EUROVISION 2023: THE THIRD REHEARSAL DAY - PHOTOS AND OBSERVATIONS: FROM ESTONIA TO AUSTRALIA

The rehearsals started on stage in Liverpool arena for the Eurovision song contest 2023 two days ago and today we continue with the rest of the second semi-final. As Ebu once again is using TikTok for the short tiny rehearsal clips I'm not going to care much of them. But here is a collection of photos and impressions and observations by your truly of the closed doors happenings. Mind you, I'm all in favor for this closed door policy: the delegations must have a little bit privacy and peace and quiet to polish their acts before they are given to the sharks aka fandom eager to criticize every tiny detail. And also I kinda like the idea we are given as little as possible to watch before the shows so there will be surprises and wow effect - if you have seen it all beforehand where's the fun? The first rehearsal is 30 minutes for each meaning 3-4 run through. After that the delegation gathers to a viewing room and changes are discussed and made for the next rehearsal with the local team. Ok, let's go again!

All photos are from eurovision,tv by Nick Robinson, Sarah Louise Bennett, Chloe Hashemi, Corinne Cumming

ESTONIA

It took this long to have a grand piano on stage - how times change, in the old good days it was on most every act - and it's a haunted one, familiar from the national final Eesti laul. Dramatic light and LED on both backdrop and floor add tot he drama as Alika belts out her power ballad in light blue dress. Also power ballads have pretty much vanished from Eurovision..... For the visuals I have nothing to say really. What was it?

ICELAND

Dilja goes all gymnastics while running and jumping around the stage in this energetic number while performing this drum'n'bass number in silvery outfit. And wait a minute, does she lie on the floor, too?! Now that's becoming this editions trademark: sit and lie on floor or on other things..... A bit chaotic and shouty to be honest.

GREECE

Yes, he sits on the floor. Otherwise he sports shorts and as photos reveal do same poses as Romanian Theodor.... But if Romania is bringt yellow Victor is in plain safari colors, maybe he misunderstood Liverpool to Sahara? Giant Victors on the backdrop (sic). Why? Oh why? Errr no..... and pyros. Ok.

POLAND

Let's go tropical and colorful and in summer vibe with Blanka and her four backing singers. Add dress reveal and mid song dance break. And pyros! Poor girl is hated by the fandom as the fandom's fave didn't win the national selection (what a pitiful reason to blame her, grow up folks!) but I have a soft spot for this song. Give me a pina colada and I go happily cha cha chaing with this one!

SLOVENIA

Colorful outfits with tones of pink, blue and yellow and metallic shine for the band that charmed Europe pants off in their first live performance video. If they manage to recreate that in Liverpool they might end up pretty well. This is a fan favorite but I fail to see why would they be aiming for top places, around ten at most I think. Some compare to Måneskin but Måneskin was raw animal danger, these guys are cute kids from the neighborhood!

GEORGIA

White dress, fancy hand jewellery or whatever it is, raised platform, wind machine with smoke and stormy weather in the backdrop. Add smoke on stage. Sounds like a classic Eurovision number then.

SAN MARINO

Dressed in mostly black in a black and red backdrop is San Marino's energetic band. There's the Stockholm 2000 mouth among other things in the backdrop. The lead singer in my opinion is one of the strongest this year live as I have already stated and they are seasoned stage animals. Why shouldn't this qualify? Being last in odds and polls is an outrage.

AUSTRIA

Dressed in white, red and black the poe poe poe girls engage in a dance routine no one expected.

ALBANIA

The whole family is dressed in black, as if the song wasn't kinda depressive enough already. Their backdrop is like San Marino's: black and red mostly. They have some choreography and that's no wonder as Sacha Jean-Baptiste is behind this one, too.

LITHUANIA

Dressed in orange - making me think of Kate Ryan - Monika and her four backing singers take the stage.

AUSTRALIA

Seasoned rock band feels comfortable on stage even at Eurovision. Their prop is a car. A Toyota MR2. Because why not? Is this actually first time there's a real car on stage, not a toy or dummy? And pyros. Of course- 80's rock meet Eurovision cliches in Liverpool 2023. Cool.

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ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further? No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

CAROLA'S BOOBS STEAL THE SHOW, SVT APOLOGIES

Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam...

Russia recycles the video

Here is the video for Alexey's previous hit Бам Бам! and here is the video for his Eurovision 2011 entry Get you as Alex Sparrow as he likes to be called now abraod. Looks like he potreys the new rich Russia well.... The only problem is that he can't play the bad part convincingly not even a second. And did I say the song is crap? And of course as he is a Russian star he must have nude fotos of him flotaing around internet trying to be sexy and he fails there, too, big time. If you are not bad nor sexy you shouldn't push it. Maybe he should stick to singing jolly little numbers like the Kalinka rip off instead....

Regina Lund - naked and censored

Regina Lund's new video Jag är osynlig was censored by Youtube only minutes after it had been uploaded. In the video she was playing a female Jesus who gets crusified in the end. "I was shocked!" she says. "There's nothing more naked in it as in every church! It's ok to have naked man hanging on the wall but my nakedness is too much on internet? ". Oh well, no comment. She's prepairing a new album Dare Regina Lund and we of course remember her from her Melodifestivalen 2007 adventure with Rainbow star .

GREECE: HELENA PAPARIZOU HITS AGAIN WITH HAIDE

Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

TIM SCHOU AND HIS NAKED GRAVITY

Tim Schou has a pretty good solo career going since he left his friends in London. He's travelling the world and relesing songs and videos. The latest one is a great track and comes with a steamy video that kinda takes away from the song really. But who's complaining. If you got it, flaunt it. Enjoy the video below. This post coming after the other Dane, Rasmus Seebach as wishlist for Eurovision. To think about it, Tim would do nicely, too. Maybe he should give it another go?

MÅNS ZELMERLÖW GETS NAKED FOR THE GOOD CAUSE

Reigning Eurovision song contest champion and the host of the next contest in May 2016 in Stockholm Mäns Zelmerlöw bares it almost all in GT following some other Eurovision stars like Blue and Jedward ( see more here ) All for the good cause of course, prostate cancer - something this blogger can also relate having experienced it in my closest circle. Nothing to laugh about. The annual Naked issue of GT or Gay Times features also several other celebrity men out of their designer fashion and stage or sports outfits. I guess Christmas came early to some fans when they can unwrap their most wished gift already now.... Maybe. But it's not the first time he gets naked.... he did so when hosting the annual QX Gala some years ago. Who knows what he and Petra have in store for us in May?!

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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