Tonight the Irish representative for Düsseldorf was chosen. After Niamh Kavanagh coming only 23rd in Oslo, a new selection concept was developed. The combination of public and jury vote finally decided to send the duo Jedward to Düsseldorf.
The show started on 22:35 CET and was broadcasted during the Late Late Show. At first tonight’s host Ryan Tubridy welcomed Niamh Kavanagh who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 and took part again last year. She performed once more her winning entry In your eyes. After finishing she was asked about her feelings during the 1993 contest and her victory. She explains that it was really exciting and overwhelming, but she also liked it in Oslo last year, even though she did not score high.
The Late Late show continued with four guests in total to discuss about Eurovision and tonight’s entries. There are two Eurovision fans and Cheryl Baker from Bucks Fizz and Brian Kennedy. Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK in 1981 with Making your mind up. Cheryl says it was the best time of her life in Dublin. She is asked about the changes in Eurovision. She loves the technical progress which makes the shows better, but she criticizes the voting system. In her opinion there should be two contests to avoid block voting – one for the old Eurovision countries and another for the new participants.
Brian Kennedy represented Ireland in 2006 coming 10th with Every song is a cry for love. Being interviewed about his Eurovision experience he says it was exciting because he was no longer Brian Kennedy, but Ireland.
After this conversation a video was shown looking back on the recent winners from 2006-201.
Now Ryan Tubridy explained the voting procedure. It would be a combination of six regional juries and televoting where the jury vote counts two third and the televote one third.
The songs:
1. Don Mescall – Talking with Jennifer
The song is a midtempo pop song and very mainstream with a catchy chorus. It is the kind of song you often hear on the radio. Don gives a respectable vocal performance and is accompanied by a band on stage. He is dressed completely black with a leather jacket. It is definitely a very good opener.
2. Jedward – Lipstick
This song is completely different. It is a very modern and catchy uptempo song and reminds a bit of Britney Spears’ Womanizer. Jedward wear red jackets and have a fancy hairstyle. Their voices are not the strongest, but they suit to the song though. They have a good choreography and are accompanied by four backing singers/dancers. They receive a huge applause from the audience. Definitely one song to watch out!
3. Bling – Shine
Again we hear a midtempo song. The verses are a little bit 70s style while the chorus sounds a bit like a hymn. The group which was named Mystery Act till the last minute consits actually of two female and two male singers who are mainly dressed in purple and grey. In the beginning the vocal performance sounds quite weak, but they improved it to the end. The dance choreography is nice, but nothing special.
4. The Vard Sisters – Send me an angel
Send me an angel is a classic ballad. The vocals start a bit opera-like. The song builds up to the end without having a real highlight. The Vard Sisters give indeed a very good vocal performance and their voices harmonise very well, sounding like angels’ voices. They are all dressed in very elegant white dresses. Two female backing singers and one piano player join them on stage.
5. Nikki Kavanagh – Falling
Nikki already receives applause, when she enters the stage. Falling is a modern pop ballad which could also be successful in the charts. She wears a grey dress and is accompanied by two male dancers and three backing vocalists on stage. In the beginning Nikki stands on a podest which she leaves in the meantime. The whole performance reminds of Safura’s Drip drop. Nikki’s voice sounds great and she receives a huge applause after finishing the song. This could be a favourite to win!
Right after Nikki’s performance we see a reprise of all five entries followed by a longer commercial break. In the meantime the lines to vote were opened.
The next guests in the show are Mary Kennedy and Cynthia Ní Mhurchu who both hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, Mary Kennedy in 1994 and Cynthia Ní Mhurchu. They talk about their hosting experiences and point out that they both had problems with the French pronunciation. After another commercial break we see Bucks Fizz performing Making your mind up. The line up and the choreography is the same as in 1981, even the voices sound the same. Only one male singer is missing.
The voting:
The regional jury from Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick and Sligo voted as following:
Song 1 44 points
Song 2 62 points
Song 3 32 points
Song 4 36 points
Song 5 66 points
The televoters decided this way:
Song 1 24 points
Song 2 36 points
Song 3 12 points
Song 4 18 points
Song 5 30 points
So the final result is:
Song 1 68 points
Song 2 98 points
Song 3 44 points
Song 4 54 points
Song 5 96 points
The duo Jedward will finally represent Ireland with the song Lipstick in Düsseldorf. They will participate in the second semi final on May 12th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79-oo22crWo
