Eurovision Chat

After the slaughter of Dustin the Turkey, we are only left with 25 other potential winners.

Nine songs went on stage already and so far we’ve seen a great show. Croatia don’t make me particularly happy, but it’s a nice song, with nice lyrics. The granddan is still alive and kicking. Isis Gee from Poland is pretty mighty too. The Finnish heavy metal band Teräsbetoni seem to have negotiated successfully with the Finnish wireworks company and the stage during the performance of Missä Miehet Ratsastaa.

So, who’s gonna win? Journalists here at the Press center in Belgrade Sava Centre say it’ll be Portugal. My personal favourite is… I’ll let you know in a minute

Enjoy the show

The pressconference of the ten coutries qualifying from the First Semi-Final for the Final has just finished. Here is what they had to say, trilled with emotions 15 minutes after hearing the good news.

Greece
Kalomira was all too excited. In her typical girlish style, she found it difficult to say who is the biggest threat to her at the Final. “There are a lot of good songs and great performances in the SF2,” she said. Representing such a Eurovision-minded country like Greece is very hard, as a Greek journalist suggested. Kalomira’s answer was that the reason why she were so nervous was because of the people. GThe felt extremely grateful for the good energy from all the people holding flags in the hall and for the support from all the Greek people. Number for the final: 21

Romania
Niko and Vlad said that they are ready for a great success at the Final on 24 May. “We hope it will be a great success in the Final,” Vlad said. He admitted that the most important element in their performance that let them pass to the final was the connection between him and Niko. Whether it’s only on stage, it’s for you to decide. Number for the final: 1

Bosnia & Herzegovina
When asked how it feels being in the Final the eccentric Laka said that he is excited, because he had to pee. Laka revealed us a huge mystery in the life of artists, seems like. Number in final: 6

Finland
The Finnish hard-rock band confided that the fact that they have qualified for the Final means that still there are heavy-metal people in Europe. When asked what he thinks about the support of Sweden and Norway, expressed in various local media, the frontman of the band said: “We, Scandinavians should stick together.” Number in the final: 8

Russia
Dima Bilan was abvously very high after his victory. Excited and maybe a bit confused, Dima could not say many connected things. He expressed his hope that in the future, people should stay all happy, because music is magic. World figure-skating champion Evgeni Plushenko said that he was scared and excited to go on stage. And although he is a world champion, Eurovision is somethng completely different for him. Number in the final: 24

Israel
Boaz said that he was surprised that he qualified for the final. “I’m waiting for the real final, though,” he said, implying that the semi-final was just a warm-up for the real fight. Number in the final: 7

Azerbaijan
As freshmen in Eurovision, the representatives of Azerbaijan said that their good results are very important for their country. Number in the final: 20

Armenia
Sirusho said that the last thing she was thinking before going on stage was her “beautiful country, the people I met during my tours. I was taking all the love with me on stage.” Number in the final: 5

Poland
Isis Gee expressed her hounour for being among the finalists. “…it takes tremendous courage to be an artist in this contest. It takes a lot of strength,” Isis said. Mrs. Gee said that she always project her emotions through her music, which is the most eternal blessing in the world. And that she is happy for all the steps she walked to get to the final. Number in the final: 10

Norway
Maria did extremelly well, and she got the well-deserved place in the final. A fascinating question was asked – how she felt waiting for nine envelopes to be opened until Norway found its place. “It was nerve-breaking,” Maria said with a lovely sense of humour. She expressed her gratitude to all the fans who were shouting all the time. Maria got a really lucky number in the final: 25

During Azerbaidjan’s performance the stage exploded in pyrotechnics, and the red light enhanced the effect of dealing with the fight between good and bad. People in Belgrade say that the guys from Bacu are very likely not only to go through to the Final, but also win the Contest. If it depended on the money flows invested in promotion – for sure. Let’s see what you have to say.

Slovenia followed with a curious light show, which is far from contemporary, and it’s purpose is not known to me. Would you support Slovenia?

The LED screens during Norway’s performance are simply fantastic – Maria, you are simply the best!

Poland follows with a smooth step. I wonder if the European audiences will like Mrs. Isis Gee, or her American style, or her brown complexion, so much as to “give their love for her”.

The First semi-final for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest has just kicked off. The hosts look amazing, the stage even more so.

First on stage comes Stefan Filipovi? from Montenegro with his Zauvijek Volim Te
What chances does he stand? With his simple show with four backing vocals, Stefan relies on strong voice and charming expression. His shirt, however, seems to contrast with his style.

Israel is just breath-taking. Boaz does know how to touch your heart. I guess he’ll manage to touch the hearts of most viewers.

Estonia with its parody is my least favourite, if it can be in the favourite list at all. Shut up, blokes.

The next to come are:

Moldova
San Marino
Belgium
Azerbaijan
Slovenia
Norway
Poland
Ireland
Andorra
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Armenia
Netherlands
Finland
Romania
Russia
Greece

Indeed, I’m not a very diligent blogger, and I feel even worse talking to the hundreds of serious writers who analyse Eurovision in the manner such a contest truely deserves. Part of my failure to contribute to the world of letters might be attributed to the 30 degrees of Serbian heat pouring over my head. Or simply to the fact that I’ve been busy visiting various parties. And there’s been a lot of parties so far, and this is just the beginning.

So, once you enter Belgrade, you can immediately feel the atmosphere of a festival city. Everything from the posters, through the billboards, to the T-shirts and smiles volunteers wear makes you feel grand. Perfect organisation is too weak a word to describe the way people here work. Belgrade, the venue, the people, the weather… all tick like a Swiss watch.

I’m not tempted to analyse any of the songs. They are all different – some more than others, but most of them are worth noting. There is of course the camp show, the brit-pop crazy guy, the theatrical performance, the variety theatre show, a pinch of Molene Rouche, some parody as usual. But I do hope that true art will jubilee this year (I’m not saying, for a change).

Every night parties rock the Euroclub in Sava Center and the Eurocafe. It does look like a confluence of people, music, cultures, ideas and energies. (Not all positive, I must admit.) The more you dig into Eurovision, the further you go, the more you want to know how it’s made!

You must have already taken a glimpse at the stage – it is simply GOURGEOUS. Once you get inside the Arena, and have a close look at it, you can’t help thinking that the idea could have been carried out in a better way, which should not underestimate the value of this facility. Seen on screen, however, everything changes into a brilliant fairy-tale. Director Sven Stojanovic has come up with fascinating concepts challinging the viewer with curious points of view. The light director, the graphic designer, the sound manager, the stage manager… I must be missing out someone, they all know all 43 songs, and sing along the tracks during rehearsals. I simply adore the way these people work.

Okay, it’s all about the songs and artists, isn’t it? Why, do I need to tell you anything, when you’ve already picked your favourite? Mind you, I’ll post some curious pieces of news in a couple of hours, but let me first take a short nap after a night of three amazing parties.