Friday 10 May 2013

Friday afternoon rehearsals (part 2)

MONTENEGRO
Much the same as it was on Tuesday, just tidier.

The guys emerge from smoke, backlit in green in a nifty slow motion shot to start the song. Nina doesn't join them on stage until the first chorus, popping up from below the stage, using a lift that nobody else has used, which is a little surprising as it's very effective.

They're very much going for the 'sexy cyborg' look for Nina, and the guys remain in their spacesuits, complete with helmets lit from inside. The whole look is very dark - it's only for her second chorus that Nina comes forward into the light - which is an interesting choice.


Either way, it's very distinctive, and I really hope this does get through to the final, if only because it'll be great TV for the Saturday night audience. And based on this, it stands a pretty decent chance.

LITHUANIA
Uff... what to say about Lithuania? He stands in the middle of the stage, he sings it fine, he wiggles his eyebrows far too much... It's purple...

I don't like the song, so I'm biased here, but this is just completely underwhelming. To be honest, they'd do well not to come last.

BELARUS
Oh dear... Alyona Lanskaya obviously overslept this morning, because she's run to the arena in such a hurry that she's forgotten to put her trousers on. How embarrassing...

A much better rehearsal for Belarus today - much tidier after the messes we saw on Tuesday. There's a few camera shots that aren't there yet, including the first zoom in to Alyona's face as she emerges from the giant disco-ball at the beginning, but other than that, it's all very tight.

Her dancers have once again got their arms out, and are showing a bit of chest this time too! And speaking of arms, there's a great Yaz Bitti Moment in the second verse. We love a Yaz Bitti Moment.

As for the song's chances? Obviously qualifying, but it's not the contender it seemed a couple of months ago. There's something very joyless about the whole thing, as the Alyona-bot goes through all the motions, smiles into the camera, but somehow never fully connects.

MOLDOVA
On Tuesday, we were basically thinking that they had this perfect already. Today, it's the same - it all looks great, very slick, really coming across on screen. So it was interesting to overhear the delegation on the arena floor seemingly unhappy, and a clear "we'll fix it" from the producers.

Anyway, as far as we could see, everything seems to be pretty much in place. Aliona perhaps isn't nailing it as much vocally as she did in the first rehearsal - in particular, she didn't go for the big high note going into the last chorus on any run-through today - but she doesn't need to.

Some of the camerawork is a little different - the initial shot at the piano is now behind the pianist (who wasn't Pasha today!) rather than in front, and I'm pleased to report, again, that the backing dancers have got their arms out. They're dressed in something tight and form-fitting - we've seen one of them in something even more small and form-fitting, but we're keeping quiet about that one.

More trivia from the arena:
- Aliona's dress is actually white in its natural state
- it takes all three backing dancers to carry the rest of the dress as she walks on and off stage

Surely a comfortable qualifier for Moldova, even if the delegation don't seem so sure just yet.

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