Re: MALTA - Malta 2010
Another day has set in and Malta will be going through it's official dress rehearsals today with the first one taking place this morning which shall include the clothes but not anything else as in makeup or hairstyles and another one taking place this evening which will be as if the one tomorrow evening where everything has to be finished.
Yesterdays' run-through of the performances did not move as smoothly as possible actually due to the fact that the plastic on stage almost had some really nasty effects for some of the artists as well as the technical team with a camera man and one of the performers taking a tumble in the beginning of the show. This prompted the Public Broadcasting Services crew to remove the plastic as it became a hazard.
From song 5 onwards, things were back to normal though we noticed that in the first part of the show, there were some sound issues as it the music in the venue was low, so much that we could speak to each other without even shouting. This problem was fine tuned after everyone had his chance on stage. We will see what today brings about though because it might be a really good rehearsal although expectations are high that this evenings' official dress rehearsal open to people who brought prenium tickets will be the one where the singers will really give their utmost.
With regards to this mornings' rehearsal, we will be following it directly from the monitors so that we could fill you in on some technicalities of shots instead of the typical review. All in all the production team has been working really hard and I dare say that production wise, this is the best national selection that the Public Broadcasting Services has ever hosted.
Opening Act
Chiara is currently on stage clad in a black top with both pink and white. She performs the dance version of last years' Eurovision Song Contest entry "What If We". The general atmosphere is just amazing and the children are dancing, clapping and singing/shouting to the song. If the people tomorrow will be as enthuistatic as these kids therefore we will really have an amazing show because they are really getting into it. In the meantime, Chiara goes backstage and the hosts namely Keith Demicoli and Pauline Agius are currently on stage getting some of the kids on stage before connecting with Owen Bonnici in the changing rooms.
The Finalists
Song 1 - Moments - Dorothy Bezzina - Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri
Dorothy Bezzina takes to the stage in a beautiful floorlength peach dress and on the screen one could see a lot of closeup shots whilst the piano is also given some prominence in the range of shots chosen. The vocals are quite strong this morning and much better than last night I dare say. As soon as the children see the singer on stage, they become ecstatic. She makes use of the catwalk in the middle of the song and the shots on the monitor at this point are looking amazing. A stellar performance from Dorothy and this might be the dark horse for tomorrow night.
Song 2 - Fired Up - Foxy Federation - Philip Vella / Gerard James Borg
Clad in red dresses and equipped with red police like hats, the foxes take the stage by strutting down from back to front. On the monitor we see a lot of closeups of the individual artists especially during the solo bits. On the other hand a lot of shots are seen of the four alltogether. The red backdrop along with the lighting looks impressive on the monitor and the lighting is very strong. The vocals are quite good but it's Andreana that really stands out from the rest. The choreography looks flawless on the monitor and this has been worked to look brilliant on television.
Song 3 - Stories - Lawrence Gray - Ray Agius / Godwin Sant
Lawrence comes onto the stage clad in a very daring dark suit and he sings flawlessy to perfection. He is joined on stage by a dancer who is depicted in the backdrop of the entry as well. The shots on the monitor are quite nice as they are mostly upper-body shots of the singer. In the meantime though certain longshots look quite good as the dancer is being shown twice. The overall product looks nice actually but not be exceptional.
Song 4 - Velvet Ocean - Eleanor Spiteri - Paul Abela / Joe Julian Farrugia
Eleanor Spiteri comes onto the stage clad in a very beautiful grey dress whilst she walks around the stage. Despite this looking stunning on the monitors due to the fact the shots have been worked on quite well, one cannot help but noticing something is a miss in her choreography. The vocals are spot on this morning and this might well be becoming one of the songs to look out tomorrow evening. Long shots are present in this entry in order to support the backdrop of water being used. A good performance in general.
Song 5 - Samsara - Claudia Faniello - Philip Vella / Gerard James Borg
The song on the monitor looks quite mystic as the dancers who are clad in golden trousers accompanied by that typical Turkish touch are showing on the monitor doing hand movements. Claudia just behind them clad in a fabolous Purple frock performing very strongly with regards to vocals. The choreography could be sharper but looks brilliant and seems to have come into full effect today with certain movement being given some twists it seems. Acrobats still feature predominantly. The close shots and also the long shots depict the backdrop and the colours on the stage quite nicely and everything seems to be coming together nicely.
Song 6 - My Dream - Thea Garrett - Jason Paul Cassar / Sunny Aquilina
The camera shots in this entry are just to die for actually with several close shots depicting her very particular facial features. Clad in a beautiful grey and silver dress with some glitters in the middle of the song, she looks amazing. The vocal is just amazing this morning and much better from last night. The effect of the dancer looks brilliant as a dream is created also thanks to the background used. The colours are also nice actually and this might be the one to watch out for as even the children get into it during the higher notes.
Song 7 - Waterfall - Priscilla & Kurt - Rita Pace / Marco Debono
It seems that the ensemble that they will be wearing will be left for this evenings' rehearsal as neither of them is sporting yesterdays' amazing outfits. The music is quite strong and the backdrop being used showing a lot droplets of water is being depicted quite nicely thanks to the long camera shots. In the meantime, the closer shots are good but could better in my opinion. Nonetheless the vocals are flawless but it might be the case that Priscilla outshines Kurt at certain points in the song yet another brilliant and sublime performance.
Song 8 - Once In A Lifetime - Nadine & Clifford - Jason Cassar / Mario Farrugia
The second and final duet of the evening is more equipped that the one before it because it features three violinists, a cellist and also a piano which is played by Clifford who is clad in a black suit and a silver blazer. On the other hand Nadine is sporting a brilliant turqoise floorlength gown. The overall outcome on the monitor looks brilliant to be honest and should one be voting for a duet, he would have to think about it twice, which one to vote for although both of them seem to have their number of fans.
Song 9 - Just A Little More Love - Glen Vella - Paul Giordimaina / Fleur Balzan
The use of props in this years' Malta Eurosong is quite outstanding with Glen making use of a car which is split into two taking different sides of the stage. In the meantime he is clad in very casual attire with some glitters still apparent on what seems to be a belt. The backdrop features a series of flowers with the word love making several appearances in order to depict the word love. The vocal is really strong this morning like yesterday actually, probably one of the best that Glen has ever given and this is a grower actually and could score a surprise next Saturday.
Song 10 - Good Intentions - Audrey Marie - Miriam Christine / Rita Pace
The backdrop of this entries features a lot of flowers with the most predominant colour on stage being pink. Infact she has decided on keeping this girly theme with her choice of clothes as she sports a short pink dress reminiscent of something a little girl might wear to a formal occassion. She is not joined on stage by male dancer and neither the orchestra players this morning. The outcome on the monitor is quite nice and this is a really feel good song just before the interval. Yet again another strong vocal performance by Audrey.
Song 11: Her Name was Anne - Klinsmann - Jonathan C Spiteri / Klinsmann & Aldo Spiteri
Along with Glen Vella, Klinsmann receives the highest amount of applause this morning obviously with the fanbase growing every year. I absolutely adore the outfits they are wearing with Klinsmnn sporting a red blazer and black trousers with the rest of his motley crew are dress in black tie suits. The vocals are strong but the song is past it's sell out date actually and would certainly not make an impact abroad in my opinion. The overall effect on the monitor looks nice though and with his popularity, you can never discount him.
Song 12: Ole Satchmo Blues - Claire Galea - Erin Stewart Tanti / Claire Galea
This years' coffee break is currently on stage and despite the very slow melodic sound of blues, the camera persons manage to create a very nice atmospehere. On the other hand the kids looks very bored at this moment with some of them taking the opportunity to take a sip of water. The vocals are strong but the song does not fit in the typical Eurovision Song Contest genre and such a song would certainly be discounted at the beginning of our journey to Norway should it becomes the winner.
Song 13: Save A Life - Wayne Micallef - Wayne Micallef
The vocals are strong as soon as the opening of the song takes place. He is joined on stage by his sister Michelle and his brother Richard missing this morning it seems. There are several close up shots of Wayne taking place actually but he is performing behind the microphone stand and that does not look really nice on the monitor. The vocalising by his sister is really beautiful and the overall outcome of this song has been improving with every run this week. Do not discount this song as you might just be surprised.
Song 14: All I Need - Petra Zammit - Andrew Zammit / Keith Zammit
This is the second act not to be featuring the attire that will be sported next Saturday night. She stands in the middle of the stage throughout the first bit of the song use her hand to co-ordinate some movement. The steady camera is used to the maximum in this song due to the fact that the barely moves and therefore the shots have to be given even more prominence. Midway through the song she finally budges and on the monitor this looks amazing. Despite all of this the colours spectrum used is nice but one cannot help saying that this would get lost abroad.
Song 15: One 4 U - Ryan Dale ft. Duminka - jon lucas woodenman / Ryan Dale
One of the main positive factors of this song is the fact that Ryan Dale has amazing charisma and stage presence. They feature in the same clothing as they did yesterday meaning the outfits have been finalised with Ryan in a black suit and a golden blazer and Duminka in a blue frock. The vocals are good but the bit Duminka sings was overstepped on by Ryan today and despite the fact that he noticed and let her go, this did not look that amazing yet the show must go on and the outcome on the monitor looks quite strong as the shots are just outstanding.
Song 16: Choices - Eleanor Cassar - Paul Giordimaina / Fleur Balzan
Well can we ever say that Eleanor Cassar has bad vocals, certainly not but I think she may be holding back today so that she will give an even stronger performance tomorrow night. She is clad in an amazing catsuit with two colour schemes, one of them is silvery blue and the other being golden. The overall outcome on the monitor looks superb and the performance is really strong despite not make use of any dancers this time round. Still I believe that something is missing from this years' entry and I am sure that Paul and Fleur can brew up something stronger next time round.
Song 17: Broken - SilverClash - Robert Azzopardi
Despite the negative press that this duo has been getting throughout the week, things seems to have changed because for the second day in a row, they have got their act together. The vocals are strong yet again and one cannot help but cite the vast improvement that the duo has underwent in the past couple of weeks. It should be noted that this choreography is really looking amazing on the television screen. The long shots are good as they show the backdrop as well as the colours on the structures but the closer shots are really nice.
Song 18: Words Are Not Enough - Tiziana - John David Zammit / Paul Callus
Yet another inspiring performance from Tiziana woh seems to love the atmosphere showing us a different side of herself today smiling throughout the whole performance. The choreography has to be one of the strongest during the show and the fact that it was planned by Jes Sciberras shows because it is coming across well on the monitor. The long shots are working well as they depict the full stage with the shorter ones showing extremely close features of the choreography. The outcome is quite nice and this might be one to watch out for.
Song 19: Three Little Words - Ruth Portelli - Philip Vella / Gerard James Borg
The Camera shots are really vital to this song and that is why I decided to completely see it on a monitor as one should note that the outcome is absolutely brilliant. Should the people be in the mood for a simple, mellow ballad than this should win hands down. The vocals are really strong and uncomparable to those during the preselection phase when she performed on Sfida. The shots on the screen are mostly close ups of her beautiful face but the longer ones look as beautiful. I do not believe that she can win but quite nice nonetheless.
Song 20: Hold On - Pamela - Paul Giordimaina / Fleur Balzan
I cannot help but start by complimenting her looks this morning, the hair seems to be set in place for the final night and so are the make up and the dress. The shots of her near the columns are looking very beautiful and it's like she is filming the preview video for the entry already. The vocals are just outstanding and I am sure that she will be back to her full potential by tomorrow evening. I am still going to stick by her as one of the red hot favourites for tomorrow night. The overall outcome looks beautiful.
escmalta.com
Its just soo sweet haha!
