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Knock-out matches, international jury and more!
Sweden: Major changes for Melodifestivalen'09
The matches have been fixed as follows: the song placed first will compete against the song placed fourth; second and third placed will fight in the other knock-out stage. Apparently, this system gives advantage to the two top-ranked songs, especially the first one. The winners of these matches will go straight to the final, while the other two will be drawn to the Andra Chansen stage.
Another major change introduced by SVT for next year's Melodifestivalen is the use of an international jury. This panel of specialist will choose one of the 22 songs that didn't pass the semifinals nor the Andra Chansen round and make it the 11th finalist. Therefore, 2009 Melodifestivalen will see 11 songs on stage instead of 10. Jurors also will be able to vote in the final, alongside 11 regional votes and the televote.
Also, 2009 Melodifestivalen entrants will be allowed to use pre-recorded backing vocals and the maximum number of persons on stage rises to 8 (two more than EBU's established limit for Eurovision Song Contest).
Related polls
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best national final
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Worst dressed performer/s
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best dressed performer/s
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best duo/group performance
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best preview video
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best male vocal performance
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best male performance
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best female vocal performance
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best female performance
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Lyricist(s) of the year
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Composer(s) of the year
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best act not to qualify from the semi finals
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Most traditional Europop song
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Song of the year
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Performance of the year
- First quarter final in Bulgaria: your favourite?
- Jury vote, do you agree?
- Jury vote only in the final or in the semis as well?
- What mixture of televote and jury vote do you think is the best?
Go directly to the reactions
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Not such major changes, anyway...
However, MF rules!
I'm not very happy with these changes. The knock-out system seems okay, sure it can be very entertaining. But the international jury element just shown SVT ignoring the real reason why we're not getting better results: the same singers competing year after year. Besides, it will also limit the viewer's power even more. And that is a development in the completely wrong direction.
more advice.. stop complaining about swedens great songs.. and make your own countries send better songs instead..
could be needed...
people complain about the swedish schlager.. but everytime we send something different we get low placements.. like in 2005 and 2007 and actually also 2008.. as charlotte ssong wasnt a traditional schlager more of a disco/techno song.
LOL...this won't manke the songs any better. Real major changes : get rid of Björkman and the schlager lovers, the old bunch of composers a la G 
on, Kempe and Co and last but not least long time MF participants ( you know thier names ). That's the only real serious - and desperately needed - major change to take the MF into the new century.
I agree with most here, MF is the best national final.
But please Sweden send someone new this time...
no matter what Sweden will always send just swedish pop songs and thats all we ve seen from them.anyway they always have good positions in the finals.
To Jan Castricum:
what's the difference between Lena, Charlotte or Carola? It was all the same rubbish- as you say - Swedish Schlager of the old, old school from the 80's.
Indeed, only 'Las Vegas' & 'The Worrying Kind' were different; I liked 'Las Vegas' but for me the best Sweden has come up with in 10 years was in 2000 - Roger Pontare. I still listen to it for time to time. great stuff!
All the other entries since 1999 (inclusive) were rubbish!
More Karaoke from Sweden.
on the other hand doris dragovic performed one of the most popular songs of ESC99 with pre-recorded backing vocalists..so their is no way that the argument of worse performances is correct.
Fabulous! The real zingo star and the real hero are talking to each other once again, LOL
What's the point of having pre-recorded backing vocals? Why not just go all the way and have the artists mime on stage full stop? Actually, why bother singing. Just play the record. Actually, why bother playing the record. Just put through the most schlager sounding song and be done with it.
Who is Charotte? And what is 'robed'?
I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MF has been the best national final since 2002.
Nice idea to change the MF!!!
The Swedish Schlagers are becoming too oldfashioned and traditional. Most of the songs like from Fame, Friends, Carola and Charlotte Perelli were too predictable. And even the "different" entries like "Las Vegas" and "The worrying kind" sounded oldfashioned too.
The only good Swedish entry from the last decade was Lena's song !
Me, myself and I actually like the oldfashioned songs, but I think it's time Sweden is going to send a real different song !
People here say that perrellis result was of her looks. but then why did ani lorak come second?? she do look even more like a transvestite.. and she sanged off key all the time..
well i guess that is what the eurovision people likes.. someone who sings off tune. 
I certainly do not think Empty Room would have done well in Belgrade. The song is dull
I soooo disagree with this. I believe Empty Room would have done much better than Hero and it would make it in the top 10. It's a beautiful ballad and Sanna's performance was so emotional. I loved it.
Maybe it will be a bit interesting, and yes... MF is the best National Selection. I really love it.
They want a more entertaining show, but creates a more complicated one. I whonder if either the audience or the artists themselves will bother to engage in the circus week after week.
What's the point? They're only going to have to remove two people off the stage and employ backing vocalists for the Eurovision anyway. Waste of time. I liked the old format better.
Why did nobody tell Charlotte that her look was terrible ?! During her performance, a friend of mine sent me an sms to ask if she was a tranvestite...
Sounds interesting.
@ I don't like this part...why can't all 4 songs compete together? Why does it have to be so complicated?
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Like the Swedish group ABBA sang : Money, money, money.....
@ flowerofthesouth
yes it MF was the most watched show in 2007 then ESC final and semi and all the rest semis in MF.. but lol Allsång på skansen, Midsomer Murders and På spåret came after in the top 10 list
I certainly do not think Empty Room would have done well in Belgrade. The song is dull. Charlotte did badly because she looked scary as a Portuguese friend of mine eloquently put it. She was probably one of the most professional artists, she sang perfectly and personally I liked the song even though it as not my favourite neither in MF nor ESC itself. Whoever was responsible for her make-up probably ruined her chances...
@mina,.. its not complicated.. actually very simple..
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