Venue confirmed! It's Fornebu!

The venue for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest has been confirmed by NRK. The options were the Spektrum (1996 venue) in the city centre, and the Telenor Arena in Fornebu (west of Oslo). Thankfully the larger arena - the Telenor - has been chosen. This will easily accommodate the thousands of fans who will travel to Oslo in May.

Due to advertising restrictions, the Telenor Arena will be known as the Fornebu Arena for the duration of the 2010 contest. The last time Eurovision Express was in Fornebu was in 1996 when it was the site of the old Oslo airport. We are very much looking forward to returning for another Norwegian Eurovision!

You can learn all about the home of the next Eurovision here

Sounds great to us!

Eurovision Express has just caught up with Sounds Like Teen Spirit - the film that revolves around some of the participants at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007.

Jamie J Johnson's film concentrates on the entrants from Belgium (Trust), Cyprus (Yiorgos Ioannades), Georgia (Mari Romelashvili) and Marina, one of the girls from the Bulgarian group, Bon Bon.

It's a great little film - by turns funny, sad, hopeful and uplifting. The Cypriot singer talks candidly about being bullied, and the Bulgarian girl seems especially upset since her father left home. The girl from Georgia carries the weight of her whole country on her shoulders and is delighted when she comes 5th.

The Belgians, thankfully, add a bit of light relief, seeming a little less stressed and concerned about winning - which is just as well because they came 15th!

Although the film deals with disappointment, ultimately it reveals the joy of being a kid and taking part in Eurovision.

Highly recommended! Check out the trailer below!

Eurobash is back!

The date for the very popular annual get together of the OGAE(UK) fan club - known as the EUROBASH - has been set. Mark it in your calendars - it's Saturday 3rd October. Once again, it's in the centre of the country - in Birmingham.

This event has sold out for the past two years so if you want to be there on the day - book now!

The EUROBASH will keep to the tried and tested formula -
· The Euroquiz
· A contest where attendees vote on selected ESC songs.
· The Guest Panel – Eurovision celebrities answer your questions.
· Stars In their Eurovision Eyes - LIVE ESC performances by attendees.
· A Euro Disco – where you pick the songs.

If you have any questions about the event, please email the organisors here

..and Su can tell everybody...this is Your Song!

Rumour has it that Elton John is to write next year's UK song for Eurovision. And even more bizarre, the rumour goes on to suggest that the singer would be UK actress Su Pollard - of Hi-De-Hi and Christmas Panto fame! What would Miss Cathcart say??

It must be the sunstroke, this surely can't be true, can it??

By the way that's Elton on the right!

Eurovision Dance Contest Postponed!

In a statement from the EBU, it has been confirmed that the 2009 Eurovision Dance Contest, originally scheduled for Baku Azerbaijan on the 26th September this year, has been postponed until next year! The official reason is that there aren't enough countries taking part!

Could the same thing be about to happen to the Junior contest (due to take place in Ukraine)? We think this a strong possibility as countries are also dropping out of that competition! Also, by this stage of the year we would hear of some national final plans for the JESC, but as yet, nothing!

You can read the statement here

ESC 2010 Final: 29 May in Oslo

Eurovision 2010 will take place somwhere in Oslo - the exact venue has yet to be announced. The final will take place on Saturday 29 May, with the 2 semis on Tuesday 25 and Thursday 27 May. This avoids a potential clash with The Champions League football final (taking place 22 May).

Bring it on!

Fairytale enters the charts!

The 2009 Eurovision winner has become a huge hit across Europe. In the UK it has reached no.10. This is the highest chart entry for a Eurovision winner in the UK for over 10 years.

Other UK chart entries are home-grown Jade at no.27 and Yohanna from Iceland at no.49. Across Europe Alexander's Fairytale has entered most charts, making it one of the most successful winners in years! In Ireland it has reached no.2 in the singles charts.

Congratulations Alexander!

Jury Vote revealed!

The Jury-only vote from Saturday's final has been revealed. Some interesting changes, UK and France moved up, whereas Azerbaijan and Turkey moved down.

1. Norway (312 points)
2. Iceland (260 points)
3. United Kingdom (223 points)
4. France (164 points)
5. Estonia (124 points)
6. Denmark (120 points)
7. Turkey (114 points)
8. Azerbaijan (112 points)
9. Israel (107 points)
10. Greece (93 points)
11. Moldova (93 points)
12. Bosnia & Herzegovina (90 points)
13. Malta (87 points)
14. Germany (73 points)
15. Armenia (71 points)
16. Ukraine (68 points)
17. Russia (67 points)
18. Portugal (64 points)
19. Croatia (58 points)
20. Lithuania (31 points)
21. Romania (31 points)
22. Sweden (27 points)
23. Albania (26 points)
24. Finland (12 points)
25. Spain (9 points)

Compare this with the combined Televote/Jury vote...

1. Norway (387 points)
2. Iceland (218 points)
3. Azerbaijan (207 points)
4. Turkey (177 points)
5. United Kingdom (173 points)
6. Estonia (129 points)
7. Greece (120 points)
8. France (107 points)
9. Bosnia-Herzegovina 106 (points)
10. Armenia (92 points)
11. Russia (91 points)
12. Ukraine (76 points)
13. Denmark (74 points)
14. Moldova (69 points)
15. Portugal (57 points)
16. Israel (53 points)
17. Albania (48 points)
18. Croatia (45 points)
19. Romania (40 points)
20. Germany (35 points)
21. Sweden (33 points)
22. Malta (31 points)
23. Lithuania (23 points)
24. Spain (23 points)
25. Finland (22 points)

Cпасибо Mockba! Thank You Moscow!

We've arrived back from our Eurovision experience in Moscow and it has certainly been one of the best contests we've attended in recent years. We were very impressed with the city and the people of Moscow as well. The organisation was excellent, as was the arena, and the Euroclub! Most of the attendees were also suitably impressed. And it looks like the new jury system was worked very well. Could we actually be heralding the return to a "Song" contest? We hope so!

Thank you to Iceland for the best Eurovision party (again) as well as providing the best song, and a special thanks to our new friend - Hera Bjork! She told us at the aftershow party that she would get a tattoo of the number "2" on her backside as this was the second "2nd" for her this year (as lead singer in the DMGP with "Someday" and of course as backing singer for Yohanna on Saturday). We feel sure that Hera will be back soon and make it to number 1!

We are also thrilled that our blog received more visitors than EVER during the Eurovision fortnight in Moscow, so thank you for reading the blog and we hope you stay with us as we turn our attentions to Norway 2010!

Long Live Eurovision!

What a Fairytale!!!!

We are HAPPY...Very happy! Norway has won as we predicted and our favourite - Iceland - came a very respectable 2nd. And to crown it all, the UK is back in the top 5.

Results of Final HERE

Results of Semi-Final 1 HERE

Results of Semi-Final 2 HERE

The first Semi-Final started with a Fairytale and we have certainly got a Fairytale ending! A great Eurovision result! Well done NORWAY! Off to party like it's 2010 now!

From Moscow.....Goodnight!

VOTE ICELAND!

Just about to go into the arena for tonight's Eurovision Song Contest final and we would ask you all to vote for our favourite song this year - Is It True - from Iceland! It is Song number 7!

Good luck Yohanna!

...And the Winner is......

Prediction time now....Having seen all the rehearsals, and the running order, we think tonight's winner of the 2009 Eurovison Song Contest will be....

NORWAY

This has been the favourite from Day 1 and has shone through in the semi-final. It's got it all - an eastern connection with the singer, a dance routine , a fiddle, a good looking singer and a memorable performance that you don't get bored with througout the 3 minutes.

Oslo 2010? We think so!

Happy Eurovision Day 2009!

The day has finally arrived and Moscow is awash with all things Eurovision. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Russian capital, and have been pleasantly surprised by its charm, warmth and friendliness. The metro system is fantastic and the people have been really helpful. Thankfully, if you stay away from the hotel bars/cafes, it hasn't been as expensive as we expected.

So, down to business.......who's going to be the 2009 winner! Well, we think at the moment, we have narrowed it down to about 4 countries:

GREECE


NORWAY


UNITED KINGDOM


BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA



Our own personal favourite (no surprise) is Yohanna from Iceland with the incredible Is It True? which we would love to win but we dare not dream that one!



There can only be one winner, we will reveal our prediction later.....

Final thoughts on the dress rehearsal

So we've seen all 25 songs in order. The best song is definitely Iceland, but our heads say that it's between Greece, Norway, UK, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine. We'll whittle them down tomorrow.
It's going to be a very interesting Saturday night!
Goodnight form Moscow on Eurovision eve!

Finland and Spain

Finland -

They were still getting the UK's staircase off this afternoon during the start of the UK's song, but it looks like they've sorted that out for tonight. This actually sounds better than we remembered (although there are some off notes!), but is still something we prefer to hear on record in a club. A good reaction.




Spain -

There were also problems this afternoon assembling Soraya's staircase, but they seem to have been sorted for tonight. Visually pleasing, but not vocally perfect. A nice end to the Contest. Does the night belong to Soraya? We're not sure.

Short break then United Kingdom

United Kingdom -

There were major problems getting the UK set ready this afternoon, which have not been rectified for this evening either, as we've cut back the Green Room. The UK employs a complicated staircase, which is in 4 pieces. Looks like they will definitely have to include a break between Romania and the UK.

Anyway, we're off and running. Jade is accompanied on the staircase by 4 violinists in white, and there are a lot of shots of Andrew Lloyd Webber. A very good performance of a good (but not amazing) song. A nice reaction. Doesn't quite sound like a winner, though, but, you have to hand it to the UK - they've really tried!

Ukraine and Romania

A little pause when the hosts remind us how to vote (giving the stage crew the necessary time to set up Svetlana's massive hell wheel).

Ukraine -

Another trip to the circus with Svetlana's polished performance. We love the 'Bom' bits in this song. Another contender, and maybe another win or 2nd place for Ukraine. Good vocals and continually visually interesting. Will the juries go for it? I suppose that just depends on who is on the juries!



Romania -

We do love the "gin, tonic and lime" line near the start of this song, but even this didn't mean it should have qualified. We think this is in contention for last place.

Albania and Norway

Albania -

We like this song a lot, but we don't like the man in the mask and the strange Joker lookalikes. It makes us want to hide behind the sofa. But, unlike some acts, Albania probably didn't have that much cash to splash on what happens on stage. We'd like this to do well, and a friend from another blog thinks it's a winner....not sure we'd go that far....




Norway -

A strong sense of expectation for this. Alexander is confident and knows how to sell the song - he should do, though, as the routine is the MGP one. This is the hottest favourite in years, and we'd be very happy if it won, but it's not definitely in the bag. The ending is very strong, and this should do well with both televoters and the juries. A great reaction.

Germany and Turkey

Germany -
We've just had the postcard for Germany but it's switched to some Green Room commentary with Dmitriy telling us how great the bar is there. We wish someone would get us a drink now.

Anyway we're then straight into the song, without the postcard, which must be a mistake. Alex is dressed is some bright shiny trousers which are a tad camp. We preferred what he wore at the rehearsals (although we can't quite remember what that was - a jacket we think). Dita von Teese doesn't really make any impact, and again the original stand-in who rode the 'lips' sofa was better. This afternoon Dita showed some nipple tassles, but tonight she keeps herself covered up. This song has gone down in our estimation. Go back to the original rehearsals guys!



thanks to AKOE for this photo

Turkey -

This is a good song, but we've become a bit bored with it. It's Turkey by numbers (a little like the Greek by numbers entry). There were microphone problems this afternoon, but Hadise is coming through loud and clear tonight. This will, of course, do well, but we can't see it winning. Good reaction though.

Estonia and Denmark

Estonia -

We like this song! It has a hypnotic quality and will do better than we first thought. A good reaction in the hall.



Denmark -

At this afternoon's rehearsal they forgot to put on Brinck's chair, but not this evening. A great modern pop song that Western Europe will love. Comes at the right time after a Balkan ballad, a Mediterranean ballad and a Baltic new-age song. As always we don't always trust that Brinck will quite hit the high notes, but it's a foot-tapper that should end up mid-table. Reasonable reaction from the audience.

Tea time, Moldova and Malta

There's a break now, featuring a small jokey video of a reporter trying to find out if Russians can sing. We get what look likes policemen, taxidrivers and mothers with babies trying to hold a tune. Anyway, on with the show.

Moldova -

It's never good to come after the break, but Moldova will have everyone's toes tapping with this. It's bonkers in a very entertaining way. The set looks great, primarily in red. We love the dancers - they really make this song such fun.



Malta -

A good reaction for Malta, with what is, without doubt, Chiara's weakest Eurovision song to date. But Chiara knows how to make the most of what she's got, and sells this song well. No idea where this will come, but, although we love Chiara, this song doesn't deserve to win.

Azerbaijan and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Azerbaijan -

There were problems changing between Russia and Azerbaijan at this afternoon's first rehearsal, but all goes smoothly tonight. This is a very good pop song, and is definitely in contention. It's a likeable performance, and, with the gimmicks kept in check, it's not too over the top. Although it may not do better than Greece, we think it deserves to. Surely this will be Top 5. Very good reaction from the audience.





Bosnia-Herzegovina -

A beautiful and stirring anthem, this also has the chance of winning, although everyone here isn't as excited about this song as they were earlier in the week. Well sung and staged, this should do well with both televoters and juries.

Armenia and Russia

Armenia -

Another blue set! This song may actually harm Greece. This certainly isn't one of our favourite songs, but the stage performance is great, and captures your attention throughout. A good reaction.



Russia -

It's the home team's entry. All the screens feature a video of the performer, which shows her aging (and getting more emotional) as the song progresses. This is not a winning entry, although it has an odd attraction. Unsurprisingly, a very good reaction in the auditorium.

Iceland and Greece

Iceland -

We've made no secret of the fact that this is our favourite song in the Contest, and Yohanna does not disappoint. This is amazing. A great cloudy setting, and very good camera work. And, towards the end, this song is in a league of its own. This song deserves to win the Contest - we hope that the rest of Europe agrees. A very good reaction. Vote Iceland!


Greece -

Greece has a good draw here, coming after a lot of ballads. There's no denying that Greece knows how to put on a show - moving platforms that create a playground for Sakis and his dancers. If it were down to televoters alone, this would probably be our tip for top, but we're wondering if the juries might have had enough of these elaborate stage acts. It could win - it's a good song after all, but we think there are other songs in the competition more deserving of victory.

Croatia and Portugal

Croatia -

This was, for us, the surprise qualifier from last night's 2nd semi final. It's a pretty little song, but we think it could have been the song that was saved by the jury. It's another competently performed song, again on a blue set. However the audience at home will be craving something a bit different by this point in the evening's proceedings. An average reaction by the audience.



Portugal -

Everyone loves the Portuguese - both this year and last, they have conducted themselves very well: they are modest, friendly and good-natured. They are enjoying themselves.

For us, this song features the best set in the entire costest - it's colourful and creates an impression of the fairground and carnival. This will probably end up midtable, but it's been one of the most delightful performances of the Contest. Good for Portugal! A good reaction from the audience.

France and Sweden

France -

Patricia Kaas is well known in Russia, and there's a massive reaction at the start of the song. The performance is pure class - elegant, understated and full of subdued emotion. The French never follow trends at Eurovision, and just do their own thing, and you have to admire them for it. They don't enter Eurovision songs - just what they think are good songs.

The performance sees the screens featuring the title of the song translated into many languages, but even if you don't understand what Patricia is saying, you would feel the passion. A fantastic reception to this.



Sweden -

We were delighted that this song qualified, although still think it worked better back in the Swedish Melodifestivalen than it does here in Moscow. The use of white with Malena in white just doesn't work for us. Somehow the whole performance feels a little empty and cold, even though we like the song. An average reaction.

On with the show - Lithuania and Israel

Lithuania -

This probably not the best song to open the Contest with. It would have been better if we'd had a more uptempo number on first. But Sasha Son gives another professional performance of his ballad. It's not one of our favourites, and we think it will probably find itself in the bottom half of the scoreboard. The audience gives it a warm reception, partly as it's on first and partly as the final half of the song is sung in Russian, and, of course, because they may just like it!


Israel -

Noa and Mira, poor souls, are performing in the dreaded 2nd position. They perform against a blue coloured set. We love blue, but it's perhaps over-used in this year's contest. Vocally superb, this is another professionally presented song, which may score well with the juries, if not televoters. A good reaction in the auditorium.

Oh what a circus!

So here we go.....the start of the second dress rehearsal of this year's Final. The show starts with a fascinating performance by Cirque du Soleil.

If you've ever seen this modern circus' work on tour or in Vegas, you'll know how fantastic they are. And this introductory act does not disappoint. There's breath-taking acrobatics galore.


The excitement continues with Dima Bilan descending from the roof of the auditorium, ending up on a walkway which cleverly allows him to run through polystyrene brick walls before he sings last year's Eurovision winner, Believe.


It's a very good start to the show.

We're then introduced to the presenters - Alsou aand Ivan Urgant. How will they shape up to the job? Very well. They don't shout too much (an annoying habit that many presenters have recently adopted), and Alsou has a great grasp of French. The verdict from everyone here is that they are excellent. What a relief after the rather laissez-faire approach employed by the semi-final presenters.

Pressing all the right buttons

The UK had a press conference this afternoon featuring Graham Norton (new BBC Eurovision commentator), Jade Ewen (UK performer) and the songwriters of the UK song, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren.

It was a packed event, and the whole entire UK team came across very well. It's evident that the UK wants to do well this year, and have really made an effort to promote the song and the singer. They are also keen to praise the Russian organisers.

When asked what it was like to follow Terry Wogan as UK commentator, Graham Norton said that Terry had called him and given him some advice - not to have a drink until the 5th song!

Would Graham be as irreverent as Terry? Graham answered this question cleverly, saying that the high standard of entries this year meant that it would be much harder to take the mickey. That said we're sure the commentary will point out both the good and the bad!

The UK has done pretty much everything it can this year to ensure a good result - let's hope this revitalised approach, which has been appreciated by the fans, reaps the rewards it deserves.

Dress Rehearsal of the Final - LIVE blogging tonight

....in 15 minutes! This is the one the juries vote on!!!

Let's call it a night

Well the second semi is over, and we have a full running order:

1 Lithuania
2 Israel
3 France
4 Sweden
5 Croatia
6 Portugal
7 Iceland
8 Greece
9 Armenia
10 Russia
11 Azerbaijan
12 Bosnia-Herzegovina
13 Moldova
14 Malta
15 Estonia
16 Denmark
17 Germany
18 Turkey
19 Albania
20 Norway
21 Ukraine
22 Romania
23 UK
24 Finland
25 Spain

Looks good for Greece (coming after a lot of slow songs) and the UK (coming after a lot of fast songs).

Estonia to perform in position....15

After Malta and before Denmark.

Ukraine to perform in position.....21

Very bad for Norway....but good for UK...all fast songs around it.

Albania to perform in position.....19

A lot of uptempo songs in a row here:
16 Denmark
17 Germany
18 Turkey
19 Albania
20 Norway

Moldova to perform in position.....13

Might be quite good as it's in between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Malta, 2 slow songs....but there may be a break somewhere around here.

Lithuania to perform in position.....1

A bad start to the contest:

Lithuania
Israel
France
Sweden
Croatia....

Greece to perform in position.....8

Not a fantastic draw for Greece.

Azerbaijan to perform in position.....11

Denmark to perform in position.....16

Norway to perform in position.....20

Good draw, unless Greece gets 21!

Croatia to perform in position.....5

Very slow songs at the beginning, except Sweden.

9 out of 10

Well we almost got it right for Semi-Final 2...we got 9 out of 10 qualifiers. The only surprise for us was Croatia qualifying instead of Serbia. Predictably, the last two envelopes were reserved for the two favourites - Norway and Greece.

Coming up in the next hour we have the draw for the Final placings for the Semi 2 qualifiers.

Positions left are:

1
5
8
11
13
15
16
19
20
21

Where will Greece and Norway be drawn??? Stay tuned!

Semi-Final 2 tonight

We will be attending the 2nd Semi-Final tonight at 11pm Moscow time (!!) and afterwards we will be in the Press Centre to cover the rest of the final draw live! Apologies if we keep it short and sweet as by that time it will be 3am!



Good luck to Ireland tonight - we hope they qualify, but we're not holding our breath! Good luck also to the Netherlands for keeping the old Eurovision spirit alive. We also hope Denmark gets through to the final with their contemporary pop song.

Bon chance a tous! We think tonight will belong to these two gentlemen!

Semi-Final 2 - Our qualifiers

OK, having watched Semi-Final 2 in the arena and on the tv screen, it's time to say which countries we think will qualify tomorrow night....

To proceed to the final

SERBIA
NORWAY
DENMARK
AZERBAIJAN
GREECE
LITHUANIA
UKRAINE
ESTONIA
ALBANIA
MOLDOVA

therefore being left out of Saturday's final....

Croatia
Ireland (unfortunately)
Latvia
Poland
Cyprus
Hungary
Slovakia
Slovenia
The Netherlands (unfortunately)

and finally...The Netherlands

NETHERLANDS -
Oh, we feel all nostalgic for Eurovisions of old. This is the Contest circa 1975. In many ways this song makes us feel a bit sad, which is not the intention at all. It feels like a last ditch attempt at a Eurovision song of years gone by. If it doesn't qualify, it could be the end of an era. With countries like Belgium and Switzerland struggling, the omens aren't good.

On a more positive note, the guys are enjoying themselves immensely, and have been great fun throughout their stay in Moscow - good for them.

Ukraine and Estonia

UKRAINE -
Another song that is prop-tastic with 3 big hell wheels that create a circus for Svetlana to perform within. The boys are now dressed like gladiators. There's something happening every second in this song, including some crazy drum-bashing. A real show this - perhaps a little 'cheap' but this is qualifying. Like Greece, Ukraine know how to play this Eurovision game.


ESTONIA -
One thing that's becoming very clear is that the use of props is making it exceedingly difficult for the stage crew to get everything ready between songs. So far there have been 2 or 3 large pauses before songs have started. We're not sure how this problem is going to be resolved.

But Estonia - a nice, atmospheric song, simply presented. A likely qualifier.

Moldova and Albania

MOLDOVA -
A performance with loads of energy, and no props! Nelly is confident and the backing dancers are great. It's a real 'ethnic' entry, full of fun. We're pretty certain this will qualify.



ALBANIA -
A great song, but we really aren't keen on the stage act. Kejsi sounds good, but the man in a sequined lycra mask is just bizarre, and quite frightening, as are the other 2 dancers who wear make-up like The Joker from Batman. For us this was a definite qualifier, and we still think it could do, but inspite of the performance, and not because of it.

Greece and Lithuania

GREECE -
You have to hand it to Greece - they know how to put on a show. Sakis, dressed in white, and his team of 4 backing dancers, put on a faultless show. The moving platform prop is used to great effect. It enables Sakis to jump on the word 'Fly', and then it looks like he is effortlessly sliding along the platform. Then all 5 performers lock their feet into some device that allows them to bend back and forward. And, then, as if that's not enough, the platform opens up to reveal the Greek flag beneath. We do prefer other songs this year, and would love a simple performance to win, but, entertainment-wise, this is quite possibly the best 3 minutes we've yet seen. So we could well be heading back to Greece next year.


LITHUANIA -
This is a well-liked entry, but it's not really to our taste. But, fair's fair, Sasha Son is one of the better singers at this year's contest. The feeling is this will qualify, and we'd be happy enough if it did.

Hungary and Azerbaijan

HUNGARY -
This looks good on stage, especially at the beginning where Zoli lies on the stage and a very clever 3D effect is created with 'blocks' appearing behind him. Vocally again not brilliant, but not bad. The song, similarly, is ok but not great. Another entry that might just make it, although we think it will probably just miss out.


AZERBAIJAN -
This is more like it! A catchy tune that looks good. Arash particularly looks relaxed and like he's enjoying himself. The dancing is good, and there's a memorable bit when AySel mounts a small metal stage area and a strong gust of wind blows her dress all around her - visually impressive. This is, of course, qualifying.

Denmark and Slovenia

DENMARK -
Like an oasis in a desert, here comes Denmark with a really good popsong. Brinck does struggle with the higher parts of the chorus, and we're a little concerned that the countries in this semi may not be as friendly to this song as we are. But Norway and Ireland will certainly throw it some sizeable points. This is one of the best songs so far, and we will be very disappointed if it doesn't get through.



SLOVENIA -
This song caused some real problems earlier today. Setting the stage is tricky, as there are 5 doorframes, each covered with paper. So the short break has been moved to before this song to give the stage crew more time to set things up. The performance looks a bit messy, with bits of paper hanging off the doorframes, and I think visually the shadow idea gets a bit boring. The lead singer tonight was struggling with the vocals (but as you will have worked out, she can join a long list of performers who aren't quite hitting the notes....) A borderline qualifier, but more likely not to get through.

Cyprus and Slovakia

CYPRUS -
This could be a good song, and the stage performance is quite nice. There are 3 big sugar lumps, one of which revolves with Christina on top. The main problem, and this comes as no real surprise, is that the vocals sound poor. Greece will vote for it, but will anyone else? Not a qualifier.


SLOVAKIA -
By this stage in the proceedings the viewing public might be hoping for something great, but although Slovakia's performers are fantastic, the song isn't. There's no real melody to hook you in. We can't believe this will qualify.

Poland and Norway

POLAND -
This is a decent enough song, but the vocals are very weak. Lidia is backed by 3 singers dressed in what look like white sheets, and 2 dancers (also in white). A surefire non-qualifier.


NORWAY - Alexander's performance is almost a carbon copy of that seen at the MGP. Maybe we've heard it too many times, but this isn't quite hitting the spot for us. We'd be very happy with a Norwegian win, and although it's a definite qualifier, it's certainly not a guaranteed winner on Saturday.

Latvia and Serbia

LATVIA -
We think this is possibly the weakest song in the Contest. It's all very shouty. Intars runs around the stage facing a steady cam for much of the song. If this qualifies, we will be disappointed.



SERBIA -
This looks good on stage. Marko Kon is having fun and the routine, although cheesy and naff, is polished. The backdrop includes large cartoon versions of Marko, which is very suitable. Not a song we like, but this is likely to make it through.

Croatia and Ireland

CROATIA -
We've only just got the live stream in the press centre so we've missed Croatia, but when we saw it at this afternoon's rehearsal it was a perfectly competently performed entry. A nice song, but unlikely to qualify.



IRELAND -
Sadly, Ireland is going to find it hard to qualify. The set and spreading the girls out on stage doesn't really help this song. Sinead's costume this afternoon was quite bizarre, mainly black with a pink 'flying saucer' style short skirt. This evening Sinead's changed a black top for a pink one, which looks better. This is one of the better songs in this semi, but without (m)any friends, it looks like Ireland will not be making an appearance on Saturday. A shame.

Semi-Final 2 - The opening

The 2nd dress rehearsal has just started. The start is, in our opinion, better than that presented at the first semi-final. There are numerous traditional Russian musicians on stage, who perform Volare, Waterloo, Diva and Believe. Traditional and contemporary dancers perform to the songs.

The theme for this opening is comedy, so we are treated to a number of Russian stereotypes, including 3 massive Russian dolls, cossacks and big bears.

LIVE blogging tonight from Moscow..Semi 2

Tonight we will do another Live blogging session when we review the songs in the 2nd semi-final. We have seen them in the arena this afternoon and later will see what they look and sound like on screen. There were some setup problems, especially the setup of Slovenia when there was a lengthy delay. However that's what rehearsals are for. We hope it will be alright tonight.

We will also have pictures from the rehearsal later so you can see what the performers will look like tomorrow night.

We'll also give our predictions for the qualifiers from Semi-Final 2 after the rehearsal tonight.

LIVE blog starts at UK/Irish time 17:00, CET 18:00, Moscow Time 20:00

As a taster here is a shot from the opening sequence...

In the running....

We've had a little while to digest the positions that were drawn last night by the qualifiers from the first semi-final. But the real winner isn't one of these 10 - the country that has done best from the draw is the United Kingdom.

The UK is in 23rd position, and a ballad either side of it could really have dented its chances, but Romania is on 22nd and Finland drew 24th. So the UK is flanked by 2 uptempo entries. And of course another fast song - from Spain - is performing in 25th and last position.

We're a little disappointed that Iceland drew 7th but it could have been worse - they could have drawn 2nd - unfortunately for Israel, that's the spot they will be singing in.

Bosnia-Herzegovina to perform in position.....12

And that completes our coverage for tonight!

The videos on the right have been adjusted to reflect the running order so far determined.

Malta to perform in position.....14

Portugal to perform in position.....6

Finland to perform in position.....24

Romania to perform in position.....22

Iceland to perform in position.....7

Israel to perform in position.....2

Turkey to perform in position.....18

Armenia to perform in position.....9

Sweden to perform in position.....4

Running order news....

The 10 qualified acts are being brought into the press conference in the order in which they performed, and not in the order they were drawn, so Sweden will pick its position first and Bosnia last. At least we think that's what will happen.

Running positions available soon....

The press conference of the 10 qualifiers will begin in about 10 minutes. Those who are through to Saturday's Final will be drawing numbers out of a hat to determine the position in which they will sing. We'll bring you all the news as soon as we have it.

Thank You Europe!

They made us wait right until the end, but thankfully Iceland got through to the final! They were joined by their nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland. Unfortunatley Andorra and Switzerland didn't get through.

The qualifiers were:

Armenia
Finland
Sweden
Turkey
Iceland
Romania
Malta
Israel
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Portugal

Overall we're pleased but tinged with disappointment that Switzerland didn't make it.

We are now waiting for the draw for these countries' positions in the final!

What a night!

Semi-Final 1 tonight!

We will be in the arena for the first Semi-Final tonight and back here in the Press Centre for the draw afterwards. We will update the songs on the right-hand side of the screen into their final positions when known!!

The excitement is building! Bon chance to all, especially ICELAND, we will be waving your flag tonight!

Melodifestivalen comes to Moscow

Last night, the Swedish delegation took over the Euroclub and treated us to a specail Abba tribute. To coincide with the 35th anniversary of Waterloo winning, they have setup a website called www.abbasite.com where you can vote for your favourite ABBA song of all time.

Some of this year's contestants sang their favourite ABBA song, including Yohanna from Iceland who treated us to The Winner Takes It All (Let's hope that's an omen for Iceland).

Then some MF stalwarts - Frederik Kempe and Shirley Clamp joined Malena Ernman and Christer Bjorkman for a rousing rendition of Thank You for the Music.

So...our qualifiers from Semi-Final 1

Time to make our predictions now for the qualifiers for the first Semi-Final.

Coming out of the computerised envelopes tomorrow night, we expect....

BELARUS

ARMENIA

ANDORRA

SWITZERLAND

TURKEY

ISRAEL

ICELAND

PORTUGAL

MALTA

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (WINNER OF SEMI-FINAL 1)


...that means the following could be left out in the cold in our opinion...

Montenegro
Czech Republic
Belgium
Sweden (shame)
Bulgaria
FYR Macedonia
Romania
Finland (another shame)

Malta and Bosnia Herzegovina

Malta

Most people seem to think that Chiara is better than the song, and we agree. 'What If We' is not a patch on her previous two efforts, and we think the TV audience will think 'When is this song going to start?' just as we did when we first saw it on Euro Showbox earlier this year. Tonight Chiara actually struggled with some of the notes, which is very unlike her. We think this will qualify, but it's no means a certainty.



Bosnia-Herzegovina

Could we be hearing the winning song of this year's contest? Quite possibly. A haunting melody, and visually well-realised entry, which we fully expect to win this semi-final. Balkan brilliance.

Finland and Portugal

Finland

Oh dear. We love this song, but it's a track to dance to in a club. The three girls seem a little uncomfortable, and there doesn't seem to be any chemistry between them. Before we arrived in Moscow we had this as a definite qualifier, but now it's unlikely to get through. What a shame.



Portugal

We're back in the Green Room with Dmitriy, who tells us about the stars who appeared on the Eurovision stage, including ABBA, Celine Dion and....Toto Cutugno.

Portugal has one of the best backdrops used in the Contest - the bright, fairground colours really suit the song. We would have liked the chorus to have come in sooner and we're not convinced by the lead singer's dress, but once this song is in full flight, we have to admit, it's delightful. It's a real relief from all the pyros and gimmicks used in a number of the other songs. A simple song that makes you happy. What more could you want? A qualifier we think.