Yes, how hard can it be to select a bunch of great songs sung by good singers and let them compete against each other in a national final well set up? Apparently it is very difficult this year.
From the national selections I have seen so far I am not impressed. Songs which would make any country a running joke if it was to be presented internationally, singers who can’t sing and a staging not worthy of a national selection, that I have seen plenty of in 2010! I don’t know what is happening, but unfortunately it is spreading.
I was impressed with the Danish final this year; 10 songs with a rather decent average, a fantastic show, an 8.000 enthusiastic audience and a stage that can fully live up to a Eurovision Song Contest stage. If the Danes can do it why can’t everyone else?
I have now seen too many national finals held in small TV studios with an audience who doesn’t seem to care at all about which program they have been dragged in to. I don’t get the point of it. If the audience more or less appear like they don’t even know where they are how can you expect the TV viewers to be enthusiastic? If you present a selection of songs that makes people fall asleep or change channel due to singers whose number of correct notes can be counted on one hand how can you expect the TV viewers to spend time and money on voting? And how can you present a show which comes across as “something we had to do so let’s quickly put something together” and then expect the press to care about it? No, some countries really have a lot to learn.
I don’t know if it is the finance crisis or not, but it appears to be worse than other years. There have always been countries presenting a national final of a level far from what I would consider acceptable, but now I am even seeing countries who do know how to pull it off delivers below level.
The low level in the national finals clearly shows on the quality of songs selected so far. Yes, I do know that we are far from knowing all the songs for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, but so far it isn’t looking good. I will still be looking forward to the Contest, but I would like to see the level rising with the national selections that are still to come.
