Morena on fire in first dress rehearsal

Morena's first dress rehearsal at the Beogradska Arena, in Serbia, pulsated with energy yesterday, though the press conference that followed failed to keep the same momentum.

The day started with a late breakfast for the 24-year-old Gozitan - a bowl of fresh fruit - before she was whisked to the arena to prepare for her rehearsal at noon.

The four Swedish dancers were up earlier practising their moves and joined Morena and backing vocalist Annabelle Debono at the arena.

Morena sizzled as she emerged on stage dressed in the outfit she plans to wear on the night - a black corset studded with mirrored squares, the purposely designed knee-length boots covered with mosaic-shaped mirrors and a matching bracelet.

The outfit of the four Swedish dancers was made to match - black shirts and matching trousers, with a waistcoat and mirrored holsters and silver ties, while Ms Debono wore just black.

Morena's performance was extremely energetic from the second she hit the stage, and her oomph never dipped, despite repeating her performance some four times during her half-hour slot.

From looking like a sex bomb on stage, she showed up for the press conference portraying a girl-next-door image, holding a small teddy bear and wearing a top with the Maltese flag sewn on - which former Eurovision contestant Miriam Christine Borg gave her as a lucky charm.

While her performance rocked, the press conference, held at 1.30 p.m. failed to spark a debate. When asked what strategy was adopted to avoid the dismal standings achieved these past two years, Morena was evasive, and nobody from the Maltasong delegation volunteered a reply.

"Let's live the dream, have fun and let's make this a party," was Morena's reply.

The delegation also failed to pounce on the opportunity to tell the foreign press how Morena had turned down two lucrative sponsorship deals from vodka companies, when a Russian journalist joked he's from the "Russian Vodka Delegation".

However, together with her team, Morena gave a lovely a capella version of her song Vodka, penned by Gerard James Borg and composed by Philip Vella.

At the moment, Morena is walking a tightrope, and she keeps shifting from 10th to 11th place in the poll conducted among journalists at the press centre.

To make it to Saturday's final, Morena needs to place among the top 10 during Thursday's semi-final. Competition is tough, and while she is receiving a warm welcome wherever she goes - her warm personality is infectious - bookmakers fail to be bowled over by looks and personality.

British bookmakers William Hill are placing Malta in the 13th spot with odds of 33:1, while another bookmaker, Coral, is offering odds of 5:4, putting Malta in 16th position.

Morena is making sure she enjoys this experience and she worked the crowd well at Ukraine's party on Saturday night, mingling with Dana International, who is this year composing the song for Israel's entry, and with Verka Serduchka, from Ukraine who placed second last year and showed up to support this year's entry, Ani Lorak.

Last night, Morena attended the official welcome party at the Palata Srbije, and tonight she will be the star of the show when Malta will throw a joint party with Belarus and Bulgaria.