In other editions of Eurovision, the second semi-final would be a straightforward affair with a lack of an intro. But this year, they decided to add a fun skit intro featuring the hosts Malin Åckerman and Petra Mede getting ready for the show and entering into tanning beds as they sang a spoof version of last year's winning song, Loreen's "Tattoo". Needless to say, it was a very amusing and delightful treat.
Needless to say, the hosts this evening remain very reliable, delivering witty quips, keeping the show going, and engaging the audience. Nothing to fault about them at all. I especially love their banter when they compared themselves to previous champions ABBA and Herreys, that Malin is an international superstar while Petra pops in periodically whenever Eurovision comes along. The most memorable gag was that they tapped a very famous viral meme on the 2018 Miss Universe pageant, in particular the preliminary competition intro, where France's Eva Colas introduced her country's name in an unusual way because her voice was hoarse.
Of course after watching the semifinal we know how the postcards format work this time, so it's again a great watch to revisit each country's previous highlights and see personal glimpses of the contestants.
For the interval act as the voting window opened, Malin and Petra noted that there is this long-running Swedish outdoor music festival called Allsång på Skansen [Sing-along at Skansen], where prominent Swedish artists perform concerts and engage audiences to sing-along with them. So they decided to feature a twist on that tradition by doing a Sing-along with Eurovision champions Helena Paparizou (Greece 2005), Charlotte Perelli (Sweden 1999), and Sertab Erener (Turkey 2003). All three champions sound terrific and engaging enough to turn the stadium into a mass karaoke party.
After the voting window closed and the results were being tabulated, this gave time for a well-conceived Broadway-style musical number featuring Petra. This time it's about common fan reactions whenever Sweden wins lately, and basically Petra's rejoinder is simply, "We Just Love Eurovision Too Much". She was joined again by Charlotte Perelli as they relay the ways Swedes love this contest too much. And then they sprung a much welcome cameo: last year's runner-up from Finland, Käärijä with his "Cha Cha Cha". He was scintillating as expected but after that fiery performance, Petra dismissed it as "that didn't happen". It may not be as iconic as her numbers with Måns Zelmerlöw eight years ago, but it's still a wonderful number.
The qualfiers' announcement turned out to be a very suspenseful affair as from the start they announced that an entry that most EUrovision fans and pundits felt was the cellar-dweller turned into a qualifier. So as the announcement wore on, you worry that one presumed shoo-in would not make it, and indeed that happened. Now in the previous semi-final, after all were announced Petra and Malin simply signed off with a gag about having cocktails afterwards. This time, they have a closing musical number featuring the 19884 champions Herreys performing their song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley". They are obviously no longer at their prime, but it's a nice, entertaining way to cap off the night.
I'll now devote time to discuss the non-qualifiers, starting with...
ALBANIA (Besa) undeniably delivered stellar vocals, but the fact tat the song revamp stripped it of its ethnic flair may have resulted with the expected bloc votes not rallying around this entry, so I think this ended up at the bottom of the fact. The staging also lacks impact delivered by the other entries.
DENMARK (Saba) obviously needed jury support in order for it to make any serious inroads, as her vocals remain on point, but the simple staging simply fail to catch the fancy of the televoters.
We do have to salute CZECHIA (Aiko) as indeed her vocals were much improved from the national final, and te staging is sleek and polished, and the middle-of-the-song pause for dramatic dialogue worked. It may even fare better than initial perceptions taht it would be a bottom feeder.
SAN MARINO (Megara) delivered on the brassy, sassy hard rock and yes, brought spectacle that deserve attention and acclaim. I also have to give a shoutout to the backup dancers, woo were made up to look like skeletal ghouls--out of makeup, these are actually very beautiful girls, a welcome sigt amidst the bevy of hot hunks amongst the other delegations' backup dancers.
MALTA (Sarah Bonnici) undoubtedly gave her all with all the acrobatics and stunts in her act. She deserves mighty props because she actually delivered a great performance. But would that be enough to elp break this country out of its televoting doldrums as of late? It's strange that in the 2000s, they used to be able to drum up televotes, as their two best finishes (2nd place) with Ira Losco's "7th Wonder" (2002) and Chiara's "Angel" (2005) both took place in editions where it was televote only.
Now the big shocker was the exclusion of BELGIUM (Mustii). His vocals remain impassioned, but it was not as pitch perfect as the recording, and the staging looked lackluster--I think the choice of white pants instead of black leather may also have hurt his chances as it made him look more like a boy-band member instead of an edgy rocker which was what impressed me about the music video originally. So sad as I still think this is a quality entry.
Before I discuss the qualifiers, let's talk about the automatic finalists:that performed in this round (and voted, of course).
SPAIN (Nebulossa) as expected delivered a fabulous presentation with those two hot backup dancers. I still have much respect for this song and presentation, but I still have a gnawing feeling it will end up in the Bottom Five.
ITALY (Angelina Mango) got criticism for the choice of LED backdrop, as its imagery of tangled vines that although evocative of the music video, looked cluttered and busy onstage. Some fans also felt that Angelina doesn't need any backing dancers for her performance, but for me, I'm fine with it and I salute that she featured female dancers of all body shapes and sizes, perhaps to underscore how her song's message is universal. I still love this song and performance, but I can admit that in tis go-round, it is being overshadowed by...
...FRANCE (Slimane), who delivered a surprisingly intimate staging with the camera focusing on him in close-up. But the highlight was when he sang the song's climax, he distanced himself from the microphone to project how powerful his vocals were. It is indeed a major dramatic highlight I feel not only the uries will lap this up, but garner significant televote support. This entry looks Top Five-bound--would there be room for him and ITALY considering there are other big contenders out there?
I got eight out of 10 of te actual qualifiers. One of them emerged as a big shocker, and the oter I missed was simply because I thought the public vote might mirror the vocal protests and sentiments I've been hearing about the entry.
LATVIA (Dons) being announced first jolted me as I thought as polished and decent his presentation is, other entries are more compelling. But it looks like he connected with a significant amount of the European televoters that he broke his country's six-year losing streak. Good on im, tough I'm still not that crazy about his entry.
I was hoping that ISRAEL (Eden Golan) would get to air their piece and that would be it, and not cause further tension in the Grand Final by qualfiying. However, they somehow pulled through, and based on leaked results from the Italian broadcaster RAI, they might be dominating the televote in some countries. Is this reflective of the general public's actual sentiment towards Isarael's side in the ongoing Gaza war?
Admittedly, ESTONIA (5MIINUST x Puuluup)'s presentation is threadbare and a tad messy, but I'm glad its entertainment value garnered enough support from the general public to pull though. Now let's see how it would fare with the juries and how the televote would pull them up.
AUSTRIA (Kaleen) is undeniably a bop that Eurofans would rally behind, but admittedly in terms of presentation, it pales behind the performances delivered by the entries below, and of course, MALTA. Still I'm glad this advanced, but I fear my forecast taht tis would finish in the Top 10 is fast diminishing.
GREECE (Marina Satti), ARMENIA (Ladaniva), and GEORGIA (Nutsa Buzaladze) delivered high energy performances that even if I expect they traded points for each other, those high marks are warranted as all three are extremely entertaining and polished audience pleasers. I'm glad GEORGIA joined LATVIA in breaking their drought.
I heard some viewers think NORWAY (Gåte) was "pitchy" but personally I found no fault with their performance and believe they're on track to finish in the Top 10. However, I'm hearing som ebuzz that they are not as popular as Eurofans may perceive, as based on Spotify streams they are reportedly struggling. I hope this doesn't be portent to their ultimate outcome.
Though there were some fans who complained that the NETHERLANDS (Joost Klein)'s presentation is not as polished as they expected (like in the music video) but for me it still dazzled onstage and is an entertaining visual treat. But the highlight was the coda when the otherwise peppy song winds down into a mournful piece as Joost spoke about the loss of his parents. That portion was what they used when they recapped the performances, so undoubtedly it tugged a lot of heartstrings. Let's see how it fared as the results are disclosed after the Grand Final.
The status of SWITZERLAND (Nemo) as a possible favorite to win remained secure with the performance delivered in this semi-final. They delivered that appropriate amount of frantic energy as called for in the music, and the vocals were top-notch. I may not be that into Nemo's outfit of a raggedy pink coat and simple withe miniskirt, but still it's a memorable, impactful performance. I would rate this the best, but I have a feeling this didn't win the televote.
I have a feeling I'm going to be way off in my Top 10 forecast as the Grand Final unfolds, but I'll still be sticking to my forecasted Top 10. Can't wait to see how the Grand Final would unfold.
JUST ME!
JOSPEH
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