Bună seara! This is about as much Romanian as I have gleaned from the internet in the last few days!Hello Europe this is Lisa-Jayne back on the live blog from the small, modest town of Baia Mare. No? it’s ok, I’d never hear of it either!

On Friday 12 Semi Finalists battled it out for the chance to win one of 6 places in tonight’s grand final and now the time has come to choose from those six who will win the golden ticket to Stockholm in a few months time.

Now you might have been expecting James and Bogdan, (who by now you all know as #JamDanESC) on the live blog tonight, especially since they did a sterling job with the live blog of the semi-finals but they are somewhere in the audience tonight so I am here to guide you through the show instead.

Don’t forget to follow and tweet us @EurovisionIrela or you can find me @LJL_77

How To Watch

The Show starts at 19:30 CET

Watch the show here or here

The songs

Florena “Behind The Shadows”

Doru Todorut feat. Irina Baiant “The Voice”

Dream Walkers “Let It Shine”

Vanotek “I’m Coming Home”

Ovidiu Anton “Moment of Silence”

Mihai “Paradisio”

How The Finalists Will Be Selected

At the semi final 4 of the acts were chosen by the jury and two were voted on by the public. Tonight there is no jury, 100% will be decided by the Romanian people.

Rehearsal Pics

The very lovely #JAMDANESC have sent us these pictures from rehearsal earlier today…

LIVE BLOG – Starts 19:30 CET Here

You know the drill by now! You just refresh the page after each song for my comments and thoughts and don’t forget to share your thoughts with us too.

Check out some of our videos with the finalists – MIHAI . Ovidiu, Florena, and Vanotek

well here we are being welcomed to the stage for the show tonight, flute, Romanian dancers, some lovely traditional music, I’m excited for the show. You should know I’m going into this blind, I don’t know any of the songs or singers so my reactions will be as they come tonight, my first response to hearing the songs.

here we go!

Here are our hosts for the evening – interesting dress, I’m guessing there will be a few outfit changes along the way, as is customary with this kind of thing!!

Florena “Behind The Shadows”

Oooh, I like this, dramatic start, pounding strings, beautiful singer; what’s not to love?! And Eurovision does love a blonde singer in a white dress, I really like this I think if it’s chosen this could do very well for Romania. I would like a bit more in the staging of the song, but that can be worked on before Stockholm.

Doru & Irina “Never Too Late”

Blend of pop and opera, I’m really not sure at all about this one, Irina comes into her own when the Opera bit kicks in, but she seemed a smidge flat to me with her vocals when she first came on to the stage. This has a similar vibe to  ‘Hope Never Dies’ from Czech Republic last year and unfortunately has the potential to hold the same fate, I think if this is the one that wins, it will not make it out of the semi’s.

Dream Walkers “Let It Shine”

Well, what can I say – without wanting to sound deeply critical, I’m not a huge fan of singers singing their song in English if they do it with a very strong accent and I’m afraid I was deeply distracted by that on this song. Of course I understand why artists at Eurovision want to perform in English but sometimes it looses something in the translation. It’s an alright song, the guys have sung their hearts out – but for me, unfortunately, not the song I would choose.

Vanotek “I’m Coming Home”

You have to love a bit of Dad dancing and I think that’s what we’ve got here, for me this is attempting to be a bit new-style Coldplay – I quite like the pitch bending that runs through the song, but although clearly inspired by Coldplay’s new album, it falls quite a way short of the mark. The song is quite dull and the staging adds nothing to it – sorry Romania, I don’t think this is the best choice for tonight.

*quick aside note guys, I am struggling with screen grabbing tonight, I’m working on it and hope to update shortly…

Ovidiu Anton “Moment of Silence”

Oh goodness, don’t shoot me for saying this but I think this would be a disaster at Eurovision – the guy with the sword, although pretty darn fit is a bit lame as a dancer and the dramatic nature of the song is so over the top and would maybe have done well at Eurovision in the ’90’s but, I think it’s super dated and would not do well in Stockholm. All that aside, I actually LOVE it!! I do , I love the drama, the music, the vocal, the staging, the Game of Throne’s vibe, the meatloaf meets Lord of the Rings – it’s very me, but not very Eurovision. Ovidiu gave it everything, so well done, but please Romania, do not send this to Eurovision.

Mihai “Paradisio”

I know this is the hot favourite for tonight, hence why it’s the last on the playlist, but I just don’t get it. The song is ok, a bit old fashioned, and a bit dull, but essentially nothing wrong with it. The staging is just awful. Mihai is on his own stage, not really a part of the staging at all, just standing and singing, and the dancers are just a bit ‘meh’, a bit something and nothing. The light up costumes look a bit 1990’s, and if I’m being honest, a bit tacky. No, sorry I don’t like this at all, it has semi final only written all over it, there has been better on stage tonight.

And now it’s time to vote Romania… 1 hour to get your favourite to Stockholm.. GO!!!

I’m off to check social media and see how #JAMDANESC have found it in the audience… keep voting Romania!

Goodness, what a lot of adverts – not much going on right now, so I suggest going to make some tea, unless you like watching adverts in Romanian, in which case this is the place for you!

Interval act up now…

Well, seems they do like a flute in Romania! We had one at the very beginning of the show and there’s more flute action in this interval act – which I have to say started out quite well, but has now dissolved into a mix between Riverdance and a Zumba class in my local village hall!

More filler acts… have you cast your vote yet?

While we’re enjoying the interval show – here is my choice..

1: Florena
2: Ovidiu
3: Dream Walkerss
4: Doru & Irina
5: Vanotek
6: Mihai

Twitter is going crazy for Cezar!! So was I until he and the old guy on the piano decided to mess with (i.e. MURDER) Rise Like a Phoenix – make it stop, please. I hope Conchita never sees this!!

And we’re back – the voting has closed

4 have gone home (well back to their seats at the front) leaving just two acts (Vanotek & Ovidiu)…but first Lidia from Moldova (just incase you thought you’d been hard done by on Interval acts!!)

And finally the result is announced and it’s Ovidiu for Romania in Stockholm…

They seem pleased!!

Thanks for joining me on the live blog tonight – there are not many songs left to be announced for this year’s ESC, stay with us here at Eurovision Ireland for the last few National selection shows and song announcements, and keep giving us your thoughts, opinions and comments, we love reading them.

Last thing to do is to award tonight’s Magic Mike Award…

MAGIC MIKE AWARD

Well, I have to give it to Ovidiu, which I was planning to do whether he won or not – such a powerful vocal, he gave it his all and Romania has chosen him for Stockholm – see you there Ovidiu!!

Author: Lisa-Jayne Lewis
Source: Eurovision Ireland