Friday Jukebox 8.31.12

Because Clint Eastwood was one the stars of the final night of this year's Republican National Convention last night (with the brilliant comparison of Obama to an empty chair), this was on my mind..."Clint Eastwood" by the Gorillaz project, from the project's self-titled debut in 2001.

Have a very safe Labo(u)r Day weekend, no matter where you are in US or Canada.

GREAT News! Jersey Shore Cancelled!

 

 

Good riddance. A HUGE moral victory for America. It's about time! Still MTV needs to get off the air!

 



This Doesn't Seem Right.

Way to ruin the greatest picture car in history by doing this. The PC brigade at it again! And it's their very own property that they've had since 1979.

Tech-A&M Cancelled.

Isaac and its remnants push the season opener to October 13. No time has been announced. The game was supposed to be on Thursday, and on ESPNU, and was supposed to be the first game for A&M as a member of the Southeastern Conference (though this is not an SEC game).

Republican National Convention 2012 in Tampa This Week!

A Republican Presidential candidate will be nominated in Tampa, in this building-the home of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, and held the NCAA Division I men's Frozen Four in April (BC won national title for umpteenth time) and the Southeastern Conference men's (or was it the women's) tournaments in the past. Most likely it will be Mitt Romney.

However with Isaac knocking on door, events in that building have been delayed for a day or two. That hasn't stopped the protests, where already one arrest was made.

Reminder!

Tonight, the CFL returns on US TV for the first time since the 2008 Grey Cup (Stamps won), Argos and Esks, in the midst of a tight battle early in the season will play in a rare Monday night contest. NBC Sports Network will be the place tonight at 7:30pm Eastern!

U.S. Open-The Season's Final Grand Slam-Begins Monday!

It's that time again, as the final grand slam of the season comes to North America with the USTA's US Open beginning Monday! REAL nighttime tennis as the grand slam season comes to a close and please no rain!

The drawings took place over the weekend, with qualifiers in the singles and doubles announced. In the singles, here are some of the matches to look forward to of interest:

MEN-singles
(1) Roger Federer v Donald Young
(2) Novak Djokovic v Paolo Lorenzi
(3) Andy Murray v Alex Bogomolov Jr.
(4) David Ferrer v Kevin Anderson
(5) Jo Wilfried Tsonga v Karol Beck
(6) Tomas Berdych v David Goffin
(7) Juan Martin del Potro v David Nalbandian
(8) Janko Tipsarevic v Guillaume Rufin
(9) John Isner v Xavier Malisse
(10) Juan Monaco v Guillermo Garcia Lopez
(11) Nicolas Almagro v Radek Stepanek
(12) Marin Cilic v Marinko Matosevic
(13) Richard Gasquet v Albert Montanes
(14) Alex Dolgopolov v Jesse Levine
(15) Milos Raonic v Santiago Giraldo
(16) Gilles Simon v Michael Russell
(18) Stan Wawrinka v Sergiy Stakhovsky
(19) Philipp Kohlschreiber v Michael Llodra
(20) Andy Roddick v Rhyne Williams
(21) Tommy Haas v Ernests Gulbis
(22) Florian Mayer v Jack Sock
(23) Mardy Fish v Go Soeda
(25) Fernando Verdasco v Rui Machado
(27) Sam Querrey v Yen Hsun Lu
(28) Mikhail Youzhny v Gilles Muller
(29) Viktor Troicki v Cedrik Marcel Stebe
(30) Feliciano Lopez v Robin Haase
(31) Julien Benneteau v Olivier Rochus
Nicolas Mahut v Philipp Petzschner
Tobias Kamke v Lleyton Hewitt
Lukas Lacko v James Blake
Ben Becker v Ryan Harrison
Brian Baker v Jan Hajek
Marcos Baghdatis v Matthias Bachinger
Jurgen Melzer v Bradley Klahn
Carlos Berlocq v Bernard Tomic
Nikolay Davydenko v Guido Pella
Ivo Karlovic v Jimmy Wang
*Remember: Rafael Nadal isn't playing due to that knee injury that kept him out of London 2012. Gael Monfils is also out with injury in which he hasn't been playing virtually all year.

WOMEN-singles
(1) Victoria Azarenka v Alexandra Panova
(2) Agnieszka Radwanska v Nina Bratchikova
(3) Maria Sharapova v Melinda Czink
(4) Serena Williams v CoCo Vandeweghe
(5) Petra Kvitova v Polona Hercog
(6) Angelique Kerber v Anne Keothavong
(7) Sam Stosur v Petra Martic
(8) Caroline Wozniacki v Irina Camelia Begu
(9) Na Li v Heather Watson
(10) Sara Errani v Garbine Muguruza
(11) Marion Bartoli v Jamie Hampton
(13) Dominika Cibulkova v  Johanna Larsson
(12) Ana Ivanovic v Elina Svitolina
(14) Maria Kirilenko v Chanelle Scheepers
(15) Lucie Safarova v Melanie Oudin
(16) Sabine Lisicki v Sorana Cirstea
(17) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Daniela Hantuchova
(18) Julia Goerges v Kristyna Pliskova
(19) Nadia Petrova v Jarmila Gajdosova
(20) Urszula Radwanska v Roberta Vinci
(21) Christina McHale v Kiki Bertens
(22) Francesca Schiavone v Sloane Stephens
(23) Kim Clijsters v Victoria Duval (Clijsters' farewell to her career begins with this match.)
(25) Yanina Wickmayer v Julia Glushko
(28) Jie Zheng v Virgnie Razzano
(29) Tamira Paszek v Olga Govortsova
(30) Jelena Jankovic v Kateryna Bondarenko
(31) Varvara Lepchenko v Mathilde Johansson
(32) Shuai Peng v Elena Vesnina
Bethanie Mattek Sands v Venus Williams
Kimiko Date Krumm v Sofia Arvidsson
Romina Oprandi v Andrea Petkovic
Tsvetana Pironkova v Camila Giorgi
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova v Kirsten Flipkens
Anastasia Rodionova v Julia Cohen
Pauline Parmentier v Michaella Krajicek
Simona Halep v Iveta Benesova
Vania King v Yaroslava Shvedova
Samantha Crawford v Laura Robson
Mirjana Lucic v Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Alexandra Cadantu v Aleksandra Wozniak

Begins Monday! US Open Live radio and scoring here. On TV it's on Tennis Channel and ESPN networks all week. CBS is back at US Open for their usual weekend and Labour Day coverage! The men's final after the early games on the NFL on CBS is usually a tradition on CBS on the first Sunday of the NFL season-except from 1994-97 (CBS also has Super Bowl XLVII this February).

EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Rankings of the 42, the Final Six

And now we've come...to the end of the road...but I can't let go.

This isn't about that Boyz II Men song, but the last review of the 42 at EUROVISION LVII in Baku, Azerbaijan this past May. These are my rankings, and now it's down to the final six. I can write to you that Loreen Talhaoui, the 2012 champion, is in this group. But where? Just read to find out.

And now...for the final time in this series...prepare to 'light your (ass on) fire' with the top 6 of my assessment of 'the' 42 in Baku!

HERE...WE...GO!

At number 6 in my rankings (5 points)...

Kurt Warner...I mean...Kurt Calleja (MLT) with "This is the Night"! Very powerful song and for those who rank this gem lower, fuck you! Kurt is a cool man and this was one of the best songs of this year's competition! Great buildup from the start, and the rest is history. All that is said about this.

At number 5 (6 points)...

The 2012 EUROVISION champion Loreen Talhaoui (SWE)! "Euphoria" until the end of time. Now achieving success throughout Europe and the world following the victory, she is busy working on an album that will come out soo. Quite possibly, the second biggest win in ESC history. Honestly, it is one of the best ESC songs this year, but in the grand final, I gave this ten points, and I'll tell you why shortly. Anyway, she has fought off criticism, especially for someone who has major label backing (and is one of the few competitors this year with major label backing). She had no video prior to the competition, but just released a video for "Euphoria" last month. We're going up up up up up!

At number 4 (7 points)...

The lovable old women Buranovskiye Babushki (RUS) with "Party for Everybody", runner-up in the grand final at ESC this year. Now in the grand final, this was my pick to win, despite the fact that three others that I wanted in the final would've had a higher showing if they made it in the final. Great song and heaps better than most of the filth that were there (see rankings 31-42 for details). These women rock and would have been great to see them win. Performance was awesome and I don't get what some people view them, maybe because they're either tweens or on meth. Go figure. But these ladies deserve to win.

At number 3 (8 points)...

Sofia Marinova (BUL) with "Lubov bez Granici." Some people didn't like this because of:

a. the beat (dumbasses believe that the beat was based on a song by the major league sellout Inna; when a co-producer of this entry had a demo out leading to the foundation of the beats. Long story, do research.)
b. the singer, her voice and her ethnicity (gypsy-and way better than Czech 2009!)
c. the singer's representation of Bulgaria
d. the lyrics
e. the looks

Same hypocritical fucks who talk shit on other competitors like Gaitana, Loreen, Max Jason Mai, and Rambo Amadeus among others. They're probably are secretly fans of the mainstream shit and Jedward. They don't know what this song's about. The theme is love. This was written in ten languages (too bad Klingon, Romulan and Vulcan weren't included), with a club beat (I'm an electronic music fan, but hates dubstep and donk). So to all you pussies who hated this, you're probably on meth. I wish it would've made the final. One of the best this year, and is for the intelligent, not for the lowest common denominator. By the way, just like Loreen is doing, Sofi is working on a new album as well. Hopefully it will be something of this caliber like "Lubov bez Granici"!

At number 2 (10 points)...

LITESOUND (BLR) with "We are the Heroes"! Very powerful rock song, and I don't give a shit about how Dmitry (the frontman) says "winners" (I know, it sounds like "wieners" but hell)! This is very powerful and another one that I thought should have made the final. What would be worst for Belarus in 2013 is that Victoria Azarenka (the world's number two in the WTA rankings) would represent that country with a song that features nothing but her grunting-the same grunting that we hear a lot of when she's on the court. Be thankful Belarus for sending a great product to represent your country at ESC LVII!

So 41 reviews, and it's down to one.

And now, the #1 ESC entry this year, and my 12 points goes to...

sinplus (SUI) and their breakthrough smash "Unbreakable," which is the first single from their album Disinformation, which includes their latest "Do You Wanna Dance?" The brothers Broggini are huge fans of Roger Federer (since he's Swiss too), and even though it didn't make the final (I wish it did, it was the real winner of ESC LVII), rock seems to go unnoticed since Lordi's win at EUROVISION LI. Disinformation, just like "Unbreakable" deserves my 12 points and hopefully they will return to EUROVISION in the near future.

So there you have it. We are at the end of the road.

To recap:
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania
30. Ukraine
29. Latvia
28. Belgium
27. France
26. Netherlands
25. Portugal
24. Slovenia
23. Montenegro
22. Iceland
21. Spain
20. Croatia
19. Serbia
18. Denmark
17. Germany
16. Bosnia & Herzegovina
15. Estonia
14. Azerbaijan
13. Finland
12. Italy
11. Israel
10. Great Britain (1 point-because Engelbert needed the fucking points!)
9. Slovakia (2 points)
8. Hungary (3 points)
7. Macedonia (4 points)
6. Malta (5 points)
5. Sweden (6 points)
4. Russia (7 points)
3. Bulgaria (8 points)
2. Belarus (10 points)
1. Switzerland (12 points)

And that concludes my rankings of the 42 in Baku 2012!

Yet Again, Another Crowd Shooting.

Nine dead, and it all turned out to be the NYPD's bullets. But the gunman is another reason why it's never sane to take your issues out on others. The Dark Knight Rises shooting and now this. A turbulent month in the states.

Before thinking about doing these things, please seek help immediately. Things like this would stop.

Former Collegiate Volleyball Player's Murder: Two People Charged.

Link. Care to explain why her? Motive?

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012.

This is my 800th post.

EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Ranking of the 42, 12-7

Winding down my assessment of the 42 at EUROVISION LVII in Baku, Azerbaijan, which ended three months ago. Now it's into the top 12 of my rankings. So once again, prepare to 'light your (ass on) fire' with my rankings of the 42 from ESC LVII as now it's about my rankings, from 12 to 7!

HERE WE GO!

At number 12 on my rankings it's Nina Zilli (ITA) with "L'amore e Femmina". Yes folks, some view her and her music as a clone of the late Amy Winehouse, but what the fuck? She's better than that junkie Winehouse (glad she's dead), and I liked "L'amore e Femmina" a lot. She was another competitor at ESC LVII with major label backing and didn't have to waste time performing in a semifinal.

Izabo (ISR) was one of the bands I liked at ESC LVII. They represented a country that wasn't geographically European, but the music is what counts. Don't know why some don't like the song, but it's fun and if you're a big fan of garage rock (which Izabo is technically a garage band) you would enjoy this masterpiece. It's a track that I thought was one of the best, but slightly top ten material, at number 11.

And now the top ten!

At number ten (one point) is...

Engelbert Humperdinck (GBR)! Why some, even most people didn't like this? We'll because he's old, the song is boring, but so the fuck what! To me this was one of the best this year, and the name says it all! Hence "Love Will Set You Free" (not a cover of the Starchaser 2001 classic) gets one point from me. To all the tweens and blowhards, stick to shit like Ivi and Jedward.

At number nine (two points) is...

Max Jason Mai (SVK) with "Don't Close Your Eyes". Since Lordi's win at ESC LI in 2006, rock doesn't get a lot of love at ESC. This was one of the best, and for those who look down on rock at EUROVISION, I hate you. Rock, like rap (and no, not Trackshittaz) deserves respect from the juries who only care that girly shit gets good treatment. Screw the juries. This should have made the final! Rock on Miroslav! \m/ PS, huge rock music fanbase throughout Europe too, why didn't they vote for this?

At number eight (three points) is...

Compact Disco (HUN) with "Song of Our Hearts". Compact Disco is the only act at ESC LVII to have the distinction to have their songs for download on the ever-popular electronic download site beatport (great stuff at beatport too!). Great song, and was one of the best this year. In the grand final, I gave this six points since a few of my faves missed out on the final (more later). Truly underrated song and glad this gem made it into the grand final.

At number seven (four points) is...

Kaliopi Bukle (MKD) with "Crno i Belo"! Awesome song, awesome masterpiece from third oldest solo competitor this year (45). Kaliopi is a very fun and attractive woman and hopefully she should have more new stuff on the way soon. Rock on! Check out her older stuff too and you'll experience the greatness that is Kaliopi Bukle!

So after 6 posts and 6 reviews...
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania
30. Ukraine
29. Latvia
28. Belgium
27. France
26. Netherlands
25. Portugal
24. Slovenia
23. Montenegro
22. Iceland
21. Spain
20. Croatia
19. Serbia
18. Denmark
17. Germany
16. Bosnia & Herzegovina
15. Estonia
14. Azerbaijan
13. Finland
12. Italy
11. Israel
10. Great Britain (1 point)
9. Slovakia (2 points)
8. Hungary (3 points)
7. Macedonia (4 points)

Six left to review, in one more post. Where will Loreen end up? What about Sinplus? Litesound? Sofi Marinova? Buranovskie Babushki? Kurt Calleja? The futility of those six in my ratings will be revealed in my final post in this series.

Let's Go Canoodling!

After a story the anchor man did on canoodling, he takes this approach...to a co-worker. An on-air co-worker that is. Just watch this!

 

 



EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Ranking of the 42, 18-13

Counting down and assessing all 42 EUROVISION LVII participants, as now, this post is on the rankings of 18-13 (my rankings that is) of the participants in Baku, Azerbaijan this year. So once again, 'light your (ass on) fire' and enjoy this!

HERE WE GO!

Hop aboard the Love Boat with Captain Stubbing...I mean Soluna Samay (DEN)! Hence, the hat she wore for both nights of performances similar to what ship captains wear. "Should've Known Better" was number 18 on my rankings. Good song, even though now she has a NEW single, "Come Again (The Quetzal)," where the lyrics is in both English and Spanish, since Soluna (and G.G. Kettel) both were born in Guatemala and currently resides in Denmark. So there's a little background there. "Come Again" is honestly 'more powerful' than "Should've Known Better." If she won Denmark ESC with "Come Again" it would've been a contender for the win!

Vorsprung durch Lob. Not exactly, but "Standing Still" by Roman Lob (GER) was one of those songs that blew my mind off. It was one of six that pre-qualified for the final without a semifinal appearance, and it was good, but not exactly great, which is why I place this at number 17. Roman Lob is another competitor at ESC with major label backing.

Maya Sar (BIH) is one of the numerous competitors this year over the age of 30, with the tearful ballad "Korake Ti Znam." Lots of piano, and I thought it was something in the flow of the theme song used for the Masters golf tournament coverage on CBS here in the states. Listen to the beginning and you'll understand. Truly a tradition unlike any other...oh wait! It's not the Masters theme song! Great song, and it's at number 16.

"Kuula" is NOT about a cooler full of beer or food, but it's an exceptional masterpiece by Ott Lepland (EST), which is at number 15. Some piano in there as well. Great, and one of the best this year. Enough said.

Finishing fourth on her home soil in the grand final, it's true that "When the Music Dies" by Sabina Babayeva (AZE), at number 14, was another masterpiece that won me over. Forget all the bullshit about "Botox this, and Botox that!" She might've had Botox overload but she is a great singer, hence the reason why she is studying voice at a conservatory. Lovely woman; and I like the jazz version of this. Another video of a newer song is out, and more good things will come from this woman in the months to come.

The lovely red head Pernilla Karlsson (FIN) at number 13 with "Nar Jag Blundar." Swedish born with Swedish lyrics and I felt this was a song that should've made the final. Great voice nonetheless, representing the country whose last win in ESC was 2006 (that's right, the last true win in ESC-Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah"). It isn't Lordi, but hell, I'd take this too.

After 5 days and 5 recaps:
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania
30. Ukraine (and I'm quickly becoming a Gaitana fan)
29. Latvia
28. Belgium
27. France
26. Netherlands
25. Portugal
24. Slovenia
23. Montenegro
22. Iceland
21. Spain
20. Croatia
19. Serbia
18. Denmark
17. Germany
16. Bosnia & Herzegovina
15. Estonia
14. Azerbaijan
13. Finland

Two more days and two more rankings and assessments of the 42 at ESC LVII. Where will Loreen end up? What about Engelbert? Keep on reading!

I'm Gonna Knock You Out! Mama Said Knock You Out!

..and 'shut 'em down' in the process!

Friday Jukebox 8.24.12

This week's Friday Jukebox is about the final 'official' song of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London. There's three official songs at the London Games this year: "Survival" by MUSE, "Scream" by Dizzee Rascal and the Chemical Brothers' "Theme for Velodrome". As a big Chemical Brothers fan, this was a plus that a UK outfit contributed to an entity that was held on their home soil!

EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Rankings of the 42, 24-19

Continuing on as you 'light your (ass on) fire' while you enjoy my posts, critiquing the 42 at EUROVISION LVII this May in Baku, Azerbaijan. Now it's on to 24-19.

Just like the Bud Light slogan goes...HERE WE GO!

At 16, Eva Boto (SLO) was the youngest competitor at this year's ESC with "Verjamem." Never heard the song? For starters, the name of the song will get people confused if this was a reggae song. "Yeah! I'm lighting up a joint and I'm verjamin'!" Nope. "Verjamem" is a great song and a great effort that I thought was too hard to rank, therefore I put this at number 24.

Rambo Amadeus (MNE), was one of the oldest competitors at ESC this year (he turns 50 this year). Don't know people's beef with "Euro Neuro", or maybe because the brainless are too stupid to cave into a fairly intelligent piece. It's liberal (I'm conservative-somewhat-in most areas of science.), but hell, it's good and educational and it's good. That is why I'm ranking it higher than these fools ranked it, which was down the bottom. Don't be disappointed. Rambo always has one rule: always stay cool like a swimming pool. It's at number 23 on my rankings.

ESC 2012's lone duet of Jonsi and Greta Salome Stefansdottir (ISL) was one of the best this year, and powerful. "Never Forget" had it all, but was glad this gem made the final. Great ballad, and was tough for placement, hence my ranking of this song was at the 22nd position.

At number 21, Pastora Soler (ESP) had one of the brilliant ballads this year, with "Quedate Conmigo," in which she has done an English version of the song. The Spanish version is heaps better and more flow than the English version. Once again, tough to rank this gem in my rankings.

Another good song that was tough to place in my rankings was "Nebo" by Nina Badric (CRO). "Nebo" is NOT about anything related to the Friday movies. No "That's my bike punk!" in the lyrics or no other Deebo references like "you got knocked the fuck out!" No not that stuff. Never heard original, but the ESC version is great, which I ranked it at number 20.

Yet another good song at ESC this year was "Nije Ljubav Stvar" by Zeljko Joksimovic (SRB), which is at number 19. Great song, breathtaking ballad, and was one of the best this year. Glad this gem made the final, and for those who think this is boring, screw you! You need a brain to listen to this!

So to recap so far after 4 posts and 4 reviews:
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania
30. Ukraine
29. Latvia
28. Belgium
27. France
26. Netherlands
25. Portugal
24. Slovenia
23. Montenegro
22. Iceland
21. Spain
20. Croatia
19. Serbia

Keep reading to see where Loreen ends up in my rankings. Up next it's 18-13 in the 42!

BELLATOR 73: Two #1 Contender Finals for the Price of One!

It's back! BELLATOR, that is! It's the conclusion of the three event Summer Series for 2012, as there will be two exciting tournament finals-as Marcos Galvao battles Eduardo Nogueira for the #1 contender spot in the bantamweight division, with a title fight against current champion Eduardo Dantas in the near future, whilst Attila Vegh and Travis Wiuff (pronounced 'View') will fight in the light heavyweight tournament final as the winner gets a shot at the title currently held by Christian M'Pumbu.

CARD

Bantamweight tournament final

(135lb/60.75kg)

Eduardo Nogueira v Marcos Galvao

 

Light heayweight tournament final

(205lb/92.25kg)

Attila Vegh v Travis Wiuff

 

 

Live on MTV2 and epixHD, 7pm local time, 8pm NAEDT. Great time to catch it, until next month!

 



EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Rankings of the 42, 30-25

Continuing to 'light your (ass on) fire' with the best of Baku 2012! It's my ranking and assessment of all 42 participants of EUROVISION LVII, which took place in late May in the Azerbaijani capital.

So it's now at positions 30-25 on my rankings. Here we go!

NOTICE! The top 30 on my rankings are very powerful pieces and I respect, like or love them all!

Residential Shakhtar Donetsk supporter and the very-educated Gaitana (UKR) at #30 with "Be My Guest," which is included in her new album Viva, Europe! Why did I include those words in a short description? She wrote a song on Shakhtar, which is found on Viva, Europe!, but also has an economics degree. But the problem of why I ranked this song low, is at first I didn't like it, but grew on me (just like virtually everything else on Viva, Europe!). Did you know she was a friend of EURO 2012 (since Ukraine co-hosted the tournament with Poland) and composed a song-ironically the title track of her album-for the tournament? That's some facts to chew on! I want her to try again with something even more magical in the near future, but please download Viva, Europe! From what I hear, it's a great album!

"'Beautiful Song,' it's on the radio and on the TV shows..." Why some people didn't like it, but I did.  I'm talking about the entry from Anmary (LAT), which is #29 on my rankings. It's good, and Anmary is very attractive. Great singer, but don't understand the hate about this "Beautiful Song"? It might not make sense to the lowest common denominator (who think this is boring), but she doesn't go the same route as Ivi and Eleftheria! That is something to ponder.

Iris (BEL) was the second youngest participant of ESC LVII at age 17 with "Would You?" This is #28 on my rankings. Remember, it's from the same country that Kate Ryan represented ESC with years back. This is a brilliant masterpiece, and don't understand why some people put this down. It's good, but not great. I enjoyed it.

Anggun Cipta Sasmi (FRA), who was one of six pre-qualifiers without a semifinal run, at #27 on my rankings with "Echo". I liked it and found it to be OK a couple months after ESC LVII came to a close. Very underrated track, but this position of number 27 was a hard decision for a good song. Did you know Anggun had major label backing for ESC LVII? The same could be said for a few others in the contest.

At number #26 is pro wrestling legend Chief Wahoo McDaniel! I mean...Joan Franka (NED)! The headdress Joan had on in the semifinal is almost similar to Wahoo McDaniel's headdress during his years in territorial pro wrestling. "You and Me" is a good, yet underrated song, and whoever said it was terrible, you suck. Listen to this numerous times and you'll get the point.

At number 25, Filipa Sousa (POR) had another brilliant, yet good song, as well with "Vida Minha". It was one of the best Euro-ballads this year at ESC LVII, but was really tough to rank.

So to recap after 3 days and 3 reviews:
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania
30. Ukraine
29. Latvia
28. Belgium
27. France
26. Netherlands
25. Portugal

4 more reviews and four more rankings. Where will the champion, Loreen, end up on my rankings? Keep reading in the days to come! Up next it's songs 24-19!

EUROVISION LVII: Morgan's Rankings of the 42, 36-31

Continue to 'light your (ass on) fire' with my rankings from EUROVISION LVII this past May in Baku, Azerbaijan. Now it's on to the second group, 36-31.

At number 36 is the lame-ass song from Can Bonomo (TUR), entitled "Love Me Back." The ship has sank on this lame duck song that should've never made the final.

At 18, Ivi Adamou (CYP) was the third youngest participant at ESC LVII, with "La La Love," one of the most over songs this year. Why did I put it at number 35? Simple. For starters, this panders to the slutwave fans, and to those who listen to such shit as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry among others. For fuck sakes, this was a blunder itself and wish that it shouldn't make the final to begin with. Also note, this could be the death knell for Cyprus in EUROVISION due to lack of government funding and support to begin with (though Sony BMG, her record company, funded her efforts to Baku).

Just like her neighbor across the water, Eleftheria Eleftheriou (GRE) should have never reached the final as well. At number 34, "Aphrodisiac" is another dud of a song, period. But the jurors put her in the final simply because of the financial crises in her country. Strictly 'Kylie-lite' for the masses!

'Love' isn't blind, but is deaf. At number 33, "Love is Blind" from Donny Montell (LTU) is so boring as hell, and lame too. Such an offering that should've never made the final. Hopefully Robin Thicke can kick his ass just for stealing his voice.

This year at ESC LVII, there are five bands (so to speak). One of those is Mandinga (ROU), whose offering "Zaleilah" was part of a weak-ass first semifinal back on May 22. The song is the first single off of their new album CLUB de MANDINGA, and it really disappointed me, hence my ranking of them at number 32. The sound is there, the flare is there, but their over-botoxed lead singer (surprisingly, yet funny, was named one of GQ's 'sexiest' women for 2012) lost me. Remember folks, this outfit has been around for about ten years, and Elena Ionescu is their second lead singer, after their original lead singer left in 2006.

The ever-belching Rona Nishliu (ALB) at number 31 with "Suus". It seems that there's that part that I feel should been made into a commercial for something...like Preparation H or even Anusol. Where her screams of "Oh oh oh ooooohh!" could describe the itching and pain that you feel in your anus after taking a shit. But it's an OK track. Too overdramatic here.

Anyway, that's 31-36. To recap 42-31:
42. Ireland
41. Austria
40. San Marino
39. Norway
38. Georgia
37. Moldova
36. Turkey
35. Cyprus
34. Greece
33. Lithuania
32. Romania
31. Albania

So there you have it. In part 3, it's all about 30-25, so don't be angry, be cheerful!