Waiting List Song Contest 212

For more information about the 212th contest and the actual show go to the thread.

The Waiting List Song Contest 212 (stylised as Natiavision and Waiting Laul 212) was the 212th edition of the Waiting List Song Contest and was hosted by Griffin Empire following their victory at the edition prior. It was the third time Griffin Empire had hosted the contest, but the first time since Waiting List Song Contest 31. Organised by the Natian Broadcasting Union (NBU) and host broadcaster Griffiniskaja Televisioon (GTV), the contest was held at the MareStadiumi in Mare Incatato, principality of Meremaa, a venue chosen by the popular vote in the applications period of the contest. The live show was hosted by Julia Schlæpfer and Ben Platt.

Three nations withdrew - Il-Bidu, Tanoiro and Trollheimr. 7 for the first time, Halleloo came second, both acheiving their best results to date. Solentoya came in third place.

Location
Mare Incatato, the capital of Griffin Principality of Meremaa was the host city for the 212th edition of Waiting List Song Contest. The venue choice for the contest was MareStadiumi, a football stadium in the Saudi Saxmarga district of Mare Incatato.

MareStadiumi (stylized version of Mare Stadijümi), is a multi-purpose stadium and home to the Olimpia football club since it opened in 1937, and was a venue in the 1998 Natia World Cup, the 2007 Natia Rugby World Cup and the Western Natia Football Cup 2016. It is the largest club football ground in Griffin Empire, with a capacity of 67,394 spectators. The stadium is also used regularly by the Griffin national rugby union team. The main problem in the bidding phase was the lack of a retractable roof, but it was later added to the building. This was the biggest venue ever to host a Waiting List Song Contest with the final capacity for the contest bein limited at 38,000 seats.

The stadium is four kilometres from the Old Port of Mare Incatato, in the neighbourhoods of Marga and Kamaoozs in the southern part of Mare Incatato. It is bound to the south by the Joföeomösör river and to the north by the Üemid Paark and the headquarters of regional public TV station, GTV MER . To its west runs the Naurödt Boulevardt and to the east the Mare Incatatoiskaja Shaitö ot sparrtotre and the Törild Stadijümi.

It is serviced by the bus and metro networks of the city. Besides several bus services operating in the area, two stations of the Mare Incatato Metro line 2 are close to the stadium. Mare Incatato Meremaa Airport is thirty kilometres from the stadium.

Bidding phase
Eight cities had been considered as host city of the contest, including Kralingslæting and Mare Incatato, both favourites to be the next host. Kralarrenaa, which hosted the previous two contests and Graisplaits Arrenaa, which hosted the Griffin national festival, both located in Kralingslæting, were the first venues to join the bidding phase. Later, Pyetsit, Frisköptislæting and Hermýn entered the phase with the Arkea-arrenaa, Arrenaa ot Lætingmaaotr and Garniërsarrenaa, respectively. The sixth city to join the phase was Mare Incatato, with two venues - bigger MareStadiumi and more intimate IncatatöHjem Teater. The last three - Planigslæting, Rakozsit and Nýtdainsk joined the bid at the last minute. Interestingly, all of Griffin principalities submitted their bids with Göldtsit being the only capital not to do so.

It was decided that the public will choose the venue via an international poll. MareStadiumi won the bidding phase poll with 36% of the total votes.

Mare Incatato
Mare Incatato is the metropolis and the capital city of the principality of Meremaa in Griffin Empire. It is located on the Griffin coast near the mouth of the Drinsörwõt River. It is the third largest city in Griffin Empire, covering an area of 241 km2 (93 sq mi) and had a population of 1,760,653. Its inhabitants are called Incatatese (or Incatatodniqe in Griffin).

One of Western Natia's oldest cities, founded around 600 BC, it has been a trading port since ancient times. In particular, it experienced a considerable commercial boom during the 19th century, becoming a prosperous industrial and trading city. Nowadays the Old Port still lies at the heart of the city where the manufacturing of soap, began some 6 centuries ago. Overlooking the port is the Kirkja ot brõõdermanhuafft or "Kallisbror" for the people of Mare Incatato, the symbol of the city. Inherited from this past, the Grandiozsiska Portet Mare Incatatoiskaja (GPMI) and the maritime economy are major poles of regional and national activity and Mare Incatato remains the first Griffin port, the second West Natian port and the fifth Natian port. Since its origins, its openness to the sea has made it a cosmopolitan city marked by cultural and economic exchanges with different parts of Natia. The city was named Natian Capital of Culture in 2013 and Natian Capital of Sport in 2017. It is also home to several higher education institutions in the region, including the University of Ötblifemzs.

Theme
The theme of the contest was the Griffin word "Ajltläharýköloriska" that doesn't have an English equivalent, but is rather translated as "something so colorful that it consists of all the colours that exist". Griffiniskaja Televisioon said that "it was the best way to describe how much diverse is our beloved contest and to wish it to keep evolving, diversifying and reinventing itself". It was accompanied with the graphics featuring different watercolours making different shapes and mimicing flags of the participating countries. Postards featured representatives exploring different parts of Griffin Empire.

Hosts
The presenters and hosts for the live show were Julia Schlæpfer and Ben Platt. Griffiniskaja Televisioon described their duty as follows: "they will take you through all the secrets of the festival, from the opening act to the explanation of how to vote".

Julia Schlæpfer is a Griffin actress and dancer. At an early age she practiced dancing, but when she appeared in The Nutcracker it wasn’t until fourth grade that she knew she wanted to be a dancer. Julia was involved in high school theater and dance, and later studied at Kralingslæting II University at the National Acting School. Her best work to date icludes The Politician (2019), Charlie Says (2018) and Instinct (2018).

Benjamin Schiff Platt is a Griffin actor, singer, and songwriter who began his career in theater as a child and appeared in Stella (Griffin Broadway) productions of The Book of Mormon (2012–2013) and Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017), receiving multiple accolades for his performance as the title character in the latter, including the L’binpiozöanwagrdasd (Griffin Tony Award) for Best Actor in a Musical. Platt's film credits include Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), Ricki and the Flash (2015), and Run This Town (2019). He is also signed with Griffin Records in 2017 and released his debut studio album, Sing to Me Instead, in March 2019. That same year, Platt was included on the annual Tiemp 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Stage
Inspired by the plane in the Dragostea Din Tei video, the stage featured led screens that are positioned that way so it looks like it has wings. Bob Barnhart and his team from 22 Degrees Entertainment Lighting Group in Kralingslæting, as well as the crew from PRG, were hired with the lighting design.

The theme of ATOMIC’s job was “seamless” – creating a giant, seamless video floor and building supports for the video tiles and integration through the entire set – all connecting perfectly. The Set Construction team built the diamond-shaped main stage with custom decks and integrated video tiles. They also fabricated a neon tunnel with Fuse video products built into the structure. The Power Department was hard at work installing LEDs in the floor, ceiling, and mosh stage, including all the railings and finishes throughout the set.

List of spokespersons
The spokespersons announced the score from their respective country in the following order:
 * Griffin Empire — Lucas Lynggaard Tõnnesen (actor)
 * Joseyeon — Cha Eun-Woo (singer, actor, and model)
 * Effiland — Tiffany Pollard (television personality and actress)
 * Öösingimaed — Piret Järvis (singer and presenter)
 * Kimmystan — Ana Mena (singer and actress)
 * Låpøtré — Mr Potato Head (toy)
 * Moisantia — Jesy Nelson (singer)
 * Bigicia — Gavin Leatherwood (actor)
 * Rehi Kaita — DRONE (DJ)
 * Halleloo — Bianca Del Rio (drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer)
 * Solentoya — Finn Wittrock (actor)
 * Utopolis — KITT (car)
 * Tamausia & Deltannor — Alison Hammond (television personality, presenter and actress)
 * 7 — Guildo Horn (singer)
 * Endórë — Martin Freeman (actor)
 * Pyreica — Marta Roure (singer and actress)
 * Svobodnia — Renan Pitanga (singer, songwriter, and actor)
 * Tuzi — Jodie Foster (actress)
 * Oussou Empire — Lakis Gavalas (Fashion designer)