Day 3: start of the 2nd semi rehearsals

Day three of rehearsals: the second semifinal has started. Nobody knows about the stage anymore. We try to keep you informed. For the time being, we’ll stick to the nine countries that rehearsed.

FINLAND: Expectations were obviously high with a big name like The Rasmus in da’ house. In black and yellow rain gear, the stars stood on stage between huge black balloons. Eurovision.tv praises the professionalism of the band members.

ISRAEL: It was quite exciting whether Israel would participate or not. However, the security issues died down. And so Michael Ben David stood on stage in white, surrounded by his dancers. Remarkable: eurovision.tv reports that there is good singing. That has not been done so far.

SERBIA: Konstrakta’s act is little different from what we saw during the national final. She has the healthy hair of Megan Markle, which she also sings about. She washes her hands regularly. The dancers around her carry towels. Everything to stay “In corpore sano”, in a healthy body.

AZERBAIJAN: It was to be expected: Azerbaijan has a standout act. Nadir Rustamli sings from a sort of staircase that looks like a grandstand. There is also a dancer in that stand. Halfway through the act, the stand is split in two and the dancer and singer can see each other.

GEORGIA: Circus Mircus represents Georgia. And clowns belong to a circus. A singer in a leather jacket and flying goggles, a man with an eye patch and a belly organ and a bassist who seems to have borrowed the hat from the Ukrainians. That last man has a beard of flowers. Many colors can be seen on stage. Surreal is how even the official site describes it.

MALTA: Emma Muscat performs in a dress covered with silver. She is flanked by four dancers. Later during the act, she sits behind a huge piano. She also uses the so-called B-stage, just in front of the green room. The sun springs into action and gives off its golden light during this act.

SAN MARINO: You can expect a striking act from Achille Lauro. He wears body stocking, cowboy boots and hat, a black boa and he is at a red rodeo. While you’d expect that with the title “Stripper,” the clothes don’t come off. Where there is smoke there is fire: that certainly applies to this act, which ends with a lot of pyro technics.

AUSTRALIA: Of course Sheldon Reily wears his jeweled mask. Surprising is the huge white suit he is also wearing. At the bottom of the suit is a huge tow. Eurovision.tv compares it to a wedding dress that drags on the floor. It almost seems as if Sheldon is staying in the clouds.

CYPRUS: Andromache is singing in a purple dress with what looks like a huge fan behind her. The dancers move around that fan. The fan is also used to display the graphics. Different colors are visible.

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Greek music icon Marinella has died at the age of 87. Her family announced that she passed away on Saturday, 28 March 2026, after a long period of fragile health. In September 2024, Marinella suffered a stroke while performing at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. She spent four months in hospital and later continued her rehabilitation at home. For Eurovision fans, Marinella will always hold a unique place in history. She was the very first Greek participant ever at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974, she represented Greece in Brighton with the song “Krassi, Thalassa Ke T’agori Mou.” That appearance marked Greece’s first-ever participation in the contest. Marinella finished in 11th place, but her performance opened the door to a Eurovision journey that would become an important part of Greek music history. Greece’s first Eurovision participant The name Marinella means far more than one Eurovision result. Still, her 1974 appearance remains historic. Every Greek artist who followed her on the Eurovision stage did so after Marinella had taken that first step. Because of that, her place in Eurovision history is secure. She did not just sing Greece’s debut entry. She became part of the foundation of Greece in the contest. A career that shaped Greek music Born as Kyriaki Papadopoulou in Thessaloniki, Marinella grew into one of the best-known voices in Greek music. Kathimerini described her as a singer whose name became linked with some of the biggest recording successes of the 20th century, while Euronews noted that her career stretched across more than six decades and included 66 solo albums. She also worked with major Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Xarhakos and Manos Hadjidakis. Kathimerini also recalled that Marinella never fully embraced the label of “legend.” In earlier interviews, she stressed that singing was about love and direct contact with her audience. That attitude perhaps explains why so many people in Greece felt close to her. She was not only admired for her voice, but also for the emotion and sincerity she brought to the stage. A lasting legacy Marinella dies, but her legacy will remain. For Greece, she was one of the defining voices of modern popular music. For Eurovision, she will always be remembered as the artist who started the Greek story in the contest. Her result in Brighton may not have brought Greece a trophy, yet her role was bigger than that. Marinella was first. That alone makes her unforgettable. source: Kathimerini

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