Host city 2010 announced

This week NRK announced that the host city for Eurovision Song Contest 2010 will be as anticipated Oslo, Norway's capital city. It is not clear yet what will be the venue but it seems at this point that the decision is between the 1996 venue Oslo Spektrum in the city centre and the new Telenor Fornebu Arena that is situated just outside the city. A decision is expected shortly after negotiations have been made. The dates for next year were also announced, and the semi finals will be held Tuesday 25th and Thursday 27th of May, with the final kicking off on Saturday 29th of May.

It was reported earlier that the Telenor Fornebu Arena had already been booked prior to the win in one of NRK's news programmes, however they later announced this was not correct. I can't help but wonder that the mention of this was a slip-up and that perhaps it is indeed already booked. I will bring more news regarding this subject once there is an update.

Eurovision in the UK charts

In the official UK singles chart made official last Sunday, dated 30th of May (the date of the following Saturday) as many as 5 songs from this year's Eurovision Song Contest placed in the top 100, and 3 of them even in the top 50. The winner, Alexander Rybak, placed 10th with "Fairytale" making it the best charting winning entry since 1997's "Love Shine A Light" by Katrina & The Waves. Following the Norwegian entry are the British entry at no. 27, the Icelandic entry at no. 49, the German entry at no. 85 and finally the Finnish entry at no. 100. For reference, below is the full chart, positions 1-100:

1 DIZZEE RASCAL/VAN HELDEN / BONKERS
2 BLACK EYED PEAS / BOOM BOOM POW
3 TINCHY STRYDER FT N-DUBZ / NUMBER 1
4 EMINEM / WE MADE YOU
5 DANIEL MERRIWEATHER / RED
6 LA ROUX / IN FOR THE KILL
7 LILY ALLEN / NOT FAIR
8 SOULJA BOY TELLEM FT SAMMIE / KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
9 LADY GAGA / POKER FACE
10 ALEXANDER RYBAK / FAIRYTALE
11 IRONIK/CHIPMUNK/ELTON JOHN / TINY DANCER (HOLD ME CLOSER)
12 CALVIN HARRIS / I'M NOT ALONE
13 PRODIGY / WARRIOR'S DANCE
14 CIARA FT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE / LOVE SEX MAGIC
15 AR RAHMAN FT PUSSYCAT DOLLS / JAI HO (YOU ARE MY DESTINY)
16 MILEY CYRUS / THE CLIMB
17 BEYONCE / HALO
18 ALESHA DIXON / LET'S GET EXCITED
19 PAOLO NUTINI / CANDY
20 DEADMAU5 & KASKADE / I REMEMBER
21 STAR PILOTS / IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT
22 METRO STATION / SHAKE IT
23 PINK / PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME
24 KERI HILSON/KANYE WEST/NE-YO / KNOCK YOU DOWN
25 MARMADUKE DUKE / RUBBER LOVER
26 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS FT CIARA / TAKIN' BACK MY LOVE
27 JADE EWEN / IT'S MY TIME
28 FLO RIDA FT WYNTER / SUGAR
29 GREEN DAY / KNOW YOUR ENEMY
30 MILEY CYRUS / HOEDOWN THROWDOWN
31 SHONTELLE FT AKON / STUCK WITH EACH OTHER
32 LADY GAGA / JUST DANCE
33 AKON FT K OFFISHALL/C O'DONIS / BEAUTIFUL
34 NOISETTES / DON'T UPSET THE RHYTHM (GO BABY GO)
35 JASON MRAZ / I'M YOURS
36 KATY PERRY / WAKING UP IN VEGAS
37 EMPIRE OF THE SUN / WE ARE THE PEOPLE
38 TAYLOR SWIFT / LOVE STORY
39 EMINEM / BEAUTIFUL
40 BRITNEY SPEARS / IF U SEEK AMY
41 PRODIGY / OMEN
42 FLO RIDA FT KESHA / RIGHT ROUND
43 LILY ALLEN / THE FEAR
44 TOMMY SPARKS / SHE'S GOT ME DANCING
45 KELLY CLARKSON / I DO NOT HOOK UP
46 ASHER ROTH / I LOVE COLLEGE
47 KERI HILSON FT TIMBALAND / RETURN THE FAVOR
48 KELLY CLARKSON / MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
49 YOHANNA / IS IT TRUE
50 GIRLS ALOUD / UNTOUCHABLE
51 KINGS OF LEON / USE SOMEBODY
52 JAMES MORRISON & NELLY FURTADO / BROKEN STRINGS
53 KINGS OF LEON / SEX ON FIRE
54 ALICIA KEYS / NO ONE
55 ALESHA DIXON / BREATHE SLOW
56 EMINEM FT DR DRE & 50 CENT / CRACK A BOTTLE
57 FRIENDLY FIRES / JUMP IN THE POOL
58 TAYLOR SWIFT / TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR
59 BEYONCE / SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
60 TI FT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE / DEAD AND GONE
61 FLO RIDA FT T-PAIN / LOW
62 DIZZEE RASCAL/HARRIS/ CHROME / DANCE WIV ME
63 BILL WITHERS / AIN'T NO SUNSHINE
64 STEVE ANGELLO & LAIDBACK LUKE / SHOW ME LOVE
65 LADY GAGA / PAPARAZZI
66 DEMI LOVATO / LA LA LAND
67 EMINEM / LOSE YOURSELF
68 KID CUDI VS CROOKERS / DAY 'N' NITE
69 JAMES MORRISON / PLEASE DON'T STOP THE RAIN
70 N-DUBZ / WOULDN'T YOU
71 KILLERS / HUMAN
72 BEYONCE / DIVA
73 KATY PERRY / HOT N COLD
74 MGMT / KIDS
75 LADYHAWKE / MY DELIRIUM
76 ELBOW / ONE DAY LIKE THIS
77 MICHAEL JACKSON / THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US
78 PINK / SO WHAT
79 SATURDAYS / UP
80 ALESHA DIXON / THE BOY DOES NOTHING
81 COLDPLAY / VIVA LA VIDA
82 MILEY CYRUS / BUTTERFLY FLY AWAY
83 EMPIRE OF THE SUN / WALKING ON A DREAM
84 PINK / SOBER
85 ALEX SWINGS OSCAR SINGS / MISS KISS KISS BANG
86 LENKA / THE SHOW
87 JOURNEY / DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'
88 LEONA LEWIS / RUN
89 BEYONCE / IF I WERE A BOY
90 TINCHY STRYDER FT TAIO CRUZ / TAKE ME BACK
91 BRITNEY SPEARS / WOMANIZER
92 SATURDAYS / JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH
93 LADYHAWKE / BACK OF THE VAN
94 KIG / HEAD SHOULDERS KNEEZ & TOEZ
95 TI / WHATEVER YOU LIKE
96 GIRLS ALOUD / THE PROMISE
97 SHONTELLE / T-SHIRT
98 ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWO'OLE / SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
99 N-DUBZ / STRONG AGAIN
100 WALDO'S PEOPLE / LOSE CONTROL

The results of the grand final

Alexander Rybak for Norway won the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest winner title by a landlisde. He was in the lead with over 150 points more than the runner-up Iceland. Never in history has a winner scored more than 300 points, and thus has now broken Lordi's old record from 2006, who achieved 292 points. It is yet to be confirmed where in Norway next year's contest will be held but at the moment everything is pointing in the direction of Oslo and the Fornebu arena just outside the city. Below is the full results list with the points in brackets:

1. Norway (387)

2. Iceland (218)

3. Azerbaijan (207)

4. Turkey (177)

5. United Kingdom (173)

6. Estonia (129)

7. Greece (120)

8. France (107)

9. Bosnia & Herzegovina (106)

10. Armenia (92)

11. Russia (91)

12. Ukraine (76)

13. Denmark (74)

14. Moldova (69)

15. Portugal (57)

16. Israel (53)

17. Albania (48)

18. Croatia (45)

19. Romania (40)

20. Germany (35)

21. Sweden (33)

22. Malta (31)

23. Lithuania (23)

23. Spain (23)

25. Finland (22)

It was also revealed shortly after the show had ended that Finland was the jury choice from the 1st semi final, and Croatia was their choice in the 2nd semi final pushing the 10th places of FYR Macedonia and Serbia out. The winner of the 1st semi final was Iceland, while Norway won the second one.

Predictions for the grand final!

Tonight is the night! The main event, what we have all been waiting for the last six months since the national finals started up... 10 songs have advanced from each of the semi finals to join the 5 directly qualified songs in the final. Below I have tried to predict the outcome after the 42 countries have cast their votes.

01 Lithuania (position 16-20)

02 Israel (position 21-25)

03 France (position 6-10)

04 Sweden (position 16-20)

05 Croatia (position 21-25)

06 Portugal (position 16-20)

07 Iceland (position 6-10)

08 Greece (position 4-5)

09 Armenia (position 6-10)

10 Russia (position 16-20)

11 Azerbaijan (position 1-3 / potential winner)

12 Bosnia & Herzegovina (position 1-3 / potential winner)

13 Moldova (position 16-20)

14 Malta (position 11-15)

15 Estonia (position 11-15)

16 Denmark (position 11-15)

17 Germany (position 21-25)

18 Turkey (position 6-10)

19 Albania (position 11-15)

20 Norway (position 1-3 / potential winner)

21 Ukraine (position 6-10)

22 Romania (position 21-25)

23 United Kingdom (position 4-5)

24 Finland (position 21-25)

25 Spain (position 11-15)

2nd semi final results

Yesterday evening the second semi final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow went live. The reactions to the show that I have read/heard are much the same as for Tuesday's show in that the presenters again did a terrible job. Luckily they will be replaced for the grand final. However on the positive note amny people feel the camera work and the way the stage and artists came across on stage, including the sound, were improved. Below are the 10 qualifiers from last night's semi final:

Croatia (my guess would be that either this or the Lithuanian entry was the jury choice)
Norway
Denmark
Azerbaijan
Greece
Lithuania
Moldova
Albania
Ukraine
Estonia

Congratulations to myself once again as I got another 8 out of the 10 right in my prediction. Like on Tuesday, a press conference followed an hour after the show finished where two representatives from each country drew their start number in the final. After the draw the complete line-up for the final now looks like this:

01 Lithuania
02 Israel
03 France
04 Sweden
05 Croatia
06 Portugal
07 Iceland
08 Greece
09 Armenia
10 Russia
11 Azerbaijan
12 Bosnia & Herzegovina
13 Moldova
14 Malta
15 Estonia
16 Denmark
17 Germany
18 Turkey
19 Albania
20 Norway
21 Ukraine
22 Romania
23 United Kingdom
24 Finland
25 Spain

Predictions for 2nd semi final

Finally another evening of Eurovision again tonight! Approximately 21:00 CET the second semi final will begin live from Moscow. Like I did two days ago, I have again tried to put down which 10 songs I think will go through to the grand final on Saturday, based on the rehearsals for the last week or so and the way I think Europe will vote.

Almost certain qualifiers:
01. Norway (99%)
02. Azerbaijan (99%)
03. Greece (99%)
04. Ukraine (95%)

Very likely qualifiers:
05. Estonia (75%)
06. Albania (65%)
07. Moldova (60%)
08. Denmark (60%)

Just making it:
09. Serbia (55%)
10. Ireland (50%)

Just missing out:
11. Lithuania (45%)
12. Croatoa (45%)
13. Slovenia (40%)
14. Hungary (40%)

Little or no chance:
15. The Netherlands (30%)
16, Cyprus (25%)

17. Poland (25%)
18. Latvia (20%)
19. Slovakia (5%)

1st semi final results

Last night the first semi final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow kicked off. The reactions I have read/heard are that most agree it was a fabulouus show, however the flashing lights on stage were somewhat distracting, the presenters were disappointing and did an amateurish impression, and lastly that the interval act lacked the big impact it should have or could have had. Hopefully many of these aspects will be improved by tomorrow's show. Below are the 10 qualifiers from yesterday's semi final:

Sweden

Armenia

Turkey

Israel (my guess is this was the jury choice)

Iceland

Romania

Finland

Portugal

Malta

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Congratulations to myself as I got 8 out of the 10 right in my prediction. Not bad. A press conference followed an hour after the show finished where two representatives from each country drew their start number in the final. After this draw the final now looks like this:

01 -

02 Israel

03 France

04 Sweden

05 -

06 Portugal

07 Iceland

08 -

09 Armenia

10 Russia

11 -

12 Bosnia & Herzegovina

13 -

14 Malta

15 -

16 -

17 Germany

18 Turkey

19 -

20 -

21 -

22 Romania

23 United Kingdom

24 Finland

25 Spain

Predictions for 1st semi final

Tonight's the night! Approximately 21:00 CET the first semi final will kick off live from Moscow. I have tried to put down which 10 songs I think will go through to the grand final on Saturday, based on the rehearsals for the last week and the way I think Europe will vote.

Almost certain qualifiers:

01. Bosnia & Herzegovina (99%)

02. Turkey (99%)

03. Armenia (99%)

04. Malta (90%)

Very likely qualifiers:

05. Portugal (75%)

06. Iceland (70%)

07. Sweden (60%)

08. Romania (60%)

Just making it:

09. Switzerland (55%)

10. Andorra (50%)

Just missing out:

11. Israel (45%)

12. Belarus (45%)

13. Montenegro (40%)

14. Finland (40%)

Little or no chance:

15. FYR Macedonia (30%)

16. Belgium (20%)

17. Bulgaria (15%)

18. Czech republic (5%)

The finalists' rehearsals

Yesterday and today the 5 finalists had their rehearsals in Moscow, consisting of the Big 4 countries and host nation Russia. This concludes the rehearsals part of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.

FRANCE

Patricia Kaas is a well known singer through most of eastern Europe and of course France as well as other French speaking countries. When she started singing you could tell this was an experienced and top class singer. I am not very keen on the song itself but she oozes professionalism and quality. I am in fact incredibly impressed. Not often you can say that someone is actually better live than on record. This should place high on the scoreboard if there is any justice. (10 out of 10)

RUSSIA

She sings well live although I am not sure if I like the background, consisting of pictures of herself and was today replaced by moving images of her miming to the song and having some sort of nervous breakdown towards the end. It's a very dramatic and theatrical number. I am sure the eastern part of Europe will embrace this and I can see this doing quite well. Today she was wearing a plain white dress, however I do hope this is not the final outfit. Something along the lines of what she wore in the Russian final would be far more effective. (7 out of 10)

GERMANY

Very professional performance from Germany this year. Vocals are very good, and there is plenty going on the stage. Not a dull moment. The act also look very relaxed and everything flows very nicely. Time will tell how the audience will perceive this. With a little luck they may end up on the left side of the board. (8 out of 10)

UNITED KINGDOM

Jade Ewen has had quite some experience now performing this song practically all over Europe. And this is definitely the best performance I have seen her done yet. And the vocals were even stronger in today's rehearsal compared to yesterday. This definitely has a winner feel over it and the rumoured appearance of Andrew Lloyd Webber on the piano will put this up there in the top. Very elegant staging, very pleasng on the eye, and a pure joy to listen to. (10 out of 10)

SPAIN

The Spanish singer is a bit of a P!nk-look-a-like, and she looks very comfortable on stage. The opening of the song has been changed to a much slower intro which I feel is very effective. Lots of dancing on stage and everyone looks great. The only downfall is that it looks a bit crowded from time to time. I think this could be Spain's best result in years. Soraya sings very well and even handles the newly invented operatic ending note with ease. (9 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/

Fourth day of rehearsals

Wednesday 6th of May was the 4th day of rehearsals, and time to hear the last half of the songs in the second semi final on the Moscow stage for the very first time. The second rehearsal of these songs and countries took place on Saturday and Sunday. We continued where we left off the day before with the tenth song and country, Slovenia...

SLOVENIA

The performance is quite similar to the one presented in the national final except that the first part of the song is sung in Slovenian. I must say I prefer the full English language version. It's all very pleasing to both the ear and eye, however I am unsure if this will make a great impact on the night. (7 out of 10)

HUNGARY

This camp George Michael-ish dance song comes across very well on stage. The vocals are good but yet again it is one of those songs that neither impresses or disappoints. And I fear this is one that the viewers may easily forget about as there is nothing here to grab you. (7 out of 10)

AZERBAIJAN

This act has everything the former two didn't. It's lively, dancey and definitely sets the mood. Arash's vocals have been a bit shaky but was much improved on the second rehearsals. Aysel's vocals were almost flawless. I think this is one to watch out for, and a definite qualifier. (9 out of 10)

GREECE

This is another favourite and one that everyone expects will qualify. Sakis Rouvas brings a prop with him on stage, which at first looked a bit out of place. However on the second rehearsal it came more into use and I must admit the whole performance looks quite impressive combined with the flashing neon lights of some of the song's lyrics. Saki's vocals are not perfect as expected but seems much improved compared to his 2004 performance. (8 out of 10)

LITHUANIA

The background for this song is very dark and the artist comes on stage looking a bit like Frank Sinatra. The vocals are very good but I feel there is too little happening on stage. The song doesn't really grab me and it may turn out to be the perfect toilet break on the night. This is another one of those performances and songs that leave me completely indifferent. (6 out of 10)

MOLDOVA

From the dull to the explosive. This is very lively on stage, lots of dancing, and the costumes fit both the song and the background. Vocally this is also very good. (8 out of 10)

ALBANIA

Being one of the youngest artists in the competition this year I feared the Albanian singer would fail live due to nerves. However she sings just as well live as on record and her vocals are in fact very strong. Unfortunately she seems to look a tad uncomfortable on stage from time to time, and some of her movements appear a bit odd. Still I think this might do very well unless nerves kick in on the night. (9 out of 10)

UKRAINE

From the sweet to the vulgar. The song is the most sex-fixated song of this year's contest and from the beginning I have felt this performance comes across as a bit cheap and tacky. The use of the now famous/infamous hell machine has now been shown on stage. It looks quite impressive I must say but it may be a bit too much of a good thing. Certainly a song that will be remembered, and probably another certain qualifier. Vocally this is also good but I think it would gain more votes by toning down the performance a couple of notches. (8 out of 10)

ESTONIA

Another country and song that uses blue costumes next to a blue background. The lead singer sings well, and there are no problems at all vocally. It looks a lot better on stage in the second rehearsal than the first, yet still I feel it would look better if the members of the group stood closer together while performing the song. Despite this I think this is another likely qualifier. (8 out of 10)

NETHERLANDS

last country out in semi final 2. The performance is as camp as can be expected, complete with handheld lights attached to palms of the three male singers. The interaction with the 3 black backing singers wearing blonde wigs looks a bit corny and for me it is difficult to take this performance seriously. I think yet again Netherlands will fail to qualify, but vocally this is very well sung. (6 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/

Third day of rehearsals

Tuesday 5th of May was the third day of rehearsals. This also marked the beginning of the rehearsals of the second semi final. The second rehearsals for the below countries and songs were held Friday and Saturday. To kick it off is Croatia...

CROATIA

A reasonably good performance although it's not the best way to open a show with a ballad. The artist sings well, the only drawback could be that it gets a bit anonymous compared to a lot of songs that are to follow. (7 out of 10)

IRELAND

The first rehearsal was not the best for Sinead Mulvey and the girls, both vocally and visually. However they made massive improvements upon the second rehearsal. The flashing letters spelling the song title "et cetera" in the opening of the song is very effective. Sinead has a great vocal throughout the song except the very last note that is a bit shaky. The background still looks a bit gloomy but other than that I was really happy with this rehearsal. (8 out of 10)

LATVIA

It is no secret that I don't care for this song at all. However the act put on a very good performance and background fits the song well. Yet I fail to see the impact this song will have coming right after Ireland. Nonetheless a good effort (7 out of 10)

SERBIA

Things certainly get more bizarre with this number. Could be the joke act of the year, and as much as I hate it these types of performances tend to get a lot of the protest votes. The colours in the background comes off very well, and the act is certainly eye-catching on stage with their odd appearances. Vocally this is good as well. (8 out of 10)

POLAND

This song is very pleasant to listen to, that is in the studio version. It seems that live this song is too much for the singer to cope with. A lot of the notes are off key and whilst hearing her sing it I actually can't wait for it to be over. Very disappointed with this performance as Poland initially had one of the better songs in this semi final. Neither does it help with the dancers on stage who only distract....but in this case maybe a good thing? (3 out of 10)

NORWAY

The big favourite of the year, and still way ahead of the others in the polls. Alexander Rybak puts on a very good performance, both vocally and visually. The background is of a fairytale village at night, with flashing lights in the windows of the wooden houses and the sky above filled with stars. The whole thing appears a bit christmasy, not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but the colours are perhaps a bit dark. My only other criticism would be the space. It looks as if the dancers are struggling with the space on stage, as they appear to almost dance over Alexander in the rehearsals. And it therefore looks slightly clumsy. But overall this was a very good rehearsal. (8 out of 10)

CYPRUS

Luckily Christina sings a lot better now than she did in the national final. Her costume and the props on stage look very nice. Yet I feel this still lacks the wow-factor. It's nice but nothing more. (7 out of 10)

SLOVAKIA

In my opinion one of the most dreadful songs in the competition this year. The background is pictures of candlelights which give a romantic feel. I must admit both singers give strong performances and despite the many difficult notes stay in tune throughout the song. However I still feel there is too much screaming, and it appears nothing can or will hold them back. (8 out of 10)

DENMARK

The Ronan Keating-sound-a-like is up next. Yet another strong performance. He makes the most of the song and the background fits the song well. This has a good chance of qualifying. (8 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/

Second day of rehearsals

Apologies for the delay in bringing updates from the rehearsals due to unforeseen circumstances. However let's roll it on.... The second day of rehearsals was held Monday 4th of May, with a second rehearsal of these songs held Thursday and Friday. I will do another review of the performances themselves and give them my score.

ISRAEL

They have chosen to go for the remixed version of this song in the sing-back rather than the superior original version which is a shame. I have felt that since the remixed version was presented in the music video of the song, it sounds slightly as if the music and the vocals are two different songs which gives a messy sound picture. That aside, the girls gave a near perfect vocal peformance, only the costumes need improving especially the one the Jewish girl wears. (8 out of 10)

BULGARIA

I wasn't sure what to expect of this as the live performance from the Bulgarian semi final and final was disasterous. However, the vocals are now much improved, due to the backing vocals taking over a lot of the high tones. Still it is a bit too much screaming for my liking but at least they are now in tune. The second rehearsal was not as good vocally, still not bad. However the stage show featuring two people on stilts are very distracting from the performance. Neither does it help with the lead singer's medieval outfit. (6 out of 10)

ICELAND

Yohanna sings beautifully, perhaps even a notch better than she did in the Icelandic final. The song comes across very well on stage, a very nice background. However the only thing she needs to work on is her stage appearance, as she looks a bit tense. In the second rehearsal she wore a big blue dress that looked completely wrong in my opinion next to the already blue background. (9 out of 10)

FYR MACEDONIA

Well performed without really impressing me nor disappointing me. I can't help but being somewhat indifferent to this song. Fairly decent background. But I am afraid this could be easily forgotten. However, vocally this is spot on. (8 out of 10)

ROMANIA

The first rehearsal of this song was a tad messy, the second rehearsal was much improved. Elena sings well without ever giving me the wow feeling. Catchy song with a decent dance routine, but is not as effective on stage as it could or should have been. (7 out of 10)

FINLAND

This song sounds like a hit on record, however the live performance has let me down quite a bit. The girls doing the vocals can definitely sing but live it sunds a bit screechy. The performance doesn't flow very naturally and I feel there should be more action on stage during a dance song like this, instead we get 4 people standing almost side by side rapping and singing. Although I like the studio version a lot the live performance is making me feel quite indifferent. (6 out of 10)

PORTUGAL

Not the most outstanding song in this year's contest, however the background they have chosen is perfect and the singer looks a lot better than she did in Portuguese final. Vocally, this is flawless, it comes across very naturally and effortlessly, a very charming performance. There is nothing here I feel need much improvement. (10 out of 10)

MALTA

We all know Chiara can sing. The background was luckily changed from the 'fish in the sea' to a now almost magical 'sky filled with stars'. Despite being alone on stage, Chiara gives it her all. A powerful performance and a sure qualifier. We have not yet seen the outfit she will be wearing but this looks very promising. (9 out of 10)

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

The last song of the first semi final. And what a way to end the first show. Vocally, this is again flawless. We saw the group in their full costumes in the second rehearsal and it looks and sounds fabulous, very pleasing to both the ear and eye. A perfect choice in matching colours and visual image. (10 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/

First day of rehearsals

Today, 3rd of May, was the first day of the rehearsals in Moscow. The first 9 countries and acts performed their songs, and below I have given my views and verdicts based on the performances alone (as I have already given my full reviews of the songs).

MONTENEGRO

Performing in the same order as they will appear in the semi finals, Montenegro had the job of opening Eurovision once again this year. The performance was not bad, neither disappointing or impressing me. From the video clip available on youtube we could only see one male dancer and the singer on stage. First impression is that this was a bit tame, I think the song would benefit from a more lively presentation, but this could change. The vocals were ok. (6 out of 10)

CZECH REPUBLIC

This song has everything that the first song lacked in originality and uniqueness. Despite my feelings for this song I must admit they put on a very good performance, bizarre as it is. Vocals were good, and there didn't seem to be any major technical issues, the group also appeared very relaxed on stage. (8 out of 10)

BELGIUM

The presentation was very similar (if not nearly identical) to the one seen in the music video. Even the costumes looked the same. Fairly good vocals again, neither disappointing or impressing me. Unlike Montenegro, we can actually see all 6 people on stage for this song. Decent effort. (7 out of 10)

BELARUS

One of the best rehearsals of the day in my opinion. The singer is very strong vocally even if he lacks that little extra in stage presence. The only weakness was the woman covered in a veil dancing by his side. I feel it distracts some attention away from the artist and the song. (9 out of 10)

SWEDEN

Visually this was near perfect, beautiful costumes and stunning contrasts in colour. However I felt Malena was not quite on shape, possibly she was holding back a little. Unfortunately she seems to struggle a bit in the low parts of the song, and the choir seemed a bit too loud in the mix in the refrain. I am expecting that this will be much improved on the night. (6 out of 10)

ARMENIA

Another highlight of today's rehearsals. Vocally this was almost faultless except for one note that was sung lower than in the studio recording. Nice choreography for the dancers on stage but I was very puzzled to why the famous/infamous dance that goes with it was omitted from the presentation. Seems like a strange decision taking into account that it is one of the things people remember the most from their video. Still a strong performance. (9 out of 10)

ANDORRA

This was a lot better than I had imagined it would be. The vocals were a tiny bit shaky from time to time but she managed to carry off the song well without any major problems and looked like she was enjoying herself on stage. The guitar she is playing in the first half of the song also had the number 07 imprinted on it, so let's hope the viewers remember to vote. (7 out of 10)

SWITZERLAND

Gorgeous background pictures were used for this song ranging from skyscrapers to snowy mountains. Vocals were fairly good, although with room for improvement. The image however could be a factor though as the group seems very anti-gimmicky, which in Eurovision can be dangerous, and may even come across as a bit dull to the viewers. Still a very decent first effort. (7 out of 10)

TURKEY

One of the favourites this year. Unfortunately this performance was very disappointing for me. I think the background colours was way too intense (bright red), in addition to that the fireworks used seemed a bit over the top and unnecessary. Hadise did also sound off key several places in the song, and was drowned out by the choir in the refrain - especially towards the end where it was impossible to separate Hadise's vocals from the choir. This needs a lot of improvement. (4 out of 10)

Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09

More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/