All Aboard!

Semi Final 2 - Jury Show

Thu, 10 May 2018 17:40:00 +1000

After the "bloodbath" of Semi-Final 1, this Semi is much more open and, frankly uneven. Thankfully for Australia, as the staging hasn't been as well received as it could be, Jessica Mauboy's vocals haven't been as great as they are known to be and the overall vibe of this SF is... "We have to pick ten, right? Meh."

However, the performance Jessica gave was honest, powerful and full of energy - was it enough to convince the juries in Europe to give her "douze point"? The consensus in the Press Centre was a resounding "YES!"(50% of the total score comes from this show, the rest from tomorrow's live show, screened around the world and voted on by the 18 countries competing, plus three of the Big 5 automatic qualifiers - France, Germany and Italy.)

Blair's guests are Claudia and Isaura who are representing the host country Portugal (another automatic qualifier) and Christabelle, who is in this Semi-Final, representing Malta with her very serious song (to a massive dance beat) about mental illness and shaming.

(Pic: Jessica Mauboy/eurovision.tv)

Songs played
DoReDoS - My Lucky Day
Claudia Pascoal (featuring Isaura) - O Jardim
Gromee and Lukas Mejer - Light Me Up
Christabelle - Taboo
Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro - Non mi avete fatto niente

Semi Final 1 - The Winners/Losers & what next?

Wed, 9 May 2018 17:40:00 +1000

The First Semi-Final has been run and won... this was the "Hunger Games" semi. At least 15 of the songs were of a high enough standard to make the Grand Final on Saturday, May 12. However only 10 places are available, and some wonderful songs and performances won't be seen again on the Altice Arena stage.

Blair's guests today are performers from the Second Semi-Final (Australia's semi):
Jessika & Jenifer Brening who are representing the smallest country in Eurovision - San Marino

(Pic: eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Eugent Bushpepa - Mall
Jessika & Jenifer Brening - Who We Are
Sennek - A Matter Of Time
Eye Cue - Lost and Found
Franka - Crazy

Semi-Final 1 - "Jury Show"

Tue, 8 May 2018 17:40:00 +1000

Day 9 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

Monday May 7 - one of the BIG nights... the "Jury Final" of Semi-Final 1. 50% of the points awarded come from the international juries watching this show... so it "MATTERS"

Special guests - Lea Sirk, representing Slovenia and the thrash nu-metal band from Hungary AWS (both competing in Semi Final 2 on Thursday, with our Jessica Mauboy)

(Image: Netta/Israel - Jury Final performance/eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Euqinox - Bones
Lea Sirk - Hvala Ne!
Netta - Toy
Saara Aalto - Monsters
AWS - Viszlát nyá

The Eve of "The Week"

Mon, 7 May 2018 17:40:00 +1000

Day 8 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

The final round of rehearsals has happened, the "Blue Carpet" opening ceremony/function has happened and all is in readiness for the actual shows and performances (and the voting) to begin.

Special guests today are Yianna Terzi (Greece's entrant) and Katja Zwart of NH Radio Netherlands.

(Image - Yianna Terzi, eurovision.tv)

Songs played
SuRie - Storm
Yianna Terzi - Oniro Mou
Amaia and Alfred - Tu canción
Waylon - Outlaw in 'Em

Sun and remembering...

Sun, 6 May 2018 17:45:00 +1000

Day 7 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

The sun finally came out in all it's sunny glory, the rehearsals are wrapping up and time to remember some of the legends of Eurovision who won't be at this year's contest.

Special guest: Sevak Khanagyan (Armenia)
(Pic: eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Alexander Ryback - That's How You Write A Song
Sevak Khanagyan - Qami
Lys Assia - Refrain
Lys Assia - Die Alte Karussell
Lys Assia - Giorgio
Mariam Mamadashvili - Mzeo

Big 5

Sat, 5 May 2018 17:35:00 +1000

Day 6 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

First look at the stage performances of the Big 5 (UK, Spain, France, Germany, Italy) and host Portugal. Plus the run through of the rest of Semi Final 1's perfomers and the beginning of Semi Final 2's second rehearsals.

Guests: ZiBBz (Switzerland)
(Pic: eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Cláudia Pascoal - O Jardim
ZiBBz - Stones
Sanja Ili? and Balkanika - Nova Deca (English Reggae Version)
Sanja Ili? and Balkanika - Nova Deca
Michael Schulte - You Let Me Walk Alone

Day 5 - Round we go again!

Fri, 4 May 2018 17:30:00 +1000

Day 5 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

And, round we go again! The second set of rehearsals began Thursday, May 3 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon. First Semi-Final participants were given 20 minutes to run their songs, with full costume, make-up, staging, effects. This is the last chance to make any changes, because after today it's locked in, unless there is a major problem (which would be unprecented). What, though, of the rumours that Australia have totally changed everything?

Guest: Alekseev (Belarus) (Pic: eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Ari Ólafsson - Our Choice
Alekseev - Forever
Mikolas Josef - Lie To Me
Ieva Zasimauskaite - When We're Old
Elina Nechayeva - La Forza

Day 4 - Semi Final 2 Rehearsals conclude

Thu, 3 May 2018 17:45:00 +1000

Day 4 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

The rest of Semi Final 2 was rehearsed on Wednesday, May 2 , with simple staging through to immense staging via Georgian folk-jazz, immpecable Swedish dance-pop and some screaming Hungarians who nearly burned the Altice Arena to the ground.

Blair's special guests today are Sweden's entrant, Benjamin Igrosso and in "Pundits' Corner" Sebastian Mnich, journalist and ESC writer from Poland.

(Image: Eurovision.tv - Georgia's Iriao on the left and Ukraine's Mélovin on the right)

Songs played
Iriao - For You
Benjamin Igrosso - Dance You Off
Christabelle - Taboo
Mélovin - Under The Ladder
Gromee and Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up
AWS - Viszlát nyár

Day 3 - Semi Final 2 Rehearsals commence

Wed, 2 May 2018 17:45:00 +1000

Day 3 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.
Returning winner (ESC 2009) Alexander Ryback, Russia's controversial Julia Samoylova and the first look at Australia's Jessica Mauboy's staging for "We Got Love" made up a mixed bag of the first nine songs in Semi Final 2 on their first day of rehearsal. While the weather is improving in Lisbon (if still somewhat "Brisbane winter mid-teens cold"), a few of the competing songs are in stormy weather.

Guests:
The Humans (Romania) - and a surprise a'capella rendition of an Australian rock classic!
William Lee Adams (Wiwibloggs)

(PIC: Jessica Mauboy/EBU-ESC www.eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Jessika and Jenifer Brening - Who We Are
The Humans - Goodbye
Rasmussen - Higher Ground
Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love
DoReDos - My Lucky Day

Day 2 - Semi Final 1 Rehearsals continued

Tue, 1 May 2018 17:40:00 +1000

Day 2 with Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

Monday, April 30 had the final nine countries competing in Semi Final One, the so-called "ho-hum" half, because previews and early commentary had most of these songs as not qualifying for the final.
Ah. No.
We have a real fight on our hands, folks. All of the songs and performances showed up! It had everything - putting a singer on an upright spinning wheel and making her sing as she spun upside down, to a man on a hydraulic platform the size of an oil rig (This episode's special guest: Cesár Sampson, Austria's entrant), and it snowed in Lisbon (cheers, Ireland...)

Thank the Maker Australia is in the other Semi-Final. This one is a death-match and if the last two days of work on display is any guide, none of these songs deserve to not qualify.

Pic: Eurovision.tv/Eleni Foureria, Cyprus)

Songs played
Saara Aalto - Monsters
Cesár Sampson - Nobody But You
Zibbz - Stones
Franka - Crazy
Ryan O'Shaughnessey - Together
Eleni Foureira - Fuego

Day1 - Semi Final 1 Rehearsals

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 17:40:00 +1000

First of Blair's reports, thoughts and inside stories from the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon Portugal, keeping Eurovision fans up to date with the daily happenings, interviews with performers, pundits & fans and stuff you won't hear elsewhere.

Day 1 of rehearsals (Sunday, April 29) with the first ten countries in Semi Final one competing. Who surprised, who disappointed and who showed their underwear to the world?

With guests Brent Davidson (EscXtra) and Michael Pohl (JOY Eurovision)

(Pic: Eurovision.tv)

Songs played
Equinox - Bones
Mikolas Josef - Lie To Me
Netta - Toy
Ieva Zasimauskaite - When We're Old
Elina Nechayeva - La Forza
Eugent Bushpepa - Mall