Tonight is the SECOND night !!!
After Tuesdays fiasco I have throw the rule book out of the window and chosen my napkin of death slightly differently. I have decided to go for some surprise choices – as I feel these results may be just as random as two days ago…So here are my (many predictions) for tonight's festivities.
My prediction
BOS-HER
AUSTRIA
UKRAINE
SWEDEN
CYPRUS
FYR MACEDONIA
SLOVENIA
ROMANIA
DENMARK
IRELAND
I would rather this happened
BOS-HER
AUSTRIA
MOLDOVA
CYPRUS
BULGARIA
SLOVENIA
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
IRELAND
Unlike SF1 there are far more ‘maybes’ than sure fire bets. To be honest only BOSNIA and DENMARK are almost guaranteed into the final I this one. On the negative, I can see very little hope for BELARUS, NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, SLOVAKIA and ISRAEL. Therefore any combination of the remaining 12 should get the remaining 8 places.
Like on Tuesday, vocal performance will be a priority therefore I have judged some of the placements on the vocals and showmanship of the acts during live performances and rehearsals. Obviously some countries will have neighbourly voting and some Diaspora but SF1 taught us that no-one is safe !
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Tuesday 17 May 2011
SF1 round up
Pol – Magdalena starts us off and gone are the hip enhancing outfits of the rehearsal. The beginning does not seem to have the impact it ha had in the past. Her voice certainly seems to be suffering from nerves but gets more confident as the song progresses. The dancing is good but the stage from the camera angles looks really empty. The ending is a little screechy
Nor – As the song starts the audience get into it. Stella’s voice is not god today and sounds very strained. The chorus seems to rely a lot on the backing singers. During the second verse she already sounds really tired. The outfits, especially for the backing singers are terribly unflattering and make some of the larger back girls look awful. As a memorable finale, confetti is released during the last chorus.
Alb – The stage starts with a slight red tinge. The dress does not really look good close. Aurelia really gets into the song and is able to show a lot of power and control during the chorus. It is on the brink of shoutiness though. The backing singers still looks rally additional to the act and don’t seem to fit in with their dancing and outfits. Aurelia looks to be getting very sweaty during this too.
Arm – Emmy is sitting in her large boxing glove and the dancers are in boxing robes. She is in white with a faux title belt. Emmy and the dancers seem to be doing a lot of dancing. It becomes clear very early on that a) Emmy is not a very good dancer and b) she is unable to sing after she has been dancing. Her voice at times was so breathy. We know she can sing it this has really put her off the game.
Tur – The band seem to have taken to wearing a cross of black, gold and a really horrid goblin green. The lead singer looks ever so old (and portly) now! Not very modern. The ‘show’ is a bit of a let down. The girl in the globe is a good idea but seems to be totally disconnected to the rest of the band and to the meaning of the song. At the end she escapes from the sphere wearing wings *yawn*
Ser – Nina is joined by 3 girls who do some singing and dancing. The song has a definite theme and makes it stand out even if you don’t understand the lyrics. The camera angles are tight of the girls so you don’t see a lot of the empty stage. Her voice is not bad tonight, definitely better than some of the rehearsals I had seen. The backdrop to this at times is really too fast and makes me feel a little bit ill.
Rus – The song starts off slow and then picks up. The stage looks really busy during the song, possibly a bit too busy. There are lots of gimmicks and none of them are really needed. Alex had 3 backing dancers and 2 singers who are stuck behind the moving Led screens *tut tut tut* Alex’s voice is not on top form here and he does sound quite tired today and cannot reach all of the notes (especially the end one)
Swi – this quite folksy song could get lost and slip through the cracks. Anna is joined by her 2 musicians, as I has been since the beginning. The backdrop of this song is very clever and really suits the song. Anna sings really well and not only is she on tune but you can actually hear what she is saying! I still don’t get the “na-na-na” bit in the middle. A very confident and a true singers performance.
Geo – this song is definitely a stand out track. They look different and sound different and nothing quite like this has graced the ESC stage. The outfits look very strange and it is not helped by the very bad makeup. Thankfully the lead singer ha a strong vice and is able to pull out a strong vocal. The rap part in the middle is not quite as good and the shouting for from the other bloke is totally unnecessary.
Fin – Paradise Oskar takes to the stage by himself. He is dressed modestly and let’s the song do the talking. His vocal is very small and simple but suits the song. The backdrop of the earth is a little twee and a bit of a heart string puller but it totally suits the song. Is a very memorable performance for a song and performer who actually does very, very little. However much you hate it, it is very clever.
Mal – Glen and his troupe take to the stage. The set starts off very dark and this makes it quite difficult to see everyone on the stage. Glen sings and dances in his own exuberant style although is accent is still a little weird. Although I like the dancers I am not sure if the routine really emphasises the song. The backing singers are very good but they need to be a tad louder and in much more eye-catching outfits.
San – Senit and her band are on stage and she has thankfully got rid of the blue/grey thing she was wearing in rehearsals. Her vocal is not that bad, saying that the song is a quiet song which needs just a little bit of power behind it. The performance is not that bad although she looks a little nervous. It is a shame that they have not made more of the backing singers who add a lot to the song.
Cro – Daria is one tall lady and this performance seems to show that off. Starting in a back and gold unfit the DJ/magician (who looks like Jerry Sadowitz) helps her quick change to a pink one and finally a long silver number. Her voice is very good, especially in the low bits at the start. She is not the most natural of dancers, and her height makes her legs and arms look a bit uncontrollable. Not a good song though.
Ice – Probably the most emotional song of the night. The boys look and sound tight and it just looks and sounds right. The back drop is a little strange but it is gentle and does not overtake the song. In fact it is nice to see an acoustic band on stage playing non-electric instruments. The boys sing well and the slow part at the end really works and you find yourself singing along. A very good ending too.
Hun – Kati is still in the short blue dress. Her hair is a little manic and she looks a bit worried. As she starts you can hear a small crack of nerves but she is really focussing on the song and her voice. As the chorus kicks in she seems to sing much better. The dancers and backing singers are not really focussed upon by the cameras-which is a good thing. She loosens up by the end and has a good finish.
Por – there is really not very much to say about this one as very little has changed since it won the national final. To give them some due, for what they are dong they have quite good vocals it is just a shame no-one understands what they are on about. Possibly if they had had crowd scenes like in the video behind them, it might have made the message a bit clearer. An on-starter really.
Lit – Evelina is joined on stage by a pianist and piano. She sings the song very well and is at least pleasant to listen to. Her dress is a little bit strange and doesn't seem to suit her. Maybe she would look better with her hair slightly pulled back. Half way through she signs the song too, hence why the mic stand is at a funny angle. This entry focuses on the song and her voice, which is actually very good.
Aze – The choreography of the entry has been weel thought out. The duo is backed by 4 very lovely and short skirted ladies who do lots of singing and arm movements. His voice is clear and string. Hers is shaky and you don’t feel confident in her. As the song progresses you notice that his mic is up loud and hers has been all but turned off. More like Eldar and 5 backing singers.
Gre – Stereo Mike starts us of with is rapping skills (although by the sounds of it he has very few). Loucas joins in for the choruses that have so much soul, meaning and heart to them that when you go back to the rapping you are left very disappointing. The dancing is good and I like the way the dancing mirrors the change styles. Should not qualify but will. Can we have 3mins of Loucas next time please?
So after the jury and televoting - Europe has decided !
The number afterwards is the number they drew to appear in the final
SERBIA (24)
LITHUANIA (4)
GREECE (9)
AZERBAIJAN (19)
GEORGIA (25)
SWITZERLAND (13)
HUNGARY (5)
FINLAND (1)
RUSSIA (10)
ICELAND (21)
Nor – As the song starts the audience get into it. Stella’s voice is not god today and sounds very strained. The chorus seems to rely a lot on the backing singers. During the second verse she already sounds really tired. The outfits, especially for the backing singers are terribly unflattering and make some of the larger back girls look awful. As a memorable finale, confetti is released during the last chorus.
Alb – The stage starts with a slight red tinge. The dress does not really look good close. Aurelia really gets into the song and is able to show a lot of power and control during the chorus. It is on the brink of shoutiness though. The backing singers still looks rally additional to the act and don’t seem to fit in with their dancing and outfits. Aurelia looks to be getting very sweaty during this too.
Arm – Emmy is sitting in her large boxing glove and the dancers are in boxing robes. She is in white with a faux title belt. Emmy and the dancers seem to be doing a lot of dancing. It becomes clear very early on that a) Emmy is not a very good dancer and b) she is unable to sing after she has been dancing. Her voice at times was so breathy. We know she can sing it this has really put her off the game.
Tur – The band seem to have taken to wearing a cross of black, gold and a really horrid goblin green. The lead singer looks ever so old (and portly) now! Not very modern. The ‘show’ is a bit of a let down. The girl in the globe is a good idea but seems to be totally disconnected to the rest of the band and to the meaning of the song. At the end she escapes from the sphere wearing wings *yawn*
Ser – Nina is joined by 3 girls who do some singing and dancing. The song has a definite theme and makes it stand out even if you don’t understand the lyrics. The camera angles are tight of the girls so you don’t see a lot of the empty stage. Her voice is not bad tonight, definitely better than some of the rehearsals I had seen. The backdrop to this at times is really too fast and makes me feel a little bit ill.
Rus – The song starts off slow and then picks up. The stage looks really busy during the song, possibly a bit too busy. There are lots of gimmicks and none of them are really needed. Alex had 3 backing dancers and 2 singers who are stuck behind the moving Led screens *tut tut tut* Alex’s voice is not on top form here and he does sound quite tired today and cannot reach all of the notes (especially the end one)
Swi – this quite folksy song could get lost and slip through the cracks. Anna is joined by her 2 musicians, as I has been since the beginning. The backdrop of this song is very clever and really suits the song. Anna sings really well and not only is she on tune but you can actually hear what she is saying! I still don’t get the “na-na-na” bit in the middle. A very confident and a true singers performance.
Geo – this song is definitely a stand out track. They look different and sound different and nothing quite like this has graced the ESC stage. The outfits look very strange and it is not helped by the very bad makeup. Thankfully the lead singer ha a strong vice and is able to pull out a strong vocal. The rap part in the middle is not quite as good and the shouting for from the other bloke is totally unnecessary.
Fin – Paradise Oskar takes to the stage by himself. He is dressed modestly and let’s the song do the talking. His vocal is very small and simple but suits the song. The backdrop of the earth is a little twee and a bit of a heart string puller but it totally suits the song. Is a very memorable performance for a song and performer who actually does very, very little. However much you hate it, it is very clever.
Mal – Glen and his troupe take to the stage. The set starts off very dark and this makes it quite difficult to see everyone on the stage. Glen sings and dances in his own exuberant style although is accent is still a little weird. Although I like the dancers I am not sure if the routine really emphasises the song. The backing singers are very good but they need to be a tad louder and in much more eye-catching outfits.
San – Senit and her band are on stage and she has thankfully got rid of the blue/grey thing she was wearing in rehearsals. Her vocal is not that bad, saying that the song is a quiet song which needs just a little bit of power behind it. The performance is not that bad although she looks a little nervous. It is a shame that they have not made more of the backing singers who add a lot to the song.
Cro – Daria is one tall lady and this performance seems to show that off. Starting in a back and gold unfit the DJ/magician (who looks like Jerry Sadowitz) helps her quick change to a pink one and finally a long silver number. Her voice is very good, especially in the low bits at the start. She is not the most natural of dancers, and her height makes her legs and arms look a bit uncontrollable. Not a good song though.
Ice – Probably the most emotional song of the night. The boys look and sound tight and it just looks and sounds right. The back drop is a little strange but it is gentle and does not overtake the song. In fact it is nice to see an acoustic band on stage playing non-electric instruments. The boys sing well and the slow part at the end really works and you find yourself singing along. A very good ending too.
Hun – Kati is still in the short blue dress. Her hair is a little manic and she looks a bit worried. As she starts you can hear a small crack of nerves but she is really focussing on the song and her voice. As the chorus kicks in she seems to sing much better. The dancers and backing singers are not really focussed upon by the cameras-which is a good thing. She loosens up by the end and has a good finish.
Por – there is really not very much to say about this one as very little has changed since it won the national final. To give them some due, for what they are dong they have quite good vocals it is just a shame no-one understands what they are on about. Possibly if they had had crowd scenes like in the video behind them, it might have made the message a bit clearer. An on-starter really.
Lit – Evelina is joined on stage by a pianist and piano. She sings the song very well and is at least pleasant to listen to. Her dress is a little bit strange and doesn't seem to suit her. Maybe she would look better with her hair slightly pulled back. Half way through she signs the song too, hence why the mic stand is at a funny angle. This entry focuses on the song and her voice, which is actually very good.
Aze – The choreography of the entry has been weel thought out. The duo is backed by 4 very lovely and short skirted ladies who do lots of singing and arm movements. His voice is clear and string. Hers is shaky and you don’t feel confident in her. As the song progresses you notice that his mic is up loud and hers has been all but turned off. More like Eldar and 5 backing singers.
Gre – Stereo Mike starts us of with is rapping skills (although by the sounds of it he has very few). Loucas joins in for the choruses that have so much soul, meaning and heart to them that when you go back to the rapping you are left very disappointing. The dancing is good and I like the way the dancing mirrors the change styles. Should not qualify but will. Can we have 3mins of Loucas next time please?
So after the jury and televoting - Europe has decided !
The number afterwards is the number they drew to appear in the final
SERBIA (24)
LITHUANIA (4)
GREECE (9)
AZERBAIJAN (19)
GEORGIA (25)
SWITZERLAND (13)
HUNGARY (5)
FINLAND (1)
RUSSIA (10)
ICELAND (21)
Saturday 14 May 2011
Final insight
So what will tonight hold? Who knows - and that is why we watch!!!
Firstly this years’ draw is very intesresting.
Firstly we start with Finland. A very simple song. Being first could radically affect his chances – and this will depend on his performance. Bosnia, unfortunately has the death position of 2. Denmark and Lithuania follow and then we have a very interesting run of entries.
We have Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Estonia back to back, although there may be a short break in between two of these. The thinking about this is that all being all quite similar up-tempo numbers they may just cancel themselves out. If one act has a good vocal and the others don’t, it will be more noticeable (and vice versa of course)
Then we have Greece followed by Russia. Recent reports have seen man technical things go wrong with their performance (mainly due to lighting) and that his voice is getting worse by the day. Next is France. If Alex has a bad day then Amaury will make sure any chances Russia has of winning is in a wooden box six foot under. Poor Italy then has to follow this which will be a daunting task.
Switzerland UK, Moldova, Germany and Romania are next. This five-some has the opposite problem as all 5 are such different styles and if one of these entries really gets the audience behind them, hey might get an extra push for votes.
Then we have a girly sandwich – Austria, Azerbaijan and Slovenia. As she proved in the semi, Nadine Beiler has one hell of a voice and if any of the songs around her hit a bum note this girl will show it up. Possibly the best technical female singer we have this year. Take note Azerbaijan. Although this is possibly the best and more contemporary song, the vocals (especially Nigar’s) is slightly pathetic and it will be punished between the two power girls. Slovenia’s Maja is a singer in they style of Christina Aguilera. Her voice is a little harsh at time but here tone is very interesting and is very striking to look at.
Next is Iceland. 21st is not a bad result for the boys and I think this spot will gain them a few extra votes. Following this is the strange bed fellows of Spain, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia, who being last and having such a bizarre stage act, will gain a bit more attention than normal.
So who will win? The sensible money is on France and UK. There is plenty of money on Azerbaijan, Ireland, Estonia, Hungary and Sweden but I actually don’t think there is enough there to warrant a win. Possible dark horses are Austria, Iceland and Finland
Firstly this years’ draw is very intesresting.
Firstly we start with Finland. A very simple song. Being first could radically affect his chances – and this will depend on his performance. Bosnia, unfortunately has the death position of 2. Denmark and Lithuania follow and then we have a very interesting run of entries.
We have Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Estonia back to back, although there may be a short break in between two of these. The thinking about this is that all being all quite similar up-tempo numbers they may just cancel themselves out. If one act has a good vocal and the others don’t, it will be more noticeable (and vice versa of course)
Then we have Greece followed by Russia. Recent reports have seen man technical things go wrong with their performance (mainly due to lighting) and that his voice is getting worse by the day. Next is France. If Alex has a bad day then Amaury will make sure any chances Russia has of winning is in a wooden box six foot under. Poor Italy then has to follow this which will be a daunting task.
Switzerland UK, Moldova, Germany and Romania are next. This five-some has the opposite problem as all 5 are such different styles and if one of these entries really gets the audience behind them, hey might get an extra push for votes.
Then we have a girly sandwich – Austria, Azerbaijan and Slovenia. As she proved in the semi, Nadine Beiler has one hell of a voice and if any of the songs around her hit a bum note this girl will show it up. Possibly the best technical female singer we have this year. Take note Azerbaijan. Although this is possibly the best and more contemporary song, the vocals (especially Nigar’s) is slightly pathetic and it will be punished between the two power girls. Slovenia’s Maja is a singer in they style of Christina Aguilera. Her voice is a little harsh at time but here tone is very interesting and is very striking to look at.
Next is Iceland. 21st is not a bad result for the boys and I think this spot will gain them a few extra votes. Following this is the strange bed fellows of Spain, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia, who being last and having such a bizarre stage act, will gain a bit more attention than normal.
So who will win? The sensible money is on France and UK. There is plenty of money on Azerbaijan, Ireland, Estonia, Hungary and Sweden but I actually don’t think there is enough there to warrant a win. Possible dark horses are Austria, Iceland and Finland
Friday 13 May 2011
SF2 review
Bos-Her – Dino Merlin takes for the stage with his troupe of singers and (faux) instrumentalists The show looks polished if not looking a bit too staged. Dino’s voice is OK and gets better as the song progresses. A lot if the extra actions (esp, the trumpeter/dancer) is missed by the camera, which may be a bad or good thing. The audience seem to be enjoying this one and is a sure fire qualifier.
Aus – Nadine Beiler starts off her song acapella and as the song progresses the audience seem very appreciative of this girl’s talent. The real punch of this song is the bridge part before the chorus, however will anybody have stayed around long enough to find this bit out. She does look very striking and although the staging is simple it s very effective and conveying the message of the song.
Net – well, the boys really don’t look like they have made and effort. The main singer’s hair is also all over the place. He is also wearing a white double breasted suit which isn’t too flattering, and seems a little to formal for the style of the song. Vocals actually seem quite good from him but the backing singers need to be much quieter. Too many wide shots of the stage too.
Bel – The acapella band pull off a very standard performance. Because there is no backing tack, they need to stay tight, so there can be no real vocal gymnastics or improvisation by any one of them. In this way, the song never really goes anywhere after the first listen. The band is choreographed well and the camera work is well thought out. The beat boxer gets the biggest applause in the middle.
Svk – White dress twin sings first, vaguely in tune. Peach twin doesn’t seem to do a lot of singing at all and when she does they do their very best to drown her out with the other singers. It is a pleasant enough tune but it really doesn’t go anywhere. The performance is also very simple, it looks like they can only just about sing when standing still for three minutes.
Ukr – Mika is backed by a male singer and Ksenia (Mystic Meg), a sand artist whose creations are projected onto the back screen. Unfortunately for Mika we are not really listening an looking at you but however memorised by the art behind you. The camera work tries very hard to balance the two things together but it is not easy. Mika is a bit shouty and she made her dress from plucking a chicken.
Mol – Zdob si Zdub are back. They a dressed in huge black pointy hats, just like the national final. The backdrop is amazing- with cartoon characters also in pointy hats. Then enters the unicyclist. The song is not that complex but the acid brass and bassy parts are really good. They perform relatively well –it is not really a singing song but has a good performance.
Swe – Eric is joined by 3 dancer and 2 singers. As he starts off, his voice does not sound that good. It sound quite and strained. Either the song is too loud or his mic needs pushing up a bit. He is able to complete all the dancing parts fine but this puts more strain on his voice later on. At the end the glass does break but actually does not have as much impact as one might think
Cyp – Christos and his 4 male singers are on stage. The female singer is on the catwalk. The guys have boots which help them do gravity defying tricks. Their voices are not bad but the song really gets going when the woman joins in. She stands swinging a white ball above her head, a motif mirrored in the backdrop. A very difficult song to watch as there is so much going on
Bul – Poly and her band pull off a good performance. It is pretty static apart from the brief moment on the catwalk which works well with the retracting camera. Her voice is very good and sounds modern. It very much suits the style of the song, however I am afraid that singing in Bulgarian will put a lot of people off. Her dress is a bit strange and gets even stranger when she peels the top layer off at the end reveals an even shorter white number.
Mac – I tell you why this song is weird, the fact that Vlatko seem to be surgically attached to his guitar. He doesn’t need it. The dancers add a lot and the backdrop if the revolving thins is just pure genius. He starts the song in English (although it’s so gravelly it could be anything) then starts in the original tongue. The megaphone but doesn’t work though…
Isr – Here comes Dana International dressed as a fish. The shoe-strings up her legs make them look short and stumpy and those shiny tan tights are soooo drag queen. Anyways. She starts singing and it is not sting. She warms up a she goes along but it think the damage is done. She is however one of the very few who uses the catwalk properly and uses it for a good finish.
Slo – Maja is dressed with very, very long boots on with a treacherous heel. She is also dressed I sheet metal (or is it shit metal?) Maja as ever belts out a flawless vocal performance although at times she opens her mouth just a bit too much for my liking. After some early doubts, the backing dancers actually add a fair bit to the sound of the song. Should qualify
Rom – David and the band are dressed quite conservatively, almost like modern tribute act to the Wurzels. The lead singer has a good voice and sings it well but I don’t really rate the song. At times I also find the backing track very dated and a bit too bouncy. The two female dancers are really quite annoying with their trombone antics.
Est – The show is very similar to that for the Estonian final with different costumes and skyline on stage. She looks very pretty, a bit like Alice in Wonderland. There us really good interaction between all on stage. At the start the vocals sound good and during the first chorus the audience really responds. She keeps up a good level especially with all the dancing.
Blr – “I love Belarus”- well if you don’t you are not going to vote for this song a are you? #epicfail Lots of pyros for this one. Anastacia starts singing but it sounds very breathy and totally out of tune. The backing singers seem to be doing the dance routine to “Theater” by Katja Epstein. Too much going on here… all to cover up the non-appearance of a song or decent singer.
Lat – Another identikit performance from a national final. The song is good and modern and had a bit of rap in it. The lead singer has a really good voice and does not look that bad. However the outfits are awful, especially the red bow ties. The staging is simple, possibly too simple and the background lacks impact. The ANGEL at the end is a nice touch but easily missed.
Den – Another very simple performance from A Friend In London. The song sounds like lots of other songs and stays in your head. The lead singer seems to have contracted Lena’s “cockney patter” accent when singing but his singing is very clear and the message gets through. At the end he makes a run for it down the catwalk and you see his backless shirt!!!!!
Ire – Possibly the most anticipated act of the night. Jedward start off with one standing, the other lying down on the floor. The girl’s mics seem to be turned up a little bit too loud and take over. The guys are having a good time, not mater how they sound and everything seems spontaneous, even though it is not. It is that so bad it’s good a la Guildo Horn.
The 10 qualifiers are as follows
The number in brackets is their draw order
ESTONIA (8)
ROMANIA (17)
MOLDOVA (15)
IRELAND (6)
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (2)
DENMARK (3)
AUSTRIA (18)
UKRAINE (23)
SLOVENIA (20)
SWEDEN (7)
Aus – Nadine Beiler starts off her song acapella and as the song progresses the audience seem very appreciative of this girl’s talent. The real punch of this song is the bridge part before the chorus, however will anybody have stayed around long enough to find this bit out. She does look very striking and although the staging is simple it s very effective and conveying the message of the song.
Net – well, the boys really don’t look like they have made and effort. The main singer’s hair is also all over the place. He is also wearing a white double breasted suit which isn’t too flattering, and seems a little to formal for the style of the song. Vocals actually seem quite good from him but the backing singers need to be much quieter. Too many wide shots of the stage too.
Bel – The acapella band pull off a very standard performance. Because there is no backing tack, they need to stay tight, so there can be no real vocal gymnastics or improvisation by any one of them. In this way, the song never really goes anywhere after the first listen. The band is choreographed well and the camera work is well thought out. The beat boxer gets the biggest applause in the middle.
Svk – White dress twin sings first, vaguely in tune. Peach twin doesn’t seem to do a lot of singing at all and when she does they do their very best to drown her out with the other singers. It is a pleasant enough tune but it really doesn’t go anywhere. The performance is also very simple, it looks like they can only just about sing when standing still for three minutes.
Ukr – Mika is backed by a male singer and Ksenia (Mystic Meg), a sand artist whose creations are projected onto the back screen. Unfortunately for Mika we are not really listening an looking at you but however memorised by the art behind you. The camera work tries very hard to balance the two things together but it is not easy. Mika is a bit shouty and she made her dress from plucking a chicken.
Mol – Zdob si Zdub are back. They a dressed in huge black pointy hats, just like the national final. The backdrop is amazing- with cartoon characters also in pointy hats. Then enters the unicyclist. The song is not that complex but the acid brass and bassy parts are really good. They perform relatively well –it is not really a singing song but has a good performance.
Swe – Eric is joined by 3 dancer and 2 singers. As he starts off, his voice does not sound that good. It sound quite and strained. Either the song is too loud or his mic needs pushing up a bit. He is able to complete all the dancing parts fine but this puts more strain on his voice later on. At the end the glass does break but actually does not have as much impact as one might think
Cyp – Christos and his 4 male singers are on stage. The female singer is on the catwalk. The guys have boots which help them do gravity defying tricks. Their voices are not bad but the song really gets going when the woman joins in. She stands swinging a white ball above her head, a motif mirrored in the backdrop. A very difficult song to watch as there is so much going on
Bul – Poly and her band pull off a good performance. It is pretty static apart from the brief moment on the catwalk which works well with the retracting camera. Her voice is very good and sounds modern. It very much suits the style of the song, however I am afraid that singing in Bulgarian will put a lot of people off. Her dress is a bit strange and gets even stranger when she peels the top layer off at the end reveals an even shorter white number.
Mac – I tell you why this song is weird, the fact that Vlatko seem to be surgically attached to his guitar. He doesn’t need it. The dancers add a lot and the backdrop if the revolving thins is just pure genius. He starts the song in English (although it’s so gravelly it could be anything) then starts in the original tongue. The megaphone but doesn’t work though…
Isr – Here comes Dana International dressed as a fish. The shoe-strings up her legs make them look short and stumpy and those shiny tan tights are soooo drag queen. Anyways. She starts singing and it is not sting. She warms up a she goes along but it think the damage is done. She is however one of the very few who uses the catwalk properly and uses it for a good finish.
Slo – Maja is dressed with very, very long boots on with a treacherous heel. She is also dressed I sheet metal (or is it shit metal?) Maja as ever belts out a flawless vocal performance although at times she opens her mouth just a bit too much for my liking. After some early doubts, the backing dancers actually add a fair bit to the sound of the song. Should qualify
Rom – David and the band are dressed quite conservatively, almost like modern tribute act to the Wurzels. The lead singer has a good voice and sings it well but I don’t really rate the song. At times I also find the backing track very dated and a bit too bouncy. The two female dancers are really quite annoying with their trombone antics.
Est – The show is very similar to that for the Estonian final with different costumes and skyline on stage. She looks very pretty, a bit like Alice in Wonderland. There us really good interaction between all on stage. At the start the vocals sound good and during the first chorus the audience really responds. She keeps up a good level especially with all the dancing.
Blr – “I love Belarus”- well if you don’t you are not going to vote for this song a are you? #epicfail Lots of pyros for this one. Anastacia starts singing but it sounds very breathy and totally out of tune. The backing singers seem to be doing the dance routine to “Theater” by Katja Epstein. Too much going on here… all to cover up the non-appearance of a song or decent singer.
Lat – Another identikit performance from a national final. The song is good and modern and had a bit of rap in it. The lead singer has a really good voice and does not look that bad. However the outfits are awful, especially the red bow ties. The staging is simple, possibly too simple and the background lacks impact. The ANGEL at the end is a nice touch but easily missed.
Den – Another very simple performance from A Friend In London. The song sounds like lots of other songs and stays in your head. The lead singer seems to have contracted Lena’s “cockney patter” accent when singing but his singing is very clear and the message gets through. At the end he makes a run for it down the catwalk and you see his backless shirt!!!!!
Ire – Possibly the most anticipated act of the night. Jedward start off with one standing, the other lying down on the floor. The girl’s mics seem to be turned up a little bit too loud and take over. The guys are having a good time, not mater how they sound and everything seems spontaneous, even though it is not. It is that so bad it’s good a la Guildo Horn.
The 10 qualifiers are as follows
The number in brackets is their draw order
ESTONIA (8)
ROMANIA (17)
MOLDOVA (15)
IRELAND (6)
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (2)
DENMARK (3)
AUSTRIA (18)
UKRAINE (23)
SLOVENIA (20)
SWEDEN (7)
Wednesday 11 May 2011
SF1 fall out
Well... what on earth happened there...?!!?!?!?
I am not going to go into too much detail here about each song and everything but suffice to say that last night's results were a little surprising.
Firstly we have the non-qaulification on Turkey and Armenia. One may have thought that diaspora voting would've got them through- so why did they fail?
One view is that the fact that countries such as Ned, Bel, Ger and Swe (which have high levels of diaspora) were not voting in this semi, so that was a good 30 odd points unavialable.
Secondly, both of their performances were not good. Armenia was breathy and her dancing was awful and she looked realy awkard. Turkey show was very weak, the outfits were really quite unflattering and there was no real schtick to it. I mean the girl in the ball was downright confusing. One could almost say boring.
Thirdly the songs were weak. Here, this fact would have greatly affected the jury vote. The jury is made up of 'music professionals' and I think they would more than likely pick up on the technical aspect of the songs and how they are written as well a their 'contemporary-ness' - of which niether of the songs in question were...
Norway also failed. Although the song was a fan favourite her vocal perfoamance on the night was poor. Not only was she not in tune but she also did a lot of screechy talking to the crowd between bits. The lveels of the backing singers were all over the place and I feel the backdrop was very muted and did not suit the colourful and African nature of the song.
Georgia and Switzerland however did get through. Georgia's song looked and sounded very different (not good - just different!) I feel a lot of ex-soviet power was behind this song as well as votes from possibly younger people who like this style of Linkin Park type stuff. Switzerland is a bit a funny one. No diaspora and no real neighbours. The juries would have liked this but I also think the viewers may have like the style of this. I mean- I could actually hear what she was singing !!!
We then also have the surprising qualifaction of Lithania. I would say that 90% of people would not have had this on their napkin. So where did it get the votes from?
I would almost definately look towards the juries. I know that many micked it was a Disney number - but is there much diference between this and Jade from the UK? Same kind of thing really. This kind of 'muscial' style number is not easy to write, or to sing and in fairness he was bang on every note.
From this, those people who like musicals possible would have also voted for this. Now Lithuania does not have such a wide spread diaspora as other countries do, however some of the ex-Soviet countries in this semi may have put their weight behind the song. That aside it probably would ahve got some votes from most countries and if it wasn't in the top 9, the juries would have given this one its wild card.
What does this tell us about semi 2...?
Bascially, you sing in tune. Perform well.
If you don't - you fail.
We may finally have a song contest again....
I am not going to go into too much detail here about each song and everything but suffice to say that last night's results were a little surprising.
Firstly we have the non-qaulification on Turkey and Armenia. One may have thought that diaspora voting would've got them through- so why did they fail?
One view is that the fact that countries such as Ned, Bel, Ger and Swe (which have high levels of diaspora) were not voting in this semi, so that was a good 30 odd points unavialable.
Secondly, both of their performances were not good. Armenia was breathy and her dancing was awful and she looked realy awkard. Turkey show was very weak, the outfits were really quite unflattering and there was no real schtick to it. I mean the girl in the ball was downright confusing. One could almost say boring.
Thirdly the songs were weak. Here, this fact would have greatly affected the jury vote. The jury is made up of 'music professionals' and I think they would more than likely pick up on the technical aspect of the songs and how they are written as well a their 'contemporary-ness' - of which niether of the songs in question were...
Norway also failed. Although the song was a fan favourite her vocal perfoamance on the night was poor. Not only was she not in tune but she also did a lot of screechy talking to the crowd between bits. The lveels of the backing singers were all over the place and I feel the backdrop was very muted and did not suit the colourful and African nature of the song.
Georgia and Switzerland however did get through. Georgia's song looked and sounded very different (not good - just different!) I feel a lot of ex-soviet power was behind this song as well as votes from possibly younger people who like this style of Linkin Park type stuff. Switzerland is a bit a funny one. No diaspora and no real neighbours. The juries would have liked this but I also think the viewers may have like the style of this. I mean- I could actually hear what she was singing !!!
We then also have the surprising qualifaction of Lithania. I would say that 90% of people would not have had this on their napkin. So where did it get the votes from?
I would almost definately look towards the juries. I know that many micked it was a Disney number - but is there much diference between this and Jade from the UK? Same kind of thing really. This kind of 'muscial' style number is not easy to write, or to sing and in fairness he was bang on every note.
From this, those people who like musicals possible would have also voted for this. Now Lithuania does not have such a wide spread diaspora as other countries do, however some of the ex-Soviet countries in this semi may have put their weight behind the song. That aside it probably would ahve got some votes from most countries and if it wasn't in the top 9, the juries would have given this one its wild card.
What does this tell us about semi 2...?
Bascially, you sing in tune. Perform well.
If you don't - you fail.
We may finally have a song contest again....
Tuesday 10 May 2011
SF1 "Napkin of death"
Tonight is the night !!!
So here are my (many predictions) for tonight's festivities.
My prediction
TURKEY
HUNGARY
RUSSIA
AZERBAIJAN
ARMENIA
ICELAND
FINLAND
NORWAY
POLAND
SERBIA
I would rather this happened
TURKEY
HUNGARY
RUSSIA
AZERBAIJAN
ICELAND
FINLAND
NORWAY
POLAND
MALTA
SWITZERLAND
I think that TURKEY, HUNGARY, RUSSIA and AZERBAIJAN are safe bets and I pretty much think that SAN MARINO, LITHUANIA, PORTUGAL and ALBANIA have almost no chance. So the other 6 places could be taken up by almost any combination of the other 10, which is actually a tough ask.
I think a great deal of emphasis will be placed on the performance on the night. Fans may have their favourites but they will only get votes if they are any good (Era Stupendo being a good example) As I am typing apart for 3 particular songs I will vote for any how, I have no idea how I will feel about the others untilI see them on screen.
Exciting but scary !!!!
So here are my (many predictions) for tonight's festivities.
My prediction
TURKEY
HUNGARY
RUSSIA
AZERBAIJAN
ARMENIA
ICELAND
FINLAND
NORWAY
POLAND
SERBIA
I would rather this happened
TURKEY
HUNGARY
RUSSIA
AZERBAIJAN
ICELAND
FINLAND
NORWAY
POLAND
MALTA
SWITZERLAND
I think that TURKEY, HUNGARY, RUSSIA and AZERBAIJAN are safe bets and I pretty much think that SAN MARINO, LITHUANIA, PORTUGAL and ALBANIA have almost no chance. So the other 6 places could be taken up by almost any combination of the other 10, which is actually a tough ask.
I think a great deal of emphasis will be placed on the performance on the night. Fans may have their favourites but they will only get votes if they are any good (Era Stupendo being a good example) As I am typing apart for 3 particular songs I will vote for any how, I have no idea how I will feel about the others untilI see them on screen.
Exciting but scary !!!!
Labels:
2011,
Eurovision,
napkin of death,
predictions,
semi-final,
SF1
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