Éirevision

Party Time with the Russian Babushki

2012-03-08T14:04:00.001Z

Just when we thought Englebert Humperdinck would the only senior citizen at Eurovision 2012, Russia comes along and surprises everyone by choosing the group Buranovskiye Babushki to represent their country in Baku. The group of eight grannies beat the 2008 winner Dima Bilan who sang a duet with former tATu girl Yulia Volkova in the national selection last night in Moscow. But even the ever-popular Dima and Yulia couldn't stop the march of the Babushki.

The singing group are from the town of Buranovo, 600 miles east of Moscow, and have pledged that if they make money from the contest it will go towards building a church in their town. Of course this isn't the first time the Babushki have tried their hand at eurovision. We first saw them a couple of years ago when they brought their unique style to the 2010 Russian final. We wanted them to win then but they only managed 3rd place. But they didn't give up and we are delighted that the 8 Buranovskiye Babushki will finally grace the Eurovision stage.

The ladies song is called Party for Everybody...you can see it here.

Please Release Me Let Me Go...to Eurovision!

2012-03-04T16:22:00.004Z

Well our nearest neighbour have surprised everyone with a completely different choice for this year's Eurovision. The UK chose boyband Blue last year so a lot of people thought would it be another band (McFly perhaps?) or even a reality TV star like Joe McElderry who would go forward to Baku...but no...the BBC have chosen none other than 60's crooner - Englebert Humperdinck - to represent them in this year's contest.

Englebert - who's real name is Arnold Dorsey - will be 76 years old when he represents his country in Azerbaijan. The grammy-award winning crooner is certainly no stranger to the international stage having been in showbusiness for more than 45 years. His song will be recorded in Los Angeles (where he lives) , Nashville and London. Englebert's most famous songs are "Please Release Me"..."The Last Waltz" , "There Goes My Everything" to name but a few.

It will be interesting to see how Englebert's style contrasts to that of say...Jedward! It all makes for a very diverse and fascinating showdown in Azerbaijan.

Here is Englebert at a recent concert in Israel.

Jedward Do The Double!!

2012-02-25T11:13:00.000Z

The boys are back! Jedward will once again represent Ireland at Eurovision. The Lucan twins secured their place in Baku at last night's Late Late Eurosong Show. Panelists on the show included the wonderful Niamh Kavanagh who won in 1993 and represented Ireland again in 2010, and Marty Whelan the RTE Eurovision commentator who correctly predicted the Azerbaijan win last year! They both thought Jedward would win, and they were right.

The results last night were:1. Mistaken ( Edele Lynch) sung by Celtic Whisper with Maria McCool. (50 Points)2. Mercy (Marten Ericsson, Peter Mansson, Lina Ericsson and Bill Hughes) sung by Donna McCaul. (84 Points)3. Here I Am (Greg French) sung by Andrew Mann. (94 Points)4. Language Of Love (Éanán Patterson and Julian Benson) sung by Una Gibney and David Shannon. (58 Points)5. Waterline (Nick Jarl) sung by Jedward. (114 Points)The Grimes boys were the favourites from Day 1 to win the Eurosong. However they faced stiff competition on the night from the excellent Donna McCaul (Ire 2005) and Andrew Mann who put in great performances. Jedward were mentored by Linda Martin who won Eurovision in 1992 for Ireland. Can she work her magic again and bring victory to the boys this year? After all, they were THE success story of the 2011 Eurovision? It should be an exciting Eurovision for Ireland again this year!You can watch the boys performance here.

Jedward favourites to win Eurosong

2012-02-21T14:23:00.001Z

If the bookmakers are to be believed, Jedward will romp home to victory on Friday and will represent Ireland for the second year running at Eurovision.On Paddypower.com Jedward are the hot favourites at 1/4 followed by Donna McCaul at 3/1. Andrew Mann is next at 7/1 with the two remaining acts - David Shannon and Una Gibney and Maria McCool both at 25/1.

The Eurosong takes place on Friday at 9:30 on RTE1 TV after the news. If you can't wait until then, you can hear the songs as they were played on the Mooney Show recently on RTE Radio 1 by clicking here.Good luck to all participants!

Latvia's homage to Mr. Eurovision

2012-02-20T21:43:00.000Z

The first line in Latvia's entry for Baku - Beautiful Song by Anmary - mentions the king of Eurovision himself Mr. Johnny Logan! "I was born in a distant 1980, the year the Irish Johnny Logan won" sets the tone for a jolly little ditty from Anmary.

No doubt this song will pick up a few votes from Ireland in May. We're sure Johnny would be proud to be immortalised in a Eurovision song! The Latvian song is this year's guilty pleasure.

Norway does a Sweden!

2012-02-13T21:23:00.000Z

With an uncanny musical resemblance to last year's Swedish entry - Popular by Eric Saade - Norway have decided to try their hand at an uptempo number with a solo male singer. It worked for Sweden last year by securing them a top 3 placing for the first time in years. Will it do the same this year for Norway?....Quite possibly.

Tooji sings Stay for Norway. We like this song at Eirevision and would love to see Norway be in contention for the top spot in Baku after last year's disappointment when the excellent Stella Mwangi's song Haba Haba failed to qualify for the final. Hopefully Tooji won't suffer the same fate.

Eurosong 2012 - Artists and Songs Revealed!

2012-02-05T19:52:00.002Z

We now know the names of the 5 songs that will compete to represent Ireland at this year's Eurovision in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 7 artists are also known, and some familiar faces are in the mix.
Jedward are back going for the double and Donna McCaul, who sang for Ireland in Kiev in 2005 with her brother Joe, flies solo this time in her bid to also represent Ireland again.

The titles of the five songs in contention are:

Maria McCool - MISTAKEN
Donna McCaul - MERCY
David Shannon & Una Gibney - LANGUAGE OF LOVE
Andrew Mann - HERE I AM
Jedward - WATERLINE

The songs will be premiered on The Derek Mooney show on RTÉ Radio 1 on the 9th February...so tune in to get your first listen to the song that will carry Ireland's hopes to Baku!

The regional juries and the Irish televoters will then choose the winning song on the 24th February on the Late Late Show on RTE 1 TV.

The winner of the Irish selection will be chosen through public televoting and regional juries.

First Finalist revealed...and it's France!

2012-01-30T19:30:00.000Z

One of the automatic finalists for Eurovision 2012 has announced their song for Baku.
Anggun Cipta Sasmi, an Indonesian and French-naturalized singer-songwriter will represent France with the song "Echo (You and I). Born in Jakarta, Anggun began performing at the age of seven and will carry the hopes of her adopted home when she takes to the stage in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 26th.

This lively and very likeable song will aim to bring France it's first victory at Eurovision for 35 years! Bon chance Anggun!

Baku wants to Light Your Fire!

2012-01-25T20:00:00.001Z

Baku officially became the host city for Eurovision 2012 with the release of the logo and the draws for the semi-finals.

Ireland has been drawn in the second-half of the first semi-final on Tuesday 22nd May. The actual performing position will be announced later this year. Unfortunately the UK will be voting in the 2nd semi-final which may deprive Ireland (especially Jedward) of some vital qualifying votes. However, Jedward sailed into the final in 2011 without the help of the UK, so maybe they can repeat this, IF they are chosen as Ireland's representative in Eurosong 2012 (Friday 24th Feb on the Late Late Show)

The full semi-final draws are as follows:

First Semi-Final, Tuesday 22nd of May (18 countries):

First half

Montenegro , Iceland , Romania , Albania , Belgium , Latvia ,Switzerland ,
Finland , Greece

Second half

Moldova , Cyprus, Austria, Denmark , Russia, San Marino, Israel , Ireland,
Hungary

Second Semi-Final, Thursday 24th of May (19 countries):

First half

Serbia , The Netherlands, Portugal, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Malta, Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria

Second half

Sweden, Georgia, Slovenia, Estonia, Turkey, Slovakia, Croatia, Norway,
Lithuania, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Six countries have already qualified for the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, being United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Host Country Azerbaijan. As a total of 26 countries will take part in the Final on the 26th of May, then 10 from each Semi-Final will qualify for it. They are obliged to broadcast and vote in (as drawn):

Italy (first Semi-Final)
Azerbaijan (first Semi-Final)
Spain (first Semi-Final)
United Kingdom (second Semi-Final)
France (second Semi-Final)
Germany (second Semi-Final)

Denmark knew better!

2012-01-22T20:42:00.001Z

Should've Known Better is the title of the Danish song for Baku. The surprise winner of the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix provided the best performance in the final when Soluna Samay romped home to victory last night in Aalborg.

The Danish people knew better than most Eurovision fans and bookies who were predicting a win by Song 8 - the Danish/Swedish combo Venter sung by Chris Brons and Patrik Isaksson. It just goes to show that the performance on the night makes a huge difference.

Eirevision had a soft spot for song 1 - Take Our Hearts sung by Danish X-Factor contestant Jesper Nohrstedt, who in the end finished 2nd to Soluna.

Listening to the winning song, you may notice a striking similarity to Crazy by Seal!

You can watch Soluna's winning performance here

Swiss Roll...and Rock

2011-12-11T20:33:00.000Z

The Rock group Sinplus have won the Swiss national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. 14 acts battled it out for the coveted title including the first ever winner - Lys Assia.

Of the 14 acts in the final, 6 were selected by the German broadcaster SF, three acts were chosen by the radio broadcaster DRS3 , 2 acts qualified through a regional final and 3 acts were selected by the French-language broadcaster RTS using a jury and online voting.

Sinplus was probably one of the better songs in a rather low-quality final. They won the televoting and they will represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song Unbreakable. It remains to be seen if it is good enough to get Switzerland through to the final two year's running.

You can see the song here.

More Lipstick for Ireland in 2012?

2011-10-08T09:53:00.000+01:00

According to the Irish Daily Mail today, Jedward will represent Ireland AGAIN at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. The duo - undoubtedly the biggest success from ESC 2011 - are apparently keen to try their hand at snatching the Eurovision crown once more.

Jedward would be following in German Eurovision winner Lena's footsteps by competing two years in a row. Given that Lipstick and Jedward were Europe-wide successes after the 2011 contest, perhaps they will capitalise on this and do even better for Ireland in Baku.

We await official confirmation before digging out the Jedheads for Baku!

Will it be President Dana for Ireland?

2011-09-27T15:40:00.000+01:00

The Irish presidential race has a Eurovision connection this year. Dana (Rosemary Scallon) who won the 1970 contest for Ireland has been nominated as a candidate in the upcoming election.

This is not the first time that Dana has tried to become Irish president. She unsuccessfully contested the 1997 election. However Dana is no political novice as she served as a member of the European parliament for the Connaught-Ulster constituency from 1999-2004.

Will Dana get douze points from the Irish electorate? Well, All Kinds of Everything can happen! The election is due to take place on 27th October 2011. Bonne chance Dana!

You can read more about Dana's nomination here

First off the blocks for 2012...CYPRUS!

2011-08-05T13:07:00.001+01:00

The first participant for Eurovision 2012 is now known . It is Ivi Adamou who will represent Cyprus in Baku.

Ivi is well known in the meditteranean island having competed in their version of X-Factor. No details yet from the Cyprus Broadcasting Company on how the song will be chosen but it is likely to be in a national final.

As for Ireland, no news as yet on the likely Irish representative but we will keep you posted!

Swing time for Ireland?

2011-07-28T17:53:00.000+01:00

One of the names in the frames to represent Ireland at the next Eurovision Song Contest is that of family trio - Crystal Swing. They have become something of a You Ttube sensation in Ireland and beyond with the video of their song "He drinks Tequila" scoring over 1 million hits!

Crystal Swing consists of Mary Murray-Burke(the mother) Derek Burke(the son) and Dervla Burke(the daughter) and can best be described as a country and western sounding group. They hail from County Cork and are fast becoming one of Ireland's best known groups.
Will Europe fall for the charms of the Crystal Swing family? With RTE's Eurovision 2012 plans due to be discussed shortly, we won't have to wait too long to find out.

If you would like to know more about Crystal Swing, click here.

Jedward march on to Victory!

2011-07-23T14:42:00.001+01:00

Following on from their Europe-wide success at Eurovision in May , Ireland's 2011 representatives Jedward are due to release a new album in August called "Victory".

The twins have been cloned on the cover, making it look like a line of never-ending high-haired Jedwards. The album is set to be released on August 15 in the UK and Ireland and will contain their Eurovision song Lipstick, as well as their newest track Bad Behaviour.

Victory will be the boys' second album and is a follow-up to Planet Jedward, which was released last year and reached number 17 in the UK album charts.

Jedward : The real "winners" of Eurovision 2011?

2011-07-21T10:56:00.000+01:00

They were the buzz of Dusseldorf. Everyone wanted a piece of Jedward. Their press conferences were legendary. And now it seems they are THE success story of this year's Eurovision!

John and Edward Grimes have performed in many countries after the contest including Sweden and Germany. Jedwards management has been struggling to clear their diary for dates across Europe since the contest finished. The unstoppable duo - who came eighth in the Eurovision - stormed to the top of the iTunes chart in a number of countries across Europe with their infectious song Lipstick. And a huge tour of the continent is now being planned for the boys later this summer John revealed ‘ Its one big step for Jedward- we don’t go small steps like that man on the moon, it's first step Europe and next stop the world.’

The twins are also in the final stages of talks with a number of TV stations, including RTE and BBC, about fronting their own shows later this year.

Well done boys! Keep the success going!

A Little Bit of Eurovision!

2011-07-20T18:06:00.001+01:00

For those of you in need of a Eurovision fix during the summer, tune in to RTE 1 on Tuesday evenings at 8:30pm to catch "A Little Bit of Eurovision".

In this series, RTE celebrates the record seven wins that Ireland has achieved in the contest with a look back at the glory days of Irish Eurovision! You can find out all about it here

Congratulations Azerbaijan!

2011-05-21T18:55:00.000+01:00

They've only been in the contest a few years, but it hasn't taken Azerbaijan long to win it!

Congratulations to Eldar and Nigar who won this year's Eurovision with "Running Scared".

Italy came second with Raphael Gualazzi and "Follia D'Amore". Not a bad result either after their 13 year absence. Welcome back Italia!

Baku 2012 anyone?

Eurovision Semi 1

2011-05-11T13:27:00.001+01:00

Last night we successfully managed to predict 8 of the 10 qualifiers from the first Semi Final. We didn't pick Lithuania (who did?!) or Georgia, having plumped for Turkey (how did it not qualify?) and Poland.

Time now for us to watch the first dress rehearsal of the second semi, which is probably harder to call.

It's all getting very exciting now!

Time for the UK

2011-05-07T15:20:00.000+01:00

Let's take a look at the United Kingdom now. The staging includes 4 large video screens with footage of the Blue boys.

The screens can also make the words I CAN.

The boys all sounded in good vocal form, although we're a little concerned about the backing track. For some reason the track is stripped down a lot for the first chorus, which seems strange. The first chorus needs to be strong and bold, and, at the moment, it doesn't hit the spot.

Good, but not quite there yet. But that's what rehearsals are for....so let's see what tomorrow brings.

France - 12 points?

2011-05-07T13:48:00.000+01:00

The favourite now, Amaury Vassili from France, with the opera ballad, Sognu.

An utterly brilliant backdrop of rolling clouds and Amaury's faultless vocals could see a French win for the first time since 1977.

Although there are some that think the song may be a little sophisticated for televoters, it's great to see France in with a real chance of victory.

Ding Dong - the big five enter the stage

2011-05-07T13:35:00.000+01:00

It's Saturday and the so-called 'Big 5' have entered the building.

But five of semi 2's countries rehearsed first this morning, including Eric Saade for Sweden and Dana International for Israel. There's been talk that Sweden is below par - tosh! This is the Melodifestivalen performance on the ESC stage, and it's going to be in the Final. Smashing!

Eurovision winner 1998, Dana International, gave a competent rehearsal. She's not got the best voice, and we are disappointed that the routine used in the national final (with the five girls in long dresses) has been ditched. Even with a diva-like strut on the catwalk at the end, we're still on the fence about whether this will qualify. But, you've got to hand it to DI, she's good value for money, and her press conference was a riot.

News on France next!

Everything is sounding good to us!

2011-05-07T10:32:00.000+01:00

Rehearsals continue here in Germany, and, to be honest, there aren't really any acts who are giving bad performances. From Friday's batch we particularly enjoyed Iceland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

During Iceland's press conference we were treated to a medley of past Eurovision hits by the multi-talented Sjonni's Friends. And Dino Merlin told us about his previous Eurovision experiences back in 1993 (Dino wrote Sva Bol Svijeta, and loved the orchestra in Millstreet) and 1999 (Dino sand Putnici with Beatrice, and had a great time but the venue in Jerusalem was much smaller).

From other rehearsals Hungary is sounding good, although we're not sure the stage presentation is quite as strong as it could be; the song's video is so good that it's a hard act to follow.

Austria is also gaining a lot of support. And, although the song doesn't really appeal to us, it has to be said that vocally Nadine is brilliant. We're expecting it to qualify now.

The day ended with a fan party at the Euroclub, where no fewer than 23 acts performed their songs.

Excitement is building today as the Big 5 enter the fray. Check back later for our thoughts.

By Georgia!

2011-05-06T14:02:00.001+01:00

We went along to the Georgian party last night, held in the Euroclub. Initially it didn't look like we were going to get in, but with a little patience and some assistance from our friends at esc.kaz (thanks guys!) we enjoyed a fabulous evening of Georgian hospitality.

In addition to a performance by Eldrine, we heard from the Georgian entrants from 2007 and 2010. Both Sophos were in great voice!

Also spotted amongst the crowd were Stella from Norway and Paradise Oskar from Finland.

The night ended with a Eurovision disco, so we had a nice little dance....

Will Vella bring Eurovision to Valetta?

2011-05-06T09:42:00.000+01:00

The final rehearsal we saw yesterday was Malta. Glen Vella has a really good voice and the routine works well. Quite whether One Life is strong enough to qualify remains to be seen, but if prizes were given out for effort, then this would be among the contenders.

One thing you can't deny is that Glen is the life and soul of the party scene here in Germany. He's having a great time, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying his Eurovision experience. Good on him!

Superb Serbia and Rousing Russia

2011-05-05T14:40:00.000+01:00

A word now on Serbia and Russia.

Nina sings Čaroban, and it's brilliant! The psychedelic backdrop is the perfect accompaniment for this retro track, and we're in no doubt this will qualify.

Alexej Vorobjov and Get You is also impressive. This is one of the few songs this year that employs quite a bit of stage business. There are big screens that move around and everyone on stage has lights on their shoes and on the back of their leather jackets.

Pole Position

2011-05-05T11:14:00.000+01:00

After a night at the Euroclub, Eurovision Express is now in the thick of things watching the rehearsals from Semi Final 1.

First up this morning was Magdalena from Poland with Jestem. A very good performance, which has an excellent chance of qualifying for the Final. Slick choreography, fantastic vocals, this is a modern Eurosong near its best.

Norway next. The fabulous Per Sundnes, host of the Norwegian MGP, popped over to us and threw some Stella Mwangi badges at us. Stella and her fellow 5 performers gave a joyous performance, and, although we have doubts about whether juries will like this, it should definitely garner its fair share of televotes.

Planet Jedward lands in Germany!

2011-05-04T19:22:00.000+01:00

Irish entrants Jedward had their first rehearsal today. The guys were full of beans and interacted with fans and journalists before hitting the stage.

They gave aq good performance with a fantastic backdrop which features the boys in silhouette minus the bouffant hair-dos.

The onlookers seemed very impressed with the unexpectedly good vocals and sound and the visual presentation was remarkably good too. They even sang at thier press coinference and delighted the assembled throng of journalists. Ireland should qualify with this bouncy number!

Well done boys!

Germany, we have arrived!

2011-05-04T13:48:00.000+01:00

Eurovision Express has arrived in Düsseldorf, and after dropping our bags at our apartment we made our way to the Arena.

We got there in time to see Romania's Hotel FM rehearse Change. The lead singer sounds great, and the chances for this entry to qualify look good. It is quite an old-fashioned sounding song, but is very instant.

Estonia is currently on stage, and we'll soon make our first foray into a press conference.

Apparently tonight there is a Turkish party at the Euroclub which we'll hopefully pop into...although we may need a nap after getting up at 4.45 this morning!

Semi 2 - our final 5 qualifiers

2011-05-02T15:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we revealed that we thought Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Denmark and Romania would qualify to the Final from Semi 2. Today we predict who might take the other 5 spaces.

First up is Dana International from Israel with Ding Dong. This is a tricky one, because at the Israeli national final the vocals weren't good, but neither was the sound equipment. Initially we thought the Eurovision winner from 1998 might not make it to the Final, but we're now more optimistic. Ding Dong is old school Eurovision, and in a semi that, particularly at the beginning, doesn't appear that strong, a catchy song may be enough to qualify.

Latvia next. Musiqq sing Angel In Disguise. Yes we preferred Banjo Laura, but the Latvian entry could do quite well. It seems pretty credible as a song, and if the two guys give it their all, they may well engage some of the younger viewers. Definitely a worthy effort that deserves a place in the Final.

Another Baltic country, Estonia, is the following song on our list. Rockfeller Street by Getter Jaani is one of the most modern and quirky songs in the Contest. We're sure juries will reward it and slightly more adventurous televoters will love it too. It's very high in the betting, but quite whether it's an absolute winner is debatable.

Spot number 9 goes to Ukraine, partly because it is Ukraine. Just like Greece, Ukraine has hardly put a foot wrong in Eurovision terms over the past few years. They could well have won the Contest if they had sent Smile, but Angel, sung by Mika Newton, may well just squeeze them through to another final.

And finally, Ireland! Yes, we think the Jedward boys will qualify. Infectious, lively and pretty modern, Lipstick is a really good pop song. Jedward don't have the best vocals, we know that, but their personalities should make up for a lack of singing ability.

So there are our predictions for the two semis. With rehearsals now well under way, it's going to be exciting to see if our opinions change!

Eurovision 2011 kicks off!

2011-05-01T13:15:00.000+01:00

Eurovision 2011 is underway! The German city of Dusseldorf plays host to 43 competing nations. Eurovision Express will be arriving in Eurovision land on Wednesday, so look out for our reports! In the meantime may we recommend that you follow rehearsals through our good friends at All Kinds Of Everything via their blog here.

Semi 2 - our first five predictions

2011-05-01T12:41:00.000+01:00

Time to turn our attention to which songs we think are most likely to qualify for the Final from Semi 2. We'll reveal - in no particular order - our first 5 countries today, with 5 more tomorrow.

First up we reckon that after one year out, Sweden will be back in the Final this year. Popular by Eric Saade wouldn't have been our first choice from the songs in Melodifestivalen, but it's very catchy, is slickly choreographed and the glass smashing gimmick comes just at the right time. Fingers crossed there's no Schalgerfiasko this year!

Staying in Scandinavia our second prediction is for Denmark. Again A Friend in London's song, New Tomorrow, wasn't our favourite in the Danish national final, but it's anthemic, engaging and likely to appeal to juries and a wide cross section of the voting public. And if they keep the big blow up balls in the presentation so much the better!

Our third choice is Belarus. Controversial, eh? Well not really. Anastasiya Vinnikova sings I love Belarus, and we think it's just really good fun. It's one of the few old style Eurovision songs in the Contest, and juries might not be too generous with their points, but we think viewers will enjoy the sheer exuberance of it all.

Next up is Bosnia-Herzegovina with Dino Merlin and Love In Rewind. We're not quite sure exactly what this song is about, but as soon as we heard it we loved it! It possesses one of the strongest melodies in the Contest, and we love the over exaggerated mannerisms in the performance. We don't see it winning the whole thing, but it deserves Top 10.

Our final prediction today is Romania. Hotel FM are unlikely to replicate the top 3 position that Romania scored last year, but this song should have broad support. Yes, Change sounds like it wouldn't be out of place in a mid 90s UK Song For Europe, but what's wrong with that?

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see who we think will join Sweden, Denmark, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania in the Final.

Semi 1 - the final five

2011-04-30T15:43:00.000+01:00

Time now to reveal who else we think will be in those magic envelopes come Tuesday 10 May. Yesterday we predicted places in the final for Switzerland, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Serbia.

Our sixth spot goes to Poland, a country that until this year has failed to make much of an impression on us. So it's with delight that Poland is sending its best song since 1998! Magdalena Tul sings Jestem, and is first up. We think picking position one is quite a canny move. This is a good, modern entry, which promises to be well sung and well staged. Poland is back!

Next in our ten is Finland with Paradise Oskar and Da Da Dam. This looks set to be this year's Tom Dice. A simple, almost naive, song, simply presented, this looks to stand out. When we first heard it we thought it was perhaps more suited to the Junior Contest, but we really like the melody, and it has a very clear messsage. Probably not a winner overall, but a place in the final for sure.

Only three more songs to go, and, perhaps inevitably, Greece is our next choice. We are picking this more because Greece always seems to progress to the Final, rather than on the song, which, in our opinion, is not as strong as previous Greek entries. Loucas Yiorkas featuring Stereo Mike sing Watch My Dance, but it will be interesting to see if this is the year that Greece's good luck runs out and they don't make it to the Saturday night final.

Our penultimate choice is Iceland. We loved Yohanna and Erna in the Icelandic contest, but it was not to be. That said, Coming Home perforemd by Sjonni's Friends (left), is certainly a good song. It has a strong hook, and no one can fail to be moved by the story of the song's composer, Sigurjon ‘Sjonni’ Brink, who sadly passed away earlier this year. A genuinely touching entry that deserves a spot in the Final.

Ok, so who does our final place go to? Azerbaijan of course! Running Scared sung by Eldar and Nigar is a real contender for Eurovision victory. From the very first notes this song packs an emotional punch, and is without doubt the best ballad in the contest. We're really hoping the live version sounds as good as the recorded track. If it does, then Baku 2012 is most definitely on the cards. A club remix of the song can be heard below.

Join us tomorrow as we predict who will be the 10 qualifiers from Semi 2.

Who will qualify from Semi 1?

2011-04-29T19:50:00.000+01:00

Ahead of rehearsals, which begin this Sunday, Eurovision Express has decided it's time to predict who we think will be the 10 qualifiers from each of the two semi finals.

Today - and in no particular order - we reveal 5 countries whose names we reckon will be in the 'envelopes' on Tuesday 10 May.

First up is Switzerland. The country who gave us the very first Eurovision winner hasn't been doing too well of late, despite some great songs (Era Stupendo was our favourite in 2008!) Who can forget all the talk about DJ Bobo was going to win the whole contest, and he didn't even qualify! This year though we think Anna Rossinelli (above) and her song, In Love For A While, is going to make it through to the Grand Final. It's a quality song, simply performed, and we're sure juries especially will like it.

Our next prediction is Turkey. Initially we were a little disappointed with Yüksek Sadakat's Live It Up, but when we saw the preview video our opinions changed dramatically. This is a good piece of rock/pop, and being performed after 4 female solists will make it stand out. Everyone thinks Turkey's always a safe bet to qualify, but you have to admit that they don't just get through on diaspora - they really have a knack of picking modern, credible songs.

3rd up is Hungary, this year's fan favourite. Like most other people we're loving What About My Dreams? by Kati Wolf (left). It's catchy, punchy, and we're sure it will be the monster hit on the Eurovision dancefloor. Rumours abound that Kati might not be able to cut it live, but, if there's any justice, this will be vying for a Top 5 place in the Final.

Our penultimate choice today is Russia. We were amazed they qualified in 2010, but would be equally surprised if they didn't make it through this year. We're not massively keen on the new Eurovision version of Get You, and think that it would just be better if Alexej Vorobjov got straight into the song. But it's pretty modern, poppy and he's not a bad-looking chap either, so Russia should sail through.

The final prediction today is Nina and her song, Čaroban for Serbia. This 60s inspired entry is extremely well executed, and looks and sounds stylish. It may well stand out amid the more stereotypically 'Eurovision' songs.

So 5 down, 5 more to come. Check back tomorrow for the other entries we think will make it from Semi 1.

Jedward in ankle injury shocker!

2011-04-23T11:28:00.002+01:00

The "J" half of Jedward (John Grimes) - this year's Irish entry for Eurovision - has sprained his ankle on stage during their Irish tour. He will go on stage tonight in Dublin in a wheelchair. Apparently John sprained his ankle after some "mad" antics on stage earlier in the tour according to their manager and music mogul Mr. Louis Walsh.

Let's hope John recovers in time for their Dusseldorf appearance in less than three weeks time. Take it easy boys! You can read all about it here

Does France have it in the bag?

2011-04-21T11:02:00.000+01:00

According to the latest betting odds, France is the clear favourite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest. We think the contest it a lot more wide open this year than last year so a lot will depened on the rehearsals and, of course, the live performances.

If Amaury Vassili wins with his song Sognu , it will be the first French victory since the lovely Marie Myriam back in 1977 who won in London with L'oiseau et L'enfant.

You can check all the latest betting odds from the various websites here

Eurovision Express will be in Dusseldorf from 4th May reporting on all the rehearsals and general Eurovision shenanigans!

Oh My God!

2011-03-10T23:51:00.000Z

Eurovision Express is wending its way to Sweden this weekend for Melodifestivalen 2011!

MF took on its current format in 2002, and we were there then, blindly believeing that Kikki, Bettan and Lotta (below) would win big in the Globen. We were totally shocked when Afrodite walked away with the crown.

Since 2002, we've only missed being in the live audience a couple of times (2003 and 2005). Dedication or what?

This year looks set to be a good competition. We fully expect Eric Saade to win with Popular, but we'd really like either The Moniker (below) or Sanna Nielsen to come out on top! May the best song win!

10 songs for Denmark

2011-02-21T19:00:00.000Z

Eurovision Express loves Denmark. Well they have given us some of the best entries ever, especially in the 80s.

Recently Denmark has gone all modern pop on us, and that's absolutely fine! Snippets of the 10 songs competing in this Saturday's Melodi Grand Prix are now available here.

And they are pretty good! At the moment our favourite (and it seems to be 'the' favourite) is Anne Noa (pictured below, photo by Bjarne Bergius Hermansen © DR) with Sleepless, written by Peter Bjørnskov, Lene Dissing and John Gordon (composer of Lena's Satellite).

Most of the songs are good uptempo pop songs. Amongst our other favourites are Jenny Berggren with Let Your Heart Be Mine and Le Freak's 25 Hours a Day.

Looks like Denmark's going to give us another great final this Saturday night!

Haba a good time tonight in Norway! And fingers crossed for Yohanna!

2011-02-12T09:32:00.000Z

For the second year running Eurovision Express is going to be part of the live audience at Norway's MGP.

It seems that Stella is going to triumph with Haba Haba. We quite like the song, and it definitely stands out. But we actually think the best song is You're Like A Melody performed by Hanne Sørvaag, who co-wrote last year's Norwegian and Georgian entries. Listen to the song below.

We'll be popping along to this afternoon's dress rehearsal to see how the 8 acts are shaping up, and to see if there are any surprises in store.

We're going to be on the edge of our seats tonight, and not just because of the excitement of being in the Oslo Spektrum. Tonight a number of other countries will be choosing their songs, and we're particularly interested in the result in Iceland. Fingers crossed for Yohanna, whose song, Nótt (below), is by far the best Eurovision song we've heard this year. We have a feeling in our water that she's not going to make it, but if she does, she's got to be a contender for this year's Eurovision crown.

Lipstick Lads for Ireland

2011-02-12T09:07:00.000Z

Eurovision Express is back in Oslo for the final of MGP. But before we contemplate the excitement of tonight's spectacular, we caught the Irish national final on the internet last night.

Our verdict? We're delighted that Jedward are representing Ireland. Why? Because they had the best song! It's as simple as that.

Eurosong 2011, part of The Late Late Show, was a pretty entertaining shebang. Former Eurovision entrants Cheryl Baker and Bryan Kennedy were on hand to give their opinions. We love Cheryl but think it's time she moved on from the East block voting argument. Norway? Finland? Germany? They won because they had good songs.

Anyway, back to the final itself. It was always going to be a two horse race between the X Factor's Jedward and Nikki Kavanagh. We thought Nikki was most definitely the best singer of the night, but she just needed a better song.

The 6 juries votes accounted for 66% of the final score, and it was fantastically exciting, as it seemed Nikki was going to pip Jedward to the title. But the Sligo jury, if we remember correctly, gave Nikki a pretty low score and awarded Jedward 12 points.

Before the public televote came in, Nikki led by 4 points, but she only came 2nd in televote, allowing the twins from Lucan in Dublin to leapfrog her and win by a mere two points.

A good, tense final, and a great outcome. OK, Jedward aren't the best singers, but the song is infectious and they certainly sell it. And, if it does manage to get to the final, we're certain that the UK will be giving it douze points!

8 acts battle it out in Norway's "Sistesjanse"

2011-02-03T23:01:00.000Z

Eurovision Express is looking forward to jetting off to the Norwegian MGP final in just over a week's time. Six acts have made it directly to the Oslo Spektrum, and this Saturday 2 more will join them from the Sistesjanse round.

NRK has created the lovely graphic above to illustrate how Saturday's show will work. It's going to be a series of duels.

Here at Eurovision Express we love nothing more than to get out our crystal ball and predict what's going to happen. So, taking you round by round, here are our thoughts:

Use Me v Pernille and Marius

We reckon Daisy, the poppy rock song by Use Me will just pip Pernille and Marius' slightly schlager-lite I'll Be Yours in this first duel.

Sie Gubba v Mimi Blix

Tricky one this. Alt du vil ha is a country style number by Sie Gubba, absolutely poles apart from Mimi Blix's Allergic. We like them both, but hope that Mimi's modern dance track will take this round.

Gatas Parlament v The Lucky Bullets

We really don't like either of these songs. Gatas Parlament's Jobbe Litt isn't our bag at all, and we find The Lucky Bullets rockabilly Fire Below uninspired, but if we had to choose we'd go for The Lucky Bullets!

Endre v Susperia

We were amazed last weekend when metal group Susperia didn't get an automatic pass to the Final with Nothing Remains. It's not our cup of tea, but we thought it was pretty good if you like that sort of thing. However we reckon Susperia are going to be disappointed a second time, as Endre and Puppy Love looks likely to pull in the girly vote.

OK. So first rounds over. Our predictions would then create the following second round duels:

Use Me v Mimi Blix

We hope that Mimi will win this one. Her funky tune is much more us!

The Lucky Bullets v Endre

Endre would definitely deserve to win this battle, although would probably be the weakest song in the Final.

So, our predictions are:

Mimi Blix and Endre to the Grand Final! Let's see if we get it right!

Going Dutch with 3JS

2011-01-30T16:36:00.000Z

The Netherlands will be the fourth country to reveal its song for Germany tonight, when boyband 3JS (pictured above) present five songs. Snippets can be heard below.

Although it's difficult to judge from these short extracts, Eurovision Express thinks the uptempo De Stroom sounds like the best option. But we're looking forward to hearing the full versions.

Red White and ... BLUE for the UK

2011-01-29T23:59:00.001Z

The news has literally come out of the blue that reformed boyband BLUE will be the UK's representatives at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.

It's not the first time that members of the group have bid to take part in the competition. Lee Ryan wrote and composed "Guardian Angel", Andy Scott-Lee's song for the 2005 edition of Making Your Mind Up. Furthermore, Antony Costa came second in the 2006 edition of the show with the song "It's A Beautiful Thing". Group member Duncan James was a panellist on all episodes of the Eurovision: Your Country Needs You series in 2009 , which Jade Ewen won.

The self-penned song will be called "I Can" and a BBC documentary will follow the group's preparations for the contest. This is the first time since 1994 that an act has been chosen internally by the BBC.

Although BLUE haven't had hits for a number of years, we are cautiosuly optimistic of the UK's chances in Dusseldorf and looking forward to hearing their song. This will be the first time for several years that a well-known act will represent the UK. We think this is a good thing! Bring on the song!

Final fling in Norway

2011-01-29T09:22:00.000Z

Tonight sees the third and last semi final in Norway. It looks like last year's host country has saved some of the best songs for this heat.

You can hear snippets of the entries that will be performed in Skien here

Our favourite at Eurovision Express is SOS by boyband, Girl Happy (below). It's probably the most Eurovision sounding song of the 21 entries in this year's MGP.

However we think the song most likely to qualify, and also in with a very strong chance of representing Norway in Germany, comes in the shape of heavy rockers Susperia with Nothing Remains (below).

So after the gentle My Heart Is Yours, Norway might be going in a ve3ry different direction....!

We want to go to Iceland!

2011-01-24T19:03:00.000Z

Eurovision Express is back off its holidays, and what do we return to? A potential Eurovision winning song from Iceland!

It's no secret that we loved Iceland's 2009 entry, Is It True? so we were anxious to hear Yohanna's entry for 2011. And our verdict? Well we reckon that if Iceland sends her song, Nott, then Eurovision could be held in Reykjavik in 2012!

Yohanna took part in this weekend's Icelandic semi-final, and is through to the Final, taking place on 12 February, Enjoy the performance below.

Will Sarah get Switzerland back on a roll?

2010-12-09T09:30:00.001Z

Poor Switzerland has been doing very well at Eurovision over the past few years, despite some brilliant songs. In 2008 Era Stupendo was our absolute favourite entry, and it didn't even make it out of the semi final!

This year Switzerland is having a national final for the first time since 2004. We'll be tuning in this Saturday (11 December) to discover the first song selected for Dusseldorf.

The best song, in our opinion, comes from Sarah Burgess. Co-written by John Gordon (one the composers of Lena's Eurovision winning Satellite) Sarah's song, Just Me, sounds like it could be a Katy Perry track.

So it's not actually a great surprise to discover that Sarah is in fact from the US, and actually tried her luck at American Idol!

Enjoy the song below.

Romania - we want U!

2010-11-28T09:39:00.001Z

The 13 songs competing to represent Romania in Dusseldorf are now available to listen to here.

We loved Ovi and Paula's Playing With Fire, and we reckon Romania is on to another winner if they pick Claudia Pavel and the fantastic ballad I Want U To Want Me. Enjoy the performance below.

The Romanian national final takes place on New Year's Eve - let's hope they pick Claudia's amazing song!

Junior Eurovision, and Georgia's on our mind....

2010-11-19T19:18:00.001Z

This weekend sees the 8th Junior Eurovision Song Contest take place in Minsk, Belarus.

Eurovision Express has followed JESC all the way since 2003 when we ventured over to Copenhagen to cheer on the UK's Tom Morley. Of course the UK no longer takes part, and we have to watch the show on the internet these days.

14 songs are battling it out. Some of our favourite songs come from Belgium, Sweden, Armenia and Latvia. But we reckon that if there's any justice Mariam from Georgia should triumph with her Lady Gaga-esque Mari Dari. It's well performed and catchy as anything.

Enjoy one of the rehearsals below.

Radio 2's getting Butterflies!

2010-10-25T21:14:00.001+01:00

Here at Eurovision Express we were big fans of Butterflies, the song that came 2nd in the 2009 Norwegian MGP. Sung by Tone Damli Aaberge, it, of course, lost out to the eventual Eurovision winner, Fairytale.

But the good news is that it's getting a UK release, and is BBC Radio 2's record of the week!

Let's enjoy the MGP performance again, and hope Tone goes big in Britain!

Ticket time again for Swedish MF 2011

2010-10-20T19:47:00.000+01:00

Tickets for the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2011 go on sale tomorrow (Thursday 21 October).

More info here. Best get in quick as they usually get snapped up in seconds!

It's Dusseldorf!

2010-10-12T15:10:00.001+01:00

It's official - after months of speculation the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in the Fortuna/Espirit Arena in Dusseldorf. Full story here

UK fans gather for Eurobash 2010 in Manchester!

2010-10-09T22:50:00.000+01:00

Eurobash 2010, the annual gathering of the British Eurovision fanclub, OGAE UK, takes place next Saturday (16 October). After 4 successful years in Birmingham, the sold-out extravaganza moves to Manchester!

Over 100 fans will come together to celebrate all things Eurovision - with a quiz, a special 'Firsts' themed Contest, and the eagerly anticipated Stars In Their Eurovision Eyes, where attendees become their Eurovision heroes - for one night only. This year 11 acts will compete, all hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year's winners, who gave a knock-out performance of Laka's song from 2008.

Eurobash 2010 will also welcome 4 special guests: Kit Rolfe (better known to Eurofans as Belle from Belle and The Devotions, who sang Love Games for the UK in 1984), Hera Bjork (Iceland 2010), Sarah Cawood (UK semi-final commentator) and Craig Lees (who entered the 2005 UK heats of the Junior Eurovision).

Eurobash 2010 promises to be another fun-packed day!

Junior Eurovision details announced!

2010-07-28T13:34:00.001+01:00

image copyright EBU

The EBU have confirmed details for this year's Junior ESC to be held in Minsk, Belarus on 20th November. 14 countries will take part with Moldova trying it out for the first time. Sweden return after a year off, as do Lithuania and Latvia, increasing the number of participants by one compared to last year.

You can find out full details here.

Austria comes home!

2010-07-27T17:44:00.002+01:00

It might have something to do with the fact that their near neighbour has won this year, but whatever the reason, we're delighted to see that Austria will return to Eurovision in 2011!

The country that gave us Boom Boom Boomerang by Schmetterlinge in 1977 and the unforgettable Alf Poier in 2003 has decided to re-join the Eurovision family after a three-year gap. They may even be one of the first to announce their entry according to this report (in German).

Welcome back Österreich!

It's the 3 "J"'s for the Netherlands!

2010-07-24T10:41:00.003+01:00

Netherlands are quick off the mark for ESC 2011 - they have chosen their singers already! The group that will represent Les Pays-Bas next year will be the 3 "J"'s! After Sieneke's disappointing showing in Oslo, the Netherlands are going back to the formula of choosing an artist and then a song.
The 3 "J"'s will perform 5 songs and the public will choose one to represent them in Germany. Unfortunately this process didn't work for The Toppers in 2009, but we are hoping that the Netherlands pick a great song and get to the final where they belong in 2011!

Read more here.

Lena goes for the double.....and ESC 2011 moves forward one week!

2010-06-30T16:35:00.001+01:00

The dates of next year's semi-finals and final have moved forward one week to 10th May for Semi-Final 1, 12th May for Semi-Final 2 and the final on Saturday 14th May. NDR, the German broadcaster announced the new dates today and also announced that Lena will represent Germany again in 2011!

You can read the full details here

Germany wins televote and jury!

2010-06-28T09:40:00.000+01:00

The jury votes of ESC 2010 have been released by the EBU and show that Germany won both televote and jury convincingly. Turkey didn't do so well with the Juries but Belgium did!

You can see the results here.

Glückwünsche, Deutschland!

2010-05-30T15:41:00.001+01:00

Well done Lena and Well done Germany. We are delighted that a modern song with no gimmicks has won the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Lena Meer-Landrut has won with the song Satellite. Still can't quite believe it. We were fearing a win from either Armenia or Azerbaijan (one of the most promoted songs this year!) but in the end, the voters - and juries - of Europe decided to reward vocal ability and pick a very good song.

We are also delighted that Belgium and Romania did so well but feel sorry for Ireland.
So it's Germany 2011 - bring it on!......after a long rest!

Thank you to all our site visitors (more than ever before), we hope you enjoyed Oslo 2010 as much as we did. Stay with Eurovision Express throughout the year for all the latest on the best music competition in the world!

Algo Stupido!

2010-05-30T14:10:00.002+01:00

The most surreal moment of last night.....scroll to just after 1 minute! Bravo Daniel for continuing!

Thank You Oslo! Takk Oslo!

2010-05-30T03:33:00.003+01:00

What a great Eurovision we have just had. The staging, the facilities, the organisation and of course, the parties have been tremendous. Olso 2010 was everything we could have hoped for and more. We thoroughly enjoyed reporting on the rehearsals and parties and hoped you enjoyed reading them. We also had a great time catching up with old friends and making new ones.

So we say goodbye from Oslo 2010 but we will be back here next February for the Melodi Grand Prix final!

....and the winner is......

2010-05-29T18:09:00.000+01:00

no idea!

We just cannot decide who we think will win this year.

Our ideal winners would be BELGIUM, CYPRUS or SPAIN, but we think it will probably be ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN or even GREECE.

At the other end of the scoreboard we think it will be FRANCE or UNITED KINGDOM. Despite being great singers (especially Josh from the UK) we just don't think the songs from either country are strong enough to gain a lot of votes.

So we say VOTE FOR BELGIUM. Go TOM DICE....and his guitar!

Make Your Mind Up Time!!!

2010-05-28T15:26:00.000+01:00

After the first Dress Rehearsal, time to pick a winner....... this is a tough one and we will have to sleep on it. Predicition tomorrow!

And finally Denmark

2010-05-28T15:23:00.000+01:00

Denmark

A great song to end the contest. What an interesting journey this entry has been on. It came to Oslo as one of the favourites, and then everyone seemed to go off it, as the initial rehearsals were a little lacklustre. But now it's back on track. N'evergreen is popular in Russia, and the song will appeal to the West, so maybe this could actually win! If it does, Sweden might be kicking itself, as it was a song that was entered into Melodifestival, but was rejected. Only time will tell.

Portugal and Israel

2010-05-28T15:18:00.000+01:00

Portugal

Another surprise qualifier. That said, this is a good, oldfashioned Eurovision ballad. Portugal never worries about trends in the Contest, it just does what it wants. Filipa does well with this song, and connects with the camera very well. This could do much better than anyone could ever have imagined. Good.

Israel

We were surprised this qualified last night. Harel seems to be singing well, but this song bores us. This is an entry that strives to impress, but leaves us totally cold. Contrived and overblown.

Armenia and Germany

2010-05-28T15:11:00.001+01:00

Armenia

A little break before the Apricot Stone. Now third in the betting, Eva also has a decent draw. This should do well with both the West and the East, not that we want it to win. We find the performance too busy, but the beat and rhythm is good, and Eva sells the song well. Impressive, and looks like Top 5 to us.

Germany

One of the best songs in the Contest. Modern and current, can Germany do it? Perhaps. It's not a bad performance, but it doesn't seem to really engage the audience in any way. Much better on the dancefloor than on stage. We applaud Germany for the effort, but this may not bring them success.

Romania and Russia

2010-05-28T15:05:00.000+01:00

Romania

One of our favourites now, and a very good draw for Romania. We think this would be a worthy and well-liked winner. Some of the best vocals in the Contest, this is a modern, catchy entry. Paula and Ovi look like they are enjoying themselves, and we just love it when Paula nails every single one of those high notes. This could win. Excellent.

Russia

Another song that's going to divide the voting. We quite like Peter, and feel better about this song now knowing it's meant to be ironic. But the first time we saw it, we thought it was very poor. This is likely to do better than it deserves to.

Ukraine and France

2010-05-28T14:56:00.000+01:00

Ukraine

One of the shock qualifiers from last night, Alyosha. We think her voice and performance earned her the ticket for the Final, because the song really is quite despressing. What a pity Alyosha isn't singing something that matches her obvious abilities. It will of course get its fair share of votes from the East, but we can't see it appealing to the West. Midtable.

France

Time for a workout! For us one of the weakest songs in the Final that doesn't go anywhere. A rehearsal that's full of energy, and with an element of French laissez-faire about it, which we kind of like. We did think this would come last, but that seems unlikely as it's a jolly, happy performance. Will probably do better than it should.

Albania and Iceland

2010-05-28T14:45:00.002+01:00

Albania

2 uptempo songs now, the first from Juliana. A much more typical Eurovision song, Juliana looks totally at ease and delivers a very good performance. Solid.

Iceland

Another song that embodies people's perceptions of Eurovision. The West, especially the Nordic countries, are going to vote for this. But we suspect the East will completely shun it. A relaxed, vocally assured rehearsal from Hera. She's having a good time and looks totally at ease. We love Iceland and all the Icelanders we've met over here, and we'd love them to do well. Schlagertastic!

Georgia and Turkey

2010-05-28T14:38:00.000+01:00

Georgia

There's a commercial break before Georgia. This came over very well last night. We'd ditch the routine, but Sofia proves herself an excellent performer. Another thing is that we did like this song when we first heard it, so we think it's got instant appeal. This is outclassing Ireland and Belarus by a long chalk. We prefer Belgium and Cyprus, but, being objective, this is in with a shout.

Turkey

We have to say that we liked this song before we came, but the stage performance does very little for us. It's all a bit menacing what with the metal 'robot' dancer. One of the most contemporary songs in the Contest, but an unlikely winner.

Greece and United Kingdom

2010-05-28T14:32:00.000+01:00

Greece

A great draw for Greece, coming after 2 ballads. The stage is full of energy, and this will go big tomorrow night. To be honest we don't like this song, but it's a professional performance that will stand out. Probably not a winner, but Top 5 seems likely.

United Kingdom

A good performance. Josh is finding the cameras more now, and making eyecontact far more often. He just needs to relax a bit and show that he's enjoying himself, because you can tell he's thinking about everything. I suppose this where he relative inexperience shows through. All in all competent, but this will struggle.

Belarus and Ireland

2010-05-28T14:20:00.002+01:00

Belarus

After a small little break, time for the Butterflies. We like the tune of this song, but only really understand about 1 in 3 of the words. We think they should have been a little more subtle with the presentation. Yes, the wings moment gives the audience the chance to whoop and cheer, but it just seems too silly. We don't think juries will go for this. This afternoon, vocally all very good. But we'd be disappointed if this won.

Ireland

Not a great draw for Ireland, coming after another ballad. But we're just relieved Niamh made it through. In contrast to Belarus' over the top performance, this is a simple presentation. Niamh isn't giving it her all this afternoon, and we're a bit concerned she has got problems with her voice. It could be that she's deliberately holding back, but she definitely isn't hitting some of the higher notes.

Belgium and Serbia

2010-05-28T14:11:00.001+01:00

Belgium

We are delighted that Belgium is in the final, and it's become our personal favourite. It's perhaps a bit of a shame it's been drawn so early in the contest and so near to Cyprus, but there's something so appealing about both the song and the singer. Tom makes some really good eye-contact with the cameras. It's giving us goosebumps! For us, this is the best so far, and if there's any justice it will win. Douze points.

Serbia

This song has got quite a good draw. We've grown to like it a lot, but initially we did think it was a bit strange. One thing last night's 2nd semi proved is you need to remember your first impression when you heard and saw a song. We're sure this will get 12 points from every ex-Yugoslav country, but will the likes of Iceland, UK and Spain 'get' it? We're not sure they will. But a 2nd Serbian win is definitely within reach.

Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina

2010-05-28T14:04:00.000+01:00

Cyprus

Hooray. Cyprus qualified and deservedly so. We've been saying that this is a real dark horse since we saw the first rehearsals over a week ago. A strong song, excellently performed. We like the non-pretentious feel to this entry. And we're also impressed by the backing singers whose vocals blend in perfectly with Jon's. This afternoon everything is pretty spot-on, and we love the build towards the end of the song. Excellent. Believe us, this is a real contender.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

We just don't like this song, and are surprised it's in the final. Good vocals and assured performance, but we are confident this will be towards the bottom of the scoreboard.

Norway and Moldova

2010-05-28T13:59:00.000+01:00

Norway

Could they do the double? It's a real possibility, although we are sure NRK don't want to! Didrik's song is highly derivative but there is a certain magnetism to it. Today he wasn't quite on his game, but it was a perfectly competent performance, and the ending is still a real knockout. Bergen 2011? The best song so far, and a definite contender.

Moldova

Time for something more uptempo, with Moldova offering something in stark contract to what has been heard before. This song has really grown on us, and we're very pleased it's made it to the Final. This could actually do quite well, given that it's the first Eurostomper of the night. An assured, relaxed performance. Good.

Azerbaijan and Spain

2010-05-28T13:49:00.001+01:00

Azerbaijan

Not the best of positions for the favourite. A competent performance, vocally good. Safura actually looks more relaxed now now that she's qualified. The end bit where she runs back to the mainstage from the catwalk still looks weird. A strong opener, but a much less likely winner than before.

Spain

For us this is Spain's best entry since 1995. Daniel sounds brilliant, and we like the circus feel to the presentation. There seem to be quite a lot of long shots that go on too long, but the camera work gets punchier as the song progresses. And the ending is very good. But, however much we would love this to win, it doesn't have that buzz about it at the moment.

The first dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Final....live blogging - the introduction

2010-05-28T13:39:00.000+01:00

OK, we're ready to start live blogging.

The introduction of the show looks great. It's a journey from 1956 to the present day, passing through some of the cities that have hosted the Contest, bringing us up to date with Oslo of course.

There is then a filmed section of what looks like fans wishing their own country luck, starting with a good luck message from the UK. Then Alexander Rybak reprises his winning song, although this afternoon he seemed to be resting his voice and didn't sing all of it.

You can tell it's the first dress rehearsal as it's all a bit disjointed, but that's what rehearsals are for.

On to the first song - Azerbaijan!

Live blogging of first dress rehearsal of the Final.....

2010-05-28T01:10:00.001+01:00

So here's the running order for the Eurovision Final. We'll be live blogging the first dress rehearsal at 3pm (Norwegian time) later today.

1. Azerbaijan
2. Spain
3. Norway
4. Moldova
5. Cyprus
6. Bosnia & Herzegovina
7. Belgium
8. Serbia
9. Belarus
10. Ireland
11. Greece
12. United Kingdom
13. Georgia
14. Turkey
15. Albania
16. Iceland
17. Ukraine
18. France
19. Romania
20. Russia
21. Armenia
22. Germany
23. Portugal
24. Israel
25. Denmark

Our prediction for Semi Final 2

2010-05-27T09:46:00.000+01:00

We've now reflected on the dress rehearsal we saw yesterday of Semi Final 2, and predict the following countries will qualify for the Final:

Armenia
Denmark
Sweden
Azerbaijan
Netherlands
Romania
Ireland
Cyprus
Georgia
Turkey

but this is the most difficult semi-final to predict ever!

Turkey

2010-05-26T15:16:00.000+01:00

Turkey

We weren't sure about this song during its previous two rehearsals. It's VERY dark on stage, with glimpses of black and white throughout. The lead singer's vocals are good. It's a decent song, and Turkey always qualify. This will be in the final.

Croatia and Georgia

2010-05-26T15:12:00.002+01:00

Croatia

After quite a long break, it's time for Feminnem. Good vocals from the girls, and quite a classy performance, but we think this takes a little too long to get going. For us it only kicks in with the strings bit, which is fab. A few shaky camera angles this afternoon, but it's the first dress, and generally things are going quite well. We see this as a qualifier but not a winner.

Georgia

We think Sofia should have stood still for this song. The mini ballet with blokes in white naval uniforms, although well executed, is just distracting. Excellent vocals though. We kind of like this song, and now see it as a definite qualifier.

Bulgaria and Cyprus

2010-05-26T15:03:00.002+01:00

Bulgaria

Two angels floating around, two barechested chaps and Miro in the middle. It's all very Eurovision. Problem with this song is it doesn't go anywhere. Just lots lots of "oooh, oooh-ing". It's a song that works much better on record and one the dancefloor, not on stage. You just lose interest. We don't see this qualifying.

Cyprus

We knew this would win the Cypriot final, and we hope the rest of Europe takes this song to its heart. An anthemic song with a slightly gospel feel to it. It's well sold by Jon and the rest of his group. We think juries will like this. It feels like a real song. Excellent. If this doesn't qualify, it's a disgrace.

Slovenia and Ireland

2010-05-26T14:59:00.000+01:00

Slovenia

We think there are 16 songs in this semi that really could qualify. This is the one that has no chance. The mix of folk and rock just feels weird, although it's pretty well sung. But after 90 seconds you just want it to end. Please end. Last place beckons we think.

Ireland

Dressed in mauve Niamh looks good. And she's in fine voice too. This is Ireland doing what it does best, and coming after Slovenia it is going to seem even better. Simple presentation of a very strong song, we would be very sad if it doesn't qualify, and we're sure RTE and many a Eurofan would be crying into their Guinness if it didn't. Very good.

Netherlands and Romania

2010-05-26T14:49:00.000+01:00

Netherlands

This could have been the Dutch entry in the 1970s, and is completely kitsch and tacky. Sieneke isn't the most magnetic of performers, but we reckon this could definitely pick up its fair share of votes, from the public rather than the juries. We reckon Norway, Denmark and the UK will like this. This could qualify!

Romania

There's a break here, and we cut to the Green Room. It sounds like they are using last night's script, referring to the Oval Office, and then saying that the next song is Belgium!!! Anyway on to Paula and Ovi. A great starting shot looking down at the double piano. We love this song. Both performers are strong, especially Paula, who hits all the high notes without fault. Some have this as a borderline qualifier. We reckon it's definintely going through. It's catchy, pretty modern. Excellent.

Azerbaijan and Ukraine

2010-05-26T14:40:00.000+01:00

Azerbaijan

Ok, here's the favourite. Dressed in a beautiful blue outfit, Safura looks a little scared standing at the top of her stairs, but the male dancer now holds her hand as she descends them. This is a strong contemporary effort, but seems to have lost a bit of backing since the second rehearsal. Safura is in pretty good voice, although some people think she's not quite hitting the notes, and you either love or hate the 'drip drop' lyric. We're not convinced that the bit where Safura has to run back to the main stage after being on the catwalk really works. To us, Sweden was better, but Azerbaijan is surely qualifying.

Ukraine

We don't like this song, but Alyosha is a great singer and is full of passion. This could be a surprise qualifier, and a lot of people are now tipping that it will make it through. A strong performance - we just wish she was singing something else.

Switzerland and Sweden

2010-05-26T14:30:00.002+01:00

Switzerland

We really like this song and Michael is a very good singer and performer, but today the backing singers feel a bit too loud, drowning out Michael's vocals. Also we think the whole performance doesn't really work. The 3 female backing singers are dressed in long flowing gowns. It just doesn't fit in with any style of presentation - it's not contemporary, it's not retro and it's not kitsch. It just doesn't leave any particular impression. Alas, a definite non-qualifier.

Sweden

After a little break in which Lys Assia will be introduced, we're back with Sweden. Anna's guitar looks massive! Sweden goes for a midtempo ballad, and we reckon it's going to succeed. The song sounds fresh after the relatively contrived entries from both Denmark and Switzerland. We believe the glow stick lights are going to be used just in the same way they were in the Melodifestivalen, which would certainly help. This sounds like a definite qualifier to us.

Israel and Denmark

2010-05-26T14:21:00.000+01:00

Israel

This is somehow thir favourite to win. Harel looks good, and can certainly sing, and we can see the merits of the song, but it leaves us somewhat cold. We don't feel emotionally engaged at all. Of course the ending is good (although today Harel slightly missed one of the high notes), but it all strikes us as style over substance. A surprise non-qualifier we think.

Denmark

One of the pre-contest favourites, this song has disappointed during its first two rounds of rehearsals. But it does look and feel better today. We're still not convinced about the chemistry between the 2 singers, but this was definitely the most assured performance that they have given since their arrival in Oslo. Much improved and now back in the race.

Lithuania and Armenia

2010-05-26T14:14:00.002+01:00

So we're off, live blogging the 2nd semi-final.

Lithuania

After a quick, simple beginning it's time for the first song. A good, fun opener. A jokey, slightly political song, with 5 men playing with fake instruments who then pull their trousers off. It's what gives Eurovision its tacky reputation. Some of the lighting towards of the song seems too dark, but we think this could well qualify.

Armenia

The guy who plays the wind instrument at the sonng was a little late placing the instrument in his mouth, so the backing track came in but it didn't look like he was playing it. This is a well liked entry, but we're not totally convinced by the stage act, with a man dancing round with a big stone. Some are tipping this as the winner of the Contest, which we don't see at all. But a likely qualifier.

The draw for the Final.....so far!

2010-05-25T23:21:00.000+01:00

Here are the positions in Saturday's final secured by the successful semi-finalists, and those finalists already known.

1
2 Spain
3 Norway
4 Moldova
5
6 Bosnia-Herzegovina
7 Belgium
8 Serbia
9 Belarus
10
11 Greece
12 U.K.
13
14
15 Albania
16 Iceland
17
18 France
19
20 Russia
21
22 Germany
23 Portugal
24
25

The blanks will be filled in on Thursday after Semi-Final 2! Off now to the Euroclub for the After Party!!!

Semi 1 qualifiers

2010-05-25T22:05:00.000+01:00

Moldova
Russia
Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgium
Albania
Greece
Portugal
Belarus
Iceland

Pleased apart from the omission of Finland. And quite amazed that Russia and Portugal are in the final....!

Our predictions for semi 1

2010-05-24T21:18:00.000+01:00

After watching tonight's dress rehearsal we think the following countries will qualify:

Moldova
Slovakia
Finland
Serbia
Belgium
Malta
Albania
Greece
Belarus
Iceland

And now time to go the Israeli party followed by Euroclub!

And finally Iceland

2010-05-24T21:15:00.000+01:00

Apologies that our last few posts didn't have photos. Our camera ran out of juice! We'll make sure it's fully charged for the 2nd semi rehearsal we blog on.

Iceland

After some slow songs thank goodness for a real stomper, from the fabulous Hera Bjork. As always Iceland has acquitted itself as one of the friendliest delegations in the Contest. Hera sings with real guts and looks like she's having a great time, and we have to say that if this doesn't qualifiy we will be really disappointed. Go Hera!

FYR Macedonia and Belarus

2010-05-24T21:12:00.000+01:00

FYR Macedonia

After a break featuring some footage of what's been happening here in Oslo, it's time for Gjoko. Quick word on the postcards: what looks like golden dust fades into the flash mob from that country and then creates each country's flag. Anyway back to FYR Macedonia. Gracious...some very scantily clad girls dance around Gjoko. And then there's some rap and a guitar solo. We would be amazed if this qualfied.

Belarus

This song is credited ads 3+2 featuring Robert Wells (he's the chap on the piano). The song starts pretty subtly, although to be honest it's very hard to understand exactly what the group is singing, so you have to let the tune do the work for you. We think the bit when the the butterfly wings are released on the girls' dresses is a bit much, but we fully expect this to qualify.

Greece and Portugal

2010-05-24T21:03:00.000+01:00

Greece

What did we say about a surefire qualifier? In fact the most surefire is probably Greece. Giorgos and his Friends give a passionate performance of another crowd-pleaser. This isn't one of our favourite entries by a long chalk, but you have to hand it to Greece, they know how to put on a show. See you on Saturday guys!

Portugal

Another example of a good singer with an average song. Filipa looks pretty in a creamy white dress drawn in at the waist with a black belt at After the success of the last two years, Portugal will really struggle with this.

Malta and Albania

2010-05-24T21:02:00.000+01:00

Malta

Thea is in fine voice for this better than avarage (although not amazing) ballad. We just wish the strings on the backing track were real. Ironically after all the hype with Chiara last year, this should actually do better. In our opinion a qualifier.

Albania

If there's a surefire qualifier, it's this! Energetic, bouncy song, what more could you want? We love it, and it just has to be in the final. Go Juliana!

Poland and Belgium

2010-05-24T20:51:00.000+01:00

Poland

This is full on angst to say the least! Marcin is a great singer, but this is another song that doesn't fall on the ears easily. Towards the end Marcin pulls some rather strange faces. We have to say that Marcin has come across as one of the nicest competitors in the Contest, but this is a non-qualifier.

Belgium

After a little break, when we see Marcin take his seat in the green room and a reminder that you can vote for all songs in the semi throughout, it's time for Belgium. Simplicityis the key word here. Tom is positioned at the end of the catwalk dressed in grey trousers and waistcost. And his hair's looking nicely coiffured. Juries will love it. This has to qualify.

Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina

2010-05-24T20:40:00.000+01:00

Serbia

Time for some fun from Serbia. Dressed in white and light blue, Milan is in fine voice and sports what looks like a red flower on his lapel. After the somewhat less than uplifting performance from Latvia, this is likely to go down very well indeed. A definite qualifier.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Vukasin is sporting jeans and a red jacket. He gives a perfectly decent rendition of a generic rock song. After a string of decent results, Bosnia & Herzegovina is going to falter. A definite non-qualifer.

Finland and Latvia

2010-05-24T20:33:00.000+01:00

Finland

Before we arrived in Oslo we thought this was a borderline qualifier, but we're pretty certain now it will be seen on the Saturday night. Sounds good and is a real crowd pleaser, especially the clapping hands bit.

A little break before the next song.

Latvia

We just can't bring ourselves to like this song. Although it's quite well performed, it's very screechy and unmelodic. Towards the end Aisha was pretty shaky on some of the high notes. For us a definite non-qualifier.

Estonia and Slovakia

2010-05-24T20:21:00.004+01:00

Estonia

Another vocally competent performance from Malcolm Lincoln, but this song never quite reaches places we'd like it to. When it starts to increase in tempo you think you're headed for lift-off, but then it doesn't go anywhere. Highly unlikely to qualify.

Slovakia

A good folksy effort now from Slovakia. Kristina seems to be holding back somewhat, and this isn't quite as amazing as many fans originally thought. There needs to be a little more energy. It really should qualify, but we're not as confident as we once were about its chances.

Moldova and Russia

2010-05-24T20:17:00.001+01:00

Moldova

A good, lively opener from Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira! This looks good on screen, and sounds pretty good too! We reckon this is a definite qualifier!

Russia

Peter Nalitch and Friends are in good voice. Fake snow looks like it's dropping in the background. Apparently this song is ironic, but we wonder whether most of Europe will just think that the bit about looking a 'her photo' is just silly. Someone today tipped this to win the whole Contest. We don't even think it will qualify.