to pay for it anymore" bollocks that will emerge.

Anybody else notice the two-pronged irony that if Ireland were to go with Ghaeilge language lyrics (one of three P-Celtic languages along with Gàidhlig [Scots] and Gaelg [Manx] - think Russian and Ukrainian, different languages but somewhat mutually intelligible) for their second JESC entry then the only country containing any people that can sort of understand them (57,000 Gàidhlig with some fluency, 87,000 any knowledge) aren't in it anymore? And that the Irish might well be actually taking a page from Eastern Europe's playbook and trying to make their own culture part of their entries whilst we get blander and blander and blander? They have had a bigger fall even than us, from the Kings of the Contest to struggling to qualify year after year and yet they are still trying and engaging further with the Contest and its concept. Embarrassing for us really.

Saying that, I'm not a fan of the concept of JESC. It is a big ask for often young kids upon whom so much is being expected (poor Sofia Rol from Ukraine, what pressure must she be under to make it a twice-in-the-row black eye for Russia?) and it is potentially exploitative, but at least RTE have a bit of cultural pride and haven't given up like the BBC.

Aftonbladet are usually on the money with their Melfest sources.

Rumoured 2017 list:

1. Les Gordons
2. The Fooo Conspiracy
3. Lisa Ajax
4. Elisa Lindström
5. Ida LaFontaine
6. Alice Svensson
7. Robin Bengtsson
8. Ace Wilder
9. Boris René
10. Wiktoria Johansson
11. Mariette Hansson
12. Axel Schylström
13. John Lundvik

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesblade...cle23867282.ab

Anna Book will surely get the return she was promised after last years fiasco. I expect Dinah Nah to be added since she was recording before the deadline.

Gee, NMdum1 if only you put as much time into voting as you do into posting.

#prayforSamirOchViktor

Mariette! Wiktoria back again, Boris and his litter box is always a treat. Robin and Lisa... Meh.

Irish, Gaelic, Simlish... Potayto, Potahto, Tomato.

I haven't heard any of the other entries yet. I might save it as a 'nice' surprise for on the day. I'm expecting a swing even further towards adult ESC now it's jury only. Tell a lie, I heard Australia's entry and find it even more loathsome than last year. You're twelve, stop trying to be twenty. Enjoy life! Oh, and the autotune...

JESC quality this year is horrendous in comparison to previous years. I actually think the last 2 years of JESC have had better quality songs than the adult ESC.

This year none of the songs jump out to me at all... maybe when I see them on stage I'll change my mind..

FTFY.


I like Macedonia, Australia, Russia and Cyprus, they sound more modern and adult-y. Speak of the devil, Albania's revamp is out... what a dirge!

From reading the article it would appear that Mariette and Wiktoria say they will only take part if they have the right songs, but so far they believe they don't, so I'm guessing they are a maybe at this point. Mariette will have to go some to find another track as good as Don't Stop Believing imo. Same goes for Robin (Makson will be pleased if he is back for another go if only for the eyes.)

Ace is working with G:son? I really want to see Ace make it at some point. Maybe G:son's input will push her over the line.

And Boris Rene is only 25? Seriously?!?!

Finally got a working usable laptop again after a fiasco of a month and have caught up with most of the news. Shame the Dutchies went for the terribly named O'G3NE over Caro Emerald. Moje 3 spring to mind, but I suppose I should wait and see what they come up with first before writing them off.

I agree, the last few contests have been really good quality. I don't feel invested in JESC either as we have no entrant, so in some ways I enjoy it more. I wonder if that's what it would feel like if we withdrew from ESC?


I'll take a look at those later, I can't resist, I need to be in the loop. Totally different to last year's bop featuring Wiwibloggs' Willy Lee Adams, then. Not for me, either. It's no 'Shat on my dreams' that's for sure!

It'd be a lot more believable if Boris and Ace swapped ages.

I enjoyed all of Boris, Lisa and Wiktoria's songs this year, so hopefully they come up with something just as good, although I never like them coming back year on year, I'd like a break, but nevermind.

Sooo excited for Robin, Ace and Mariette. I just want Molly Sandén and Molly Petterson-Hammar as well, but I guess it's unlikely. Maybe 2018.

I'm just looking forward to seeing David every week

Re JESC, apparently the tickets aren't even on sale yet and it's less than a fortnight away!

Don't they just give them away?