Malta rehearsal and press conference

Morena is backed by a female vocal and four male dancers. The dancers choreography is up-tempo and tailored for the song which indeed will not be boring for the audience at the second Semi-Final on 22th of May. The four male dancers all wore black sunglasses, and Morena wore high-heeled, long boots decorated with small mirrors. The outfits for the live performance was revealed, and the theme is black with silver and black glitter.





Press conference

At the press conference after Morena's rehearsal, she told the fans and the accredited press that participating in the Eurovision Song Contest "is a dream come true". Moreover, the Maltese delegation elaborated on the meaning of the song, which is about Morena being a spy in a Russian setting where vodka is a secret code.



sources:eurovision.tv; esctoday.com

Hungary rehearsal and press conference

Hungarian singer Csézy had a stunning first rehearsal of her 2008 Eurovision Song Contest entry Candlelight. The classy ballad, beautifully performed by the pretty singer was well-received by the present media and fans.

Csézy is accompanied by a piano-player and four backing vocals. Vocally, there was no doubt that the attractive Hungarian can carry the song and the excellent backing vocals give the song some more depth.




Press conference

In the press conference, fans and media were treated with a short version of Csézy's song in Hungarian as well as an acapella version of the Hungarian song in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest. Csézy revealed that there were five different outfits for her preview video offered to her, and she chose the Japanese-styled clothes as she liked them best.

source:eurovision.tv

Georgia rehearsal and press conference

Diana Gurtskaya, the Georgian representative in the Second Semi-Final of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest performed in front of a stage scenery that looked like a flowering meadow.

On stage, she was supported by five backing dancers, who all finished the stage act standing behind Diana.



Press conference

Diana Gurtskaya started her press conference by singing her song for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, Peace Will Come, a cappella, and she did the same with the Hebrew song Jerusalem Of Gold, which she had previously recorded as well. When Diana was asked if she believed in the message of her song, she responded that, in fact, she was convinced that peace will come sooner or later. Talking about that, she also referred to her home region in Georgia, which is still in state of war today.



sources: eurovision.tv; esckaz.com

Denmark rehearsal and press conference

Simon Mathew's performance is simple, though energetic, and together with his band, they perform All Night Long very impressively.

Besides Simon, the band consists of two male guitar players, a keyboard player, a drummer and a female backing singer.



Press conference

At the press conference after the rehearsal, the Danish delegation expressed their satisfaction with the rehearsal and the whole arrangement at the venue. In regards to the actual rehearsal, Simon Mathew said it went "excellent" and he was very excited about being in Belgrade, representing Denmark.



sources: eurovision.tv; esckaz.com

Czech Republic rehearsal and press conference

Tereza Kerndlová was brilliant throughout her rehearsal. In addition to Tereza, there are four female dancers on stage. The choreography of the dancers fits the song well because it brings out the feeling of being happy, having fun and being in a discotheque - just as the title of the song implies.



Press conference



sources: eurovision.tv; esctoday.com

Switzerland rehearsal and press conference

Swiss Paolo Meneguzzi entered the stage with a piano-player and four additional backing vocals.

Vocally, Paolo gave a solid rendering of his Era Stupendo which is very popular with Eurovision Song Contest fans.




Press conference

Paolo revealed in his press conference that his second passion besides music is soccer. He has frequently participated in charity soccer games with other singers, like Eros Ramazzotti, trying to raise money for children in need. When asked how he would feel entering the Eurovision Song Contest, he answered that he is used to taking part in music competitions as he has participated a lot of times in the Italian San Remo festival.



sources: eurovision.tv; esctoday.com

Latvia rehearsal and press conference

The Latvian group Pirates Of The Sea consists of three lead singers Aleksandra Kurusova, Jānis Vaišļa and Roberto Meloni.

During the rehearsal it seemed that not all of the props were in place, and the final visual aspects of the performance will not be clear until the dress rehearsals.

The Pirates are joined by three other backing singers.Amongst the items used on stage are antique weapons and swords, with skull and cross bones flags being waved. Rumour has it that the Pirates could be using an authentic ship steering wheel and this has been held up in customs but will be available for the next rehearsals.





Press conference

The pirates arrived in full costumes to the press conference with Pirates of The Sea playing in the background. With regards to the staging, the obvious question of what happened with the other props was raised, to which Roberto answered "Well, they considered us pirates very dangerous at the airport so we couldn't bring the items straight away!".




sources:eurovision.tv; esckaz.com; estoday.com