By Georgia! Friends Wanted!

Not having been the biggest fans of last year's Georgian entry, Visionary Dream, it was with some trepidation that we gave the 12 songs in their 2008 national final a listen.

We shouldn't have been so worried - they're not a bad bunch. Our favourites include The Beautiful Girl and Captaine, but we are a little concerned by an entry that calls itself Georgia Invites Friends - it's sounds like some freeform, jazz fusion, and that just ain't our thing.

The group performing this song, Teatroni, can be seen below requesting our support. Eurovision Express has a terrible feeling....

Hello From Latvia

Alongside the UK, Finland and Georgia, Latvia will be choosing its song for Belgrade this coming Saturday.

Although Eurovision Express wasn't really a fan of their winning song from 2002, I Wanna, we have to admit that the following year Latvia hosted one of the best Eurovision Song Contests ever. We'll never forget girls in cages dancing to Dana's All Kinds Of Everything at the Euroclub....

But we digress. After a couple of semi-finals, 10 songs are in the frame, and our money's on Pirates of the Sea with the incredibly cheesy Wolves of the Sea, which features cheeky chappy Roberto Meloni, part of Bonaparti.lv, who represented Latvia last year.

Check out the video below, and splice the main brace, whatever that means!

Better by half - Andorra in full

For months we've been listening to the shortened version of Andorra's song for 2008 - Casanova by Gisella. But now the wait is finally over, and the full video is available.

Casanova is good old-fashioned Eurovision, and, after the disappointment of them not making the final last year, we hope that Andorra will find themselves performing on a Saturday night for the first time since they entered the contest back in 2004.

You can watch the full video on the bar to the right.

Martakis mixes it up for Greece

You've got to hand it to Greece. After years in the Eurovison wilderness they have really got their act together to become one of the most successful countries of this decade.

Die For You, My Number One, Everything and Yassou Maria are all great. It's really a case of look what you can achieve when you make an effort. If only some other countries would take a leaf out of Greece's book.

So who will follow Sarbel and become the Greek entrant for 2008? The decision will be made tomorrow (Wednesday 27 February). Three songs are in contention, and to be honest, we were struggling to find a favourite - not because the songs were bad, but because none of them stood out.

However one of the songs - Kostas Martakis's Always and Forever has undergone a bit of a disco/schlager remix and we think it's sounding pretty darn good. You can hear a snatch of the new version below.

Irelande Douze Points - The lyrics

If you're finding it difficult to understand what Dustin the Turkey is singing about, we have reproduced the lyrics of this year's Irish entry below.

For all the latest news on the Irish entry and all things Eurovision visit All Kinds of Everything here

IRELANDE DOUZE POINTS

Oh I come, from a nation
What knows how to write a song...
Oh Europe, where or where did it all go wrong....?

COME ON!!!!!!

Irlande douze points

Drag acts and bad acts and Terry Wogan's wig
Mad acts and sad acts, it was Johnny Logan's gig

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Do the funky beat

G O B double B L E Yeah

Hello Abba, hello Bono, hello Helsinki
Hola Prague, hello sailor, c'est la vie
Auf wiedersehen, Mamma Mia, and God save the Queen
Bon jour Serbia, g'day Austria
You know what I mean?

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Shake your feathers and pop your beak
Shake em to the west and to the east
Wave euro hands and euro feet
Wiggle to the edge of the turkey beat

Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
(and fart!)
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Do the funky beat
COME ON!!

Give us another chance, we're sorry for Riverdance
Sure Flately he's a yank
And the Danube flows through France
Block voting, shock voting
Give your 12 today
You're all invited to Dublin Ireland
And we'll party the Shamrock way

Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points
Do the funky beat
COME ON!!

Irlande douze points
Irlande douze points

Eastern Europe we love you
Do you like Irish stew?
Or goulash as it is to you?

Shake your feathers

Listen Bulgaria we love you
Belarus, Georgia, Montenegro,
Moldavia, Albania, Croatia,
Poland, Russia, Ukraine,
Macedonia, Love you Turkey
Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia,
Armenia, Bosnia Herzegovina
And don't forget the Swiss!

Chasing Butterflies with Israel

Tonight sees Kdam 2008, Israel’s contest to discover which song will succeed Push The Button as their 2008 Eurovision entry.

One thing’s for certain – the song will be performed by Boaz Mauda. A Pop Idol victor, Boaz will sing five songs tonight, although we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the final verdict.

Eurovision Express is impressed by the standard of the entries on offer. One of the songs is co-written by Dana International, but we’re hoping that Parparim (Butterflies), a duet with Oshrat Phaphir, wins the ticket to Belgrade. This is a classic Eurovision ballad, which we think would take Israel back towards the top of the final scoreboard.

You can watch Parparim below.

24 and counting......

So after a super-duper saturday, 24 of the 43 songs in ESC 2008 have now been selected. You can view them on the right-hand side of this page.

Have you heard your favourite yet? There's certainly a lot of variety so far, including a singing grandad, a singing turkey, some opera, some rap, and of course, some good old-fashioned schlager!

Looking ahead this week, it's full steam ahead as Israel and Greece choose their songs for Belgrade, and Andorra reveals the full version of Casanova. Also, next weekend, it's the turn of Georgia, Latvia and the UK to pick their entries.

Only 19 more songs to go!

Super Saturday - Our predictions

OK, we've previewed all 8 of tonight's finals, so here's a list of who we will be rooting for:

Bulgaria - Georgi Hristov and Gianni Fiorelino, Sogno
Croatia - Maja Blagdan, Zvala sam ga Anđele
FYROM - None, Vrati se
Iceland - Eurobandið, Fullkomið líf
Ireland - Dustin The Turkey, Irelande 12 Points
Poland - Isis, For Life
Romania - Biondo, Shine
Ukraine - Ani Lorak, Shady Lady

It's going to be an exciting night. Enjoy!

Super Saturday Preview 8 - FYROM - Decide for yourself!

Bad new for fans of entries from FYR of Macedonia, news has reached Eurovision Express that there will not be a live webcast of tonight's final.

Heh ho - there are plenty of other countries to tune in to. We'll be concentrating on Ireland, and then trying to catch up with Poland and Romania, but we're expecting it all to descend in to Eurovision chaos.

Snippets of the songs from FYR of Macedonia are below, and they're not bad. Our favourite is the catchy None Nedelkovska with Vrati se, but if past experience is anything to go on, they will pick Tamara feat. Vrčak & Adrian Gaxha with Vo ime na ljubovta. Good luck None!

Super Saturday Preview 7 - Bulgaria - How about some more Italian?

We're going to come clean now. Here at Eurovision Express we love all things Eurovision, but even we haven't been able to keep up with goings on in Bulgaria. Just like Iceland, they seemed to start their selection about ten years ago.

Having had a quick listen to the 12 songs competing to be Bulgaria's 4th entry, we think the best is probably an uptempo Italian song called Sogno, sung by Georgi Hristov and Gianni Fiorelino.

It reminds us of Eros Ramazzotti, and should it be picked, it will bring the number of Italian language songs up to two. We fully expect San Marino to sing in Italian as well, so it's quite possible that even without the much missed Italy, the Italian language could be the second most popular tongue to sing in this year.

Check out Sogno below

Bob's Your Uncle

So, at last, all six songs vying to represent the UK at the Eurovision are available to listen to.

And Eurovision Express is throwing its support behind Rob McVeigh with a classy ballad - I Owe It All To You. Rob was one of the contenders on Any Dream Will Do, the TV reality show to find a new star to play the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and his Techinicolor Dreamcoat.

With dreams of playing Joseph gone, Rob's now focussing his efforts on representing the UK, and we wish him well.

In the final shake-up we reckon it will be between Rob and The Revelations with It's You, which reminds us of Belle And The Devotions and Sonia's A Little Love from A Song For Europe 1993.

Fingers crossed then for Rob - after the disappointment of the UK not choosing Cyndi last year, we hope the British public does the right thing, and votes for Rob!

Douze Points for Dustin!

Having heard the Irish finalists this afternoon, we have been very impressed by the quality this year. Dervish is a distant memory now as Ireland has really pulled out all the stops to change the usual ballad stereotype from the Emerald Isle...and how!

Donal Skehan was up first with a Swedish schlager song Double Cross My Heart. A very europop song worthy of Alcazar and very different for Ireland. Nice song, should do well...but
was totally eclipsed by what came next....

Dustin the Turkey's Douze points for Ireland. He mentions practically every European country in the song and with his female accomplice, belts out a very unusual rap-disco-comedy song that is so catchy, it just has to win the Irish selection. And then, who knows??

Maya from Slovenia's song Time to Rise is a powerful ballad but I'm afraid Maya murdered it. Nuff said.

Next up was Leona Daly with Not Crazy after all which sounds a bit like The Kinks' Lazing on a sunny afternoon. Quite a contemporary song and should be interesting to see how she performs it on Saturday. One to watch.

Next up - Liam Geddes with Sometimes. This was a predictable Irish Eurovision ballad song. Not bad, very musical theatre, but totally outclassed this year, I'm afraid.

Last up, Marc Roberts who is no stranger to Eurovision. His song Chances is uptempo but not a patch on Mysterious Woman. Now we see why he is last in the betting. Sory Marc, not your year.

So, we think it's Dustin for Belgrade! Leona and Donal to fight it out for the runner-up place.

Well done Ireland for some great songs this afternoon.

Super Saturday Preview 5 - Ukraine - Verka, a hard act to follow

The Ukraine may only have taken part in five Contests, but they've certainly made an impact, having won once and, of course, coming second last year with Verka and the unforgettable Lasha Tumbai.

The unenviable task of following Verka goes to Ani Lorak, who will sing five songs in the national final this Saturday. Amongst the offerings is Shady Lady, written by Eurovision superstar Philip Kirkorow. It's a contemporary uptempo number but not quite as catchy as Work Your Magic, the Belarussian song Kirkorow was responsible for last year.

Ani has tried to represent the Ukraine once before back in 2005, and had it not been for the wildcard song of Greenjolly, she would have strutted her stuff in front of a home crowd in Kyiv with Another Little Shot. Take a look at Ani's 2005 song below.

Super Saturday Preview 4 - Poland - And The Swedes Keep On Coming

It has to be said that the Polish national final rarely sets our pulses racing here at Eurovision Express. But this year, things have changed. Thomas G:Son, looking to expand the number of countries he submits entries to, has sent fellow Swedes Man Meadow along with Viva La Musica, which is very G:Son, and we mean that in a nice way.

Another Swede, Sandra Oxenryd, is hoping for a second bite of the Eurovision cherry, having previously represented Estonia in 2006 with Through My Window. This year she sings another bouncy ditty - Superhero.

But we're not sure that Poland will go for either of these two schlager anthems, and have a hunch that they may plump for Isis and For Life (video below).

Bits and Pieces from the UK

The six names competing to represent the UK have been announced. They are Michelle Gayle and Andy Abraham in the Soloists category; Loveshy and The Revelations in the Groups section; and Rob McVeigh and Simona Armstrong in the Joseph/Maria pot.

Their songs aren't available to listen to yet, although you can hear some of Loveshy's entry, Mr Gorgeous here. It's not bad.

BBC Radio 1 previewed very small extracts from all of the songs on the Scott Mills show today (Monday 18 February). If you're quick you can hear the snippets again. Go to Scott's page here and click on the Listen to the Latest Show button. Then fast forward about 2 hours and 20 mins. The Revelations sound promising, and we are very curious to hear what Rob McVeigh's ballad is like.

As soon as the full versions are available we'll be sticking our neck out and predicting the winner, although already we reckon it's between Rob, LoveShy and The Revelations. We shall see!

Super Saturday Preview 3 - Iceland - Putting Everything On Ice

Here at Eurovision Express we have a soft spot for Iceland. Their first entry back in 1986 was the fantastic Gledibankinn. And they've entered some great tunes since then, including All Out Of Luck, which, to our mind, should have won the 1999 Contest.

With this year's Icelandic selection starting in October(!), we've found it hard to keep up with every twist and turn of how the songs got selected.

And, unfortunately, it has to be said that the final 8 are not exactly classic material. The most bizarre is sung by Dr Spock and is utterly awful. There's also some weird country song, and one entry performed by three people on a sofa....

The favourite is Eurobandið with Fullkomið líf, which is a pretty decent pop/club song. It may be sung in English in the national final under the title This Is My Life, with the new lyrics being penned by Eurovision legend and Icelandic representative from 1997, Paul Oscar.

We really would love to visit Iceland for the Eurovision finals, but, if these songs are anything to go by, we doubt it will be Reykjavik 09.

Super Saturday Preview 2 - Croatia - Maja's got it in the bag!

Another Super Saturday contender up next - Croatia.

Having listened to the rather uninspiring offerings in this year's Dora, we think it's clear that a previous entrant has the best song and also the best chance of representing her country again in Belgrade.

Maja Blagdan sings Zvala sam ga anđele, a nice little ballad which stands out from the rest of the pack.

If you're not familiar with Maja take a look at her performance in the 1996 Contest. It's become a classic, thanks to Terry Wogan's commentary. During one particularly screechy part, Terry says something like 'Steady Woman'. Might not sound funny (and quite a few fans were outraged) but in context you'll seeing where Terry's coming from.

12 years on Maja's still going strong, and we reckon it'll be Blagdan for Belgrade! Take a look at her performance below.

Super Saturday Preview 1 - Romania - Let It Shine

First up in our Super Saturday preview is Romania. Over the past couple of weekends they've held two qualify rounds to create a final with 12 songs.

The one to beat looks to be Shine by all male trio Biondo. And guess what? It's co-written by Måns Zelmerlöw, who sang Cara Mia in last year's Melodifestival. Joining Måns on writing credits are fellow Swedes Henrik Wikström and Niklas Edberger, who have composed many a tune for the Swedish Eurovision heats.

Shine is a powerful, opera-lite song, aimed at those who enjoy the likes of Il Divo and G4, and, should Romania choose it on Saturday, we reckon it will sail through to the Eurovision Final.

What's in store on Super Saturday

Next Saturday (23 February) no fewer than 8 countries will be choosing their Eurovision entry for Belgrade.

Yes, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Iceland, Ireland, Poland, Romania and The Ukraine have collectively created the busiest night of Eurovision entertainment in living memory.

It's all going to pretty hectic, so over the next week we'll be providing an essential guide to Super Saturday.

Carola's Goose is cooked!

What a shocka in Västerås tonight! Three times Melodifestival winner Carola, together with Andreas Johnson, probably thought getting through tonight's Swedish qualifying round would be a walk in the park.

Everything indicated that favourites Sanna Nielsen and Carola/Andreas would sail into the Globen final on March 15th. Sanna got through ok, and all seemed to be going to plan.

But then came the result. Two bald-headed, red-suited Scissor Sister wannabes called Rongedal produced what is probably the biggest shock in Melodifestival history. They got the ticket to the final and the dream ticket of Carola and Andreas have to suffer the embarrassment of going into the 2nd chance round! Carola's face said it all!

All looks bright for Charlotte Perelli and BWO now!

Time for Turkey

It's relatively quiet on the Eurovision front this weekend. Everyone is girding their loins for next week's SuperSaturday - on 23 February no fewer than 8 countries will be picking their entry for Belgrade.

Attention this weekend is likely to be focussed on Turkey, who are not having a national final, but have simply chosen an artist and a song. This method has proved pretty successful for them in recent years - Sertab won Eurovision in 2003 and Kenan came 4th last year.

Hoping to keep up the good work are alternative four-piece rock band Mor ve Ötesi, which means 'Violet and Beyond'. Here at Eurovision Express we're not especially into alternative rock, although we did like Lordi, Wig Wam and Athena (if they count as alternative!). But we're all for a diverse range of musical styles in the Contest, so we're looking forward to seeing what the boys from Turkey have prepared for us.

Their song will be premiered tonight on Turkish TV at around 18.30 CET, so hopefully we'll be able to see and hear the song not too long after that. Stay tuned!

It's a knockout!

More news is filtering in about Eurovision: Your Decision, the new format the UK will use to select its Eurovision entry for Belgrade.

Information from the press office section of the BBC's website suggests that six acts will battle it out in three (as yet unannounced) categories, although, we here at Eurovisio Express, suspect these may be Male Soloists, Female Soloists and Groups.

During the first of two programmes one act from each category will be knocked out. The three successful acts, plus a wildcard, will proceed to the second programme, during which the four songs will be reduced yet again to two for a 'superfinal'.

It's unclear at the moment if the wildcard will be one of the original six acts that gets knocked out in the first round, or a completely separate seventh act (although this latter option seems less likely).

Singers and songtitles are still to be revealed, so this format still leaves the possibility for the much mooted Joseph/Maria concept to be used. For example the three categories could be 'Josephs', 'Marias' and 'Joseph and Marias'.

More information as soon as we get it!

"MYMU" RIP - Say Hello To "EYD"

Looks like the BBC is renaming its national final from Making Your Mind Up (or MYMU as it was affectionately known) to Eurovision: Your Decision.

Although we don't think people are going to start calling the show EYD, maybe the change of name is a step in the right direction. Associating the UK Eurovision selection with Bucks Fizz's winning song from 1981 perhaps suggested to the voting public that what the UK needed was a stereotypical 'Boom-Bang-A-Bang' type entry.

And, as the past 5 years have shown, this is definitely not what we need to send. Eurovision Express thinks it's time for us to send a good solid ballad (a la Jessica Garlick) or a contemporary pop song (a la Imaani).

The BBC should be announcing details of EYD within the next week or so, and whether it takes the form of the rumoured Joseph+Maria/Lloyd Webber+Gary Barlow extravaganza or another format, the only thing that really matters is that we send a good song. Fingers crossed.

Cheeky Scotland!

Eyebrows and kilts were raised this week when it was reportedly announced that Scotland has been given permission to break away from the U.K. and launch its own bid for glory at the Eurovision Song Contest.

According the several newspapers and websites, the EBU has said there was nothing to prevent Scottish musicians from entering under their own flag.

The ruling comes after lobbying from a Scottish member of the European Parliament, Mr Alan Smyth.

However, practically this is probably not a realistic option as Scotland would be able to vote for itself as it would use the U.K. phone system!

Maybe some day eh, Scotland?

Meanwhile in Moldova....

What with all the excitement in Norway, Eurovision Express didn't really have time to check out the Moldovan final. Anyway, they've chosen Geta Burlacu and a sultry jazz number called A Century Of Love, which is not dissimilar to last year's Lithuanian entry.

Eurovision fans don't seem to be exactly ecstatic with the choice, most feeling that Alexa and her uptempo We Are One would have been a better choice. Seems that the Moldovan public agrees. Geta only won by getting high marks with the two juries - in the televote Alexa scored 7665, resoundly beating Geta's 4293.

Judge for youself. Geta's video is on the right, amongst the songs already selected to represent their country this year. Alexa's song is below.