The Netherlands
Simple scenery. Ilse and Waylon facing each other with a moving central strip road marking in between them for the beginning. Both playing their guitar and not moving for the entire song. Single mic stand with two holders - one for each artist. At least three other people on stage with them all playing instruments - Base guitar, drum and cello. No gimmick, just good use of the stage lighting and perspex floor. Vocally impeccable - quite a good change of making a second appearance for the Netherlands in the final.
Second and third runs not much different to the first. Still working visually, still working vocally. I wouldn't be calling anyone crazy for thinking this will do well (especially coming after Portugal).
Lovely question from a Dutch journalist (a real one, from SBS6 NL)
We like you, you can ask more!
Look at those eyes!
Some of you were thinking it before and well, we can confirm. Get a mixture of Lane Moje and Lejla.
There is a female ice-skater on stage, but unlike the Russian entry of 2008, this time you don't spend half the time wondering if there will be toes being cut off. This is because she can actually use all of the stage, not sure how, but it looks really good.
As you'd expect from any good ethnic Balkan presentation, three backing singers appear as the song progresses. This staging worked well for Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia (& Montenegro) each time they sent this combination, could this mean the first qualification for Montenegro as an independent country? This blogger thinks yes! Now that makes it 13 that will qualify according to me. I'm sure I must be right there!
So, apparently in run two the ice-skater fell flat on her face (she apparently is quite famous in her own right, but I don't know who she is). In the third run we had a false start and Sergej had to stop in the first verse. Running on 3 part two and no more falls, good singing and working stage. It's still a "yes" from me.
Hungary
Well, we approve of his choice of clothing - a nice white wife beater showing András in all pumped-arm glory. Vocally quite good but stage is a bit messy. Not messy bad, just messy meh. Then again, could I come up with anything better? Probably not. Dancers on stage have changed from A Dal. There is now a story of the guy being the child abuser and at the end of the song the girl runs towards András as does the guy but the latter is stopped by András holding out his hand.
Waiting for future runs to see what I missed in the first.
Run two: Forgot to mention András starts on his little wooden chair and there is the girl on the piano again. No teddy though from what I can see. András has to run (get it! Running) on the catwalk. Doesn't spend much time there though. The two dancers do a little run and hide routine around the piano and then the guy seems to just drag the poor girl across half the floor. Not sure if it was meant to be but at one point the camera is upside down - not a great shot so probably tech error. András could do with having a bit more commanding presence on the stage. I'm watching him just because he's the focus of the camera not because I want to. Hopefully this gets worked on by András before the Semi 1.
András seems to not have known what Eurovision journalists are like.
It seems though that there is no more runs for Hungary meaning we have done it. All Semi 1 songs have rehearsed and we have been able to bestow our comments on them. Basim is also outside giving interviews and photo opps to people. Will go and check him out later maybe if he still there.
So, my prediction of Semi 1 based on the first rehearsals:
Qualifying (in performance order)
Armenia
Estonia
Sweden
Russia
Azerbaijan
Ukraine
Moldova
Netherlands
Montenegro
Hungary
Non-Qualifying (in performance order)
Latvia
Iceland
Albania
Belgium
San Marino
Portugal
Thanks for your wonderful work. It wouldn't be the same without you.
ReplyDeleteI love your comments every year.
Greetings from Portugal.
Oo, I have the same 10 :-o
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