Nick: So it must be time for song 18. It’s a rather baffling staging here, with people suddenly turning up through a temporary door they’ve brought out into the middle of the stage. It’s not a song that particularly excites, really – it’s written and partly performed by the guy who wrote Ner-ner-ner-ner for them a couple of years ago, and in most significant respects its the same song. It’s being well sung – in fact, it’s positively belted out – and the camera angles look OK to me, but … meh. In one ear, out the other, and that’s the way it goes.
Well, I thought it was being well sung. Several other bloggers seem to disagree so I’m listening more carefully. I still don’t think it’s that bad, but maybe I’m just tired! 🙂
… and, interestingly, they’re doing their final run through without the prop. I assume they want to look at both and see which one works! If any…
By the by, a quick shout out to the nice volunteer who just walked around the room distributing bottles of water. They’re thinking of everything here!
Franko: There’s not really much you can say about this other than that it’s exactly like the last five Macedonia entries. Same style song, same style singer, same choreography. This year they introduce a prop as they’ve obviously worked out that gimmicks make a song memorable. It’s a big screen with two opening doors that the dancers go in and out of. Not unlike a wardrobe…. cue jokes about coming out of the closet. I’m not sure what the point is once again, it adds nothing to the song. Tamara Todevska‘s performance is fine vocally and movement wise. I don’t know what effect the new voting system and semi- finals designed to separate you from your friends is going to have. Macedonia have got through by the skin of their teeth the last four years and then not done very well once they got to the final. I have my doubts whether this is strong enough to make it given that it’s clearly in a semi-final draw with much the stronger songs on offer this year. It’s about as memorable as a wet weekend in Scunthorpe. Hard cheese as they say in Eurovisionia land.
Phil: Things that make you go “meh?” part 43. I know it is written by the same team that wrote Elena’s song… and boy cant you half tell, it is virtually the same song and there is some sort of huge prop on stage that has, thankfully, been carried off by some burly men. – and now she has gone to her second performance of gyrating on the stage with the dancers prancing around her … It is just – well “meh”