Lonegan sir...please try to avoid putting Ukraine & Turkey in the same sentence...the former fills me full of optimism, the latter fills my stomach with bile...i thank you.

One thought stuck in my mind thinking about last night (and no not I'm fooked this year) and thats on how everything was coming across on tv.

The backdrops were a waste of time, a total irrelevance - Icelands blue ice fields, Romania drums and projected dancers etc anyone remember them? Greece's oyster shells did they stand out for anyone? Anyone notice them at all?

I'm wondering how Loreen's dark stage and snow effect is going to come across. I think her doing her Kate Bush close up without us getting a real 'feel' of the staging and show could, just could look very silly indeed.

I think clever staging and gimmicks may not pay off. Advantage Spain, Azrbaijan perhaps I don't know. Very much Tooji looks slick tomorrow, both Greece and Cyprus came across well enough

Appreciate any views on this - was I alone in this impression?

Iceland lighting change on the key change (blue to red) I'd read about and seen it work well in long shots anyone notice this at all - I could go on

Just good camera interaction and fun routines seem to be paying off no staging dramatics

Looking good for Tooji

I agree Bex, I didn't notice backgrounds.

But surely that leads to the opposite of your conclusion about Sweden. A simple stark black background in her case maybe more effective. MF was mainly close shots anyway, and they'll largely emulate that.

Must be a alight worry Bex.

I guess the difference is if I'm not wrong the snow effect is a physical thin, not just on the screen and the staging allows for many closeups of Loreen as she's fairly static and it's just her on stage til the end.
No walking about and the foucs shifting as we saw with Iceland

thing* ffz

"Loreen is far more telegenic"...when you do manage to see her face that is

So what is the running order of the countries we know so far?

Plays I am liking so far:

Italy top 5
Germany top 10 (maybe small play top 5 as well)
Lay Sweden (definitely right up there but how tempramental this competition is, it has to be by far the best to warrant that price and I don't think it is).
Lay Ireland top 10 (last year they were a novelty act with their youth, enthusiasm, hair, costumes etc and an upbeat song, won't work this year and a worse song).

Actually - the stuff about screens is interesting because for me the screens were vital last year in Ireland and Ukraine doing well. 

This is where I think Ukraine are masters once again this year because their human dancers interest with the on screen CGI dancers - you can't miss 'em. 

Hey Milan, reserve me a place on your Kiev Express, please.  I'm still 1st Class on the Oslo train but may need to switch after Thursday's draw. 

Also now got spaces in the baggage compartments for goods trains going to Turkey, Greece and Serbia!!

Funnily enough Milan I thought Jedward were their usual amusing selves.  Loving life and enthusiastic and you just knew they'd pull a plum draw. 

I've laid them just like I did last year but they still amuse me in small doses....and my 10 y.o. daughter loves them.  I'll probably let her have a vote on Saturday night for them (after I've voted about 8 times for various acts!) and therein lies your Jedward problem - dads like me letting their young daughters vote for Jedward!! 

Just get the one where you have unlimited use for 14/21/28 days and can go on any routes covered by the ticket (about 75% of european countries covered), no writing stuff down, just use when you want.

Do my picks and reasoning seem astute to you? (about 10 posts up)

Your picks look sound.  Only one I don't like is Italy but I must admit I warmed to her last night.  She seemed a fun girl - not the moody cow she's appeared to be in promo vids.

had a month eurorail ticket which took me from, brussels to as north as oslo then over to budapest plus a host of other european cities. Once it ran out i just bought a day ticket

EBU Press Conference:

The conference started with remarks on the 2012 contest, the main points raised were;

    Challenges of the brand new venue. Finished just a few weeks ago.
    Worked for spectators and the technical crew.
    Not solely built for the contest, will be used for other events.

    Televoting returned to 15 minutes Previously it didn't increase the number of votes, and that most people still voted during the recap.

    Successful staging of First Semi-Final

    Some in ear problms for Romanian entry, but fortunately they made the final.

    Voting was validated by Price Waterhouse Cooper.

    Diverse result between jury and televoting

    8 songs agreed by both, 1 thanks to televoters and 1 made it down to the jury.

    Albania did not broadcast live.
    Significant buzz on social media.
    Five out of ten trended topics on twitter were on Eurovision,
    Half a million followers on Facebook
    Programme Book is available as an e-book.
    Archive project on full speed. Digitalised and restored to obtain the best copies of each year. First phase completed as we approach the 60th contest in 2015.
    Secure future for the Eurovision Song Contest.
    Possible that future contests may be on a smaller scale and there may be possible changes to rehearsal schedules to economise on time and finance.
    60th anniversary is approaching in 2015 and looking at ways to celebrate it, and discussions taking place with various broadcasters.

saved by jury Albania (nap)
saved by televote Cyprus

saved by jury Albania
saved by televote Russia

Denmark suddenly friendless.  Looks odd.

LOL. Don't get me started again

TBH I wasn't impressed with her vocal last night. The costume is silly. But it's one of half a dozen or so songs I'd listen to for pleasure

Henry Ivi had apparently a bit of a shocker vocally in the jury rehearsal we didn't get to see - thats why I thought it may have been her. Russia however is eually if not more valid but I'm not certain myself

Albania I am sure of