So now our attention turns to the first dress rehearsal of the Grand Final, to be held here in Oslo tomorrow evening. The show opens – as one might expect – with a reprise from Alexander Rybak of his winning song from 2009, ‘Fairytale‘. There seem to be lots of dancers and performers on-stage with Alexander, and of course, a good dose of pyrotechnics to get everything going!

Things are not quite as ‘smooth’ as we have come to expect from the production team, with a few difficulties in lighting the presenters appropriately, and a few technical glitches evident; this is the first run-through, of course.

1. Safura – Drip Drop

Quite possibly the widest-publicised entry ever in the Eurovision Song Contest, Safura will no doubt be very pleased with her draw in the Final this year. She seems to be making more of an attempt to be ‘provocative’ or sultry this afternoon. Vocals are fine, but she again doesn’t quite manage to hit the ‘big note’ that she performs at the end of the catwalk. It is still quite a slick and professional production, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect all the money that has been spent on it!

2. Daniel Diges – Algo Pequeñito

The bright, colourful costumes of Daniel’s circus troupe work well when contrasted against the blue tones of the stage lighting. Once again, the performance is very strong from Daniel with consistently good vocals, and the camera loves both him and his performers. It is a jolly number and will be popular with voters, even though its position in the draw is the least popular!

3. Didrik Solli-Tangen – My Heart is Yours

Didrik is really struggling with his vocals this afternoon! Though the performance is visually strong and the man himself as charming on-camera as ever, he ‘wobbles’ on some of even the lesser-challenging notes, but does still achieve the big finish, though definitely without the confidence or power that we have grown accustomed to. Things will have to improve for this evening’s rehearsal, as the juries will be voting on what they see tonight.

4. Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira: Run Away

Now for something very different! Moldova’s entry exhudes youthfulness and energy, and the performance this afternoon is as ‘bouncy’ as ever! It is certainly bright and colourful, and will get people up and dancing.

5. Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders – Life Looks Better In Spring

One of the ‘pleasant surprise’ qualifiers from last night up now – Jon is delivering a great performance as he has done in past rehearsals and in the semi last night. He interacts with the camera very well and might have the advantage of being the first “boy with guitar” to appear in the final this year.

Vukašin Brajić – Thunder And Lightning

Vukašin provides us with another very polished, professional performance this afternoon. There is a rocky energy to this song that will appeal, and its position in the Final – sandwiched between two more ‘acoustic’ sounding acts – will help it stand out. There seems to be more of a thudding beat to the backing track today.

7. Tom Dice – Me and My Guitar

Tom has apparently been dealing with a sore throat, but it doesn’t seem to show here – he gives a great vocal performance and looks comfortable with the camera.  If he can keep up this caliber of performance, he’s bound to do very well.

8. Milan Stanković – Ovo Je Balkan

Milan is delivering what could be called the most energetic performance so far.  His vocals are good and he’s hitting all of the moves in this routine very well.  This isn’t being considered a winner, but should do quite well tomorrow night.

9. 3 + 2 – Butterflies

The one thing I can really notice about this is that the words to the song really aren’t being pronounced properly, it just sounds like a jumble of sounds!  Other than that, they sound good but this probably won’t go anywhere.

10. Niamh Kavanagh - It’s For You

Niamh is sounding quite rough today, it’s obvious she’s having a bit of trouble with her voice, let’s hope she can improve for tomorrow night, everything else is excellent in this!

11. Giorgos Alkaios & Friends – OPA

The changes in this performance don’t really make more of an impression on the song or performance, it’s still a strong performance with a neutral vocal with it.

12. Josh Dubovie – That Sounds Good To Me

Well Josh is certainly trying his best and is vocally quite strong. There is a surprisingly large number of journalists in the press centre dancing in their seats during the performance, and even singing along! It is a ‘feelgood’ track and is pleasant but doesn’t have the ‘energy’ needed to make an impact, as Josh just doesn’t seem to be able to warm to the camera and it all looks a little too uncomfortably choreographed.

Sofia Nizharadze – Shine

It sounds as though there have been some small tweaks to the harmonies provided by the backing vocalists today. Sofia’s vocals are again very strong and she is so comfortable with the performance and her presence on-stage. I’m not sure the pyrotechnic effects at the very end of the song work especially well – though they are appropriate, and do ‘shine’, they seem to ‘bleach out’ the performers and the camera takes a few moments to re-adjust to the final tableau.

14. maNga – We Could Be The Same

Ferman has a bit of a cheeky grin on his face today – he’s obviously very pleased to be here! An effortless, easy performance from maNga, who are total professionals at what they do. Vocals are strong and the stage effects seem to come across better on camera this afternoon.

15. Juliana Pasha – It’s All About You

Juliana is ethusiastic and and super-confident today, enjoying herself on-stage and when interacting with her guitar-player. This song gets a particularly good reaction here in the Press Centre and has become something of a favourite with the journalists, (though not necessarily as a potential winner).

16. Hera Björk – Je Ne Sais Quoi

Hera’s uptempo number follows on from Juliana, but is much ‘simpler’ in its staging. Hera definitely has a great stage presence, even though there isn’t too much movement in the performance. Vocals are again very good and Hera’s previous experience in TV is clear as she is very comfortable with the camera.

17. Alyosha – Sweet People

Even though there is a considerable proportion of the Ukraine delegation here in the press centre, Alyosha’s performance doesn’t get as warm a reaction as the free footballs they have bee giving out over the past few days! She is clearly a competent vocalist and is comfortable on-stage, and things don’t sound as ‘strained’ as they have done in the past.

18. Jessy Matador – Alllez, ola, olé

This is definitely not a typical Eurovision entry, as it feels like something you’d be hearing out at a dancehall, and Jessy’s vocals aren’t terribly strong, with a bit of a testy dance number.  This is a strong song, however, and might get some votes.  Maybe.

19. Paula Seling & Ovi – Playing With Fire

Another incredibly strong performance from the duo – Paula’s vocals are spot on and they pull this off without a glitch.  This is bound to really impress Europe, and many here believe this is in with a chance to win.

20. Peter Nalitch & Friends: Lost And Forgotten

Well, what is there to say about this performance?  It’s what we’ve seen before, vocals are fine, and they get through it as expected.  As the only real ‘joke’ entry in the final this year, could this garner votes from those who enjoy those entries?

21. Eva Rivas – Apricot Stone

Eva seems a bit pale and ‘bleached out’ today – and the pale apricot shade of her outfit doesn’t seem to help things! The vocals for the Armenian entry are strong and the pyrotechnics used effectively during the performance, but there’s not much energy from Eva today- perhaps she’s feeling a bit drained after the excitement of yesterday?

22. Lena - Satellite

It’s obvious that Lena has settled-in on-stage now; she is bouncing along quite happily and ‘ad-libbing’ the odd word or two to the lyrics. Her unique singing style stands out and its quirky appeal is quite infectious. The crowd gathered in the arena are enjoying the show and the song gets an appreciative reaction from here in the Press Centre.

23. Filipa Azevedo – Há Dias Assim

Another highly emotive, impassioned performance from Filipa today, whose vocals are outstanding. Popularity for this song has been slow-burning but is gathering momentum. The pinky-purple stage lighting for this song stands out from the largely blue and dark hues of a lot of the other contestants’ sets.

24. Harel Skaat – Milim

Harel is back on form today, with the usual powerful vocals coming through. He seems to be very passionate and emotive when interacting with the camera; there is far more of a ‘performance’ going on, rather than just singing. A very big reception from the gathered press here in the centre.

25. Chanée & N’evergreen – In A Moment Like This

There is still something lacklustre about the relationship between the duo, but the vocals seem to have been tightened up more and there is at least a little more charisma coming from them!