20:48 - The hosts are on stage, and they are warming up the crowd. They give the audience instructions for the opening act. They thank everyone who has been a part of the crew, in English and in German. The crowd seems lively tonight!
21:00 - Wow, for once, we start right on time. We are welcomed by the slogan, and by the hosts. The Aussies get a special greeting and we're explained Lena cannot come and sing 'Satellite'. Instead of that, Anke & Stefan end up singing a rocky version, and whips her hair into Stefan Raab's face. She is reminded this is a serious show. Judith does her best Lena imitation afterwards. Stefan then sings the song with a band, afterwards the big band appears and the sound becomes more swing. Loads of Lena lookalikes enter the stage. Lena suddenly arrives on stage and starts climbing instruments! Lots of spectacle...
21:08 - Fortuna Dusseldorf is thanked for their co-operation, and in 90 seconds we get to see the transformation the arena has gone through. All those weeks of preparation unfold before our eyes.
21:10 - We are reminded that this is the 3rd time a winner defends her title. Last times were in 1957 and 1958. The voting rules are explained yet again, and the numbers are shown on screen, we're about to begin! Judith gets compliments from Stefan Raab which causes Anke to punch him in the face, and she makes a snide comment towards him afterwards. German humour brings us to the first nation...
21:12 - Finland's trip to the Philharmonic Orchestra brings us to Paradise Oskar's ballad. Qualifications seems to have contributed to his confidence a lot. The performance relies a lot on his charisma, which he brings 110% especially compared to the first semifinal. The audience reaction throughout the song is not as strong, but the audience gives him a warm cheer near the end. A good rehearsal for Finland, but being 1st up will definately hamper their chances, especially in the televoting.
21:17 - Bosnian construction work leads to Dino Merlin, who was clearly disappointed with his draw position yesterday. The experienced performer he is, he does seem to be a lot more comfortable on stage than he was yesterday. Vocally it's all in harmony and considering this will be the 2nd time a lot of people will hear it, it has more impact. The draw hampers it a bit, but not enough for a complete disaster. This has gone down well with juries, and it will with the televoters.
21:21 - The olympic sailing team introduces the friendly bunch of Denmark. A band who was a lot more satisfied with their proclaimed 'poor' draw. Performing so soon after the semifinal seems to do the artists good. The sound mix lacked a bit for this one, which is the first time I hear this happening on the clear feed. It won't damage Denmark's chances, but the draw have relegated them from contender to a possible top 10 placing. Considering the songs surrounding it, it will stand out.
21:24 - A lot of white brings us back to a shining Evelina from Lithuania. You cannot twist it vocally, and her jolly happy attitude on stage tonight gives it a brighter new dimension, as to her semifinal performance. The non-verbal communication had her doubting a bit, which showed on her face. The juries will love it, whether the televoters will remember it once we've come to Georgia... we'll have to wait and see...
21:28 - Goulash and pickles are served while Kati Wolf is getting ready on stage. Being vocally underwhelming in particularly the semifinal 1 dress rehearsal this qualification somewhat surprised me. Nevertheless I am happy Kati has the fortune to be in the final. Vocally, it is again underwhelming and by the 2nd chorus she takes a tumble in her vocals. It's a very odd sight, considering she goes from bad to good note, to perfect note. I don't know whether it is meant to be performed like this, but I constantly seem to mistake it for problems with confidence. I don't know what to think about its chances yet.
21:32 - Irish alternative music introduces this poppy Britney-esque song. The Irish twins were very happy with their draw, considering they have 5 dogs and a parrot. The guys completely live the song out and the vocals are surprisingly good, they only seem to improve every time they perform it. As this goes on, the crowd explodes at the end of the performance. I feel this may have left a good impression at juries, and as we're getting into the region of okay draws, this might be our first real contender.
21:37 - Pippi Longstocking introduces Eric Saade which continues the trend of Jedward's up-to-date pop. Eric is starting to struggle singing & dancing, and particularly the first chorus is shouty. He recovers by the middle of the song. I still think the camera angles for this are extremely awkward, and Jedward may have just taken a bit of its shine. Popular as he is the crowd is pleased and gives it a heavily enthusiastic response. I think Ireland has the upper hand over this one, but this is still in for a top 10.
21:41 - The friendly Estonian Wall Street agent introduces us to the wealthy street Getter Jaani is roaming in. Getter seems to have her groove back, and this unfortunately worsens the vocal performance. I think this works in her favour a lot more, but considering it comes right after the Irish & Swedish explosions, I fear for it to get swallowed. This will get more points from the televoters.
21:46 - Without breaks in between songs this really feels like a marathon, as depicted in Greece's postcard. To some this qualification came as a slight surprise due to the bad reputation rap has in this contest. There is still drama in this performance, but a lot less overreacted as in the first semifinal. My main problem with Loukas was the sad look on his face, and I hope that like today, he looks a bit 'happier' tomorrow. Greece has a good reputation in the final, so this will most probably get a good position.
21:49 - The black swan brings us to the controversial Alexej from Russia. The main reaction I get is 'oh! another one!'. The fact Sweden was only 3 songs ago clearly doesn't do it wonders... Ironically I notice a gay flag waving in the audience. There is no real issue as to his vocals, but the performance may just be a bit unremarkable for this to do anything. Considering we have all countries voting, this will be getting a decent spot, but won't contend.
21:53 - France, finally a performance I have yet seen. The postcard involves a couple at a fence with lots of locks featuring messages. Obviously the message on this guy's lock is feel your heart beat. As they kiss, we go to Amaury who is standing in a set that has a life of its own. Vocally it is like listening to a record. This doesn't convince in its camerawork, but becomes a lot more powerful as we enter the last minute and the pyro comes in. I myself, can't see it winning, neither with juries or televoters, but prove me wrong, I'm not always right.
21:57 - I got so accustomed to these postcards, I forgot to check the postcard for returnee Italy. This song from Italy is a do or die one. It is brought in such a way you feel like you're sitting in a small hall enjoying the concert. Intimate and sweet, you'd almost forget the piano is playback. Main colours are green & red, and it includes the images of a piano being played. Vocally it is great in the high note, but the rough edges might put people off. I think this will score with juries and get a more mediocre response from the public, like happened in 2007 with this year's host nation.
22:00 - Italy's team is welcomed back by Judith, she briefly goes over to Denmark but does not start a conversation as it's time for Switzerland.
22:02 - Hardly a break after Italy, we get its neighbour Switzerland with its first final entry in 5 years. Even though Italy is in a similar style there is significant difference in its mood and Anna brings it happy as ever. Vocally this is equal to her every performance, consistency is the key. Being after a break has been debated to be a bad start, but this will do decent and I think it'll stand out to juries.
22:06 - The postcard of the United Kingdom includes a rowing team and the message is portrayed by the training coach. Blue's Eurovision mix of the song made me think there were problems with the sound for a moment. Lee looks lost throughout the start of the performance and the sound mix on the microphones doesn't always seem equally adjusted, but that could just be my TV, you never know. After Lee picks up from a timing mistake, he recovers but plays safe mode afterwards. They'll have to improve it for the audience... if the jury will go for it, it remains the question. It looked quite unremarkable tonight.
22:10 - Moldova's window cleaner introduces us to the wicked love story from the group Zdob si Zdub. The team responsible for these visuals are geniusses, cause they sure have made something out of this. It definately stands out due to the wacky mood and the hats, where there is no real surprise that it made it through to the final. It won't go down as well with the juries as it will with televoters.
22:14 - Preparations by the hosts bring us to Lena, the defending champion, the postcard itself is by far the most impressive. The crowd reaction is obviously huge, and goes on as she starts singing. During the rehearsal this afternoon I thought this sounded awful, but Lena certainly knows when to steal the show. The juries are voting, and Lena gives it her all in an intense black & white staging. The way this is brought on camera completely tells the story. She gives the juries a final smile in the hopes of conquering Eurovision again. Will she do it? It's contending!
22:18 - Scenes of East Berlin and the graffiti artists from Romania further us to Romania's entry where the catchy happy clappy entry of Hotel FM is suddenly standing out. Vocally it is as good as it's ever been, but the group's energy is shining today. The mood is being brought in every way, I doubt it will contend... but it's gonna do well. Better than originally expected.
22:22 - We're back to a ballad from Austria after the free climbers have reached the top. Nadine is lucky to get draw no.18 as it has both a good history in the contest and it makes her song stand out. Nadine brings her most intense performance till date and vocally it is faultless. Having impressed everyone yesterday, they will impress again. Will it bring them the victory? I am hoping for a contender, it definately could.
22:27 - Medieval scenes and the 2nd twins of the night introduce Ell & Nikki, with their all-Swedish team. A modern ballad which is tipped for victory, and it's definately on a good place in this draw. The vocal flaws of Nigar may cost this a lot more after Austria. Eldar looks confident and sings the song to his best ability, however Nigar looks bored today and has definately sounded better. Will the Turkish votes go to Azerbaijan? It is something we can debate, but I do think televoters in general will like this more than the juries may have just done.
22:31 - Old base jumpers soon fade out to young beautiful Slovenian girls. This song now suffers from the same problem Russia had, the song from Azerbaijan may just be in this street a bit too much. Vocally it is well done, but in a row of 3 ballads this one has the disadvantage.
22:34 - We're at 'Amaury' and we're reminded of all the media coming out surrounding this year's Eurovision. We are also reminded we can vote.
22:35 - We can hardly catch breath but we're already being awaited by the Icelandic marketplace. The Icelandic performance in the first semifinal was perhaps so convincing, that it somehow can't find this feel tonight. My prediction for it after this performance, is that the televoters may be feeling this more. The fact I see a 2 with a digit on the screen is starting to take its toll.
22:39 - Spain gets a postcard full of sports, in particular football. We follow a little boy with his ambitions to become a star. The message is portrayed on his shirt. Lucia Perez sure knows how to work her expressions and the colourful scene is very 'fruity' to watch. We are invited to a Spanish summer. No problem detected in the vocals, but the gimmick with the pyro could be brought on screen just a tiny bit better. I'm not sure who is more likely to go for this.
22:43 - Ukranian students bring us to the talented sand artist from the Ukraine. Oh wait, this is supposed to be about Mika Newton. It looks like they're only putting more emphasis on the sand artist this time around. The problem really remains the same, we have a sand artist... but when it comes to the song it is just not remarkable enough. Mika tries her best to grab the attention but we can't keep our eyes off the screen. Note to the cameramen: place the camera for the sand artist to the front, just a slight bit. Prediction... struggling for left side of the scoreboard, but only due to the sand artist.
22:47 - The first qualifier this year was Serbia whom is introduced by a scene in the gallery. A psychadelic 60's inspired pop song is brought in a convincing way by Nina and her friends. With the professional way of her performing you'd forget this girl is only a 21-year-old student. The slick routine doesn't do her vocals good in the last minute, where we get a series of offkey moments, and an offkey ending... which may have cost her points from the juries. Nevertheless she has tomorrow to make up for it. This could still score big nevertheless.
22:51 - A remarkable ending to this final, from Georgia who are introduced by 2 adorable little children. Visually dynamic and dark, the lead singer blooms in the chorusses where she might struggle in verses. The fact this is the only real rock song in this final will also contribute. The last spot will be lucky when it comes to televotes, I cannot decide what the juries might think of it.
22:55 - The recap is announced, with some cute remarks made by Anke & Stefan about selling aftershow tickets and 'voting for the best looking'. We'll be right back, after a possibly lengthy recap... believe me guys, this is the first time on the night you'll be getting anywhere near a toilet...
23:03 - Another episode of 'Feel your heart beat XXL' comes up, as we get another glance at televoting numbers.
23:06 - So as far as I can predict, here I go... do note, my predictions have not been the best in the semifinals! I think the main contenders for the victory are as follows: Ireland, France & Germany. Chances to contend or to place high up the board: Denmark, Sweden, Romania, Austria, Azerbaijan & Georgia. Chances to end up in the bottom 5 have increased for: Lithuania & Slovenia.
23:06 - Alltogether 1,200 songs have been performed in the history of Eurovision... 25 of them are in the recap, but 'voting' will thankfully soon come to an end!
23:11 - Voting lines are closed! The Macintosh is calculating all the votes... the interval act is said to be something amazing... the band now performing is a musical act that brings 60's inspired music, and it's already a lot more amusing than the semifinal ones.
23:21 - After a groovy interval act, we are supposed to go to results, but they are not ready yet! So we have to fill some minutes...
23:22 - The doors to the green room are going to be opened, in a hilarious sequence where Anke is carried onto the stage. Stefan plays some hardrock, which opens the gate to the green room. The LED screen opens up and reveals the green room. This is a symbolic reference to the Berlin wall.
23:25 - The voting is about to start...
23:26 - Albania: 8 for Finland, 10 for Georgia, 12 for Slovenia.
23:27 - Armenia: 8 for France, 10 for United Kingdom, 12 for Slovenia. Slovenia leads with 24 points.
23:28 - Austria: 8 for Bosnia & Herzegovina, 10 for Serbia, 12 for Azerbaijan. Slovenia leads with 24 points.
23:29 - Azerbaijan: 8 for Greece, 10 for Germany, 12 for Spain. Slovenia leads with 30 points.
23:31 - Bosnia & Herzegovina: 8 for Hungary, 10 for Iceland, 12 for Moldova. Slovenia leads with 30 points.
23:32 - Belgium: 8 for Lithuania, 10 for Spain, 12 for Germany. Slovenia leads with 30 points.
23:33 - Bulgaria: 8 for United Kingdom, 10 for France, 12 for Romania. France leads with 35 points.
23:34 - Belarus: 8 for Denmark, 10 for Ukraine, 12 for Romania. Romania leads with 35 points.
23:35 - Switzerland: 8 for Finland, 10 for Sweden, 12 for Italy. Greece leads with 38 points.
23:36 - Cyprus: 8 for Sweden, 10 for Azerbaijan, 12 for Switzerland. Greece leads with 38 points.
23:37 - Germany: 8 for United Kingdom, 10 for Switzerland, 12 for Sweden. France leads with 45 points.
23:38 - Denmark: 8 for Estonia, 10 for Austria, 12 for Italy. Italy leads with 47 points.
23:39 - Estonia: 8 for Greece, 10 for Romania, 12 for France. Italy leads with 54 points.
23:40 - Spain: 8 for Iceland, 10 for Hungary, 12 for Russia. Italy leads with 60 points.
23:41 - Finland: 8 for Italy, 10 for Moldova, 12 for Greece. Italy leads with 68 points.
23:42 - France: 8 for Switzerland, 10 for United Kingdom, 12 for Estonia. Italy leads with 73 points.
23:43 - United Kingdom: 8 for Finland, 10 for Russia, 12 for Germany. Italy leads with 79 points.
23:44 - Georgia: 8 for Russia, 10 for Moldova, 12 for Iceland. Italy leads with 79 points.
23:45 - Greece: 8 for Moldova, 10 for Italy, 12 for Ireland. Italy leads with 89 points.
23:47 - Croatia: 8 for Ireland, 10 for Slovenia, 12 for United Kingdom. Italy leads with 95 points.
23:47 - Hungary: 8 for Switzerland, 10 for Italy, 12 for Austria. Italy leads with 105 points.
23:49 - Current top 3 go onto the screen. They are: France, United Kingdom, Italy.
23:50 - Israel: 8 for Austria, 10 for Greece, 12 for Denmark. Italy leads with 105 points.
23:52 - Iceland: 8 for United Kingdom, 10 for France, 12 for Hungary. Italy leads with 105 points.
23:53 - Italy: 8 for Ireland, 10 for Azerbaijan, 12 for Georgia. Italy leads with 105 points.
23:54 - Lithuania: 8 for Slovenia, 10 for Italy, 12 for Finland. Italy leads with 115 points.
23:55 - Latvia: 8 for United Kingdom, 10 for Estonia, 12 for Bosnia & Herzegovina. Italy leads with 115 points.
23:56 - Moldova: 8 for Italy, 10 for Switzerland, 12 for Azerbaijan. Italy leads with 123 points.
23:57 - Macedonia: 8 for France, 10 for Germany, 12 for Russia. Italy leads with 123 points.
23:58 - Malta: 8 for Iceland, 10 for Ireland, 12 for Finland. Italy leads with 123 points.
23:59 - The Netherlands: 8 for Spain, 10 for Hungary, 12 for Bosnia & Herzegovina. Italy leads with 123 points.
00:01 - Norway: 8 for Ukraine, 10 for Lithuania, 12 for Denmark. Italy leads with 123 points.
00:02 - Poland: 8 for Serbia, 10 for Denmark, 12 for Lithuania. Italy leads with 125 points.
00:03 - Portugal: 8 for Georgia, 10 for Bosnia & Herzegovina, 12 for Hungary. Italy leads with 125 points.
00:04 - Romania: 8 for Georgia, 10 for Finland, 12 for Ireland. Italy leads with 125 points.
00:05 - Serbia: 8 for Ukraine, 10 for Denmark, 12 for Estonia. Italy leads with 125 points.
00:06 - Russia: 8 for Serbia, 10 for Bosnia & Herzegovina, 12 for Sweden. Italy leads with 129 points.
00:07 - Sweden: 8 for Slovenia, 10 for Ireland, 12 for France. Italy leads with 129 points.
00:08 - Slovenia: 8 for Spain, 10 for Lithuania, 12 for Greece. Italy leads with 130 points.
00:10 - Slovakia: 8 for Sweden, 10 for Austria, 12 for Serbia. Italy leads with 130 points.
00:11 - San Marino: 8 for Estonia, 10 for Romania, 12 for Ukraine. Italy leads with 130 points.
00:12 - Turkey: 8 for Austria, 10 for Estonia, 12 for United Kingdom. United Kingdom leads with 132 points.
00:14 - Ukraine: 8 for Romania, 10 for Greece, 12 for Moldova. Italy leads with 137 points.
00:15 - Ireland: 8 for Romania, 10 for Russia, 12 for Lithuania. Italy leads with 137 points.
00:16 - A tie for Italy & United Kingdom with 137 points!
00:17 - The rules are explained for ex-aequo's. Italy wins this dress rehearsal due to having more 10's.
00:18 - Representing Italy are 2 crew members... and they walk onto the stage.
00:19 - We hear Italy's song pop up, and as Stefan Raab takes the piano, Anke improvises on the Italian song. I hope you've enjoyed the running commentary, and I hope I enlightened you a bit! Have a lot of fun tomorrow and may the best country win!
