Melodifestivalen 2013: Andra Chansen

Here we are with the second chance round. If I were a betting man, I'd be looking at Anton, Robin and Behrang as having the best chances today, but we'll soon see! Since we've already heard all the songs this week, I hope there are some other entertaining bits to keep the show fresh.

The unofficial Applause-O-Meter: Robin, Behrang, Anton and Martin getting the most love at the outset. Ah, just as expected.

WHOA... stream is dying worse than it's ever died...

ROBIN: Now that the video's back, Robin's here. I do like this song. It's not my favorite tonight, but I wouldn't be sad if it made it through. It's just not as good as Ulrik's, which is in a similar vein. The falsetto is gorgeous, though. And he's really giving it his all.

ERIC: I like this song, too, but I don't think it has a chance. It's just not a winning track. Very nice/pleasant and I definitely listen to it quite often, but it's not for MF. Those piano production flourishes are still to die for, though.

CAROLINE: Two of the "oldie" votes in a row. I love Caroline, and I like this song, but it's not nearly as good as her last entry. Of all the anti-pop entries today, I think she could be the one to benefit from a split in the voting for the teen acts. I hope not, even though I could watch her perform all day. No back-up performers this time, which was kind of weird. I liked them.

BEHRANG: A song that has grown on me immensely. This could do quite well tonight, particularly because it screams Eurovision (and rips off Eurovision). The hook is ridiculously catchy. It's like a tolerable version of Sean Banan. It definitely plays to the crowd. But of course, the crowd aren't the only ones voting.

ERIK/TONE: I just don't like this song. It reminds me of an annoying, cutesy American track that would be played on commercial after commercial until it becomes torture. I think I'm in the minority, but I would be happy with a last-place finish today. It won't happen, though.

ANTON: I think this is my favorite song of the night. I really like Martin's, too, but I've been playing the hell out of this since it was released. Plus, the dancing in the performance is really impressive. Very Michael Jackson without being a total rip-off. I'm watching a lot of people on twitter complaining that there's no "substance" to the song, which is the funniest thing I've ever heard. Do you people know what competition you're watching??

COOKIES: Oh, Cookies 'n' Beans, the sacrificial lambs of tonight's show. I don't see how they could progress any further, but I've been surprised before (several times this year!). It's a pleasant enough song, but not for the competition.

MARTIN: I would love for Martin to go through tonight just based on his past work alone. It helps that the song is excellent. He really needs to boost so that he can release a successful solo album. I fear that it's the kind of pop music that only hardcore pop fans love, leaving out the masses. We'll see.

MY PREDICTIONS:
Top 5: Robin, Caroline, Behrang, Anton, Martin
Top 2: Anton, Behrang
(not feeling at all confident about these predictions, by the way...)

EDIT: Ooh! Peter Joback singing Phantom of the Opera. A pleasant surprise. He's got a stunning voice. Check out his epic duet with Laakso on "Italy Vs. Helsinki" if you haven't. One of the best songs of the last decade.

EDIT: The stream is not liking Mr. Joback... totally cutting out and mangling the sound. This is even worse than last week.

EDIT: Stream is entirely gone. No idea what's happening.

EDIT: Stream is back in the middle of the results, and we've got the top five! All the pop acts made it through! It's like Sweden finally came to its senses! Better late than never, I guess.
Top 5: Robin, Behrang, Erik/Tone, Anton, Martin
Sixth: Caroline
Seventh: Cookies
Eighth: Eric

EDIT: Danny singing Jedward is oddly awesome. If only Jedward were Swedish, they'd be in MF every year. Watch this track soar up itunes after the broadcast. Say what you will about Jedward, but they know how to put on a show. They;re certainly game for anything.

EDIT: More results:
First Duel - Behrang vs. Anton
Whoa... tough, tough, tough. I'm pulling for Anton, but this could be close.

EDIT: I wish these songs would actually have to duel... like perform simultaneously on stage. Anton's vocals sound so much better this time around.

EDIT: More results:
Second Duel - Robin vs. Martin
I would LOVE a Martin victory here, but I think Robin clearly has the edge. We'll see. At least the dreadful Erik/Tone song is out of the running.

Hey, I just realized that the four best songs actually got the most votes! Why didn't this happen throughout the entire competition??

EDIT: And we have our two last finalists for next week!
Anton & Robin
As expected, then. A good result. Would have liked Martin to get through, but very happy for Anton. Now I just hope that both don't take massive chunks out of Ulrik's votes.