Phil: I am in a minority of one here. When asked, in a very jocular mode by Mr RDH, how many points this would score, my reply was 138. The assembled throng laughed. In all seriousness this, to me, is one of the strongest songs in the semi-final. Vania is an scary lady and basically says “Vote for me or I’ll eat yer” in the last 30 seconds of the song with the scowl and the pointing and all sorts of heavy and dramatic stuff that is what every good ballad needs. Coupled with a not overtly Babic-esque staging ( the big lad is NOT on the stage for once) and slight movement to cover the widows crying and wailing we end up with a contender. This one is going through by miles and will do very well in the Final when it gets there. Mark my words, or my name isn’t Georgina!
Nick: They’re all wearing identical grey T-shirts with some kind of “I love the country of my birth” motif going on on them – I’m going to guess that they’re not in their final night outfits at this stage, because they’re not terribly flattering T-shirts if I’m absolutely honest about it. It’s very good though, certainly one of the best ballads of the year if not necessary the best. It remains to be seen whether what Europe wants at its collective parties is a mournful lament, but if it does then, well, they’ve got the field clear to themselves. My prediction is that this will not score exactly 138 points.