Just as last of first 18 rehearsals flew behind, pigeon holes 'treasure hunt' was done and a trip back home succeed, it's time to make some predictions and quick recap of everything we've seen in last two days.
To kick off with some good news I have to admit that my worst expectations weren't fulfilled at all. First semifinal of 2009 turned out to be a line up of (mostly) great songs with just few exceptions (we'll talk about it later). By the way, there was one big difference between Day 1 and Day 2 rehearsals -the camera work. During Sunday runs the way it cought angles and views went totally wrong, dramatically climaxing when ruining Swiss stage performance. However, today we saw how greatly this issue has been solved. In mostly all cases the image on screens was way better then in-hall impression (taking Portugal as the most evident example of it)... Anyway, it's all fun and games until someone... Uh, well, let's advance to my very personal predictions.

ICELAND and MALTA are certain qualifiers just as they are. Stage graphics, dance routine (or absence of that), contrast with adjacent entries and all other banal stuff that makes up such a thingie called "ESC chances" just scream out these two names. Yohanna and Chiara, we will meet you in finals.
SWITZERLAND, FINLAND, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN and BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA will most likely avoid any troubles to join two entries mentioned above, but that's where some level of probability marches into.
On other hand, I can't see that anything can actually help CZECH REPUBLIC and REP. of MACEDONIA to make it through, sorry. With chances slightly above zero I've listed BELARUS and BULGARIA, but that can change dramatically if these too entries face some serious and well needed improvement.
If I'm asked to list 10 entries that in my opinion are going to qualify, these would be the ones I'd mentioned: Montenegro, Sweden, Armenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I'm more then confident that a jury pick is going to be an entry from televoters' Top-9, that's for sure.

And last but not least, here comes my desperate plea of attention... Guys, we awfully need your feedback. :P We know that many people read an English part of our little bloggie, so please, don't hesitate to cast come little comments, share your views and such. Please, don't make us feel lonely in the press site of that huge arena :P

On the backdrps there are different kinds of strange things flying, almost like in their video clip.
The band is in the middle of the stage, the vocalist straddles strangely, ostensibly trying to do the splits like Patrick yesterday.
Vocally perfect and in the whole very impressive, a sure finalist, Andy says it's top-5.

I'm predicting loads of "The Little Mermaid" jokes rushing into some ESC blogs. That's because Chiara's screen animation is ocean underworld themed, In contrast to colourful experience brought to us by few previous acts, Maltese performance is completely static which makes it undoubtefully grand. Chiara is free of unnecessairy dancing/backing support, that's why she just stands out from every other first semifinal entries. It's a powerful hymn and that's the way it should be performed. We are still to check the camera picture, but I'm looking forward to it to be just breathtaking.
Perhaps, not with the best score of the night, Malta goes directly to the final and I can't see anything that can actually stop it.

In the beginning Daniela made it into our hearts by saying "Privet" (Hello) with an absolutely fascinating accent:))
The backdrops perform kind of kindergarten wallpapers with eveything colourful and flying.
The band is in the middle of the stage, stepping left and right during the refrains. Her voice is absolutely peaceful (is she a hippie?). Vocally it's ok, no ideas about its chances, could strike because of cuteness of everything on the stage.

And now it's Finland's turn to occupy the stage today. The first thing that completely catches everyone's attention is massive background graphics that take us into some urban part of a city. With some certain attributes of industrial zones like trucks, oil tanks and nice s-bahn train going round and round over the ring screens that merged into one circular structure as Finnish performance advances into first refrain.
Finnish team is the first to use some sort of pyroshow with half-naked male dancers with fire staves and three female band members wearing short skirts/high heels. Therefore, amount of sex appeal shown during Finnish act is tremendous and they are obviously trying to be voting-friendly for every bit of TV audience,
However, vocals were not perfect during the first runs, if not to say more. But still there are few things that keep me from going wow about "Lose Control" show, the action that goes on stage is banal to hell. It is just commonplace...

"The Balkan girls, they like to party like nobody like nobody" was my line of the morning just as, ironically, "Just get out of my out of my out of my head" was yesterday. Being stuck within my mind this song made me desperate to watch Romanian performance today. And we see what we alll expected - a typical "Eurovisionish" performance with a dance routine suspiciously similar to that of Romanian national final. Well, it's performed well and vocals are of good quality, but it definately lacks some special flavour.... Don't know what it can be exactly, but Romania's act is someting we've seen so many times in the past. Also to note, I'm somehow confused with Romania's choice of backdrop... that looks like kind of radioactive fallout landscape.

Quite standard, greekish and boring. Dances remind me of Helena Paparizou's performance greatly. On the backdrops some mysterious forest, sakura and petals, nothing interesting at all. Vocally ok, i wouldn't let this to the final.

Petya was great, she spoke in Russian on her press-conference, speaking about her musical career that started in Russia, about 10 solo concerts held in Olympic hall, about her great love to the city of Moscow. Promised that everyone will be able to listen to her greatest hits during Bulgarian party on 8th.

Krassimir told the story about 3 hours in a bed with most beautiful woman in Bulgaria during the filming of the video, who also suggested to show him more of her beautiful parts of body, but he firmly rejected the suggestion.

Photos under more:

An epileptic catastrophe on the backdrops. Green-blue-red-green-blue, two more macedonias and I'll lose my eyesight.
A typical rocky performance, the singer is jumping, clapping, rolling on the stage, performs everything possible.
Vocally it is good, the song would perfectly suit Belarus, but strange as it might seem, it represents Macedonia.

In the second refrain, when a dolphin appears on the backdrops, i just can't help crying)))