Monty: over emoting to the climax of the day

I'm not doing as well today as I did yesterday, and I've also managed to miss Albania. It's probably one of the better ones to miss though as it's just a traditionally staged rock number. We did however make it into the arena to catch Georgia, being as it's one of the favourites. It's very well sung, but for me it's still very formulaic. The terms over-wrought and over-bought spring to mind. I've no particular objection to the hiring in of song-writers, but G:sson is writing to a well trodden pattern here to achieve maximum effect. To be fair he does achieve it, and the parts that are meant to tickle your fancy know exactly where to tickle, with visual accompaniments to hammer home the point. There's upwards puffs of smoke and downwards showers of fireworks and the singers ham it up for all they're worth. Heck, it could wipe the floor with the rest but it's too much for me.

Switzerland are more together on stage than when I saw them in Amsterdam, but they'e also literally more together too, tightly squeezed onto the stage making some of the framing in the close-ups look quite odd. Emil has no idea what he's doing. I personally dislike this and can"t see it doing much at all.

And so Cesar closes the day. This is the first time I've seen this and my, what a spectacle it is! On the one hand it's the embodiment of everything that gives Eurovision a bad name, and yet on the other it's three minutes of madness you'd never find anywhere else. Cesar looks a bit, well, rough, bedecked in what looks like some old bin bags and surrounded by something red on the floor that looks biological which pulsates to lay spawn to the dancers who over-egg an already eggy pudding. This HAS to qualify. So much effort and unintentional hilarity deserves the Saturday night audience.

Moment of the day just occurred in the press centre as one enthusiastic journalist best into a high-pitched pastiche of Cesar as he sang. He got a fabulous round of applause.

That's it for today, we're off to freshen up before the Belarus party this evening. We hope they've found some alcohol to replace what was held at customs. See you tomorrow, thanks for reading.

Monty x