Day 7 rehearsals: IT, AT, ES, DE, UK, FR, AU

ITALY
Backdrop has statues, big statues, much lions. Guys are dressed in dark suits with white shirts - surprise!

When the first chorus begins, thunder clouds roll up from 'over the horizon'. Second verse, colours change to golden hues from the blue which it started in. White or the chorus.

Singing wise not so great. Ignazio has issues with in-ear it seems, not the first time this happened this contest.
First run through over and all three seem to have issue with in-ear. None look happy. Piero and Gianluca also remove their in-ear and Ignazio talks to the technical person. To be continued....

UNVERIFIED: ALLEGEDLY since unfortunately we couldn't hear very well and don't know who exactly said it, we overheard "problems" and "off stage" so we came to the conclusion that they are not happy and if it goes like this they will stop. ALLEGEDLY!

Second run they seem happier (well, less moody) and it seems the issues of the in-ear are getting resolved. It seems that when they are singing the chorus it's a bit too loud (hand gestures of lower) but only by a bit (finger squeese).

Possibly the background will be changed - it is a bit kitsch and does not really fit the song. The longer you look at it, the less 'right' it looks. I don't think the Italians will settle for less than perfect. After the third run Ignazio cracks a smile, must be good. Vocally they are doing ok, they are probably just saving themselves to ensure they don't tire themselves out.

AUSTRIA
Vocally it's exactly like in Wer singt für Österreich? Dominic is in the dark for most of the song though, it seems like the lighting is a bit off and they will need to work on it. Fire is not allowed so they tried to have a fire effect on the floor when the piano should be catching fire. But it doesn't work. As doesn't most of this - sorry Austria, but if this wasn't in the final already I don't see it being selected for a Saturday show.

Second run through and the lighting already seems to have been fixed. The fire thing still doesn't look that good in my humble opinion. Probably there is pyro waiting though, as with most delegations, they are not made of money so they use what they could buy at the later rehearsals in order to not waste it on bad camera angles.

By the third run through no one is paying any attention to what is going on... UNTIL something happened and the audio cut out and then we all turn towards the closest screen and go "oooh!" for the first time ever for this song.

God, I need to start getting bored of this many times, since now again, as soon as I going to write how boring it is ... GUESS WHAT! Only the freaking piano actually on fire, and not some silly little fire like in the national final, no, this thing is burning! They are killing it with fire! OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's actually a good effect... for a pyromaniac. Surely though this was the last one, Austria seems to have been rehearsing for hours.

SPAIN
Well, nothing like sitting on a bare-chested man to start your performance. Literally, you can imagine the screaming in the press centre. Clapping and shouting by Spanish fans. Edurne starts clad in red but this gets ripped off her before the chorus in order to reveal a sparkly silver number with much leg revealing. Had a bit of a Madonna moment though with this since it nearly choked her the first time round. The dancer is wearing some leather gear (maybe ready for fistfet later on - yes, it's also going on in Vienna) but this is gladly also removed when he reappears later on and he is showing us that he has a healthy balanced diet and a rigorous hard exercise routine.

Backdrop is quite mystical with a huge circle of warped visuals in the centre. It does work ok-ish but wouldn't say it's amazeballs. Edurne is saving her voice (we hope) since otherwise it's mediocre at best. She has a moment where she does some Sailor Mecury routine. We hope that it's not bubbles which will be the visual effect since that will be a bit 'meh'. Hopefully more like some sonic air trail.

Second run through and it's a bit better - but not much. Still, Spaniards clapping for anything she does.

Third: Oh, she wasn't sitting on him, she was holding him. He is apparently dead. Didn't notice that when he was dancing around. But now it makes sense. Well, as much as it did in the video.

Jesus, even I'm clapping to this now. Finally, now that I understood what it's all about. And I speak Spanish, and I watched the video over and over and over again, and loved the song (I am a fan after all) but only now I managed to understand what the hell is going on with this. Still no idea about the tiger though. And no, it's nowhere to be seen - thankfully. People at home however will be a bit confused which may not work in Spain's favour. I would assume that the optical effect they will be going for is a ball of refracted light which she will be 'controlling' with her hands.

GERMANY
Dressed in a tight black number with large golden feature belt, Ann Sophie struts around with one big earring with lots of dangly bits. Vocally she is strong, and visuals at the back are simple with either white on black or black on white smoke effect. Golden spots add to the visuals.

Received an applause in the press room. Can go either way.

Second, rehearsal as good as the first. There are five large lights on stage, one for each person. Ann Sophie is in the middle while two backing singers are to her left and two to her right. Also noticed that gold plays a part in the backdrop also. The smoke effect is more for the chorus.

Third, they are playing around with the camera angles for the beginning of the song. We have seen three different ones already. Ann Sophie could do with more strutting around.

UNITED KINGDOM
May we have your performance please United Kingdom.
I'm sorry, I don't have them.

Waiting to start UK still.

LOL! OH MY GOD! This was so worth the wait. This is the biggest car crash I've seen in a while. Bianca is wearing a pink dress with some possibly Al Qaeda inspired contraption stuck to her back. Alex is dressed in black and wishing he was somewhere else - at least his face says so. They have some random stairs which they come down of which are later used by the female backing singers/dancers. The lights do go down in order to keep the neon lighting views but the whole thing is just a mess. Cannot wait for the second run. People who are drunk - which if it is on late enough will be the majority of people - will find it hilarious!

This is not getting any better. For Electro Velvet we mean. For us, it's getting to the point now the initial hysterical shock has calmed and now that we know how bad it is, it's not actually a disaster but a wonderful laugh. There is a couple of pyro moments which only one was seen correctly. The one at the end was quite ok but it wasn't strong enough to burn the whole thing down so we will still get it on Saturday night. Get your eyeballs ready folks, this is going to be a classic moment in ESC history reviews.

FRANCE
Lisa is dressed in a dark purple dress with black lace arms. The backdrop is stunning. Starting off in a scene of a wasteland with some dead trees and ruins, the scene starts remerging itself throughout the song with, the trees growing leaves, the buildings built anew, the streets repairing and doves flying. Once the city becomes liveable again we see soldiers appearing both in the visuals and also four, two on each side, as backing to Lisa. It is one of those scenes that, at least I, cannot find the right words to give it justice. Brought tears to some people in the room.

The singing by Lisa is pitch perfect. She has no trouble getting this to work for her. Could definitely see this putting up a good fight.

Second run and just, wow! If France are given a good position in the final (should EBU be interested in Big 5 having possibly 2 in the top 5) then this could also see a jump and win the whole thing! Or it could just be a bunch of us just getting overexcited because we had to watch the UK before it.

Third: First run saw the mic held on a stand, second in hand and third again on stand. This might be because when hand-held, the burst effect on the floor which happens with some of the beats in the chorus do not work as well since Lisa is not placed perfecty in the centre which is not an issue when the stand helps her judge where she needs to be. No one seems to have anything bad to say about this - again, Paris 2016?

PS: In regards to the backdrop, to try and decsribe it better, we are taken on a tour of the town. So the scene is moving as if we were walking backwards (or Lisa forwards but she does not make any 'walking' movement unlike the four soldiers and the soldiers in the backdrop who do look as if they are marching through the streets of the ruined city. Amazeballs!

AUSTRALIA
History has been made - and it's underwhelming. Think of any X-Factor performance you saw from any act which was quite hyped. And it's that. Good singing, good lighting, good backdrop but "wow"? No. 

Seems it's not only me who is thinking X-Factor. Many people are saying the same thing. Maybe the draw will help him, it's still better than many other shows this year but for apparently the country who spent most on their act this year, I would be asking for some back. There will be pyro for sure, I mean I don't understand how the six street lamps would have cost such a fortune otherwise. Edurne's dress would probably cost more than these bits of steel.

OK, well, I know you're supposed to save your voice and all but Guy is not even trying to sing some parts of the song. Or at least I *think* this is what he is doing. Otherwise it simply could be the biggest let down this year. Especially when we have Edurne belting her "hiyeahiyeah-o" part while doing interviews. But obvi it's the first.

... And there you have it. Rehearsals over - all 40 acts have had their first moment on stage now. Will be interesting to check the betting sites to see who has made the biggest leaps or falls from April 30 to today. Not that we encourage betting - but if you do already, then might as well let us know these things. Where's Martin when you need him?

1st Dress Rehearsal - 2014 Final (Songs 13-26)

Sweden
Impeccable performance, amazing staging as always, lights that work, this just screams to us top 5, if not winner. Unfortunately it is unlikely that Sweden will win again this year, but thankfully it is after a break so Conchita is unlikely to affect the result. Could Sanna be fighting Molly for the trophy? Wouldn't be too surprised if it did! 

France
The guys of Twin Twin are hanging round in a back alley street. They are playing with bikes and have hooked up smoke canisters which have colours added. The colours are those of the French tricolore.

There is a technical issue on stage and therefore Nikolaj has to do a very painful improvisation talk with the audience to keep the attention. If this happened on the night I can see many kettles being lit.

Which may not be just because of the Nikolaj speech, but also because unfortunatley France seems to be a disaster live. We start with Lorent shouting "Hello Copenhagen" and continuing with "We are Twin Twin!" - not to ruin his excitement but we know who they are, the commentator just told us.

No one would love to see these amazingly funny guys do really well in the contest but even though they have fun staging, fun attitudes and a fun performance, it does not manage to distract you from the fact that they are at best Euroclub karaoke singers who have decided to go on stage after a bit of Dutch courage being ingested. I can see Elaiza and Twin Twin fighting for the wooden spoon this year.

Russia
As many reports have been made in various media, there was a lot of boo's for the girls on their qualification on Tuesday. Even though we may all have our personal views on the situation regarding the policies of Russia and the decisions of their elite, this does not allow for the ruining of one of the happiest moments for two 17-year-old sisters who have nothing to do with the decision making of their political leader.

The song itself is good enough, and it's representing Russia so it will not do terribly even if the juries are not impressed as they were not with Alex Sparrow back in 2011. Could just miss out on top 10, but most likely between 7th and 11th.

Italy
Emma is in an open-air market. She goes round the stalls and buys some basil, tomatoes and mozzarella. She then goes back and is seen on a roof terrance cutting the produce bought and paces them in a serving bowl. Basil, mozzarella and tomatoes form the Italian flag.

Someone should inform Emma that clapping on the microphone is probably not the best thing you can do when you're singing live. Playback maybe, but live not. She still sounds very out of breath and you're half expecting her to decide to take a break and light up a cigarette. Shots of the cameraman's arse behind the lead singer bending over is lovely and will work well I'm sure *cough*.

Hot mess, and not in a good way. Probably Italy's worst result since coming back to Eurovision.

Slovenia
My wild prediction made it thorugh so very glad about that. Even though my second one of Israel passing and failing was beaten by the fact she didn't even get through to the Saturday show...

I still think this will do quite well, maybe not amazingly well, but well. I say top of the right hand side. It is not going to be lighting up living rooms accross the continent but will find enough classic supporters to persuade a decent showing. Slovenia as we know used to be considered doomed, with not even their former compatriots of former Yugoslavia bothering to give them many points. Neither their neighbours of Austria or Hungary, the forgotten country if you will, so the fact they qualified for the first time since Maja Keuc back in Düsseldorf is an achievement in itself. 

Finland
This was bound to get through to Saturday and it did ot fail to deliver. Will it be enough though to see them have a strong showing on the night? Not convinced that it will. It was a strong song in the semi-final but now that there are the strongest songs from both semis involved and having Spain just after them might mean they are quickly forgotten. Having said that however, the aficionado's of the genre will be voting for them en masse. Hard to predict this one but I would keep Finland in the second half of the score board. 

Spain
Ruth and her dancer friend are using woold and twirling it round two columns of a building. They obviously use yellor and red wool and once they have enough, a picture is taken of the Spanish flag.

And Ruth has wet hair, or at least appears to be wet, which may not be the most advised when the weather is as changeable as it is here in Denmark. Nonetheless, she belts out her rendition of the song, and in a much cleaner and less screachy style we have seen in the rehearsals. A big applause in the press area in heard after once done, but that is mainly since again it is dominated by Hispanics. A strong top 10 showing I believe.

Switzerland
Another lovely song next. Sebastiano is still the cutest thing and you can't help but go "awww!" every time you see him. His charm and song were enough to see him beat the likes of Mei last night, but what would they be able to grant him on Saturday? Unfortunately I would say not too much, since cuteness and charm do not always translate in votes for the Saturday when Joe Public is watching. I believe Sebalter will be celebrating their achievement anyway, which they should be proud of, however I doubt we will see them very high on Saturday.

Hungary
Running, running, running, yes she is! And it's great that András and the Hungarian team managed to portray the song so well on stage. It could have easily gone very wrong for the Magyars this year but it did not - to which a big sigh of relief I am sure. Currently Hungary are 6th favourite to win, could an extremely electifying performance help them do better? There are always many factors to take into consideration but with the level of the songs this year I doubt that we are too expect much more. A top 5 is possible but I agree with the standings and say 6th is more likely.

Malta
Michelle is wearing her glasses this afternoon - I guess too much celebrating last night. Another good rendition by this group even though at points they appear not to be as enthousiastic as they have been in previous days, again possibly due to the celebrations. But an artist must be professional at all times and hope they bring it out of the bag for the Jury Final tonight.

Trying to keep an open mind about the song and not let my personal connection hype it more than it should, I believe the performance is strong enough for a top 10 or at least a close to. First half of the board.

Denmark
Well, the danes doe things a bit differently... Basim and his friends decide to paint old furniture, including three-piece suit in the colours of Denmark. The picture does not seem to correctly represent what they were doing but since when did that matter?

Yes it is catchy, and yes you have the skubidubida thing but really, I still don't see what this is all about. And the fact that many a Dane thinks it will win just because it is catchy makes me question it even more. Vocally it is struggling this afternoon and that is without him having to have passed a semi-final just last night. The face flag has gone and now just the big heart with "Love" written on it remains.

The host country generally does well, but could we be facing another You so close to last year? If the performance is anything like this was, possibly yes!

Netherlands
After the Dutch post card ended, Pilou appears on stage in order to tell us three songs remain. It appears that the crew behind the song were not ready and therefore we are needing a new filler. It could be that this is just to test if it would happen in a real situation since a pre-prepared roll is played. The voiceover says "Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears we are having technical difficulties. While we fix these, here are some of the hits of the Euovision Song Contest". The video then continues to show some of the best known hits that came from the contest.

Once Calm After the Storm starts, you get the feeling that this will create a riot if there really were difficulties on the night. The interruption does make the whole continuation confusing and you're not expecting the song to just start. Maybe if they replayed the video first. I would complain vividly if I were in a delegation and this happened.

The song itself is a contender I feel. Currently third favourite this is an amazing feat since just two weeks ago they were a rank outsider where you could get amazing high odds for the country duo. Only the performance on Saturday and the voting public will be able to reveal if the bookies are right.

San Marino
Finally in the final, it is still a shock how this qualified but we all assume it is a mathematical reason of how she finished 10th due to the voting system. We don't need to be amazed at her not lighting up the scoreboard on the night however, being in between two of the top favourites while finding herself on 26th place in the odds does not bode well.

Ralf is still on the piano and Valentina is doing her best to try and make the song more appealing but it is not working. Apart from Germany and France, San Marino will probably complete the last three spots on the Final night.

United Kingdom
And we finally arrive at the song we were all waiting for. The UK postcard shows Molly rolling out white paper on a big car park. She directs old red-double decker buses to form the St. George's cross. She then directs red post office vans to be the cross of St. Patrick. After being lifted on a large fork lift, she then encourages various individuals in blue plastic raincoats to fill in the spaces in order to represent the blue of St. Andrew.

The performance is still amazing, even though this rehearsal did not have any pyro. Singing last was not the preferred choice of many of the British journalists and fans gathered in Copenhagen but it was quite likely to happen and so it did. It appears the last time a song which performed last won was back in 1989 when Riva's Rock Me clintched it for Yugoslavia. Could this be the following one? Possibly so - Manchester 2015?

Lise then comes on screen to sell off the CD and DVD and also the app where you can download all the song.

Rehearsals1 Final (Part 1)

By the end of today we will have witnessed the rehearsal of the final six nations competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. There was a good party on at Euroclub last night which might explain the lack of visitors this early in the morning. Also it could be due to the song order and people deciding which acts they would watch and planning their arrival accordingly. And talking about the first act...

Germany
Not much excitement seems to be gathered in the press area for this song. Even though many accredited media are in Copenhagen, there is probably in the region of 150 people in the press tent even though the rehearsals today are closed and therfore may not be viewed in the hall.

In regards to the song, Ela's voice in a bit flaky and the staging is quite simple. A few bad camera angles but it was not terrible. The song however does not impress and even though probably most of the people gathered are German, there was no cheer, no clapping - just silence.

Onto round three and looking at the stage and the first thing the backdrop reminds me of is an American diner - and Elaiza is there to do the live band background music. In fact, that could probably the general mood of the song, background music, not really anything to pay attention to but not annoyed by it.

Update: In the final round we have an explosion of confetti and streamers! No pyro though - just as well, probably a bad combination. The girls however should also try and stop using so much hair spray, it seems they couldn't find how to get off the stage and needed assistance from the stage director.

United Kingdom
Molly's voice is really good but unfortunately she had some problems with her in-ear and therefore missed a few lines due to it. The staging is black and white and the floor creates a flowery motif. Apart from the slight issue above, the song was performed very well in the first run through and was greeted with applause in the room. Recently we have seen the UK send the big names and not achieve their goals but this year it seems that common sense prevailed and we might see a very good position for the nation come Saturday.

Second run and it went better than the first. Another applause from the press area.

Onto the fourth run and we are now being promised pyro! And pyro we have! LOTS! A nice long pyro waterfall falling for the whole last chorus. A rupturous applause enveloped the room and loud clapping all around. This is becoming truly quite contenderish.

France
Well, vocally it appears there must have been a lot work done on the studio version since it sounds karaoke-ish. Patrick Biyik is topless and there seems to not have been much working on the dance routine since it seemed they were a bit confused on what came next. There are two backing dancers accompanying them - both dressed in white, one male and one female. These dancers seem to have learnt their steps a bit better but Lorent seemed to have thought the female should have been somewhere else in the bridge and pointed her where to be - which was wrong. After the first run, this seems like it will be one of those - love it in studio, hate the terribly bad live entries.

Run two and it seems they are a bit more secure of where they should be but not always. François seems to jump a lot, sometimes jumping right into the camera angle covering Lorent. Also noticed that the backdrop, which is mainly a drugged up dream of brightly coloured flshing moustaches, has central moustaches which quickly go through the flags of all the participating nations. It is at the speed of blink and you'll miss seven but they are noticed. Waiting to see what round three will bring us.

Run three and update about the backdrop. During the verses th backdrop is more of a mix of brightly coloured checkered blocks. The moustaches come during the chorus. Lorent takes a pretend selfie on his way back from the catwalk which he goes on with the female dancer. The song will still get votes but not as many as could have with a good vocal. Not sure if there will be another run and if so if any pyro would be included. It is a song which could allow for pyro but have the French requested it?

Fourth run and unfortunately no pyro to be seen but there was another incorrect camera shot right at the end. This time the camera flying accross the ceiling was in position to take a shot from the front however another camera was used to take this and therefore the shot consisted of the prominent ceiling cam and Lorent in the background of it pointing to the audience.

 

Denmark
One needs to be very careful of what one says about this song. It's like saying something bad against Jedward or One Direction, you will need to change your name and break away all contact with your family just incase you put them in danger. Basim and his friends are in costume for this, all wearing suits with red ties or bow-ties. Basim has a bow-tie for those who care.

Vocally he does well and the act blends well. The staging is like the Dansk MGP with golden hues in the backdrop. Basim plays with the camera and keeps your attention. Liking this but not loving it. Still, don't think it will be fairing badly.

Second run and it went just as well as the first. Not really anything important to add.

Apologies for the delayed update - was at Elaiza's press conference which was full of people. Getting updated on the happenings of the third and fourth round of Denmark's rehearsal and I hear there is a bit of pyro and a massive flag in the red and white colours of Denmark but not the Danish one as per DMGP but of Basim's face. Well, this is interesting and works extremely well... *cough*. Hopefully the team will realise that maybe a gimmick which worked well for a Danish act in Denmark will not necessarily work for a European audience.

 

A break from the rehearsals now and it is off to Molly's press conference.

ESC final: Where's the value?

If you've been following our betting guides to the Eurovision semi-finals this week, you'll know that it's been more than possible to make some easy money by predicting what's really going to happen, rather than what fans think will happen (hello San Marino!). However, there are always some surprises on the way, too - Israel's non-qualification will have stung the pockets of a lot of punters, for example. So where's the value in the betting market for tonight's grand final?

Firstly, because most normal people equate "ESC" to the Saturday night show, it's worth pointing out that there's far more money in the markets today - and far more interesting sub-markets for us to look at. Let's start with the winner market, though, since that's where most regular punters tend to focus. To say  that Denmark is the hot favourite to win would be a huge understatement. The best available price for Emmelie de Forest's song is 1.79 - that's less than evens in fractional terms. The problem is that most of us who don't think she's a guaranteed winner are none the wiser as to who will win. Norway are currently the second-favourite at 7, while Ukraine have drifted to between 9 and 17.5, depending on who you look at. Useful outsiders, particularly for an each-way bet, could include Germany or Italy (both available for 41) - or, if you think the world is going to go very strange tonight and fall for the elusive charms of Cezar, you can grab Romania for a tasty 101.

The next port of call is the top 4 and top 10 markets. Denmark is basically a write-off in the top 4 market (a best price of 1.12 offers no value at all), so you might want to look at the likes of the late-drawn Greece (4.5), Georgia (5.56) or Italy (5.5) for a better bet. The top 10 market is more potentially rewarding - if all the votes really are concentrated around the likes of Denmark, that opens up the possibility for some surprise countries sneaking into the upper echelons of the scoreboard. A price of 3.1 says that semi-final favourite Ireland will be among them, for example, while the male power vocals (in very different ways!) of Romania and Iceland are both priced at 4.5. Alternatively, if you think a soft and pleasant song like Estonia - effectively alone in its field - could capture enough jury attention to be catapulted into the top 10, that one's available for a very tasty 11.

As Eurovision fans, of course, we're almost as interested in what happens at the other end of the scoreboard. In the last place market, poor old Spain are the clear favourites - a mere 3 is available for them to finish last, and the odds are shortening all the time. Other candidates include Belarus and Lithuania at 11; both countries would seem to have enough allies to score 20-odd points, but that was almost enough for last place in 2011, so if the votes are widely spread then they could still get tangled up at the bottom of the table. Thinking of the light and airy sounds of Switzerland 2011, actually, I'm wondering if Malta at 21 mightn't be a bad outsider for last place - but then I also suspected Gianluca wouldn't qualify, so what do I know?

In the final, there are also regional markets to look at - although some are bigger than others, e.g. following the Balkan collapse in the semi-finals that's left us with just Romania and Greece to choose from! If you suspect Norway will come out as the top Nordic country but you don't want to pin yourself down to a bet on their absolute placing, for example, a price of 4.75 is available at sites such as Ladbrokes and Bwin. (The real outsider in this group is Iceland, coming in at a whopping 41.) Meanwhile, in what's being called the "Western Europe" category - consisting of the Netherlands, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom and Belgium - you can still get a quite decent 2.44 if you think Hologrammatic Anouk will beat off the aforementioned competition. Seems quite feasible - the only one I can realistically see challenging her is Ireland (3.5), although if the Bonnie Tyler fanbase turns out in force, 7 might end up seeming like a quite acceptable price.

While we're on the subject of Bonnie, there's the top big 5 market. Italy leads the way here at a best price of 1.91, and with a late draw and all those Balkan votes floating around, it's hard to disagree with that. However, Germany's Cascada is a big name, and 3.75 for Natalie's dance beats to come out on top is quite an attractive proposition too.

As on Tuesday and Thursday, we finish with the many head-to-heads that are on offer. 2.62 for Greece to beat Azerbaijan seems like an interesting one - and I'm certainly tempted by the 2.1 that's available for Iceland to beat Finland, especially now we've seen their respective positions in the running order. Meanwhile, if you think Ireland's position in the running order is hugely advantageous to them, you can get 2.4 for Ryan Dolan to finish ahead of Anouk from the Netherlands.

You can use the wonderful Oddschecker to investigate all of these markets and more for yourself. And whatever you bet on, I hope you have a great time tonight and end up happier, richer, or ideally both!

Jury Final - live blog (part 2)

We are back after miss Woodruff, and Your Fishy Fishyness is at the ready!

NETHERLANDS - Not much new to report about Anouk - still steady, professional and lovely. Comes across very different and strong, but I do think it would benefit even more by being after another song rather than a break.

Predictions:
Sild: 6th-10th, Sam: 6th-10th, Yair: 5th-10th

ROMANIA - And the contrast couldn't be greater... Which I think helps both Romania and Netherlands, actually. I'm glad Cezar is here, as much as I hate it, as it makes for great Saturday night tv. Absolutely no idea what the juries and televoters will make of this, though!

Predictions:
Sild: 15th-20th, Sam: 13th-18th ,Yair: 12th-17th

UNITED KINGDOM - Aww, bless her, showing off her nice little mansion by the sea and all in her postcard. On paper, this should benefit a lot from being after Romania, as a normal song after the mad circus act, but it somehow doesn't quite work. That said, maybe it'd be even worse after something else...? She comes across less as an old rocker today, and more, well, old woman, which is a shame. Steady vocals and a good enough performance, though - and a massive applause in the press centre - are we in the British section...?

Predictions:
Sild: 17th-24th, Sam: 25th, Yair: 12th-17th

SWEDEN - Some nice eye contact in the build-up to the first YOOUUAUAUAOO here - the very boy-next-door and sincere-looking Robin is looking straight into the camera and connecting very well. Nothing wrong with his vocals today, and the random dancing isn't looking as useless anymore either - am I just getting used to it? Can't see this troubling the upper part of the scoreboard, but it won't be because of the performance.

Predictions:
Sild: 9th-17th, Sam: 8th-12th, Yair: 9th-13th

HUNGARY - The guitarist is rocking it as always, bouncing about and smiling - I think this rubs off nicely on ByeAlex himself actually, by somehow proving that his introvert indifference isn't actual indifference, they are actually enjoying this, even if they aren't going all Solayoh about it. Hopinghopinghoping this will do well, but fear it might get a little lost...

Predictions:
Sild: 10th-20th, Sam: 10th-20th, Yair: 10th-20th

DENMARK - Well, what is there left to say... I still can't see why it should be head over heels above the rest, but it clearly is a strong entry. She's very charismatic and eye-sparkling in parts of this, whereas she looks a bit, hmm, calculated (calculating?) in others. Is she getting bored of it...?

Predictions:
Sild: top 5, Sam: top 3, Yair: 1st-8th

ICELAND - One thing this entry benefits from is that it fits with the impressions (wrong or right) people have of Iceland - a blonde viking, slightly Celtic-sounding, dark, atmospheric... Makes it seem more genuine, somehow. The fact it's performed flawlessly with great camerawork obviously helps it too...

Predictions:
Sild: 9th-16th, Sam: 10th-15th, Yair: 5th-11th

AZERBAIJAN - He managed to find the camera in the second shot - yay! God, the eyes... Other than that, he looks a bit sweaty today - has he been out running again? I can't see this winning all of Europe over, but it's destined to do very well. The massive tail of red woman doesn't quite work when she's getting towards the centre of the stage, as the end of it is still on the catwalk - it ends up hanging over the audience in the front. Who gets a peek under her dress?

Predictions:
Sild: 2nd-6th - Sam: 3rd-5th, Yair: 3rd-5th

GREECE - Nothing new here - solid as always, even if not my thing at all - well, apart from the lead singer, that is. Bound to do very well in the televote, especially from this spot, but I think the juries will vote it down somewhat.

Predictions:
Sild: 7th-12th, Sam: 3rd-7th, Yair: 3rd-7th

UKRAINE - Ooops, giant not quite getting his steps in sync with the trembling beat this time! It does look far less ridiculous than it did it first, though. Zlata is very eager to show off her butterfly ring, there's lots of flaring about with her hand, along with the wriggling on top of her little island. She's in great voice, and there's little reason why the juries shouldn't vote for this. Got a massive cheer in the press centre too - are we in the Ukrainian section too...?

Predictions:
Sild: 5th-8th, Sam: 8th-12th, Yair: 7th-12th

ITALY - Marco is still in turqoise dress with a matching tie, starting off with a slightly weird-looking posture and drunken eyes in the close-ups. Probably meant to be 'emotional', but comes across more like dizziness right now. He also appears to be groping his crotch as if he really needs a wee - you should've gone before you went on stage, Marco! There's little wrong with this vocally, and he should do well with the juries based on this performance - he also managed to melt Yami completely! I do have my doubts about the televoting appeal, though... Hmmm.

Predictions:
Sild: 4th-15th, Sam: 4th-9th, Yair: 2nd-7th

NORWAY - We all know what we're getting here, and Margaret is indeed delivering - no issues visually or vocally. I'm really struggling to avoid getting my hopes up for this one...

Sild: top 5, Sam: top 5, Yair: 6th-11th

GEORGIA - "I just rally hate her face" says Sam from my right. And I don't really disagree. Good thing there seems to be lots of long camera shots, then. Good reaction in the press centre, but still leaves me quite cold.

Predictions:
Sild: 9th-12th, Sam: 8th-12th, Yair: 7th-12th

IRELAND - I think this really works as the last song - no winner, but good enough, and interesting enough to watch (hi dancer boys!) to keep people in front of the tv until the end, rather than head for refills or wees. He's singing it like he's done most of the time - with some crack-ups, but perfectly adequate for what it is.

Predictions:
Sild: 8th-15th, Sam: 13th-20th, Yair: 9th-16th

And there you have it! A very interesting draw, actually, seeing them in sequence like this - for all I still think the new way of doing it is unnecessary and stupid, they way it's done here does make each song (at least most of them) shine as much as they possibly can, simply by being after something that's a bit different.

I'll do a prediction of the full result tomorrow morning (ish), so watch this space. Meanwhile, leave us your views, your recipes for waffles or your phone numbers if you're hot in the comment field below - we'll hit the wine!

Sunday afternoon rehearals (Sweden, UK and Italy)

Good afternoon!

I spent lunchtime in Petra Mede's press conference with Martin, but now it's back to rehearsals, and very soon we'll have seen what everybody has planned on stage.

SWEDEN
Like with Norway, the main concern here was how the Swedes were going to duplicate the sound from Melodifestivalen, where there were layers of backing vocals on the track. It's not entirely easy to tell in here, with sound echoing on various levels of delay from all directions, but as far as I can tell, the answer is that it's absolutely fine. Robin himself is singing well, nailing that final high note, and at least two of the dancers have microphones too. The effect is less 'wall of sound' than in the national final, but it's decent.

Less good are the outfits. All six are wearing what look like beige linen jumpsuits with grey or white waistcoats that make them look like they've just come from one of Farid's capoeira classes. Indeed, there's lots of arty kicking and lifting. And I hate to say it, but it's clear that the dancers have been engaged on their professional skills, rather than any other aesthetic factors.

There's a low, wide podium on the stage which is used to good effect, and as well as the whites the overriding colour here in the lighting is red. I've blogged about the effects of red before, but I'd also add here that it has the unfortunate consequence of making Robin's face look even more flushed on those high notes that it normally does.

The first run-through was incredibly messy - lots of missed shots - but it was quickly tightened up for the second try - though whoops, someone nearly got dropped on their head in the last run-through! Overall, I'm unconvinced by this - it has all the right ingredients, but somehow just doesn't come across like a real pop package, and against some of the other acts it's going to suffer for that.

UNITED KINGDOM
A highly anticipated moment! Can Bonnie actually still sing? The answer is a very firm 'yes'. She starts the song standing to the side of a band on stage, rather than in front as we might have expected, which I think works well, as it give a more distinctive look and leaves the focus on Bonnie herself. Perhaps predictably she walks out along the catwalk during the middle 8 and continues the song from the satellite stage... WHICH GOES UP! It has an integrated lift! That's new! A phenomenal shot from below the podium as it rises and lighting from behind add a huge amount to the last chorus - a bit goosebumpy here even!

They've done a good job of creating a bit of an arena rock vibe, moving the song away from feeling potentially bland and middle of the road. Bonnie really does own the performance - she has a great combination of your favourite reassuring granny and rock goddess - though there's always the worry with an entry like this that we started with such low expectations that anything good seems great. One thing that concerns me slightly is that she's not finding all the cameras, and there are certainly sequences where she's performing down to the imaginary crowd - if she falls into that trap on the night, it could really hurt it.

Bonnie's turned up today in red jeans and a nice black cardy, so we aren't seeing the final stage outfit yet. I'm imagining leather.

ITALY
And finally, the last rehearsal comes from Italy. Could we have a game-changer this late in the week?

Yes.

I genuinely think this could win.

Marco is completely alone on stage, with a very simple performance. There's no gimmicks around him, he just stands there and sings the song in front of a simple blue background, punctuated with yellow spotlights from above. I'm not sure he finds a single camera in the whole performance, but it doesn't matter. He's just so charistmatic.

I already have my money on this. You should too.

(edit: oh, he half-heartedly came out to the satellite stage at the end. I hope they drop that, I don't think it needs it.)