Reaction To Rehearsals: Day 8

So today might be the last day of rehearsals but that doesn't mean there are a lots of second rehearsals to get through today.

Estonia - Ott had a great rehearsal today but he is playing around with the notes in the song a lot which might be a little risky. I haven't seen this on the screen but it does look very static on stage, unless camera work is really good this could be a bit dull looking on stage.

Slovakia - Some corrections were made which is a relief. I'm not sure if this is a qualifier but I'd say it still has a chance.

Norway - Vocally this is back on track. He is using a backing singer to get him over the harder notes though, which is something that don't agree with. Tooji is really going to have to make sure he doesn't over perform this.

Bosnia & Herzegovina - This does remind me of Eurovision entries of old. I hate the dress though and I'm not hearing anything overly positive from Baku though.

Lithuania - This song is growing on me (well the last 90 seconds anyway).  This was a good rehearsal but the blindfold really must be dropped.

UK - There have been some very good changes in aspects of the performance but most importantly this was vocally good today. This is looking like a strong entry from the UK.

France - This still looks messy today but it is vocally good again which is a massive concern dealt with.

Italy - This was done as a full dress rehearsal and all is looking perfect on stage, there are very few faults in this entry.

Azerbaijan - All very similar to yesterday's performance but they are deliberately trying to lose this by throwing in the wailing man in the middle. Bit dull but anyhow.

Spain - This is as good as yesterdays performance, which was excellent. In spite of people claiming there is no major connection I think that this is the best vocal at Eurovision.

Germany - After Germany's great rehearsal yesterday all that they would need to be able to do, they held their own today and I think that they should be pretty pleased to be able to do that.

So that's all the technical rehearsals done for 2012. Tomorrow evening dress rehearsals kick off in Baku, with the jury final later that night. I'll put up a post later tonight looking back on this week.

  

Rehearsals: Day 7 - I Think

Even though the press claim that you lose track of time in Baku I also have the same problem to report. Despite being here in Dublin rehearsals have started to morph into one long day. However today we have a lot of excitement to look forward to as the big 5 and Azerbaijan take to the stage for first rehearsals. Anyway how are things shaping up?

Slovenia - This rehearsal seems to have gone well, those who have been listening to the ESCInsight podcast this morning may have heard parts of it in the background. All in all Slovenia should be very pleased with this. However the high number of balkans in this semi-final will be a serious problem.

Croatia - This does not seem to be working perfectly on stage. Somethings are going wrong and now we have two Balkan ballads together. This looks like a non-qualifier unless Nina can bring it all together.

Sweden - Sweden appear to have had a great run through. While some might claim that this is looking messy on stage the performance is broadly the same as the one that won Melodifestivalen and that was fairly amazing.

Georgia - Anri is a good performer and had a really good first rehearsal. Today he seems to have really come across well and looks like a possible qualifier, after being previously written off. Typical Georgia.

Turkey -  Turkey did a full dress rehearsal today and it appeared to be really, really strong, which has changed many peoples attitudes to the song. It all has come together really well. So we should be happy with that. BUT I don't think that the song is that great.

Then there was lunch and then started the Big 5 and Azerbaijan rehearsals.

Germany - Rehearsal Video
Despite having a fairly poor song this year Germany has really come up in terms of the staging and performance of this entry. Having come through Unser Star Fur Baku Roman certainly appears to be a competent performer on stage. Vocally this was impressive and the band style performance looks good and makes up for Roman's fairly static performance - but then again could you really start dancing during a song called "Standing Still"? While the performance is good, if it was surrounded by ballads it could struggle.

France - Rehearsal Video
Auggun took to the stage with five dancers who are used a lot throughout the performance. The performance is done with a wind machine and when you combine this with the dancing it all looks a bit weird. Vocally this was not good given that this shouldn't be a problem for an experienced artist. All in all it looks a bit messy on stage. The backdrop is strange and might be to fast moving to look well on the cameras. We shall see what they change tomorrow but I suspect that not much will change. A disappointing rehearsal but there is still a lot of scope to change this.

Italy - Rehearsal Video
I would say that based on what I am reading on the blogs Italy is definitely the favourite of the press over in Baku. Personally I think it is one of the best out there but I see it as a third to fifth place song rather than a winner. Vocally this is excellent, as rehearsals go this was probably one of the best that we have seen however I do think that backdrop is poor and jars badly with the song. I would be aiming for a more Lena-esque performance if I was producing this song. I also think that there is an argument for this song if you compare it to Lena in 2010. However Lena was a more charismatic singer and for this to do well it needs to have charisma thrown in and I'm just not getting this at the moment. But it still is the second most likely song to win. I'll give it that.

Azerbaijan - Rehearsal Video
After watching Italy this pales in comparison. Azerbaijan have done an awful lot right here. The performance is simple and straight forward. The guy in the background is a bit creepy. Overall though this is fairly bland song. However it is Azerbaijan and they are the host country so this will not do to badly. The bridge sounds dire though. This is solid, a safe bet and should give Azerbaijan a reasonable placing.

Spain - Rehearsal Video
Pastora Soler had a great first rehearsal. However it is not personal enough and it needs to make a much great attempt to connect with the cameras. Vocally though this is jaw droppingly good. I think that the overall performance is great but it reminds me of Niamh Kavanagh's in 2010.

UK - Rehearsal Video
The highly anticipated performance by Engelbert Humperdinck, finally took place today. The rumours about the Strictly Come Dancers in the background were correct. The backdrop was an interesting choice and might be just a little moody for the opener to the competition. Engelbert though is giving a really great performance. Although there is a problem with the last notes it is looking well overall and I think that the UK should be able to just about beat last years result.

Spain Finally Brings Some Class To The Contest

Today my internet keeps breaking so hopefully it will hold up long enough to get this post up. So it's nice to be back blogging after what has been an extremely busy but successful week., So we now turn our attention to Spain, and Pastora Soler. Fans were genuinely delighted to see that Spain had finally come to their senses and sent someone very well known to Eurovision. I have a lot of sympathy for Spanish Eurovision fans there are a lot of rather dedicated fans from Spain and I always think that they could deserve better than the last few years.

It was pretty obvious that Quedate Conmigo was going to win the Spanish selection. The song is probably the best one to show off Pastora's vocal ability it starts subtly and builds to a massive vocal crescendo. One which juries should lap up. I’m not convinced that on the final night it is going to blow the other finalists out of the water, but it should bring Spain a good place overall. The question is really where will the public put this song, I think it will feature in the juries Top 5 but the public could be loose cannons with this. 

The biggest threat to Spain is being surrounded by a number of ballads. On the plus side Spain is nicely located in the final, towards the end. This is a good position. 

Verdict: This is definitely a very serious entry from Spain, but I’m not sure though if it is generating enough interest to actually go somewhere in the final. If, like last year most of the favourites were drawn early in the final this could go down a treat, but otherwise there are ballads that could seriously challenge it. Personally I really like it but not as much as some of the other big five songs. Without a doubt though, Spain has come a long way.

Grade: B

OGAE Slovenia Presents Mad Set Of Results

I was somewhat surprised today to see that OGAE Slovenia announced a rather odd set of results.

They awarded Spain 12 points, Iceland 10 points and Serbia 8 points. The big surprise here is that Sweden only got 7 points. This surprised me as I expect that Euphoria would have a landslide score in the OGAE votes. Their votes did contrast a lot from Bulgaria but this is to be expected as Eastern European OGAE clubs often return more contrasting votes compared to western fan clubs. I think this is often very true when the club might not be a very big one.

The other noticeable difference was that many countries that received smaller votes were very different. Countries like Italy, UK and Russia all got their first points. It might to early to say but I think that there are very few songs that will receive a broad consensus from fans this year.

Anyhow this results keep Loreen in front on 19 points with Serbia just behind on 18. Cyprus and Spain are both on 12 points and are currently joint third. Full results are on escXtra.com.

A Short Little Review Of Spain

Spain this year decided from the outset to send Pastora Soler to the Eurovision Song Contest. It was a wise move on their part. So Pastora now has three excellent songs to send to Baku but it is time we reviewed them.

Ahora O Nunca - Ahora O Nunca (now or never) is a somewhat old style Spanish Eurovision entry. That is not to say that it is not strong - I really love this song, but it is not the strongest here. It is wonderfully gentle and if there was a lot of high energy songs around it is could balence strong with gentle very well here. Grade: A-

Tu Vida Es Tu Vida - I'm not a huge fan of this song. I understand the need for an up beat song in this National final. However I still think that this would be a waste of Pastora's talents - she could do so much more with a ballad. Grade: C

Quédate Conmigo - I'd say that this is the strongest song out of the three here. It builds the way the song should and finishs in a great cresendo. Pastora should be really well able to show off her vocals here. It really is song that they should have sent Coral with in 2010. Grade: B+

So hopefully Spain might pick Ahora O Nunca but my guess is that they will choose Quédate Conmigo.

Buena Suerte Espana y Pastora Soler!

Spain Presents Its Eurovision Songs

Today Pastora Soler presented her songs for Eurovision. I am delighted to see some strength coming from Spain, as someone who had Spanish shoved down their neck for six years I have a certain attachment to them as a country.

These two will be in the national final:

Quédate Conmigo

Tu Vida Es Tu Vida

Me Despido De Ti

Strangely couldn't find the other song Ahora O Nunca. If you have a link to a real one please put it in the comments. Either Me Despido De Tí or Ahora O Nunca will be part of the national final depending on the voting for each song.

Espana mandar Pastora Soler a Eurovison 2012

Esté es mi primero blog en Espanol. Espero que sera el primero de muchos. Espana ha seleccionado Pastora Soler para ir a Eurovision 2012. Pastora nací en Seville en ano 1978. Empezó cantar en 1992 con su cantíon El mundo que soñé. Bueno surte a Pastora en el Eurovision.


We have just heard Pastora Soler is to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. We wish her the best of luck and looking at her record, I'd say they can expect a fair amount of jury votes.

Spain
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Lucía Pérez

Que me quiten lo bailao
Que me quiten lo bailao (Karaoke version)
Que me quiten lo bailao (Original Live version)
Que me quiten o bailao (Live Galician version)

Que me quiten lo bailao (Live video at NF)

Que me quiten lo bailao (Videoclip)

Que me quiten lo bailao (Live video at Final)
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Finalists:
Auryn - El sol brillará
Auryn - Evangeline
Auryn - Volver
Lucía Pérez - Abrázame
Lucía Pérez - C'est la vie! It's allright!
Lucía Pérez - Que me quiten lo bailao
Melissa - Diamonds
Melissa - Eos / Karaoke version / La déesse de l'aurore (French version)
Melissa - Sueños rotos

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