IRELAND’S EUROVISION participants, Jedward, are geared up for tonight’s semi-final. Before taking the stage at the Esprit Arena for two dress rehearsals yesterday, the twin brothers met the Irish press to mull over the results of Tuesday night’s semi-final.
“I liked Azerbaijan – it was like Azerbaijan High School Musical, the guy singing to the girl...” said one. They also rated the Russian entry; were disappointed the catchy Haba Haba from Norway did not get through; and “didn’t know what was going on” in the Portuguese entry, Luta E Alegria, a stagey protest number that was also relegated.
They’re confident about their chances: “We’re memorable. We’re not like all the other acts that you just forget about – we’re eye-catching.”
Their placement tonight could not be more favourable: they sing last of 19 entries and will, ideally, build on the great energy generated by the immediately preceding act, Denmark's anthemic New Tomorrow.
Jedward's song, Lipstick,got a great response from yesterday's rehearsal audience, rivalled only by that for Sweden's catchy Popular. Jedward's first rehearsal was technically strong though one of the brothers seemed to be straining to perform their precisely choreographed, athletic routine.
The contest’s organisers, the European Broadcasting Union and the local broadcaster NDR, hastily assembled a press conference yesterday morning to explain why commentary was initially inaudible in more than 10 national broadcasts – including RTÉ’s – of Tuesday night’s semi-final.
For the first several minutes, viewers could not hear Marty Whelan’s commentary and he delivered the remainder of his commentary via phone and ISPN.
The contest organisers blamed a faulty connection on the line between some commentator booths and a relay station, and said a “triple backup system“ was now in place.
While the organisers apologised for the disruption caused to viewers, they rejected the suggestion that the lack of commentary might have lessened the impact of some songs on voters. Questions remain, however, about how such a serious mistake could have happened and why better backup systems were not available.