Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

And today the final individual rehearsals as the Big5+host have their second 20 minutes rehearsal before tonight's Blue carpet and Welcome Party. As of tomorrow the full show dress rehearsals start. PORTUGAL - CLÁUDIA PASCOAL - O JARDIM Agora que não estás Rego eu o teu jardim Vocals **** Staging *** Song **** Overall **** Right side of the scoreboard *Portugal sing at number 8 in the final UNITED KINGDOM - SURIE - STORM I still have faith I still believe in chasing rainbows Vocals *** Staging *** Song *** Overall *** Right side of the scoreboard SPAIN - AMAIA Y ALFRED - TU CANCIÓN Todo es perfecto si estás A mi lado creando una nueva ciudad Vocals **** Staging **** Song ***** Overall ***** Left side of the scoreboard

While 24/37 semi-finalist have already rehearsed twice (30 minutes technical and 20 minutes fine tuning) today it's time have the Big5+host on stage for the first rehearsal . Their second rehearsal will take place on Sunday before the Blue Carpet and the Welcome Party. Portugal - Cláudia Pascoal feat. Isaura - O jardim It seems Isaura is no longer in shadows but wants her spotlight in the Eurovision stage, too, and Cláudia lets her have it, even if not sharing her podium. For once not the same staging as in the national final but a bit new one. Cláudia alone on rather dark lit stage at first, the light comes with Isaura and the beat for a moment. Cláudia seems to be avoiding direct camera contact that makes the performance a bit unusual. She's in a close up most of the song in her pink nightgown and pink hair while Isaura, for now, goes all lesbian chic in Nirvana t-shirt. "Simple", "Emotional", "Stunning", "Intimate", ...

  Last year's host nation Ukraine and this year's Portugal both finally release their music videos for their entries this year today. Cláudia Pascoal & Isaura's O jardim is very green and simple with faces in close ups mainly. Mélovin's Under the ladder is the opposite: dark and dramatic, a bit gothic and a bit disturbing. No wonder he looks so worried most of it! Wednesday we will know how much of this he brings to the staging in Lisbon....

  Estonia - Elina Nechayeva - La forza Elina (26) was hosting Eesti laul semifinal last year and returned this year as a singer and won. This classically trained soprano has been to several talent shows before but only now finally won something. She sings La forza in Italian as opera singers do. The problem is the lyrics don't make any sense, they are mainly just phrases stolen from various operas glued together. If they had thrown in words like pizza, spaghetti and pasta no one hardly would notice nor would it make any difference to the sense of it all. This is this year's fan wank and I find it just rather annoying. Any interest I had vanished in 2-3 listenings. But then again most televoters will hear this for the first time and be fooled. This should be this year's shock non qualifier.... When people are more interested in the dress than the rest, we have a problem. The song actually works better as dance mix , because it gives you an illusion there might have...