I always feel sorry for those countries that fail to make it out of a semi-final. Just think about it. Their TV company has expended large sums of money in order to get a song to the host city. They’ve paid out for two weeks worth of accommodation for a delegation. They’ve possibly hosted a party where people have ate and drank at the TV company’s expense. So imagine the disappointment when you aren’t in one of those ten envelopes. It’s even worse if you’re on the Tuesday, as you’ve got at least four days in the host city when you’ve got little to do. And imagine it if you’re the first country to sing on the Tuesday night, so you were the first country to rehearse what seems like three months earlier.
This fate fell today’s birthday girl Sandhja Kuivalainen (no relation to Kari I understand). She finished 15th of 18 in her semi-final. Did she deserve better?
Sandhja is 26 today.
Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Sandhja!