First thing you nitice is that he’s singing on an upturned saucer in the middle of the stage with 5 backing dancers that are not quite sure as to what they hould be doing or what they need to be doing and thats the impression of this song.
It’s a very comptantly sung home town entry by someone who isn’t Yohio – sorry, by someone who doesn’t have any personality and won the final by default – but i’m not bitter, not at all!
Anyway – to me the staging is very negative. Robin walks through his dancers looking forlornly at them and then out of nowhere bursts into anger – He has 2 of the most ugly backing singers you have ever seen in shot in the background which, again, doesn’t help with the staging and it also doesn’t help that, like the thing that I cant mention from the country that dare not speak it’s name – you are drawn to them and not to Robin. Also, Robin also strikes a sort of “reverse Rock” pose in the middle of the stage which also isnt that great.
Mind you, I don’t know if Europe will think ” Slappable face + Shouty song = Meh” but from here it has no impact and there are considerably better songs, don’t be surprised if its near the bottom of the pile.
In their place we have your favourite Eurovision presenters all the way from Italy. Toto Cotugno and Gigliola Cinquetti
Franko: It’s a good performance and Arlene Phillips choreography is much in evidence. The dancers are great as is the backdrop. I not sure about the last note , I had to take a large gulp of brandy after that. He won’t disgrace us as he’s a professional but I fear for his chances of doing really well given that note and the first place in the draw. Only 3 acts have ever one from first place under the 12, 10, 8 voting system and they were all nonsense songs. a ballad from that position has traditionally not faired well as poor Paradise Oskar found out last year. Still his loss is the Finnish McDonalds gain….I hear he charges rent for extra services but we won’t go there. Apparently Englebert has his fair share of knickers thrown at him. I trying hard not to imagine the crusty, worn undergarments of the Babushki at this point… Toto?
Franko: now Portugal have been doing this a long time now and seem to enter 2 types of song 1: the kind of enthnicy pop song 2: the morbid Portuguese ballad. It’s ballad time again this year after last year’s silly foray into picket lines. I do like it but i just long for Portugal to let go and embrace their multi culturalism instead of being so inscrutable all the time. By the time the backing singers “move” forward on the stage, most of the world will be asleep. they certainly will in Baku because it will be morning… i really long for Portugal to do well if only to give poor Pedro a long overdue orgasm but it sadly looks as likely as me giving good Queen Bess one on her Diamond jubilee…
To Portugal’s near neighbour. They haven’t had much luck in recent years, in fact very little since 1969. A good dictator may be what they need, though I don’t think Sasha Baron Cohen would fit the bill. I left reading the label on the brandy at this point “smooth with a hint of sweet raisins and vanilla”. Well it’s more interesting than the song or the singer to be honest. yes it’s a good long note but that doesn’t win you Eurovision these days, especially when the rest of the song is as dull as a Paella with no seafood…I’m reminded of Franco’s deathbed conversation:
Hmm. Methinks somebody is trying really hard to copy Eric Sade’s success of last year only with less style and a less catchy song. If it’s possible to sound worse than Eric, Tooji succeeds.It’s all a bit limper than a lettuce leaf in an English salad on a hot Summer day. I’m sure some people will vote for it. Well someone in semi final two has gotta score, God help us…just feels like he’s just going through the motions and even he isn’t convinced by it.
And so to the hot favourite…. sigh..which are always words to strike terror into any Eurovision reviewer. Oh dear. I think I preferred Eric.What is this. I heard better than this in bad discos in the 90’s and I went to really ropey discos. She looks like an unfortunate breeding experiment between Kate Bush and a lap dancer. the lap won I fear. In a contest where you depend on making a connection with your audience why would you enter someone who’s face is constantly covered by hair and shrouded in darkness? I’m not sure what the weird dance moves she’s doing are but they do little to distract from the quite honestly dreadful dirge she’s “singing”.
And what’s this? Not only a song I like but also a Dutch song I like which is an extreme rarity indeed. Shame she looks like a reject from How the West was Won but i guess when you’ve tried everything else you could do to get yourself noticed then only self-ridicule is left. And it has to be said that it’s the best chance for a Dutch presence in the final during the semi-final era. Whether it will be enough, who knows. perhaps they should try locating some of the people who vote for them in the Junior ESC as that seems to serve them well. The song could be right out of Woodstock or an old Joni Mitchell album. You’d have to feel for them if they didn’t make it…
Germany have really got the hang of this now. they’re on a roll. Regardless of which is my absolute favourite, this is probably the song I’ll remember most fondly. It’s simple, it’s a good song sung by a good singer. No gimmicks, no messing around, no silliness. It’s as damn near perfect as you’re going to get in this contest. And at the risk of a return to Dusseldorf (which is one of the world’s most tedious cities), I wish it every success.
Franko: now it’s not often I say this, but i love the French entry. I know they try very desperately to recreate the homo-erotic overtones of the video (albeit with a little more modesty) but the song ticks all my boxes. Stage acrobatics help distinctly for a song like this, though gym was never quite like that when I was at school….
Wait 15 years for an Italian entry and then 2 come along at once.This it has to be said was my pick for winner before all of this started and I can see nothing stopping it from being top 3 for sure. It doesn’t need to do more than it does. The song evokes Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday mixed with a dining out experience at your favourite Italian restaurant. the backdrop is very 60’s.
Poor Valentina, she’s splashed out on that Facebook blue coloured outfit and the relevance now gone, though only a handful will have noticed. It’s still so bad it’s bad.
What else from yesterday? I thought Loreen had done away with the guy who comes on and mugs her at the end? I’d read that somewhere but he seems to still be there. Happy they’ve used a snow effect. Did someone post too that they’ve got fake snow falling in the arena too at the end? How fabulous! She’s remembered it’s a tv show and if it ain’t broke and all… Will she do it? Something’s telling me she’ll fall just short..
That Donny Montell (do you think he was christened that?) looks nicer than I remember him. Needs further investigation me thinks in Baku. I quite like the two songs he performs and the back flip, steady on boy!
Lots of bloggers getting their knickers in a twist about Ott from Estonia and I think I am one of them. Just sounded sublime yesterday and I stuck a couple of quid on it at 100-1… I vowed not to put any more bets on as I do it every year and always lose out but that was too good odds to miss… Watch it not qualify now!
