For the 2nd time I was confident he won't win - But his vocals couldn't get much worse could they, and they still aren't good ... but he is 7th in Sweden

So far the Fab Frock awards from La Mark - ofc. Ishtar won last year !!

5. Cyprus
4. Iceland
3. Armenia
2. Poland
1. Portugal ( omg !! they ARE the Ishtar of 2009 - street music, amazing frock )

I have 4 reasons why I will probs vote for Portugal over Israel in SF1 now ...

1. Amazing Song
2. They are the Ishtar of 2009
3. Fab frock
4. Their backdrop is very similar to my art exam peice !! ( and they changed it to how I wanted it to be, which I told Alexander )

Jonny.. the Norwegian delegation (including the Lithuanian, Maltese and Irish delegation) has sent a request to the stage-guys who work on this, questioning about changing backgrounds. So far, only Ukraine, Greece and Bosnia Herzegovina have got the blessings ..

The Norwegian delegation has also stated that if the stage-crew won't accept to change, then they're going to do some drastic changes right before the semifinal evening. Same with Malta and Ireland.

Eurovizz

Yeah, Sara said that you had asked for a "bright Norwegian summer's night" but got this dark background instead

From eurovision.tv:

"The delegation where some of the strongest opinions were heard after the first rehearsal was the Lithuanian. The problems for Sasha Son with the performance of the entry Love were centered around the light and the imagery on the massive LED screens on the stage.

“The sound is great, but the lighting has to complement the movement of the rhythm. It was so monotonous and so boring to look at,” Sasha Son says. “They told me that they can't give me the full mass of lighting, because the Greek is performing just before me.”"

Shame I heard about this, it looks like Malta have got the change they wanted now. But apparently Ireland have been refused a change on the basis that their graphics are too particular!? Apparently if they wanted a more generic background like Malta do, they would have been allowed to have it changed, but because the Irish lighting is very specific to the song (with the letters etc), it can't be changed apparently. Maybe its time restraints, as I should imagine they take a long time to create. Maybe its the same problem for Norway.

Tbh though, you'd think the actual delegations would have alot more control over the lighting even before they get to Moscow, wouldn't you?

OMG how biased is oiko:

for Hungary they said:
How are they going to perform live when the main singer cannot control his notes, and the backing vocals are great only in the couple part of the song?

whereas for Greece it says:
The vocal performance was absolutely in tune despite the efforts of some people here to create a sentiment that Sakis is not able to sing live.

They were both bad vocals, but in no way was Greece that much better than Hungary.
God knows why i even read this site.

Okay ... I've now decided to watch all the 2nd Rehearsals ... so here I Go

Montenegro: The song sounds so much better for some reason, the vocals have improved, and so has the dress - I would say this would have made the final, with a good routine... but the girl and boy thing doesn't work, although the chemistry between Andrea and the hunky 70's dude is better now... but I can't see this making the final, it may just scrape through. Good opener.

Czech Republic: Good vocals, the song is actually good. But it is all too gimmicky and jokey - if they stopped doing that, this would make the final. But at the moment it is trying to be funny and failing ... a case of Israel 2007/Estonia 2008.

Belgium: Everything about this is right and perfect, the lighting is just AMAZING, the backdrop is AMAZING, the backsingers are AMAZING ... the only problem is Patrick's vocals ... however I know he was ill so I hope it was just that, but I'm starting to think that it might be another non-qualifier due to vocals ... but certainly one of the most grooviest entries of 2009 and from my Belgium - Hurah !!

Belarus: Good vocals, the stage is a bit too dark, although at the same time - it suits the song and performance, but still too dark - The plastic bag now looks amazing !! and really makes the performance for me, just the stupid gituarist needs to go now... I couldn't see the song in the final, but I could see the performance making it... It's a tough one to call.

Sweden: Awfully cold and awfully boring ... there's nothing else to say apart from a huge disappointment!! At least Malena's vocals have improved ... but I don't think this will do that well or even be remembered coming before Armenia ...

Armenia: Perfect !! Everything is just too awesome for words !! This might even beat Bosnia ... 100% going to the final ! and 100% in the top 10 !! and the lasers are amazing too !!

Andorra: A vast improvement ! Vocals are great, the backdrop is great, the dancing looks more natural now. The struting in the middle looks good, and I even like the dress, they need to get rid of the tacky '07' numbers on the gitutar though. Although this is a lot better - I can't see it doing any better The only chance it has is if the people who like less in your face songs vote for this, considering it is after Armenia...

Switzerland: Another vast improvement !! The backdrop is simply breath-taking, and will be even more so on tv, the vocals have improved a lot, and the stage doesn't look so empty now - I can see Switzerland making the final for the first time this year !! The movements look more relaxed too !

Turkey: Hadise isn't as bad vocally as everyone is saying, but the problem is - if she stopped sining - like she did in the first chorus, you don't notice because of the backing singers, so this is a case of Kalomira !! but even worse than that, Turkey doesn't seem very Turkey, they normally put on amazing shows, but the dance routine is like little girl dancing in her bedroom style. They even have the Hind run on the spot movement - like come on !! - If it wasn't for the fireworks and fire and Hey Hey's this would fall flat on it's face, but considering it is Turkey it will make the final...

Israel: Simply Amazing, the vocals are perfect, the drums, the movements, the backdrop suit the song perfectly... If this doesn't make the final it will be a travesty ! but I can really see this doing a Latvia 2005 now !! and it better !! and it sounds amazing compared to Turkey ...

Bulgaria: Better than before. The vocals of Krassie are great, but the backing singers - urgh !! and the clothes of the backing singers are just awful - they do litterally look like Clowns ! The backdrop is amazing and the stilts are good, but look like are a completely different performance than to the ones of the singers ... anyhoo this could make the final ...but then I'm saying this about most songs

Iceland: Wonderful performance, the backdrop is beautiful, the singer is really powerful - even if she does look like Wendy off Peter Pan, with the ship sailing in the background If this doesn't get the televote it certainly will get the Jury vote... a great entry!

Macedonia: A solid performance, and great vocals. The fog at the start is amazing when changing colours !! but I can't see this making the final, I can't see many countries out of the balkans voting for it. But it is a good song and performance.

Romania: This performance is just so wrong for the song, that they might have well had all men singing "The Balkan Girls like to start" The backdrop is just terrible for the song, the big rock is pointless and terrible for the song, the dancing is like Hadise's girl in bedroom dancing - the only thing good is the song and vocals - which isn't enough. Romania doesn't have a strong enough Diasporal to get this entry to the final. Things are looking really bad for Romania, and it's such a shame because I love this song

Finland: Not all the fire in the world can stop this entry from being boring. Everything is just too static and dark. Waldo looks like a complete loser, and the girl's vocals are bad and painful. Considering only really Sweden votes for Finland out of this Semi, it's gonna be tough to make the final, the only positive thing for Finland is the draw.

Portugal: Everything about this screams Ishtar, and I just scream Portugal for the win !! - I had a tear in my eye when I saw this just amazing ... there is nothing bad about this at all - just pure innocence and happiness !! I don't care what result this gets - it's just too great.

Malta: She certainly knows how to work it, if that is her in reserve - I can't wait till the semi then - very powerful, much better performance and much better backdrop - my only concern is that everyone is using the good old fog machine !! but she is sailing into the final ...

Bosnia: Not as strong as before, but still amazing and still gonna walk the semi - but I still have no feelings for this ...

Predictions
Belarus
Armenia
Switzerland
Turkey
Israel
Bulgaria
Iceland
Portugal
Malta
Bosnia

Winner: Bosnia
Loser: Andorra/Czech Rep.

My Favs: Portugal, Israel, Switzerland, Malta, Armenia, Belgium, Iceland
Least Favs: Czech Rep, Finland, Sweden

Semi Two - Coming Soon ...

Out of curiosity I watched the Greek rehearsal, especially cos I wanna see if it was improved ... and I honestly think its gonna be Athens 2010 (or some other Greek city!)

Depending on the draw sakis gets for the final I think Greece is more likely to win than Bosnia. First of all I think the box thing actually works now, althought the bits where they spin it round are a bit clumsy, overall it does aid the performance. Second of all, I think the juries may actually vote for this. The song is extremely catchy and we already saw last year (when they voted for Charlotte, and apparently Ani was last years jury winner) that the juries will vote for a tra-la-la pop song. Thirdly Sakis's vocals are actually quite good, they're not amazing but along with the hidden backing singer they do appear to be good enough for the song.

So yeah I think Athens 2010 is the most likely possibility at the moment!

After our rehearsal today it's the first time I can say I think we have a chance (I still consider Bosnia and France the most likely winners though).

I think Greece has got more of a chance than Bosnia & France. I just watched the French rehearsal and whilst I enjoyed the performance, I can't help thinking its going to get forgotten. Had France been performing in a later position I would be quite optimistic that they'll win but with them performing in 3rd, I just can't see it.

As for Bosnia, well I reckon they're Greece's biggest rival, but I think Greece may just have the edge over them. Whoever wins this year I think its gonna be close.

But we're forgetting Estonia!! Maybe they'll shock everyone and have a runaway victory!!!

Putin alert!

As eurovision.tv reported for everyone this morning, Putin did indeed attend Azerbaijan's rehearsal and met Arash and AySel (lucky git ) but what they didn't tell you was that he was actually hoping to turn up in time to catch a glimpse of Zoli Adok and to make his acquaintance instead

don't forget that the juries (in the semis too ) are music proffessionals, not just the average bloke (or blokette ) off the street

I don't forget it and it's why B&H still seems like the most likely winner to me...because they have both the televoters to support them (ex yugos plus diaspora plus people who just love the song) and I believe it's a song that juries will appreciate.

Yeah because people like Stefan Raab really know what they're talking about

Croatia: Very strong performance, sooooo beautiful yet powerful. The vocals were great, and I simply love Andrea !! I just hope it gets remembered for the voting !

Ireland: Vocals have become better, but that catsuit makes her look fat - and it's soooo not right for the song - the stage is still too dark, but the flashy lights are good - but the performance seems a little flat overall...

Latvia: I actually can't listen to it ... sorry.

Serbia: Consider Serbia a big threat now. Even I laughed ... omg that ballet dancer - I didn't know Chiara could do ballet !! - This could easily make the top 5

Poland: Beautiful dress and beautiful dancing, and a nice background - but the singing and accent is awful - Poland will not make the final ... but their dancing totally wipes the floor of Norway's

Norway: See a few posts above.

Cyprus: One of the most powerful performances I have ever seen, just because it is sooo soft and gentle - I had goosebumps - Just amazing - If Cyprus don't make the final this year, they never will ...

Slovakia: Perfect vocals, perfect backdrop - everything is great, but I don't think it will have enough appeal to do well - But I simply adore it though

Denmark: THE STOOL IS BACK !!!! - Hurah - Denmark are making the final

Slovenia: Better, but still cheap and boring ...

Hungary: Aye, aye, aye ... too camp to function !!

Azerbaijan: A lot better, and more powerful - however it got a bit sloppy towards the best, the fire is great, the vocals are good, Arash needs to stop having that gituar thing - because he just looks as stupid as Waldo there ... other than that it's good - Don't think it can win, but certainly rank high.

Greece: The singing is quite meh, very breathy, and this has no wow-factor at all. The dancing is hideous, the song is very flat. The stupid bending over just looks stupid, the rise up is quite boring ... basically once this is all over it makes you say "So what was your point in that !?" It's these sort of performances which gives Eurovision no credibility ...

ROFL ALTHOUGH ... Theres no reason why he wouldn't be a music expert! Just cos he acted like a prat on stage at ESC I think hes actually quite involved in the music industry. You know Bundesvision? (a German eurovision where each state acts like a country does in eurovision), its his brainchild!!!

And he can play like a billion intstruments "He is an autodidact, playing various instruments, such as piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, bass and some wind instruments." - wiki

(Bundesvision: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundesvision_Song_Contest )

France: WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW !! Now she is the best singer, performaner and has the best song of this year ... If Eurovision was still a song contest, France would win by miles ... Patarica shows how you are meant to perform ... instead of hiding behind dancing and gimmicks ... she gave me more goosebumps than what Cyprus did ...


FRANCE FOR THE WIN !!!!!!

France - Was good, but might get forgotten, as the performance was a bit dull, and shes on early - depends on the surrounding performers.

Russia - Boring, the screens looked good, but that wa sit, will get nowhere

Germany - Just screams out slut. The perfomance was ok, and Oscar's vocals were better than i expected. Not sure if this will make top 20 or not though.

United Kingdom - I liked it, she sang well, and the stage presentation looked nice, will see when she puts her long dress on how great it looks. Again, depends on the other songs around it as to how well it will do.

Russia: Great vocals, somehow I don't think that is all Russia can be doing - it can't possibly be !!

Germany: Oscar was great, everything else a big no no

UK: Cheap and tacky ... the only thing good was Jade ... It might do well, but doesn't deserve it !!