News - Third semi-final dress rehearsal | Eurovision Song Contest News - Azerbaijan 2012 

The third semi-final dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Cntest 2010 is in full throttle at the Telenor Arena in Oslo. Once again we are reporting from the press center watching the show on the screens and thus having a good impression of how the show is going to look like tonight.

This is the final dress rehearsal of the first semi-final. The postcards consist of short clips of the Eurovision fans cheering, shot in respective country and a glimpse at the stage when the artists prepare for the performance. There is also a map of the performing country formed by yellow bubbles  - symbols of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 theme art.

Moldova

Sunstroke project and Olia Tira are opening the rehearsal at Telenor Arena. Once again, the performance starts with the violinist and later the rest of the band joins him when the chorus starts. Olia Tira is wearing a silver short dress with light blue fluffy ornament on her shoulder which matches her make-up. Good vocal performance an a great opener of the show.RussiaWhite confetti are falling on the dark Eurovision stage when Peter Nalich starts singing his song Lost and forgotten. He is wearing dark pastel colored clothes and a scarf. Peter has a sketch of a woman's face in his hand when he sings the verse about "looking at your picture".  It is a beautiful performance and a strong entry for Russia.

Estonia

Malcolm Lincoln is joined by 4 backing singers and a pianist playing a piano on the stage. The stage is simple and dark at first and when the song develops blue lights start to flash in the rhythm of the music. They are all wearing dark blue and red velvet jackets. Another very good vocal performance. All in all there is a certain magic attributed to the Estonian performance which could lead them to the final.

Slovakia

Kristina and her dancers dressed in tree-themed outfits take the green-coloured stage. Kristina looks very confident and relaxed on stage and delivers the song beautifully. The female singer dressed in several layers of silver-white veils is singing the middle vocal section. The stage turns yellow towards the end of the song and then green at the very end. Many people in the press center are asking themselves if the performance is strong enough to make it to the final as it missing a certain edge.

Finland

The Finnish duo Kuunkuiskaajat are back on the dark-blue Eurovision stage. Dressed in white they pull-off another very entertaining performance. This song always receives a good reception in the press center, with the journalists clapping in the certain parts of the chorus. Finland has a very strong chance of qualifying for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.

Latvia

A deep blue stage with strapped curtains at the back is ready for Aisha's performance of What for? (Only Mr. God KNows). She is joined by four female backing singers dressed in black while Aisha is wearing a purple-beige colored frock. There is some light choreography used to enhance the performance of the song which reaches quite a magical and melodic effect.

Serbia

Milan Stankovi� starts his performance of Ovo Je Balkan on a black stage with wite borders and 4 pedestals with white-lit backgrounds on the Eurovision stage. His two female backing singers are dressed in white dresses, the two male dancers are wearing blue outfits while Milan wears a combination of both. A fun choreography and flawless vocal performance is very likely to lead Serbia to the final.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Vukašin BrajiÄ� appears out of the artificial fog on stage which has a completely black background with strong bright light flashing from behind making a reference to the title of the song Thunder and lightning. He is wearing jeans, black t-shirt and a red jacket. The three female backing singers are wearing grey short dresses and the two male backing vocals are wearing grey jackets and black pants. Good vocal performance but will it be convincing enough to make it to the final?

Poland

Marcin MroziÅ�ski is joined by five female backing dancers wearing Polish national outfits - white tops and green-striped skirts. Each lady has an apple in her hand which they bite simultaneously before they start singing. Martin is wearing a dark-grey suit. They deliver a good performance of the song but not many are predicting Poland to qualify.

Belgium

Another great performance of Me and my guitar by Tom Dice. He takes the front part of the stage with a very simple dark staging with yellow elements shining through which makes a good atmosphere for the song. Tom is wearing a light-blue suit and delivers the essence of the song very well. Chances for the final for Belgium are very good this year.

Malta

Thea Garret gives the strongest performance of This is my dream so far. She is relaxed, her vocal performance is flawless and together with three female backing vocals, the giant bird-dancer and a touch of fireworks make the viewers feel the dreamy essence of the song. Good chances for the final.

Albania

Juliana Pasha is back on stage. She changed her hairstyle again, this time going for more classic look than yesterday when she had more of a wild, out-of-bed look. Her 3 female backing vocalists from the United States and an energetic violinist help her make a strong performance of the song. Many people consider Albania as a certain qualifier for the final.

Greece

Yiorgos Alkaios & Friends do their best to deliver the energy of folk-powered song Opa. In the middle section of the song, just before the last chorus, a fiddler, dressed in black, plays the traditional Greek fiddle while Yiorgos Alkaios & Friends, all dressed in white, go for the white drums. Traditional Greek elements are strongly present in the dance routine. The performance looks energetic, we will see if it is enough to qualify for the final soon.

Portugal

Filipa Azevedo is joined by a pianist on the left part of the stage and three backing singers on the right. She is wearing a white dress with a black belt and gives a brilliant vocal performance of this traditional ballad Há dais assim. The stage is mostly pink and purple. Considering there are so many ballads it will not be an easy battle for Portugal to qualify.

FYR Macedonia

The deep blue-colored stage announces Gjoko Taneski's performance of Jas ja imam silata. As the songs starts slowly the three female backing dancers are dressed in white veils which they take off by the time the chorus starts. The performance has an amazing energy, the choreography is good and very well performed. The rap solo fits well in the performance as does the guitar solo just before the last chorus. All in all, great job for Macedonia that should make it to the final this year.

Belarus

 Third piano on the Eurovison stage in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, this time a white one. The stage for the  group 3+2 is black with starry background with dark-brown curtains and orange-lit borders. The butterflies wings gimmick on the backs of the female singers works smoothly and the vocal performance was good.

Iceland

Hera Björka starts singing Je en sais quoi with a dark blue stage in the back which turns into flashing-red patterns with the first chorus and light blue patterns with the second. She is wearing a long bordeaux-red dress while the three backing singers wear the short versions of it. The two female backing singers wear black suits. As usual, Hera delivers an impeccable vocal performance of the song, the light, crab-walking choreography in the second verse of the song looks effective and the general feel of the song seems convincing enough to make Iceland slide smoothly to the final.

 

Once all the songs are performed we are greeted by the three hosts. They announce the recap of all the 17 songs and after that we see a humorous video-clip presenting a tour of Oslo that is ruined by an overly enthusiastic crowd of Eurovision fans. After that there is another recap of all the songs in the semi-final with respective telephone numbers. The viewers are able to vote from the beginning of the show for the first time in the Eruovision Song Contest history.

Before the telephone lines close we get a look at the green room with the hosts talking to some performers of the semi-final. After that we see a collage of small inserts called Voice of Europe and people in these inserts eventually come on the stage for a dance number. There is also some humorous references about the volcanic ash problems and how people have been inventive about their travel to Norway. Then a short clip of the five qualified entries is shown.

Before Svante Stockselius announces that the 10 envelopes with the names of the qualifiers are ready we see some glimpses from the green room. The contras that qualified to the final are announced in random order and after that the hosts say good-bye and the show closes.