Melodifestivalen 2014: Heat One

And here we go again! Time for 2014 first Melodifestivalen live blog! I'm super excited to see what happens today, because I have a feeling there may be some surprises. It seems like such a strong first heat.

Also, for the first time, I'm trying the live stream on a new smart TV. Hope everything goes well!!

* Sweden wants to win again this year! And that'd be a-okay with me. Still not really feeling this Danish song, though.

* I'm not familiar with these hosts. Hmmm... we'll see. That was definitely an... interesting... introduction.

* Time for the oh-so-reliable applause-o-meter. Yohio, Linus, Ellen and Helena seemed to have cleaned up there. Could they be the top four? Wouldn't be surprising, nor would it be what I'd want.

YOHIO: Peter Kvint co-wrote this, and as the co-writer of my favorite ever song ("Calleth You, Cometh I" by the Ark), I have high expectations.
Not sure about the look this year, but the song's great (though not as good as Ulrik's similar-sounding one last year) and his vocals sound really good. I'd like to see a DTG here, and that's coming from someone who's not necessarily a fan.

MAHAN: "We are Aleo." A little pretentious for what this is, right? She's pulling all sorts of faces. She really believes in this.
It seems like she's also got Robin's dancers from last year, flipsying and dipsying all around the stage and somehow making it look really serious. Song's not bad, and I will definitely be playing it over the next coming months, but I don't think she'll qualify. Maybe fifth?

LINUS: This guy is apparently way more well-known in Sweden than I thought. He's also got the songwriting power of Kempe behind him (and the most awkward catwalk entrance so far).
Plus, he's got the most "emotional" track of the night. All this adds up to what I think will be a surprise DTG, perhaps with Yohio? We'll see. Song's not bad, even though it's not exactly the type of thing I go into MF hoping for.

ELISA: Some cheap schlager! This is more what I would expect, and it's nice to see this kind of silly little song competing. I'm not sure it'll do very well, as it seems to be missing that little extra oomph in the melody that it needs. Kinda reminds me of that Rongedal song from a few years back that was so popular.

ALVARO: Following the footsteps of other dancers-turned-singers that have entered the contest (and done well) in the past, this is probably the song I'm most anticipating based on the clip. He reminds me of a mix between David Lindgren and Eric Saade.
It's a shame that his vocals are pretty shaky, because the song is great. To be fair, it's not exactly an easy melody to perform live. I don't think it's looking good for him (wrong performer for the song, imo), but I can't WAIT to have the studio version. Love this melody. I wonder how the raunchy lyrics will affect its chances?

ELLEN: I like her entry music, but that's probably the fastest tempo we'll be getting from her.
It's another "serious" song, but as far as that type of thing goes, it's not bad. She's certainly got a great voice. I expect (somewhat begrudgingly) this to be somewhere in the top four. I would like it a lot more had it been performed by Abba!

SYLVESTER: If a band member of the Ark is competing, why isn't it Ola Salo? Ugh, that would have been unbelievably fantastic. Maybe next year.
I actually... don't hate this? The vocals are a little weird, but I'm a sucker for a bit of Swedish rock. I don't think it'll do all that well, though. Too forgettable.

HELENA: I know she's popular with the MF and Eurovision community, but I don't really have any leanings toward her either way, so I'm coming into this song fresh.
Okay, I like this, but there's something preventing me from LOVING it. It's almost too straightforward, despite that awesome drama of the hook. I think she'll definitely be top four, but maybe not DTG.

* Okay, so I assume they'll be pulling the top 5 next, as usual. I think we can safely assume Yohio, Linus, Ellen and Helena will be there, with maybe Elisa or Alvaro taking 5th.
Right now, I'm feeling:
DTG - Yohio and Linus
AC - Ellen and Helena
We'll see. Somehow, I feel like this heat was a little less strong than I'd expected.

EDIT: I feel like we're at a baptist church with all this fire and brimstone. (also, proud of myself that I could understand a large portion of that Swedish!)

EDIT: It makes my heart swell to see "the ark" trending worldwide on twitter. If only it was for a different reason!

EDIT: Ah, I love Ulrik. Also, random question but didn't anyone else find it awesome that Chris Lilley used Molly Sanden's "Why Am I Crying" over and over again in Ja'mie: Private School Girl?

* Here we go!
TOP 5: Linus, Elisa, Ellen, Helena and Yohio.
As predicted, then.
Alvaro #6, Mahan #7 and Sylvester #8 (well, at least he has the honor of coming both first and last in MF!)

EDIT: They've really gone out of their way to mock Denmark, haven't they? Kinda lame, though I liked the Lego cup.

RESULTS:
First Direct to the Final is..... Yohio!
(I'm feeling pretty good about my predictions)

Andra Chansen songs are.... Linus (kind of shocking, as I was sure he'd be DTG) and Helena.
Wow, that means Ellen must be in there for DTG.

And she is!
Christ, please don't this be "This Is My Life" all over again. People, we know how that turned out. Don't make the same mistake. (though Songbird is a much better song)