{"id":10,"date":"2008-05-19T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2008-05-19T08:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2008\/05\/19\/10\/"},"modified":"2009-04-28T11:06:56","modified_gmt":"2009-04-28T10:06:56","slug":"10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2008\/05\/19\/10\/","title":{"rendered":"All hail the diva"},"content":{"rendered":"

My second day in Belgrade saw an early start for Karen and myself as we were eager to attend the press conference of the Israeli entry, cute twenty year old singer Boaz \u2013 winner of Israel\u2019s version of Pop Idol. \u00a0Boaz was ushered into a swanky hotel in a more upmarket region of Belgrade than that which we are frequenting!\u00a0 To those of you who are not aficionados of the Contest, the main interest for Karen and myself (and probably many at the conference) was the writer of Boaz\u2019s song\u2026 none other than Dana International, who won the Grand Prix back in 1998 \u2013 the last occasion on which the UK hosted the ESC in Birmingham. <\/font><\/p>\n

\"dana-3-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Boaz and Dana International<\/p>\n

Dana, as some of you will know, caused something of a storm in 1998 – as she used to be a he<\/em>. She <\/em>was a deserved winner, and in many ways that victory has changed the dynamic of the contest that we are all experiencing today. \u00a0Camp? Kitsch? \u201cFabulous\u201d. Yes, all three \u2013 and we were lucky to viva la diva<\/em> today (Sunday) \u2013 shameless lyric plug there!<\/font><\/p>\n

Though we were supposedly there to hear about Boaz and his song, in many ways it was Dana\u2019s press conference \u2013 she was at her bitchy best.\u00a0 She held court over the proceedings and poor Boaz (himself not a fluent speaker of English) was very much sidelined – but it didn\u2019t seem to matter. His song is a good song, but I\u2019ll act like a politician and sit on the fence \u2013 I\u2019m not sure it will quality for the final. That said, I certainly schmoozed with the Israeli delegation today… \u00a0I\u2019m working the room on behalf of you EHU!<\/font><\/p>\n

\"dana-and-phil-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Phil wth Eurovision winner Dana International<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/font>Next it was off to register and collect our accreditation badges \u2013 you\u2019re nobody around here if you haven\u2019t got some form of accreditation. As a fan I don\u2019t exactly get access all areas, but I\u2019m grateful to the BBC for giving me this opportunity, so I mustn\u2019t grumble.\u00a0 The press centre is located in Serbia’s largest conference centre, and is a comfortable venue.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"press-entre-small.JPG\"<\/font><\/p>\n

Karen outside the press centre<\/font><\/p>\n

Having collected our accreditation badges and had a light lunch at the press centre, in the late afternoon it was time to check out how the UK\u2019s entry Andy Abraham was shaping-up at his final rehearsal before the actual competition gets underway. And you know what, he worked the stage with a great backing band \u2013 all vocally very strong. He has a natural confidence and we moves well around the stage in what is a well choreographed routine.\u00a0 The song is funky and the bright colours of the stage design complement this seasoned performer. On the strength of this rehearsal I think that Andy will do the UK proud and it would be a well deserved top ten placing for him, if the votes go our way. Although we know the score, right!<\/font><\/p>\n

\"andy-perf-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Andy on stage during the rehearsals<\/p>\n

I must say that the Arena and the stage all look much smaller than they do on television \u2013 but such is the magic of television!\u00a0 I remember being in the audience of Mastermind once \u2013 it\u2019s like sitting in your lounge! You’ll find it a visually stunning setting – and I can’t wait for the first dress rehearsals on Tuesday afernoon where I can see the first run through of the first semi-final.<\/font><\/p>\n

Perhaps the strangest event of the day was a freak hail storm that we completely missed – immersed as we were with Andy\u2019s rehearsals.\u00a0 It was carnage \u2013 the hail had literally stripped the leaves and foliage from trees and plants \u2013 it was a bizarre sight as it had been a very warm day. I can\u2019t believe that a picture of monster hail stones has made it to my Eurovision blog…<\/font><\/p>\n

\"hail-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Final stop of the day was to attend the welcome party \u2013 by invitation only \u2013 where the host broadcaster recived their acredited guests and performing artists. It was a stunning venue and it was good to meet with some of the acts and experience the energy\u00a0 and the buzz of this official launch party. This was made even more enjoyable for the lavish trays of free alcohol and food.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"karen-phil-at-party-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

\"party-venue-small.JPG\"\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n

\u00a0It was a marvellous night \u2013 although I\u2019ve abandoned any sense of British reserve and thrown myself at my new best friends\u2026Andy and Boaz!<\/font><\/p>\n

\"phil-andysmall.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Phil with ‘our Andy’!<\/p>\n

\"philboaz-small.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Phil with Boaz – the Israeli singer<\/p>\n

So that was a wonderful second day in sunny Belgrade.<\/font><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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