Romania 2015 National Selecion

ROMANIA: LIVE ROLLING BLOG of National Final for Eurovision 2015 – #JoinUs at 19:30 CET

Romania tonight select their Eurovision entry for 2015 in the ‘Selecția Națională’. 12 acts will take to the stage and you can WATCH HERE at 19:30 CET

You can follow our LIVE BLOG HERE – You know the drill by now. Just refresh the page for our live updates. You are in the company of Elaine tonight – Lord help you ;-) 

The result will be a Jury/Public 50/50 result.

Ooh well wasn’t last night exciting. I’m Still in Love With You BBC !!! Between the favourite missing out on the super final in Portugal and the Electro Velvet Charleston Swingfest from The UK, the Twitter feeds were going mad. In Germany the winner did not want to go to Vienna whilst in the UK most of the fans are hoping for the same result. Yet in a remarkable turn of events, the whole of the Eurovision Ireland team are in the “LOVE IT” camp.

Anyway I’m hoping for some more excitement tonight so sit back and expect the unexpected.

LIVE BLOG 19:30 CET

Voltaj “De la capăt”

Elaine’s Comments

So we start with a heartfelt soft rock song. A mother kisses her child goodnight, picks up her case and walks away. Abandoned suitcases all over the stage (hate to think what the cost of getting those delivered on EasyJet will be) and the lead singer giving an emotional performance. How gutted will one of the band members be if they are dropped in favour of the “child sleeping in the bed” because there were 7 folks on stage. You gotta be a pretty rubbish drummer to be replaced by snoozy unmoving child. Nice song, good melody but a winner??? Don’t think so.

Băieții “Dragoste în Lanțuri”

Elaine’s Comments

Oh dear and cue the screaming teenage girls and a section of the screaming Euro Fanboys!!!! Its S Club 5 – 2!!!! The girls appear to have forgotten their clothes and the boys seem to have forgotten to bring a melody. It was painful on the ears and they eyes – not what I imagine they were aiming for. Poor poor song.

Tudor Turcu “Save Us”

Elaine’s Comments

Loving the VT – he looks like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast with his manly chiseled looks, brawn and long hair. I think he would give a good fight to Carola for the last wind machine in the shop window. The song is an anthemic rock number but he looks like he got his tie caught in the shredder shortly before arriving on stage. He says “its all about us” but it is also about the 4 Rapunzel look-a-likes in the background. Remember the Moldovan uni-cyclist??? Well 4 of them but no unicycles. I liked the song but the staging seemed to have no relevance at all to what was going on.

Aurelian Temișan feat. Alexa “Chica Latina”

Elaine’s Comments

Eeeeeeeewww it’s like Ricky Martin in 20 years time with a few extra stone, dancing like a dodgy uncle at a wedding. I think the costume department ransacked Top Shop to dress the girls. The song has quite a catchy hook but the whole performance reminds me of Strictly Come Dancing when one of the elder male celebrities has to dance a salsa with a beautiful pro celebrity whilst sporting a paunch stomach and a dodgy bump and grind action. It is nice enough to listen to but I cant watch it without feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Rodica Aculova “My Life”

Elaine’s Comments

Rodica’s light will not be shining for long after this performance. It sounds like it is in completely the wrong key for her. I heard windows and glasses shattering when she hit that high note. Vocally the performance was a mess. In the words of my fellow blogger John “all the correct notes but not necessarily in the right order” It seems to have been a pleasant enough tune, fit to be hidden in the middle of a lesser known Disney film but the only thing memorable about this performance was the dogs howling outside my door (sorry)

Blue Noise “Love Won’t Run Away”

Elaine’s Comments

Love won’t Run Away??? I wish!!! I see what I want, chase it but they always seem to run away lol

Ok so Blue Noise are an acapella group who’s backing music is all provided by beat boxers. I usually like this sort of offering but again there seems to be one vital missing ingredient………. a tune!!! The lead singer looks like the love child of Leanne Battersby and Nicola Sturgeon. This was a bit of a snooze fest if I am honest. A poor man’s Whitloof Bay – and I didn’t like Whitloof Bay.

I am glad Ovidiu Anton is still alive coz I am barely!!!!!! Let’s hope things improve in the second half – PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Ovidiu Anton “Still Alive”

Elaine’s Comments

At last a song with a melody and catchy chorus. Yes it is a generic male ballad that could be performed by most average male vocalists but at least there is a song in there unlike many that have gone before it. I love the 3 ghoulish looking singers on stilts then the dramatic pyrotechnics and angel in white, where Westlife would have included their dramatic “i’m getting up off the stool” move. One of the better songs tonight and would probably have Romania sailing safely into the final in Vienna.

Lara Lee “Superman”

Elaine’s Comments

Lara Lee has gone all Margaret Berger on us with Superman. She gives a dramatic performance is it is much more contemporary than anything else we have heard tonight. I think many of the fans would like this and definitely a contender for the win tonight. Not my cup of tea but I can see the merits in the song.

Super Trooper “Secret Place”

Elaine’s Comments

I knew with a name like Super Trooper, that this would have to be a big cheese fest but “Hold the Phone” Ottowan want their song back!!!!!!! This is definitely a D.I.S.C.O. number. It has got me boogieing in my chair but in terms of cheese; there is Stilton; there is brie; there is dairy lea and then there is Super Trooper. Not a winner but a guilty pleasure.

Luminița Anghel “A Million Stars”

Elaine’s Comments

It is always a great trick when choreographing a Eurovision entry, to put 3 buff men scantily clad in leather as the backing dancers. It “raises an interest” immediately. You have to love Luminata. She “Gies it Laldy” as we would say in Scotland. A great set of pipes and she knows how to sell a song. Fab performance and probably my favourite so far.

Cristina Vasiu “Nowhere”

Elaine’s Comments

Oh bless – “I’m Going Nowhere” – I imagine she has never spoken a truer word. Don’t get me wrong, In the context of the Romanian final tonight, this is one of the better performances but it really lacks something. I thought when I heard the opening that this would be the dance floor stomper we have all been waiting for but instead it is a bit “too cool for skool” I was a little concerned for her “Shireen Nanjiani” when the pyrotechnics went off but she seemed to come out if it relatively unscathed. An average song that is being made to look good in the mix with some of the shockers we have heard tonight.

CEJ “We Were in Love”

We are not in love anymore. This was 50 shades of bland!!! Her dress was fantastically sparkly but that was all that really shone in my opinion. It was well sung, unoffensive and melodic but instantly forgettable. I can not see this featuring highly in the voting but fret not if you are a CEJ fan – I am wrong more often than I am right.

Elaine’s Predictions

Top 3 – Ovidiu Anton “Still Alive”, Lara Lee “Superman”, Luminița Anghel “A Million Stars”

WINNER –  Luminița Anghel “A Million Stars”

There is an incredibly long programme on about Romanian Architecture at present hence there is not much action on the blog whilst the votes are coming in and being counted. Honest I am completely entranced by it and have not been to the loo, made a cuppa and facebooked a couple of pals :-)

Back to music and we have Ruslana and Wild Dances – still love this and makes me think I need to try the slashed to the thigh frock again.

Why Oh Why did they let her perform the 25 minute megamix including audience participation and selfies?

Actual Results

 Jury Vote

12pts – Voltaj “De la capăt”

10pts Ovidiu Anton “Still Alive”

8pts Luminița Anghel “A Million Stars”

Public Vote

12pts – Voltaj “De la capăt”

10pts Luminița Anghel “A Million Stars”

8pts Tudor Turcu “Save Us”

Winner 

12pts – Voltaj “De la capăt”

So my 4th choice song won!!!!! Surely the odds say one of these days I must get it correct. Oh well it has been a long night peeps and I leave you with Voltaj and his vastly overweight luggage allowance. See you in Vienna

Author : Elaine Dove

Source : Eurovision Ireland