Reaction to Rehearsals: Day 3: Part 2

So this afternoon 4 more entries took to the stage. Belarus, Portugal, Ukraine and Bulgaria. There has been a lot of discussion around these so once again here we go:

Belarus - Rehearsal Video
I never got a chance to review Belarus's entry to Eurovision (It would have graded as a B-) but I was uncertain about which version of the song that they would sing. They've gone with the disco version which unlike many people online I think that this is a very good interpretation of the song. The yellow and black background really helps this song and this looks set to have some very dramatic staging. I still believe that the song is lacking something and I'm on the fence about this qualifying.

Portugal - Rehearsal Video
Say what you like about the Portuguese entry this year I think that they have hit the nail on the head with this one. This is working as well as it could at the moment on the stage. Vocally this was good. The background is really fantastic and the whole performance makes for a lovely break between Belarus and Ukraine. This may not qualify but I will look forward to this.

Ukraine - Rehearsal Video
Vocally this was a joy to watch and to listen to. The song might not be the best we've had from Ukraine and the performance might have looked better if you never heard of Shady Lady but overall it looks and sounds really good and should qualify with ease.

Bulgaria - Rehearsal Video
This rehearsal was fine bar her often missing her cue. Some people have mentioned that as a result of having nothing else on stage with her the visual on the screens is really dull as a result of a lack of variety on stage. Vocally it was good. I cannot see this as a qualifier though.

More tomorrow.

Eurovision Overload!

It seems that much has happened in Eurovision since I left on Friday and to be honest I'm hardly able to keep up with it all but here are my thoughts:

• May as well start on a positive note. Azerbaijan have presented their Eurovision entry sung by Sabina. I really thing this is good. It might not win (it has an outside chance) but really it is quite nice. You can watch the video here.
• The widely anticipated entry from the UK was released today, you can listen to it here. I will have much more on this in a later post. 
• As many videos arrive in we are seeing a couple of songs being tweaked a little bit. I don't really pay much attention to this as the changes are rarely noticeable. However Belarus have done a pretty big overhaul of their song which does help it a small little bit. You can hear there song here.
• Albania have cut down their song to three minutes and presented it in a video that to be honest looks like is out of a horror film. I still think that it is a strong song. The video is here.
• Belgium have presented their song Would You by Iris. It's a fairly basis ballad and I can't see it going to far but we'll see what juries do in semi-final 1. You can listen to the song here.

Finally I hope you all enjoyed St. Patrick's Day while some people decided to do some odd things (Green Ice Tea and Jedward?, seriously). I had a more traditional one involving buying 20kgs of seed potatoes. 

Breaking News: Litesound To Baku

Eurovision fan's all over the world will be delighted to see that in fact LITESOUND rather than Alyona will go to Baku for Belarus after Alyona declared that the results had been riged in her favour. I must say it appears Ukraine has rubbed a bit of inspiration into their neighbour.

We Haven't Had News For A While.

So a belated Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Another Valentine's Day alone for me and...and...*sobs quietly*... now Belarus seem to have lost the ability to pick a good Eurovision song.

• As I have previously mentioned Belarus today at the most annoying hour of 15:00-17:00CET they have not selected Litesound but instead choose Alyona Lanskaya with her rather uninteresting and unremarkable song All My Life. Best of luck to her - if she makes it through the semi's [that'll be the day]. However there are rumours the song may be changed.
• Russia have moved their national final to March 7 (the more midweek selections the better at this stage).
• Georgia will hold their National Final on February 19 [next Sunday] and have narrowed their selection from 13 songs all the way down to nine. 
• San Remo in Italy is progressing this week and the first show should be over that this stage. I don't follow it because I'M NOT SUPERHUMAN.
• Germany holds a final on Thurday and we will hear the song then too. 
• Saturday is a mega national final day with 7 semi-finals/ song presentations and selections. Will talk about that closer to the date.
• And finally two Canadian twins, Patrick and Chris have made an excellent video for Jedward's Waterline Song. Follow them on Twitter @cpVoros.

Belarus Selects Their Song Tonight

This evening Belarus will select their entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately it is being held at the annoying hour of 16:00 CET which means I be in a lecture so I sadly will not be watching.

We are republishing our reviews here:

Alena Lanskaya - While this does not seem note perfect this is a good rockish song. LOSE THE DANCERS. Otherwise it would have a lot of potential when it gets to Baku. Grade:

Uzari - Uninteresting. Goes nowhere. Grade: G

Litesound - This is a little more schlager rock for me. The song has actually some depth to it. This could be a favorite due by picking up a few female votes and should appeal to males enough. I can really see this working in Baku. Grade: B+

Victoria Aleshko - A bit more dramatic, but a little too Disney. Needs a complete rework to have a hope in Eurovision but still can't see this being picked. Grade: D-


Gunesh has changed her song which is a good think because I was rather unimpressed with it. However I have not heard the new entry so I cannot comment on it.

Personally I think Litesound will win this comfortablely but I could be wrong - spent most of the weekend being wrong :(.

You can watch the Belarus national final via the eurovision.tv player (and I think you can rewatch it on that too but am unsure).

Review: Belarus

A word of warning: Unfortunately Belarus has decided that a contestant may change a song to another off a list. So I am reviewing these songs on the basis that they will not change.

Alena Lanskaya - While this does not seem note perfect this is a good rockish song. LOSE THE DANCERS. Otherwise it would have a lot of potential when it gets to Baku. Grade:

Uzari - Uninteresting. Goes nowhere. Grade: G

Gunesh - And morning will come seems like a reharsh of Butterflies. Except it does have those deep emotive notes. The song just doesn't build as it should. Very disappointing. Grade: E

Litesound - This is a little more schlager rock for me. The song has actually some depth to it. This could be a favorite due by picking up a few female votes and should appeal to males enough. I can really see this working in Baku. Grade: B+

Victoria Aleshko - A bit more dramatic, but a little too Disney. Needs a complete rework to have a hope in Eurovision but still can't see this being picked. Grade: D-

So on the basis of these results The Best Eurovision Blog is supporting LITESOUND for Eurovision. We wish them the best of luck. The National Final takes place in Belarus on 28^th January 31^st January. We are delighted by this because we may be able to provide commentary depending on the time.

Belarus

.

Anastasiya Vinnikova

I love Belarus

I love Belarus (Karaoke version)
Maja Bielarus (Belarusian version)
Moya Belarus (Russian version)
I love Belarus (Videoclip)

I love Belarus (Live video at semi 2)
.

Disqualified:

Born in Bielorussia

Born in Bielorussia (Live version)
Born in Bielorussia (Live video)
.