LIVE FROM MALMÖ: EUROVISION 2013 SEMIFINAL 1

Good evening Europe, this is Malmö and this is the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 First Semifinal. 16 countries are participating tonight while three countries from the final are voting as well. First of all despite the opinions we may have for the songs, congratulations to all of the participants and the very best of luck to them. Let the show begin.

EUROPE HERE WE GO
The Malmoe arena is totally full and after the amazing introduction the opening act with Loreen and the kids are warmly welcomed in the arena. The standing up fans look amazing on screen and SVT really managed to interact the audience with the stage. They are all ONE. We are all ONE! Petra Mede appears waering a fabulours Jean Paul Gaultier gown. Do you know the audience is wearing bracellets which are automatically controlled by the organizers and light up in the color and the time SVT wants? 11,000 auditors attend the arena tonight. Using one host (hostess in this case) seems amazing and less fuzzy than previous years.

01. AUSTRIA – NATALIA KELLY – SHINE
Great opening tonight by Natalia Kelly with a wonderful presentation and amazing vocal performance. Impressive stage presentation with props in white and purple colors in the background. Nice outfit and great camera work. Excellent opening, excellent performance. Austria should be in the final.

02. ESTONIA – BIRGIT OIGEMEEL – ET UUS SAAKS ALGUSE
Starting in black and white mode the song is growing in me and here in the press center every day more and more. Birgit is pregnant and today we got to know that it will be a boy! Congratulations for the news and for the amazing performance which is accompanied by an excellent vocal performance, fabulous dress and although a ballad Birgit uses the stage as enough as needed.

03. SLOVENIA – HANNAH MANCINI – STRAIGHT INTO LOVE
This amazing tune is opening with an excellent choreography and Hannh comes on stage behind them. Finally we are listening less missed notes (although still it sounds like screaming in the chorus) but feels much much better. Great performance despite the failed rehearsals. Can she make it to the final? Well now that’s a big question as the juries saw a totally different / horrible dress rehearsal. Let’s see!

04. CROATIA – KLAPA s MORA – MIZERIJA
Cute guys and tall guys on stage and they give their tenor alike performance. It’s not bad at all as it grows second by second and the camera work looks great on them. I am sure you will all appreciate the vocals but I am not sure this song can be appealing to the viewers to vote. Though we have three other balkan countries to vote for Croatia in this semifinal. Huge applause for Croatia in the arena.

05. DENMARK – EMMELIE DE FOREST – ONLY TEARDROPS
The hot favourite for Eurovision is on stage and oh my Gosh there is huge enthusiasm in the arena people are pumping up with this. Huge welcome to the flute opening. The arena is really shaking during the performance and the press center as well. Excellent and professional performance by this sweet person. Jacob, the flute player is also a very nice guy and getting a photo with him made him so happy today. Denmark get your ass ready for 2014 the trophy is almost yours! CONGRATULATIONS. The arena is full of pyros and confetti. AMAZING!!! Huge huge huge applause inside the arena is reported!

06. RUSSIA – DINA GARIPOVA – WHAT IF
With a less than expected welcome-applause Dina is performing on stage. I would like t say she is confident but somehow I can see fear in her eye. In the chorus things turn much better. Rather too static for such a song and unnecessary ballons as props on stage. Two of them are thrown to the audience (I still haven’t found out the reason why). The entire arena have lighted bracellets in white colors (they are automatically set and lighten by the organizers). Great performance for the stolen song. It’s a qualifier.

07. UKRAINE – ZLATA OGNEVICH – GRAVITY
Before I start this one I have to say I am once again amazed by the postcards and their production. The great opening of the song with giant carrying Zlata to a podium as the cameras shake from his footsteps. Zlata is wearing a great butterfly ring. She is amazing in vocals the song might be either hate or like but the stage and the camera work boost it to the top. Great impressions here!

08. THE NETHERLANDS – ANOUK – BIRDS
Half way already, oh God it’s so so exciting! Despite the accident in the leg Anouk is performing at the end of the catwalk and indeed performs instead of doing a show or something. The birds in the background make this song totally fantastic. Some people here hate Anouk and the song, but I have to say it’s one of the favourites and can easily win if things go well in the final. Powerful vocals and totally professional performance. Well done Netherlands, 2014 might be yours you know! Amazing tune, amazing performance!

09. MONTENEGRO – WHO SEE feat. NINA – IGRANKA
Yes, my two lovely boys and the superb Nina are on stage and they can sing you know! I would love to see Montenegro in the final so it’s time to love and vote for it. Camera effects used in this own (slovemotion before the boys start to sing). Nina appears from the floor lofted up on stage! Great graphics in the background, perfect lights and splendit performance. Montenegro you did great this year, hope to see you again on Saturday!

10. LITHUANIA – ANDRIUS POJAVIS – SOMETHING
Did you know that the actual feeling in the arena is like it’s all far more smaller than what you see in the screens? Andrius takes over the stage: he is a very nice person, low profile and this song is good (for those who know about songs and music). Although standing no chances to the final his performance is exactly what the song is supposed to be. Vocally he is more than OK although I still dislike the too static presentation. Solo performance with backing vocals aside. Let’s see what happens.

11. BELARUS – ALYONA LANSKAYA – SOLAYOH
Perfect vocal performance and great audience reaction in the arena during the song and the end. Alyona Lanskaya with the wonderful cha cha dress made everyone dance inside the Malmoe arena and gave a very powerful feeling and vibe. Well done: it should be to the final!

12. MOLDOVA – ALIONA MOON – O MIE
Pasha Parfeny is finally on stage playing the piano. The long dress with the depicted animations on it (most of the times similar to the background ones) look amazing. The dance act is something I personally disagree. Overall the key element of the song is the amazing vocal performance of Aliona Moon. When teh camera focus on Pasha you can see that this is one hell of hot guy! He is already too stressed as he told oikotimes.com this week. He wants the best for Moldova. I am sure we will see this one to the final as well.

13. IRELAND – RYAN DOLAN – ONLY LOVE SURVIVES
Very warm welcome before the song begins and the arena get excied by the hot opening with the half naked tattoed guys. Tyan is looking amazing and extra handsome tonight. His eyes are spakling and he is indeed one of the nicest persons this year in Eurovision Song Contest 2013. Vocal performance is great for this Irish entry and I’m almost sure we are gonna see it to the final. Total red stage in the chorus and it’s a great feeling in the arena!

Time for the second break and we have a video with Julia Zemiro from Australia explaining how popular Eurovision is down under. The country started to broadcast the contest in 1983 and it became extra popular from the very first year. Amazing produced video and so so funny! They sound Eurovision songs, they dance it in the beach, the cook host country foods and they are always partying. WELL DONE AUSTRALIA! THANK YOU FOR SHARING! WE ARE ONE!

14. CYPRUS – DESPINA OLYMPIOU – AN ME THIMASAI
back from the break. The first song in Greek for this year Eurovision Song Contest and we are fully aware that lots of Greeks are watching this performance tonight. I hate the song but I love Despina; how can this happen? Big question and needs lots of therapy sessions to be explained. There are video effects used in this performance as it was rather too monotonous and static due to the boring sound of the tune. Despina is giving an amazing vocal performance, one of the best this year among participating countries. Great reaction in the arena! Well done Despina!

15. BELGIUM – ROBERTO BELLAROSA – LOVE KILLS
Close ups for Roberto in the opening of the song which look kinda funny (or scarry). The chorus lifts the song to heaven. The tune (partially composed by Finnish composer, responsible for the Azeri trophy in 2011) sounds amazing! In the arena everyone applauses. The female dance act aside to Robero is perfectly working for this entry. Perfect vocal performance and mark my words: this one goes to the final. Last night in the jury rehearsal Belgium performed twice due to technical problems in the earphones in the first attempt.

16. SERBIA – MOJE 3 – LJUBAV JE SVUDA
It’s almost over and one song left, but we are all one here both in the arena and the press center and we bring you the excitement of the team all over Europe: Serbian adorable dolls are performing their song in Serbian. The presentation and the outfits are rather artistic and theatrical and some say it would need English language to make us totally understand it (but then again we remind them that Marija Serifovi won in 2007 also in Serbian and barely no one knew what even Moltiva ment). SUPERB vocal performance. Better than any rehearsal they really surprise me!

THATS’ IT FOLKS LET THE VOTING BEGIN
Find information about the voting here
The Europrediction 2013 results for the First Semifinal
After wathcing this show we have to predict that: Austria, Estonia, Russia, Denmark, Netherlands, Ukraine, Serbia, Belgium, Cyprus, Belarus will proceed to the final. Let’s see if we managed to predict right!

THE RESULTS: TO THE FINAL
MOLDOVA predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
LITHUANIA
IRELAND predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
ESTONIA predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
BELARUS predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
DENMARK predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
RUSSIA predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
BELGIUM
UKRAINE predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction
THE NETHERLANDS predicted by oikotimes.com’s Europrediction