Chris' Finals Recap, Pt. 1

Jen & I decided not to liveblog the final, since writing and viewing is a pain. We're each going to do our own write-ups.

We had problems with the feed from Octoshape going out on us, to the point where we actually missed all of Russia's number. We'll fill in our thoughts on that one after we watch the replay.

One disappointment was that Lordi didn't perform live. The show kicked off with a video for "Hard Rock Hallelujah", but I don't know if Lordi was even there. Too bad.

1. Bosnia

What is she wearing? It looks like a Christmas tree right before you take it down. It's kind of a dull start to the show. She's singing fine, but the song just doesn't do it for me. She should benefit from bloc voting, but I don't know if anyone else is going to remember this in the end.

2. Spain

Wait, is this 2007 or 1997? A boy band? Seriously? There's not much harmonizing going on, and the dancing is pedestrian at best. They are in synch... er... so to speak. Technically, they're fine, but this is a huge whatever.

3. Belarus

Koldun looks like Hugh Jackman. Apparently, this song is about alcohol. It has grown on me, I must say, but I don't think he's singing it well. He doesn't think so either, I bet, since he decides not to go for the high note at the end. Good choice.

4. Ireland

The problem with trying to predict winners based on the songs is that the live performance has the potential to be utterly disastrous (case in point: Jemini). Had I known that Dervish were going to be so pathetically awful live, I would not have predicted the U.K. would get the nil vote. The singer sounds like the folk singer in the Lemmiwinks episode of South Park. Abysmal.

5. Finland

Our feed went out here, but watching the replay showed that I didn't miss much. Again, it's Evanescence-lite. It's gothy and it rocks and whatnot, but it's just mediocre. I doubt Helsinki will get to host Eurovision again next year.

There's a little host segment where our hosts Jaana and Mikko meet a girl named Krisse, who says she's the world's biggest Eurovision fan and dreams of hosting. She ends up doing backstage bits for the rest of the evening. This is ridiculously staged, since Krisse is a famous Finnish comedienne apparently. She actually turns out to be kind of amusing (especially during the voting when she consoled Scooch when they weren't doing well).

6. Macedonia

The fog machine is working on overload! Karolina's singing better here than she did on Thursday, but this is such a dull number. She may do well, but I'm so not into the song.

7. Slovena

Alenka is so happy to be there! It's kinda sweet, actually. Sadly, the more I hear this song, the more it grates on my nerves. Too low-budget Lloyd Webber. She still loves the lights-on-the-hand bit.

8. Hungary

This is really early, so I hope her distinctive style and the uniqueness of the song (compared to your standard Eurovision fare) helps her get votes later. She's singing better tonight than during the semis, save for an invisible high note. Excellent performance.

9. Lithuania

Not just 4Fun, The 4Fun. The staging is very simple: lead singer with guitar up front, rest of the band behind a screen in silhouette. The song is bad, though, which the lack of over-the-top staging just points up. Not terrible, but not good either.

10. Greece

Play up that Zorba the Greek stereotype, Sarbel! The words are pathetic: "All eyes on Maria/No lie, she's the bomb." Wow. Horrible lyrics, annoying melody. The little Walk Like an Egyptian dance moves don't help, obviously. They do some dancing with ribbons that's cute, and the dancers end with the ribbons shaped in the form of the Eurovision heart logo. That's about all that's good about this, though.

11. Georgia

Sopho's oversinging it a bit, but I don't care. I would love for her to win, although I know it's not going to happen. This is my favorite song of the competition, and generally she's given Georgia a good showing tonight.