Frozen Four: NHL Style 2013

The NHL's version of the Frozen Four is set!

The defending Stanley Cup champ Kings are almost there again; they have to get by a tough Hawks team that is playing their asses out this abridged season. A really good Western final.

Meanwhile, it is the top seeded Pens against the Bruins in the East final.

With that in mind...

(Best of seven)

EAST
Final
(1) Penguins v (4) Bruins
Game 1 Saturday
Game 2 6/3
Game 3 6/5
Game 4 6/7
Game 5 6/9*
Game 6 6/11*
Game 7 6/12*

WEST
Final
(1) Blackhawks v (5) Kings
Game 1 Saturday
Game 2 6/2
Game 3 6/4
Game 4 6/6
Game 5 6/8*
Game 6 6/10*
Game 7 6/12*

The Kings/Hawks series will have split TV coverage in Canada, with TSN carrying games 1 through 3, while CBC will pick up the rest of the series. CBC will have all the games in the Pens/Bruins finals series.

Meanwhile here in the states, every game, every night on NBC and NBCSN. Because it's the Cup.

Friday Jukebox 5.31.13

Some of you don't know that Bayern Munchen, 2012-13 UEFA Champions League champions has a theme song, called Stern des Sudens, which translates from German to English as "Star of the South." Quite possibly one of the best football songs you enjoy that is related to football.

ONE Rise to Power This Friday: Banario v Oishi for the Featherweight Title!

ONE is back after almost a month in hiatus, with an explosive card this Friday in Manila.

Honorio "The Rock" Banario will defend his ONE featherweight title against Koji Oishi, a former lightweight King of Pancrase.

Also, there will be another title on the line, as the interim ONE bantamweight world title belt is on the line as Bibiano Fernandes takes on Koetsu Okazaki.

In addition, the bantamweight grand prix tournament final will be decided with a title shot in the future between Kevin Belingon and Masakatsu Ueda.

Also Rey Docyogen and Tim Sylvia will be in action as well.

CARD

Bantamweight tournament final

(136 lb/61.2 kg)

Kevin Belingon v Masakatsu Ueda

 

Bantamweight championship

Title fight

(136 lb/61.2 kg)

Bibiano Fernandes v Koetsu Okazaki

 

Featherweight championship

Title fight

(146.2 lb/65.8 kg)

Honorio Banario (c) v Koji Oishi

 

 

The match should be available for streaming at ONEFC.com early Friday morning here in the states.

 



Congrats Bayern Munchen!

 

KINGS OF EUROPE!

 

2013 UEFA Champions League Champions! 

Malmo 2013: The Ten Best Performances, Hand-picked!

EUROVISION LVIII has been come and gone in over a week, however some of the performances have been in my honest opinion, as tops.

With that in mind, here are the ten best performances of EUROVISION LVIII Malmo:

 

El Sueno de Morfeo "Contigo Hasta el Final"

 

 

Who See Klapa "Igranka" (featuring Nina Zizic)

 



 

Gor Surjan & Dorians "Lonely Planet"

 

F. Cezar "The Voice" Ouatu "It's My Life"

 

Adrian Lulgjuraj "Identitet" (featuring Bledar Sejko)

 

Cascada "Glorious" (Same guys who did "Everytime We Touch")

 

 

Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love"

 

Koza Mostra "Alcohol is Free" (featuring Agathonas Iakovidis)

 

Alena Lanskaya "Solayoh" (NOTE: she has a personal Facebook page of her own.)

 

Heilsarmee (Takasa) "You and Me"

 

 

 

So those are my ten best performances of ESC LVIII. Later on this week, I will rank all 39 ESC LVIII entries. Where will these ten fall on the list? Stay tuned.

 



Roland Garros 2013 Begins Sunday!

The only grand slam on clay begins Sunday!

While one returning contender comes back, another one withdraws. Former French Open men's singles champion Rafa Nadal is back after missing over a year with a knee injury. Novak Djokovic has the top seed.

Defending Roland Garros champion in women's singles Maria Sharapova will be second seed in singles, whilst Serena Williams garnered the top seed.

With that in mind...notable first round singles matches...

MEN
(1) Novak Djokovic v David Goffin
(2) Roger Federer v Pablo Carreno Busta
(3) Rafa Nadal v Daniel Brands
(4) David Ferrer v Marinko Matosevic
(5) Tomas Berdych v Gael Monfils
(6) Jo Wilfried Tsonga v Aljaz Bezene
(7) Richard Gasquet v Sergiy Stakhovsky
(8) Janko Tipsarevic v Nicolas Mahut
(9) Stan Wawrinka v Thiemo de Bakker
(10) Marin Cilic v Philipp Petschner
(11) Nicolas Almagro v Andreas Haider Mauer
(12) Tommy Haas v Guillaume Rufin
(13) Ken Nishikori v Jesse Levine
(14) Milos Raonic v Xavier Malisse
(15) Gilles Simon v Lleyton Hewitt
(16) Philipp Kohlschreiber v Jiri Vesely
(18) Sam Querrey v Lukas Lacko
(19) John Isner v Carlos Berlocq
(21) Jerzy Janowicz v Albert Ramos
(22) Alex Dolgopolov v Dmitry Tursonov
(23) Kevin Anderson v Illya Marchenko
(24) Benoit Paire v Marcos Baghdatis
(25) Jeremy Chardy v Benjamin Becker
(26) Grigor Dimitrov v Alejandro Falla
(29) Mikhail Youzhny v Pablo Andujar
(30) Julien Benneteau v
Fernando Verdasco v  Marc Gicquel
Ryan Harrison v Andrey Kuznetsov
Bernard Tomic v Victor Hanescu
James Blake v Viktor Troicki
Jack Sock v Guillermo Garcia Lopez
Lukas Rosol v Pere Riba
Jurgen Melzer v Igor Sijsling
Radek Stepanek v Nick Kyrgios
Robin Haase v Kenny de Schepper
Michael Llodra v Steve Darcis
Gilles Muller v Roberto Bautista Agut
Nikolay Davydenko v Florent Serra
Joao Sousa v Go Soeda
Ernests Gulbis v Rogerio Dutra Silva
Jarko Nieminen v Paul Henri Mathieu

WOMEN
(1) Serena Williams v Anna Tatishvili
(2) Maria Sharapova v Su Wei Hsieh
(3) Victoria Azarenka v Elena Vesnina
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska v Shahar Peer
(5) Sara Errani v Arantxa Rus
(6) Na Li v Anabel Medina Garrigues
(7) Petra Kvitova v Aravane Rezai
(8) Angelique Kerber v Mona Barthel
(9) Sam Stosur v Kimiko Date Krumm
(10) Caroline Wozniacki v Laura Robson
(11) Nadia Petrova v Monica Puig
(12) Maria Kirilenko v Nina Bratchikova
(13) Marion Bartoli v Olga Govortsova
(14) Ana Ivanovic v Petra Martic
(15) Roberta Vinci v Stephanie Foretz Gacon
(16) Dominika Cibulkova v Lesia Tsurenko
(17) Sloane Stephens v Karin Knapp
(18) Jelena Jankovic v Daniela Hantuchova
(19) Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova v Andrea Hlavackova
(20) Carla Suarez Navarro v Simona Halep
(21) Kirsten Flipkens v Flavia Pennetta
(22) Ekaterina Makarova v Svetlana Kuznetsova
(24) Julia Goerges v Zuzana Kucova
(25) Lucie Safarova v Jamie Hampton
(26) Sorana Cirstea v Kiki Bertens
(27) Yaroslava Shvedova v Coco Vandeweghe
(28) Tamira Paszek v Melanie Oudin
(29) Varvara Lepchenko v Mirjana Lucic Baroni
(30) Venus Williams v Urszula Radwanska
(31) Alize Cornet v Maria Joao Koehler
(32) Sabine Lisicki v Sofia Arvidsson
Francesca Schiavone v Melinda Czink
Romina Oprandi v Elina Svitolina
Bethanie Mattek Sands v Lourdes Dominguez Lino
Tsvetana Pironkova v Eugenie Bouchard
Yanina Wickmayer v Anna Karolina Schimedlova
Heather Watson v Stefanie Voegele
Elena Baltacha v Marina Erakovic
Shuai Peng v Camila Giorgi
Ashleigh Barty v Lucie Hradecka
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova v Bojana Jovanovski
Christina McHale v Jana Cepelova
Vania King v Alexandra Cadantu
Madison Keys v Misaki Doi
Virginie Razzano v Claire Feuerstein
Johanna Larsson v Monica Niculescu

All 15 days of Roland Garros 2013 is live here in the states on NBC, Tennis Channel and the ESPN networks. For best results try a) Radio Roland Garros (on the French Open web site) or b) for those here in the states with DIRECTV, there's a French Open Mix Channel, with six channels of action, along with US network feeds.

UEFA Champions League Final: BVB v Bayern Saturday!

Nine months after boasting two exceptional football (soccer) finals at London 2012, including the World Cup women's final rematch between Japan and the United States (US won that match), Wembley Stadium will once again be the center of the football universe!

Once again, the stadium will be the host venue of the UEFA Champions League final, an all-Bundesliga final between Bayern and BVB. This is the third UCL final for Bayern-Munchen within a five year span, and it has been almost decades since their last European title.

BVB is making their first final in eons, and this is the last appearance in BVB uniform for striker Robert Lewandoski, who is in fact transferring to Bayern after this match (there were rumors that he would go to English club Manchester United). Lewandoski has had a tremendous UCL for BVB as their leading goal scorer including a four goal performance in a match last month.

The final is once again LIVE here in the States on Fox, at 2pm NAEDT. Soon the UCL final no doubt will replace the EUROVISION as "Europe's Favourite TV Show."

Friday Jukebox 5.24.13

I've recently heard this on an NBC promo for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, but it's not a surprise to me at all, since I remember the music originally released in the spring of 2000. There are two versions of Cypress Hill 'Superstar' off 2000's Skull & Bones. The 'Rap' is on the Skull CD, while 'Rock' is on the Bones CD. Since the promo used 'Rock,' I'd rather play both.

Have a very safe Memorial Day weekend here in the states.

Steve Forrest, 87, Lt. 'Hondo' Harrelson on SWAT TV Series

Link.

Emmelie de Forest Makes it a Hat Trick for Denmark

Emmelie de Forest's "Only Teardrops" won the vote on Saturday becoming the third act to win the ESC for Denmark. She joins Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann (1963) and the Olsen Brothers (2000) as the Danish acts to win the world's greatest (and most prestigious) music competition.

The final saw not one entry from the former Yugoslavia in there. Who See Klapa (Montenegro), Hannah Mancini (Slovenia), Klapa s Mora (Croatia) and Moje 3 (Serbia) failed to make it through the first semifinal, while the duo of Vlatko Lozanoski and Esma Redzepova (Macedonia) failed to qualify in the second semifinal. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was in the grand final at Baku 2012 with MayaSar's "Korake ti Znam," withdrew months ago.

Some good acts including Who See Klapa, Takasa (Heilsarmee) and the duo of Adrian Lulgjuraj and Bledar Sejko (Albania) missed the grand final.

It was an okay competition, but was glad Farid Mammadov (Azerbaijan) didn't win with such a dull song.

Who knows what Copenhagen 2014 will hold? Will some countries come back to the competition? Will some withdraw? Who knows.

Here is Emmelie's performance from the grand final on Saturday:

 

On Tuesday, I'll try to post the ten best performances of ESC LVIII. 

What's Another Year?

Not a reference to the 1980 song by Johnny Logan, which won EUROVISION by the way, but more about thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.

Oxbow wins at Pimlico, Baltimore on Saturday.

Once again, no Triple Crown. Orb ran in the back most of the way and was not a contender.

Ken Venturi, 82, 1964 USGA US Open Champion

Link.

Would also do color commentary for various PGA tour events for CBS Sports.

NBA Conference Finals 2013...Already Underway!

The NBA conference finals is already underway, and it has a small market feel.

With the exception of the world champion Heat, the others are just basically small-mid market teams, including the Grizzlies, who are making their first ever push to the conference final, something they didn't do whilst in Vancouver. The Pacers are back in the conference final for the first time since (I think) 2000, where they would advance to the NBA Finals.

With that in mind...

Conference finals
(Best of seven)

WEST
(2) Spurs v (5) Grizzlies
Game 1 Spurs won
Game 2 5/21
Game 3 5/25
Game 4 5/27
Game 5 5/29*
Game 6 5/31*
Game 7 6/2*

EAST
(1) Heat v (3) Pacers
Game 1 5/22
Game 2 5/24
Game 3 5/26
Game 4 5/28
Game 5 5/30*
Game 6 6/1*
Game 7 6/3*
*-if necessary.

West finals are on ESPN/ABC. East finals are on TNT. It's BIG.

Malmo 2013: Quick Grand Final Predictions

Saturday will be a big day because not only Orb has a chance to go two for two in his quest for thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, but also over in Malmo, Sweden, is the final for EUROVISION LVIII.

The second semifinal, which had some good stuff, shocked me because such shit from Azerbaijan and Finland made the final over quality stuff like Switzerland and Albania.

And now, the grand final. 20 who made it through the semifinals, plus the Big Six, including Sweden, the host country.

Here is how I view the grand final:

12 points goes to...

Alena Lanskaya "Solayoh." (Belarus) My second favorite song this year, and to all the idiots who think this song resembles "Aphrodisiac" by Eleftheria Eleftheriou from last year, you need mental help. This has an extreme aura, and the beat is much different than "Aphrodisiac." And I've been on the Alyona bandwagon since she won Belarussian national final in December with "Rhythm of Love," which I also like and preferred as well.

10 points to...

Koza Mostra and Agathonas Iakovidis "Alcohol is Free." (Greece) Quite possibly the best Greek song I've heard in a long time (oh yeah and fuck Kalomira's tripe from 2007). It has it all, and is now the official song of summer. Rock ballad, exactly. A good contender to win.

8 points to...

Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love." (Norway) Very powerful song in which I think it too can prove itself to be a contender to win. To me, I think it will finish third.

7 points to...

Cascada "Glorious." (Germany) This proves that the trio Cascada is back and better than ever. Using the ESC and their win in the German national final as a platform to back up the skeptics who think "Everytime we Touch" is their best. Hell fucking no. Still, the highest finisher among the 'Big Six' in my opinion.

6 points to...

F. Cezar Ouatu "It's My Life." (Romania) Quite possibly the best Romanian ESC entry I've heard in a long time. As a fan of the opera, and his experience in opera, combines the best of both, along with a great beat. Could win.

5 points to...

Dorians "Lonely Planet." (Armenia) Written by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, it's a bit political, but their message is good (remember it's their message). So that is a plus.

4 points to...

El Sueno de Morfeo "Contigo Hasta el Final." (Spain) Best Spanish effort I've heard in a while. Miles better than Pastora Soler and since it's alternative, it's a plus.

3 points to...

ByeAlex "Kedvesem." (Hungary) A moving track, this is another year that I've enjoyed listening to Hungary's ESC efforts.

2 points to...

Andrius Pojavis "Something." (Lithuania) What's the beef with this you fucking chavs? This is great, and alternative music fans throughout Europe will vote for such a track.

and the 1 point to...

Amandine Bourgeois "L'enfer et  Moi." (France) There is something about this where I think they will get a point, but won't win. Good tune, perhaps.

The rest of the finishers:

11. Bonnie Tyler "Believe in Me" (Great Britain)

12. Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops" (Denmark)

13. Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani "Waterfall" (Georgia)

14. Zlata Ognevich "Gravity" (Ukraine)

15. Giancarlo Bezzina "Tomorrow" (Malta)

16. Dina Garipova "What If" (Russia)

17. Anouk "Birds" (Netherlands)

18. Ryan Dolan "Only Love Survives" (Ireland)

19. Birgit Oigemeel "Et Uus Saaks Alguse" (Estonia)

20. Marco Mengioni "L'essenziale" (Italy)

21. Eythor Ingi Gunlaugsson "Eg a Lif" (Iceland)

22. Alena Moon "O Mie" (Moldova)

23. Roberto Bellarosa "Love Kills" (Belgium)

24. Farid Mammadov "Hold Me" (Azerbaijan)

25. Robin Stjernberg "You" (Sweden)

26. Krista Siegfrids "Marry Me" (Finland), a true nul points candidate.

So there you have it, live streaming for us in the states on Eurovision.TV Saturday, at 3pm NAEDT!

Dick Trickle, 71, Former Cup Driver

Link.

An ASA national tour veteran, he was the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup rookie of the year, and drove for various owners in Cup, including Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, RahMoc, Bud Moore, Junie Donleavy, and most recently with Marcis Auto Racing, all of which are long gone by now.

He had been in pain and committed suicide by shooting himself.

Friday Jukebox 5.17.13

Chris Kelly, one half of Kris Kross, was found dead a couple weeks ago due to drug overdose at age 34. In his teens, he was one half of the duo who rose to fame with "Jump," one of only four tracks from Totally Krossed Out, released in 1992.

Deer Jumps Through a Moving Bus!

Check out this deer jumping through the window in the front of a bus:

Free fare perhaps?

Fred White, 76, Play by Play Broadcaster

Link.

Fred has not only done broadcasting for the Royals, he also did Big 8 and Metro men's basketball for Raycom, as well as various work for ESPN in their earlier years in operation.

2013 NHL Conference Semifinals: Already Underway!

The game seven of the Leafs-Bruins Eastern quarterfinal is one you must either breath a sign of relief or shake your  head. Anyway, now it's the semifinal phase, and there are two semifinals featuring 'original six teams," including the Bruins taking on the Rangers, and the Wings-Blackhawks series. Already two series-Pens/Sens and Sharks/Kings already started last night.

With that in mind, the semifinals schedule

(best of seven)

EAST
(1) Penguins v (7) Senators
Game 1: Pens won
Game 2: 5/17
Game 3: 5/19
Game 4: 5/22
Game 5: 5/24*
Game 6: 5/26*
Game 7: 5/28*

(4) Bruins v (6) Rangers
Game 1: 5/16
Game 2: 5/19
Game 3: 5/21
Game 4: 5/23
Game 5: 5/25*
Game 6: 5/27*
Game 7: 5/29*

WEST
(1) Blackhawks v (7) Red Wings
Game 1: tonight 5/15
Game 2: 5/18
Game 3: 5/20
Game 4: 5/23
Game 5: 5/25*
Game 6: 5/27*
Game 7: 5/29*

(5) Kings v (6) Sharks
Game 1: Kings won
Game 2: 5/16
Game 3: 5/18
Game 4: 5/21
Game 5: 5/23*
Game 6: 5/26*
Game 7: 5/28*
*-if necessary.

Every game is on the NBC networks in the states, while CBC will have both Hawks/Wings and Sens/Pens. TSN will carry Kings/Sharks and Bruins/Rangers.

Because it's the Cup.

Malmo 2013: Quick Second Semifinal Predictions

In the first semifinal I correctly picked everyone except the awful tunes of Moldova and Belgium, in which I will go over (probably) in the grand final predictions on Friday.

Anyway, there is the second semifinal. 17 entries for ten spots on Saturday. Here are my predictions of the ten who will move on to Saturday:

Heilsarmee (Takasa) "You and Me." (Switzerland) Swiss acts, such as these guys and Sinplus from Baku 2012 are still some of my favorite Swiss entries of the ESC. I've been playing this since they won the Swiss National Final in December. Brilliant tune that really rocks. Never mind the imposed EBU name change, it is still great.

Koza Mostra & Agathonas Iakovidis "Alcohol is Free." (Greece) Finally, a Greek song worth listening to for a long time. There had been some great Greek entries in the ESC, such as Mathima Solfege's "The Solfege Lesson" from 1977, just to name a few. Didn't like Eleftheria last year, but this one will definitely be an attention getter. If you like acts such as Sublime, you'll like this.

Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love." (Norway) A powerful tune with good beat, a stunning amount of perfection. I've heard a lot of Norwegian acts in ESC over the years, this is one of their best.

Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko "Identiet." (Albania) Great alternative rock from a band that deserves heaps better than the Rona Nishliu hemmorhoid song from Baku 2012. A contender to win it all on Saturday? Maybe.

Cezar Ouatu "It's My Life." (Romania) I've heard some good entries from Romania in the ESC every now and then, and this ranks as their best. Beat good; lose the dubstep. A pure contender to win the grand final, especially with such a voice. Keep in mind he has plenty of opera experience.

Dorians "Lonely Planet." (Armenia) Armenia is back in EUROVISION! Quality rock, especially when it is ritten by Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame. All fans of Black Sabbath will appreciate this work.

ByeAlex "Kedvesem." (Hungary) Hungary is underrated in ESC, and this is a perfect ballad. No doubt it will qualify for the grand final.

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov "Samo Shampioni." (Bulgaria) Now Bulgaria is a country I have enjoyed listening their tracks in ESC over the last few years. From Kaffe in 2005 to the recent stuff with both Poli Genova and Sofi Marinova, Bulgaria has sent tunes with extreme high aura levels and are highly addictive (except the ones from maybe 2008 to maybe 2010). This is one of those. Elitsa & Stoyan both represented Bulgaria at ESC '07, where "Voda" went to the final and finished 5th. They are only champions, but this could be a longshot to win it all Saturday.

Noda Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani "Waterfall." (Georgia) Epic ballad that is pinned by Thomas 'G:Son' Gustafsson, who wrote "Euphoria" by Loreen Talhaoui, last year's winner who opened the first semifinal along with area kids from Malmo. Another longshot to win it all.

And the last song to qualify for the grand final on Saturday:

PeR "Here We Go." (Latvia) Once again, it's not a song about Bud Light, but a tune that has elements of pop and rap. The juries on Tuesday screwed Who See Klapa of a final, hopefully they won't screw these guys. Rap in ESC is just as needed because there are Europeans (and Europeans abroad) who are huge rap fans, especially those of the underground scene.

Those going golfing:

Gianluca Bezzina "Tomorrow." (Malta) Good song, with a good guitar solo, but will once again be faced with a huge tiebreaker similar to the second semifinal last year in Baku between Sofi Marinova and Tooji. We know how it turned out...

Vlatko Lozanoski & Esma Redzepova "Pred da se Razdeni." (Macedonia) The gypsy queen's first foray in EUROVISION, at 67, and just like the second semifinal last year, it will possibly be a tie this year with Austria and Malta. Good song though.

Valentina Monetta "Crisalide." (San Marino) The new and improved Valentina Monetta's second straight ESC, a better song than "Facebook," however it will be a similar result: failure to qualify.

Eythor Ingi Gunlaugsson "Eg a Lif." (Iceland) Great ballad with piano, but like the second semifinal last year, it will be tough to get in.

Moran Mazor "Rak Bishvillo." (Israel) Great ballad, however in such a tight semifinal, it would be a longshot to get in.

Farid Mammadov "Hold Me." (Azerbaijan) Just like "Rak Bishvillo" by Moran Mazor, it would also be a longshot to get in. Tough semifinal.

Krista Siegfrids "Marry Me." (Finland) The only entry in the second semifinal with no chance at all to get in. Why? It is the worst song at this year's ESC, a Katy Perry copycat, and in my honest opinion, is the favorite to get null points (Jedward's "Lipstick" and "Waterline" should have gotten null points in their semifinals in 2011 and 2012). Maybe Finland would considering sending the new and improved Lordi for 2014?

So in conclusion, everyone has a legitimate shot to make it in, except Finland. If Krista Siegfrieds is in the grand final, we riot. If she wins it all, riots will be all over Malmo. All because of a horrible filthy piece of shit song.

You can watch the second semifinal live, at 9pm CET (3pm NAEDT) on Thursday at Eurovision.tv.

Joyce Brothers, 85, Psycholgist, TV Personality

Link.

Malmo 2013: First Semifinal Predictions

It is less than 24 hours away from the first semifinal of Malmo 2013, the LVIIIth (58e) Concours EUROVISION Chansons de la Europeenes 2013.

A quick first semifinal prediction. 16 songs in this first semifinal, predetermined in drawing a few months ago by EBU/ESC committee. With that in mind, my first semifinal predictions.

Those that will go to Saturday's grand final:

Alena Lanskaya "Solayoh." (Belarus) Very powerful, and just like "Rhythm of Love" is an attention getter.

Who See Klapa "Igranka (featuring Nina Zizic)." (Montenegro) Hip hop will once again be a proven genre in the ESC. Everything but the dubstep is good. Very perfect and credible hip hop.

Andrius Pojavis "Something." (Lithuania) Finally, a proven contender not named Donny Montell that won't blind you with their song.

Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops." (Denmark) There's something with the song that I think could make the final,  however will not win grand final on Saturday.

Hannah Mancini "Straight Into Love." (Slovenia) Great ballad, lose the dubstep. We here in the States are cheering her on as she is from El Lay.

Zlata Ognevich "Gravity." (Ukraine) Good song that should easily head straight for Saturday. Just like Gaitana (or Haytana, who just got married months ago), she is a perfect woman.

Dina Garipova "What If?" (Russia) The grandmas were one of my favorites at Baku, but this nugget is good. Good ballad enough to hear it again on Saturday.

Anouk "Birds." (Netherlands) Great ballad. Enough said.

Ryan Dolan "Only Love Survives." (Ireland) Finally, a song that would shut Planet Jedward up. A longshot to win it all, who knows how such a ballad would work in the ESC. Just ask Johnny Logan, whose ballads won in 1980 and 1987.

And the last spot goes to...

Birgit Oigemeel "Et Uus Saaks Alguse." (Estonia) Would love to see Estonia back once again in the ESC final. Of course "Kuula" by Ott Lepland was one of my favorites from Baku!

Heading home:

Natalia Kelly "Shine." (Austria) Good song, which channels her inner Shawn Colvin, but in such tight quarters, will be in a moment similar to the second semifinal at Baku when 11 nations voted for Tooji to make the final, as opposed to the ten that Sofi Marinova had.

Moje 3 "Ljubav je Svada." (Serbia) Okay song from these Wild Orchid copycats. Won't make it either.

Alena Moon "O Mie." (Moldova) Once again, Moldova disappoints. They lucked out last year with Pasta Barfeny...I mean Pasha Parfeny, who actually wrote the song.

Klapa s Mora "Mizerja." (Croatia) Barbershop sextet will be on the outside, but won't make it in.

Roberto Bellarosa "Love Kills." (Belgium). Okay song, but you long for the days of greatness from Telex and Emly Starr among others.

Despina Olympiou "An Me Thymase." (Cyprus) Second worst song of the ESC 2013, and once again instead of sending a quality act, they send this. The Cypriot delegation are also begging for votes from other delegations this year due to the banking crisis. After the tripe last year with Ivi Adamou (whose song I absolutely despise and lucked out to make the final), it's time to pull the plug.

This first semifinal is live on Eurovision.tv streaming Tuesday around 3pm Eastern. On Wednesday, I will break down my second semifinal predictions.

Friday Jukebox 5.10.13

If you didn't hear or read within the last couple of weeks, Divinyls lead singer Chrissie Amplett passed away at the age of 53 two weeks ago. The Divinyls, an Aussie outfit, will be always best known for their hit "I Touch Myself" from 1991.

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Zlata Ognevich "Gravity"

This is the 39th and final review of Malmo 2013.

"Gravity" by Zlata Ognevich is the Ukrainian entry this year. This song starts soft, but goes down hard beginning at the midpoint. Take a listen:

Will this make the grand final next Saturday? Absolutely. Will it win it all? Not by a longshot. It is good, and just as good as "Be My Guest" by Gaitana (or Haytana) from Baku 2012.

Hope for the best.

And there you have it. The reviews of the 39 entries of Malmo 2013. I plan to put up my first semifinal predictions on Monday.

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Heilsarmee (Changed to 'Takasa' to Meet EBU Standards) "You and Me"

And here is the next to last review of Malmo 2013. Heilsarmee was originally called Heilsarmee, but due to the EBU's rules regarding trademarks in the ESC, there had to be a name change. Heilsarmee is a German translation of "The Salvation Army," which is a trademarked organization. Therefore, for this year's event, the band changed to 'Takasa.' The song is still the same.

"You and Me" is just simply...a rock ballad. Take a listen:

Switzerland in some of the recent years in ESC never disappoints. "Unbreakable" by Sinplus from Baku 2012 was my favorite last year. It should have made the final and won. No need to compare. This one spells winner and hopefully it will make the grand final next Saturday.

The real winner of Malmo 2013. Bern or Geneva 2014, perhaps?

Hope for the best.

Up next: the final review of Malmo 2013, Zlata Ognevich "Gravity."

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Robin Stjernberg "You"

Being the representative of the host country of an ESC is tough. You have to be an ambassador for the competition, and represent not just the host country, but every other competitor. And in that case, it is Robin Stjernberg who will try to do just that for Sweden.

Sweden, which won at Baku 2012, is the host country and Stjernberg's "You" is just another typical pop piece. Take a listen:

To me, this has to be one of the worst songs for a grand final-only ESC nation within the last few years. I don't think this spells win or top ten placement on May 18.

Also, "Euphoria" by Loreen Talhaoui, the winning song from Baku 2012 was heaps better. Hell, anything from Talhaoui's debut album Heal is heaps better than this.

So that does it for the 'big six' reviews.

Up next: a review of Heilsarmee (or Takasa) "You and Me."

NBA Conference Semifinals 2013

A young Pacers squad started off great in their Eastern semifinal series with the Knicks on Sunday. The Grizzlies-Thunder series also began Sunday.

It is now down to the NBA version of the Elite 8, and in the month of May, amazing could happen.

With that in mind...

EAST
Semifinals
(1) Heat v (5) Bulls
Game 1: 5/6
Game 2: 5/8
Game 3: 5/10
Game 4: 5/13
Game 5: 5/15*
Game 6: 5/17*
Game 7: 5/19*

(2) Knicks v (3) Pacers
Game 1: Pacers won
Game 2: 5/7
Game 3: 5/11
Game 4: 5/14
Game 5: 5/16*
Game 6: 5/18*
Game 7: 5/20*

WEST
Semifinals
(1) Thunder v (5) Grizzlies
Game 1: Thunder won
Game 2: 5/7
Game 3: 5/11
Game 4: 5/13
Game 5: 5/15*
Game 6: 5/17*
Game 7: 5/19*

(2) Spurs v (6) Warriors
Game 1: 5/6
Game 2: 5/8
Game 3: 5/10
Game 4: 5/12
Game 5: 5/14*
Game 6: 5/16*
Game 7: 5/18*
*-if necessary.

All on either TNT, ESPN, ESPN on ABC and/or your regional sports networks.

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: El Sueno de Morfeo "Contigo Hasta el Final"

El Sueno de Morfeo won't have to worry about a semifinal. Why? Because Spain is among the 'big six' exclusively for grand final day May 18.

The Spanish trio's entry, "Contigo Hasta el Final" is one I think has it all. A great song, which starts slow and gets harder, with a folkish sound. Take a listen:

No doubt about it. This has something Pastora Soler didn't have at Baku 2012: being a worthy contender on grand final day. I mean "Quedate Conmigo" was okay, but this song is heaps better.
Will they back up my words on May 18? Stay tuned.

Up next: a review of Robin Stjernberg "You."

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Hannah Mancini "Straight Into Love"

This is the next to last semifinal 1 participant from Malmo 2013 who I will review.

 

"Straight Into Love" by Hannah is the Slovenian entry this year, however the song is good, except the biggest problem of the song: the dubstep. I hate dubstep. Take a listen:

 



 

Again, it is a great song and should make the final due to its atmospheric presence, could be a contender to win on May 18. However it is the dubstep that is the distraction. About a handful of songs this year has dubstep. Austria and Montenegro are among the others with dubstep-based tunes.

 

It is good, and far superior to "Verjamem" by Eva Boto from Baku 2012. Apparently that entry didn't make the final.

 

Hope for the best.

 

Up next: a review of El Sueno de Morfeo "Contigo Hasta el Final." 

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: The Moje 3 "Ljubav je Svuda"

The Moje 3 is a girl group (and there have been some in the history of ESC) who will be the Serbian representatives at Malmo 2013 with "Ljubav je Svuda."

"Ljubav je Svuba" is an okay song, not a light ballad, not a heavy pop song, but somewhere in between. Take a listen:

This could be yet another borderline entry to make the final on May 18. Also, I really think the Zeljko Joksimovic masterpiece "Nije Ljubav Stvar" from Baku 2012 is better. At least it finished 4th, and was glad that it made the final. Where was the fucking beef about it?

Hope for the best.

Up next: a review of Hannah "Straight Into Love."

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Valentina Monetta "Crisalide (Vola)"

Before I proceed. Here is the drastic comparison between Valentina Monetta last year and this year.

2012:

 

 

2013:

 



Now do you see the difference?

She is back. Valentina Monetta. The same artist who represented San Marino at Baku 2012, will do the same this year at Malmo. But this time a completely different tune than last year.

Her entry for Malmo-preselected by the ESC broadcaster of San Marino-entitled "Crisalide (Vola)," is a ballad, which starts soft, and toward the end gets down hard. Take a listen:

This could be a borderline contender to make the final, but not win it all on May 18. This will be featured in the second semifinal. Her song from Baku, "Facebook" (retitled "The Social Network Song" to meet EBU standards) was in the first semifinal and failed to qualify.

With that in mind, this is heaps better than "Facebook" "The Social Network Song." That song from last year was hideous and I was glad it didn't make the final.

Hope for the best. Now real Eurofans can pull for her, and by the way, like "Facebook/The Social Network Song," Ralph Siegel wrote this one too.

Up next: a review of  Moje 3 "Ljubav je Svuda."

Friday Jukebox 5.3.13: A Short Tribute to George Jones.

George 'No Show' Jones, whom Kid Rock referenced in "American Bad Ass" from 2000, passed away a couple weeks ago at the age of 81. Here is one of his masterpieces, "He Stopped Loving Her Today," released in 1980 and on the album A Hard Act to Follow.

 

See y'all at Centenary's graduation at Gold Dome Saturday. I will be graduating.

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Dina Garipova "What If?"

Dina Garipova is one of the youngest contestants at Malmo 2013 at the age of 22. She will prove that youth is not a factor with her song "What If?"

This is a ballad, but the title would make you think, is this another Iris? Iris, at 17, represented Belgium at Baku 2012 with "Would You?" Similar title form, which asks a question. However, this is a completely different tune from "Would You?" Take a listen.

It is a great song, and will make the final no doubt. On the other hand, it doesn't have the fun the Buranovski Babushki's had at Baku 2012. "Party for Everybody" was one of my favorites at that ESC. But is this a direct contender to win the grand final? Maybe, by a longshot.

Hope for the best.

Up next: a review of Valentina Monetta "Crisalide." Yes folks, she is back.

Malmo 2013 39 For 39: Cezar Ouatu "It's My Life"

Cezar Ouatu is a operatic vocalist who has done a lot of things in the opera, and will represent Romania at Malmo with "It's My Life."

This is not a cover song, but a moving masterpiece, fueled by his high pitched opera-based voice and an electronic sound which fuses house and some trance with dubstep (yuck). Take a listen:

To me, this is a contender for the win on May 18 in the grand final. Why? Because it is moving, and a high pitched voice could surprise the juries and voters. I really hope those two sides can get my message and not vote for this and not the shitty tripe from Finland to make the final from the May 16 second semifinal.

Also, going head to head with "Zaleilah" by the Caribbean-fused band Mandinga from Baku 2012, this one here is the far superior. Remember, the EBU/ESC is bringing back the orchestra from the dead only and only for the second semifinal. The orchestra could play a role in whether or not he will make the final on May 18.

Hope for the best.

Up next: a review of Dina Garipova "What If?"