Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Love Tel Aviv is forever. This time the Danish made it to the sign. Sandstorm Armenian style? Sandstorm Azeri style? Carousel has arrived to Jerusalem. Jurij feeling hot and pale at Tel Aviv beach. Verka & mama causing commotion. Chingiz strikes again. Awful lot of Eurovision royalty!

Boys will be boys.  Pretty together.  Match made in heaven?  Ladies in white.  Beauty and the beast.  Spot the difference. Match made in heaven.  Getting cozy.  Serious business (come Saturday)  Blondes have more fun.  Balcan girls.  Ding dong!  All out of luck. Awww... someone's in love.

Miki El Baywatch Srbuk Lady in red Kobi at home  Dry Lake Malawi Newlyweds Chingiz Yacht Mahmood in hot periferia Pink legged Tamta Is it too late for an interview? Anna O in Tel A

  The Netherlands - Duncan Laurence - Arcade **** This is going to be interesting. Will he win with this simplistic staging and simple performance? In a way it recalls Salvador Sobral's intimate little thing against several other colorful uptempo explotions or gimmicky performances? But then again Russia, Sweden, Italy.... they all seem rather simple on stage without major tricks - will they eat each other out in the end, and some Azerbaijan comes and surprises us in the end?  North Macedonia - Tamara Todevska - Proud *** Another simple staging but full of drama and power, all provided by the vocalist alone.  The song isn't my cup of tea but Tamara is doing a great job, I can say that much. One of those that went from obvilion into spotlight after the rehearsals started. How far it will take her? To the final propably, but how far there.... Hmm... Azerbaijan - Chingis - Truth ***** Like North Macedonia this one rocketed up the betting odds after the...

Now that we have seen all but the Big5+1 performances it seems it's mainly recycled ideas (Moldova, hello? Snow or sand it still looks the same old...) and props such as wings and huge drums, so early 2000's, and robots (So San Marino)... Even Russia that was expected to bring something revolutionary has only got mirror images (that re-enter the stage a few songs later thanks to North Macedonia) and borrowed boxes - all such dejavús.... Augmented reality and holograms could still change the game - if someone is using them and we haven't yet seem them in proper use....  Wings.  Jungle fever.  No lions.  Multiple Sergey.  Egyptian warrior queen.  Northern lights I presume.....  Winning simplicity? Multiple Tamaras. Robots.

More entries in my Top-10 reviewed San Marino - Serhat - Say Na Na Na ***** Say na na na You’re not alone so stand up na na na Be a hero be the rainbow and sing na na na Say na na na Ahmet Serhat Hacıpaşalıoğlu (54) is back! The Turkish Sammarinese by adoption tries his luck for the second time in Eurovision and who knows, he might make it to the final this time and even if doing so, Valentina Monetta remains the one and only Sammarinese artist to do so. Say Na Na Na is what he does best: dated disco pop with old fashioned female backing singers over his husky half spoken performance. In some weird way it works. This is feelgood music, hilariously kitchy without being banal and somehow Serhat manages to make himself likable like a DILF of the fandom. Closing the first semi-final this could be what televoters had been waiting for: something instantly recognisable and fun, what most people think Eurovision is all about. If juries will get aboard too this just could ma...

Another week in Azerbaijan has gone by with 11 hopefuls belting out Eurovision songs, foreign hits, Azeri hits and so on. Nurlan covered the German entry Miss Kiss Kiss bang amongst others.  These didn't make it:: Group East Groove, Fizza Nadirova, Sakine Nasirova, Emin Hasan, Nazrin Zarbaliyeva, Ülvi Rasidov, Günay Alakbarova, Yegana Agayeva, Söla Safaraliyeva and Üliyya Talisinskaya. Chingis Mustafayev qualified last week.