According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "
Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 20 January 2014, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Romania was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 8 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show. Once all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Romania was set to perform last in position 15, following the entry from
Slovenia. All three shows were broadcast in Romania on
TVR1,
TVRi and
TVR HD with commentary by Bogdan Stănescu. The Romanian spokesperson, who announced the Romanian votes during the final, was Sonia Argint Ionescu.
Semi-final Paula Seling and Ovi took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 7 and 8 May. This included the jury show on 7 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The stage show featured Paula Seling wearing a short shiny dress and Ovi dressed in a black suit. The performance also featured a large circular keyboard played by Ovi, which symbolised unity as explained by the performers, and a holographic effect that superimposed Seling on the screen at one end of the stage before disappearing and then appearing at the other end of the catwalk. The stage presentation also featured a choreographed routine which included Seling and Ovi embracing each other at the end of the song. The background LED screens and stage floor transitioned from projecting blue tones to silhouettes of butterflies and whirling colour streams, with pyrotechnic flame effects appearing in front of the stage. Paula Seling and Ovi were joined by four backing vocalists on stage: Julie Lindell, Line Krogholm, Mads Storm and Marcus Only. At the end of the show, Romania was announced as having finished in the top ten and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Romania placed second in the semi-final, receiving a total of 125 points.
Final Shortly after the second semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Romania was drawn to compete in the first half. Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Romania was subsequently placed to perform in position 6, following the entry from
Norway and before the entry from
Armenia. Paula Seling and Ovi once again took part in dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. The duet performed a repeat of their semi-final performance during the final on 10 May. At the conclusion of the voting, Romania finished in twelfth place with 72 points.
Voting Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final. Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Romania had placed ninth with the public televote and seventeenth with the jury vote in the final. In the public vote, Romania scored 103 points, while with the jury vote, Romania scored 51 points. In the second semi-final, Romania placed second with the public televote with 126 points and fifth with the jury vote, scoring 99 points. Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania and awarded by Romania in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:
Points awarded to Romania Points awarded by Romania Detailed voting results The following members comprised the Romanian jury: •
Mădălin Voicu (jury chairperson)musician, violinist, conductor, composer • Mirela Fugarusinger, lyricist, vocal coach • Mihai "Bobby" Stoicamusic producer, composer • musician, singer, composer, band leader •
Nicoleta Matei (Nico)singer, represented
Romania in the 2008 Contest ==See also==