EurovisionCanada.com Podcast Featuring Joe Varnell

Podcast 018 - Our Predictions For The Eurovision Song Contest Final

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:24:09 +0000

Welcome to podcast 18 where we now have our field of 26 countries set for the Eurovision Final on Saturday night (May 18).

We're going to begin the podcast with our thoughts on semi-final one that was held on Tuesday where we successfully predicted 7 of the 10 songs that would qualify.

The results were shocking for many, as the Eurovision Song Contest continues in the tradition of always having a surprise in store.

Still, with both of the semi-final performances in mind, along with the presence of the big 5 and Sweden in Saturday's final, we share our predictions for the Top 10 finishers, starting with number 10 and working our way up to the Eurovision winner.

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The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa . All songs are found on YouTube and are used here under fair use for music criticism and commentary in a non-commercial context. Stong language and/or strong lyrics are rarely used.

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Podcast 017 - Our Predictions For Eurovision Semi-Final Two

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:50:49 +0000

Welcome to podcast 17 where appropriately enough we turn our attention to the 17 songs competing in the second semi-final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (May 16th). We’re going to revisit some of the entries, revising our opinions based on what’s changed for these songs in the past few weeks and then we’re going to predict which 10 countries will qualify for the Eurovision Final on May 18th.

We've found handicapping semi-final 2 a little challenging, because like semi-final one, there appear to be a few sure qualifiers and then a whole host of songs that will be vying for those last few qualifying spots, and because we have one additional song in the mix, 17 instead of 16 in this semi-final, it was just that little bit harder trying to come up with our list of 10.

A reminder that France, Germanyand Spain get to vote in this semi-final and when you have a year with so many countries likely to be on the bubble, the votes of these automatically qualified nations can make a big difference.

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Podcast 016 - Our Predictions For Eurovision Semi-Final 1

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:07:47 +0000

It’s time to assess how the landscape has changed for the songs that will be competing in the Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final One. We’re going to adjust our initial rankings based on changes that have happened since the national finals and and we’re going to predict which songs are going to make it out of semi-final one. Will Eurovision Canada soar with the Snowbirds or will we make a complete beaver’s tail of ourselves?

Semi-final one is technically the easier of the two semi-finals in this year’s song contest as there are only 16 songs competing for 10 qualifying spots, as opposed to semi-final two where there are 17 songs vying for 10 spots. Many of the bookmakers' front runners find themselves clustered together in this semi-final. We think that will make for a semi-final where there are 5 or 6 almost certain qualifiers and then there will be a whole host of countries in the running for the last few spots.

Automatically qualified nations, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, get to vote in this semi-final. That could play a big factor in deciding who fills the last few qualifying positions on May 14th.

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Podcast 015 - Cycling Eurovision: From London To Malmo

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:28:04 +0000

We know about Eurovision Song Contest home parties that can also serve as a fun occasion to raise funds on behalf of charities (listen to Podcast 5), but we've never encountered a public fundraising initiative, related to Eurovision, that had the potential to involve multiple communities, in several countries. That's what Mandy Norman is doing with Cycling Eurovision.

The freelance graphic designer and cycling instructor plans to leave London on April 27th for a cycling trip that will take her through The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, arriving in Malmo, Sweden on May 13th, in time for the Eurovision Song Contest. The journey, estimated to be approximately 1,300 kms (800 miles in UK terms), is all on behalf of Special Olympics Great Britain.

We spoke to Mandy about the epic journey, and the Eurovision challenge of trying to convert a sceptical friend, into a fan!

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Podcast 014 - Eurovision Group 6: The Host & The Most

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:27:30 +0000

Join us for a review of the songs that have come from entries in Group 6 of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. We call this group The Host & The Most.

The group of countries that are automatically qualified for this year’s Eurovision Final are the Big Five: Spain, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy, along with last year’s victor Sweden. The Big Five are the largest financial contributors to the EBU, effectively buying their way into the finals. Without them the contest wouldn’t be possible.

When you add Sweden to the mix, this group of countries really seem to know a thing or two about winning Eurovision. Between them, these countries have twenty-one Eurovision victories. Now that number is a little inflated because 3 of them shared the victory in 1969, but even so, over the history of the contest there is almost a 1 in 3 chance that the winner would be in this group. Is the winner here in 2013? Let’s have a look.

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Podcast 013 - Eurovision Group 5: The Habsburg Empire

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:42:11 +0000

We continue our look at the entries to the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, according to the Group that they were placed in for the semi-final allocation draw. It’s time to look at Eurovision Group 5, a group largely made up of states that were once at the heart of one of Europe’s great powers. We’re calling Group 5: The Habsburg Empire.

Group 5 consists of Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Slovenia and San Marino is included in this group because…well, it had to go somewhere and all the other groups were full. So in 2013 can the Hapsburg empire strike back? Let’s see what they’ve got.

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Podcast 012 - Eurovision Group 1: The Balkans & Beyond

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:11:46 +0000

Join us for a review of the songs that have come from entries in Group 1 of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. We call this group The Balkans & Beyond.

This year sees one of the key players from the region, Bosnia & Herzegovina, sitting out the contest, so the group is comprised of four countries that emerged from the former Yugoslavia: Croatia, Serbia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia & Montenegro, along with two countries that frequently trade points with the Balkans in the semi-finals, Albania and Switzerland.

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Podcast 011 - Eurovision Group 3: Back In the USSR

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:01:06 +0000

Join us for a review of the songs that have come from entries in Group 3 of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. We call this group Back In The USSR: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukaraine and Russia.

This is the heartland of block voting, if not the inventor of that strategy, but other shanigans happen too! Through it all, the music often rises above everything else.

The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa . All songs are found on YouTube and are used here under fair use for music criticism in a non-commercial context. Stong language and/or strong lyrics are rarely used. Send emails or voice memos for use in the podcast to EurovisionCanada@gmail.com.

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 010 - Eurovision Group 4: Nice To Their Neighbours

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:44:21 +0000

In this year's review of Eurovision Song Contest entries, we're looking at songs grouped by the pool they were placed in for the Eurovision semi-final allocation draw. We recently reviewed Group 2, The Viking Empire, in Podcast 9, and now it's time to look at Group 4: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Netherlands and we're going to include Israel in this group, who have been allocated to semi-final two because semi-final one conflicts with a national holiday in Israel.

We call this group, "Nice to their Neighbours", because of their geographic proximity to one another and their tendency to exchange points over the years. But this year, this group has lots more nasty than nice, so let's check them out and you'll see what we mean.

The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa. All songs are found on YouTube and are used here under fair use for music criticism in a non-commercial context. Stong language and/or strong lyrics are rarely used. Send emails or voice memos for use in the podcast to EurovisionCanada@gmail.com.

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 009 - Eurovision 2013's Viking Empire

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:55:02 +0000

Hosted by Joe Varnell

Last weekend, the Eurovision Song Contest's Group 2 became the first of the Contest's sub-groups, to be fully allocated. So it's time to review this year's songs that will represent the Viking Empire: Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Norway.

Sweden, as host and winner of last year's Contest is excluded from this group this year, as they don't have to qualify for the final, and we will include Sweden in our review of the "Big Five" group (France, U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy).

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 008 - Back On Track: U.K.

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:58:02 +0000

Join us for the first podcast in our series "Back On Track". To begin, we look at the United Kingdom to determine where they went wrong and how they found success in the Eurovision Song Contest and we audaciously come up with three recommendations to get the U.K. Back On Track.

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Podcast 007 - Eurovision Euphoria in a Swedish Pub in London

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:20:14 +0000

When we decided to experience the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom, we naturally turned to the Harcourt Arms in London, a Swedish pub, to be with harcore fans during the Final of the Contest. We were all there to watch Loreen win for Sweden with Euphoria.

The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa. Contact us with your thoughts or recommendations for future podcasts.

Podcast 006 - Our Review of Eurovision Song Contest 2012

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Thu, 31 May 2012 00:46:43 +0000

Join us for a review of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. We look at where our predictions missed and how we got it correct in all the right places! We went to London, where we booked into the Swedish pub, The Harcourt Arms, to watch the final segment of the ESC. Is it better to watch the Contest online or with television commentary? Did we win our bet on the winner of the contest?

The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa . All songs are found on YouTube and are used here under fair use for music criticism in a non-commercial context. Photos in the enhanced (Apple Lossless format) podcast by EurovisionCanada.com. Strong language and/or strong lyrics are rarely used. Contact us with your thoughts or recommendations for future podcasts.

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 005 - Hosting A Eurovision Song Contest Party

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:02:20 +0000

Photo by Gaz de VereEurovision Song Contest parties are a well-established tradition in Europe, with many countries puting their own spin on the occasion. But what's a newbie to the Eurovision party scene to do?

We turned to British party expert Gaz de Vere, creator of the Eurovision Party Kit CD (available on ebay) for some tips that will even surprise long-time followers of Eurovision.

The EurovisionCanada.com Podcast is hosted by Joe Varnell and produced by Kevin Bourassa . All songs are found on YouTube and are used here under fair use for music criticism in a non-commercial context. Photos in the enhanced (Apple Lossless format) podcast by Gaz de Vere, except those of Joe Varnell (EurovisionCanada.com). Strong language and/or strong lyrics are rarely used. Contact us with your thoughts or recommendations for future podcasts.

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Podcast 004 - Amsterdam - Eurovision In Concert

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:00:31 +0000

In our 4th podcast, listen to Joe Varnell's review of Eurovision In Concert held on April 21, 2012 in Amsterdam.

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Podcast 003 - The Big 6 of the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:42:04 +0000

In our third podcast, listen to Joe Varnell's review of the Big Six entries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain Azerbaijan), in performance order, of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. (Please allow time for the player, below, to load the 21MB, 21 minute file, optimized for Apple IOS.)

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Podcast 002 - The Second Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:27:19 +0000

In our second podcast, listen to Joe Varnell's review of the entries, in performance order, of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.

Podcast 001 - The First Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest

Kevin Bourassa & Joe Varnell — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:08:27 +0000

In our inaugural podcast, listen to Joe Varnell's review of the entries, in performance order, of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

If your browser is having difficulty with the media player below, you can listen to the podcast here.