Douze Points!

That is one of our best titles yet... lol.

"Sweden is a rich country with a high standard of living. Swedes have one of the world's longest life expectancies. The country has many natural resources including iron ore, lead, granite, zinc and forests. Forests cover about half the land and there are important timber and paper industries."

Whittaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Nathan's view
Melodifestivalen was fantastic. It has to be one of the best things I have ever witnessed! I loved it from start to end and it was so entertaining. Charlotte Perrelli's song Hero is a great upbeat pop song which fits perfectly with Eurovision this year. This is going to be Charlotte's second attempt at Eurovision having won it with her first entry in 1999, in Jerusalem, Israel. This song is fantastically written and I know that she can go to Belgrade and win Eurovision again, and I wouldn't be surprised if she did! I know that Hannah will agree with me about the song and although she wasn't here to see the Melodifestivalen final I know she wanted to watch it! Hannah, I promise to find a webcast, and if I can't, I may buy the DVD!

Hannah's view
I love this song. Its upbeat, has a strong beat, great lyrics and a brilliant singer with an amazingly strong voice. I think this is better than Sweden's entry last year - The Ark, and this has a very strong chance in winning Eurovision this year. There is a mixture of ballads and pop songs this year (with the odd exception - Finland etc.) and this is definitely in the top 5 for the pop songs, if not the entire contest! Great song!

Public results:
11 points to Amy Diamond
22 points to Christer Sjögren
44 points to Nordman
66 to Rongedal
88 to BWO
110 to Charlotte Perrelli
132 to Sanna Nielsen

CHARLOTTE PERRELLI WINS!

Ok so Linda got NONE from the public?! How?!

Final results:

1. Charlotte Perrelli- Hero - 224 points
2. Sanna Nielsen- Empty Room - 206 points
3. BWO- Lay Your Love On Me - 158 points
   
4. Rongedal - Just A Minute - 142 points
5. Linda Bengtzing- Hur Svårt Kan Det Va? - 64 points
6. Nordman - I Lågornas Sken - 48 points
   
7. Sibel- That Is Where I'll Go - 39 points
   
8. Amy Diamond- Thank You - 36 points
9. Christer Sjögren- I Love Europe - 23 points
10. Frida featuring Headline- Upp O Hoppa - 6 points
    

As we can see BigPoll was right, once again! Unfortunately Linda could've done with points from the televote, but no worries as Charlotte Perrelli's Hero is a fantastic song. I am fully backing Sweden this year! You have to feel sorry for Frida and Headline with just 6 points and if Christer hadn't got any points from the televote then he would've had just 1 points.

In Belgrade it will be Charlotte's second attempt at Eurovision, having won on her first attempt in 1999, in Jerusalem.

Here are the Melodifestivalen Jury Results:
Örobro gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Luleå gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Falan gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Karlstad gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Umeå gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Norrköping gave 12 to BWO
Göteborg gave 12 to Rongedal
Sundsvall gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli
Växjö gave 12 to Sanna Neilsen
Malmö gave 12 to Sibel
Stockholm gave 12 to Charlotte Perrelli

From esctoday.com...

Complete jury results:

1. Charlotte Perelli - 114 points
2. Rongedal - 76 points
3. Sanna Nielsen - 74 points
4. BWO - 70 points
5. Linda Bengtzing - 64 points
6. Sibel - 39 points
7. Amy Diamond - 25 points
8. Frida feat. Headline - 6 points
9. Nordman - 4 points
10. Christer Sjögren - 1 point

All ten songs have just been performed in Sweden. Here are my thoughts on each song.

1 - Charlotte Perrelli - Hero
Charlotte's use of black and white at the beginning is great - then turning into colour at the first chorus! Like normal Charlotte's vocals were very strong, and so was her performance. The crowd loved her from start to end.

2 - Sibel - That Is Where I'll Go
Sibel wore a long pink dress, much like a wedding dress, and sung a slow ballad. Her strong voice blew me away as she really pulled it out of the bag for the Final. I thought the use of the wind machine was great and contributed to her strong performance.

3 - Rongedal - Just A Minute
It's very 'Mika-ish' and very 'Eurovisiony'. They use a great contrast of high and low voice. They also have a good connection with the camera and there's even a very noticeable key change!

4 - Linda Bengtzing - Hur Svårt Kan Det Va? (How Hard Can It Be?)
The first thing that I noticed in her performance was the great use of choreography. Yet again Linda's strong vocals really made be believe in the song. You can even hear the crowd singing the chorus 'se mig, hör mig, rör mig, hur svårt kan det va?' with her and that adds to the great atmosphere that her song creates. Yet again, her and her dances connect with the camera well and you can see that they are enjoying themselves. She did herself proud!

5 - Christer Sjögren - I Love Europe
Not much to say about this except it was quite a plain, boring performance and it wasn't the greatest of songs.

6 - Amy Diamond - Thank You
Thank you Amy for such a great performance, you are only 15 and you were even given a fake ID card as a joke in her interview afterwards! Back to the song, and Amy and her dances wore fantastic outfits in gold/black with diamonds for Amy Diamond. Her vocals were very strong and it has a catchy chorus that I have been singing all day long! Great usage of the stage led to a great performance.

7 - Sanna Nielsen - Empty Room
This really was the best of the two ballads. Her strong vocals and use of stage led to another great performance. She became very emotional during her song too.

8 - Nordman - I Lågornas Sken (In the Light of the Fire)
A folk rock... not very popular in my books. It is, however, quite catchy, unfortunately. Their stage effects were the best part of their performance, they used fire!

9 - Frida feat. Headline - Upp O Hoppa (Get Up and Jump)
Great catchy pop song. Headline's contributions were fantastic too. The backing singers also added to the performance as they contributed fantastically too. You have to love a song like this!

10 - BWO - Lay Your Love On Me
This song really wants to make you dance! The good vocals gained big cheers from the crowd throughout. They used the stage really well and their usage of a 'lift' with pyrotechnics must make them a favourite tonight.

Final thoughts...
I still hope Linda Bengtzing wins but anything can happen! The results will be posted later!

Well - we were wrong... The BigPoll results have been released 1 hour before Melodifestivalen starts and it seems that Charlotte Perrelli will win, according to both the Swedish public and International readers of esctoday.com.

However in the International readers' opinion BWO would finish second and Sanna Neilsen third. In the Swedish opinion, this is switched so BWO would finish third and Sanna would finish second. Unfortunately for both Hannah and I, Linda is predicted to finish fourth in the International view, but in Swedish eyes, she will finish sixth. In International eyes, it seems that Amy Diamond will finish fifth, but the Swedes think she will finish seventh. Rongedal is predicted sixth by International readers, but the Swedes think they will finish fourth. Sibel is predicted to finish seventh by International readers, Sweden thinks she will finish fifth.

The bottom three is exactly the same for both Swedish and International readers with Nordman finishing eighth, Christer Sjögren finishing ninth and Frida feat. Headline is expected to finish last.

Hopefully, in our opinion, BigPoll will not be right, but knowing how well it has worked in the past, I believe that Charlotte Perrelli will be going to Eurovision again this year!

This week San Marino announced that Miodio would be going to Belgrade with the song Complice. Then, during the week, they released a 30 second video clip of the song going to Belgrade and now they have released the full video for us to enjoy!

Anyway, here is the video for Complice: http://www.sanmarinortv.sm/produzioni/default.asp?id=380&item=132&mode=1

It's the final national selection tonight - and I'm going to be watching the SVT webcast and keeping you updated with my thoughts and opinions.

Obviously being a big Eurovision fan I always look forward to Melodifestivalen because Sweden always sends a fantastic song.

I am still annoyed that Nordman beat Carola and Andreas in 'Andra chanson', so my favourite now is Linda Bengtzing and it grows on me all the time!

Coming up in a close second and third are Charlotte Perrelli and Amy Diamond respectively. The both have very catchy choruses which I can already sing to, so that's a good sign, a Eurovision song has to be singable and that is exactly what Linda, Charlotte and Amy have in common with their songs.

I expect it to be very close tonight in all the voting. I hope for Eurovision's sake that Linda wins, and then changes her song into English for the final.

So stay tuned here from 7pm tonight. I will post a webcast link, and my opinions tonight (there's no Hannah, she's buggered off with her friends tonight, tonight of all nights).

Having just watched all the interviews, thanks esctoday.com, you can tell who really wants to go to Belgrade. Amy Diamond would be representing Sweden and the UK if she went, and as mentioned in the interview, she could end up as the highest placing for a singer from the UK for a few years. Linda Bengtzing's interview was another confident interview, she knows she can win and there will be more energy in the performance than there was in the semi-finals. Sibel said that she'd love to represent Sweden in Belgrade, and that could be a good choice in 'the Year of the Ballad'. BWO didn't really want to do Eurovision, so why are you here? Frida and Headline gave a great interview, now we know where that jacket came from, thanks BWO!

All in all, looking at all the interviews I now hope that Linda wins more than I did before!

Our BigPoll Votes
Nathan's view
1st - Linda Bengtzing
2nd - Frida feat. Headline
3rd - Amy Diamond
4th - BWO
5th - Charlotte Perrelli
6th - Sanna Neilsen
7th - Nordman
8th - Christer Sjögren
9th - Sibel
10th - Rongedal

Hannah's view
1st - Linda Bengtzing
2nd - Charlotte Perrelli
3rd - Amy Diamond
4th - Frida feat. Headline
5th - BWO
6th - Sanna Neilsen
7th - Rongedal
8th - Sibel
9th - Nordman
10th - Christer Sjögren

Overview
As you can see both Hannah and myself have roughly the same list with both of us having Linda 1st and Sanna 6th. 2nd-5th are the same in both, just changed slightly; same for 7th-10th too. If Hannah and I are anything to go by Sweden should send an upbeat track in Swedish... which I am learning the lyrics to!

Read our opinions on the Melodifestivalen 2008 Final here.

Hannah's view
I like this song; and the artist.
During his 'audition' to get onto Eurovision I thought he looked like an uncomfortable teenager trying o dance. It looked awful. But, in the official video, WOW! He scrubs up WELL! My first thought whilst watching it... is that the same dude?! Because this one is FIT!!
The song is good, the music is very pop/rock and has a good beat that is easy to hum. Although I understand the lyrics, they loose me slightly. If he says "Im gonna miss you... maybe" and then continues to say he's happy with her, why does he then continue to say, "I dont care!"
I dont know, but as I have said many times before, foreign people are strange. I mean that in a good way, I still love you all! Except certain people...

Nathan's view
Woah! What a radical change this song had! My sources tell me, thanks esctoday.com, that the same guy who organised Dima Koldun's 'Work Your Magic' last year organised this song and I have to say, it works, very, very, very, very well! It's a great song too, with a great beat, great lyrics and I hope it does well... actually I know it's going to do well!

"Malta, which includes the neighbouring island of Gozo, used to be under British rule. It became independent in 1964, but remains a part of the Commonwealth. Malta became the European Union's smallest new member in 2004. Tourism is the island's most important industry and Malta has more than a million visitors every year."

Whittaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
I dont think so. I think this is a great song with an even better video. I really liked this song ever since Nathan played it to me (very loudly) on his phone.
Its a catchy beat, even if you can't completely distinguish the lyrics at times! Its a fun song, paired with a fun title. How can you not like a song called Vodka?! Morena's vocals are superb near the end, but her accent doesn't help people trying to understand her English; no offence, I do actually love her accent!
One thing I do want to know is, who on EARTH are the men screaming 'hey-hey-hey!' amongst other things! It is slightly disturbing (did no one else feel that? Oh well..).

Nathan's view
Hahaha! VODKA! Woot! Malta you've hit the vodka, or at least I thought so till I saw the preview video. MAN Morena's hot! I mean the video is fantastic, like a scene out of Mission Impossible really. The lyrics are great and I love the men, unlike Hannah, chanting 'na zdarovye' in between the verses! Not one of my favourites but it should work well on stage in Belgrade.

"Denmark shares a border with Germany and is the smallest, most southerly Scandinavian nation. It is a wealthy, high-tech country and has all the oil and natural gas it needs. The standard of living is high. Denmark is a monarchy and the kingdom includes the Faeroe Islands and Greenland."

Whittaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
Personally, i love this song! Nathan can't see why; and i don't blame him. I have weird tastes. But i genuinely do love this song and the artist.
It has a relaxed pop feel to it, for it is most definitely a pop song, but has an easy beat and the lyrics are easy to hear, learn and sing along to! I love this type of song, so I'm particualrly attached to this song. I also think that the artist, Simon Mathew, has a great voice which suits this genre and can (unlike some Eurovision artists) sing in tune.
I think Denmark has made a good effort this year and should be rewarded for it. It scores very highly in my personal top 10!

Nathan's view
Oh God, please don't make me actually talk about it... Ok, so it's pop, it's not different enough to do well in my opinion. If Simon comes out on the night in tin-foil then maybe I'll have a different opinion but until then, it's definitely not one of my favourites. It doesn't reach my favourites list, by a LONG way.

"The United Kingdom is made up of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. Although it is a small country, the UK has had a huge influence on the world because of its cultural, military and industrial strengths. At one time, it controlled a vast empire sf lands across the globe and was the world's leading industrial nation. Traditional manufacturing industries are now less important. In the 21st century the UK's main industries are technology, tourism and services such as banking and it is still and important economic power."

Whittaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
This year, the UK has sent Andy Abraham to Belgrade with his own song, Even If. This decision, when announced on the results show of UK's Eurovision: Your Decision sent shockwaves through the country.

Andy was a contestant on a talent contest called X Factor, on which he did very well. When he preformed on Eurovision: Your Decision he got to the finals against Michelle Gayle, who was singing a song called Woo (You Make Me). Not only did most of the country, including me and Nathan, think that this song ought to win, but so did both of the judges on the show. When the result came through that Andy had won, everyone was gobsmacked. Me and Nathan were ranting about the British publics opinions for days.

Andy's song is not bad. Its upbeat ad catchy. The lyrics are very touching and work well with the rhythm of the piece. I also like the 'break it down' bit in te middle of the song, it works very well. Andy is also a very good and enthusiastic performer. All this said, the UK's entry is not the best, in my opinion.

Nathan's view
Warning - Rant imminent...
Hur svårt kan det va for the UK to pick the right song?! Not very!!! Oh My God... The British public do not know what's right! First bloody Leon wins X Factor 4 instead of Rhydian, or even Same Difference, and now Andy Abraham (X Factor 2 runner up) beats 90s pop singer Michelle Gayle in Eurovision: Your Decision. Even the judges thought the Michelle should've won. Both me and my neighbours voted at least twice for Michelle and thought we wouldn't have to do any more as she would win comfortably. What has annoyed me most, I think, is the fact that the BBC haven't released the voting results from Eurovison: Your Decision so we can't see how close it was. I only know one person who wanted Andy to win and however much Even If grows on me, Woo (You Make Me) was the perfect Eurovison song.

So British public - yet again, you have done yourselves proud...

"About half of Slovenia is covered in forest, making it the third most forested
country in Europe. Slovenia became independent from Yugoslavia in 1992 and
joined the European Union in 2004. Its people now have a reasonably good
standard of living"

Whitaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Nathan's view

Well Slovenia look to be going for it this year with a very upbeat track. Although it is sung in Slovenian I believe that this is to be a big contender this year. It's competing with Iceland for my 'douze points'.

The lyrics are very well written in both Slovenian and English. The song makes so much sense in English and I think it would fit well to the rhythm in English too. 'Vrag Naj Vzame' means 'Let the Devil Take It' or 'To Hell With It'. I prefer 'To Hell With It' as it fits with the rest of the lyrics (translated to English) better.

Rebeka Dremelj is a popular model in Slovenia and other ex-Yugoslav states. I think that she will get votes not just through bloc voting, but from Western Europe too.

Hannah's view

I think that this is a catchy song, and i can definitely tell that by the fact that Nathan continually repeats the phrase, 'Vrag Naj Vzame'. It is started to get annoying, Nathan! But, aside from that, i do enjoy the song, possibly not as much as Nathan.

I do like the fact that a country can sing its song in its native language, i think its a better idea than everyone trying to sing in English just to try and win and impress.

It is a good song, but (as i said before) i prefer others. I think partly why Nathan likes it more than me is because, as he mentioned, she is a popular Slovenia model. Need i say more? And somehow, that doesnt do it for me; where as Belarus on the other hand...

Sweden have arguably the best national selection because Eurovision is very important to Sweden.

Ok - now onto the songs...

Charlotte Perrelli - Hero
Nathan's view
Great song with a very catchy tune! Great usage of lights to make her look as if she is in black/white for the first verse. Although she looks rather... weird... I believe this is a good entry for Sweden. It's as catchy as Carola's 'Invincible' in 2006 but still a great song! I have downloaded this too because I love it so much!

Hannah's view
I like this song. A lot. Its got a good, catchy, rhythmical beat and it has great lyrics to match. Both the song and the preformance is very dancey and powerful and it is definitely a pop song! The song is sung well and in tune.
Charlotte is very pretty and her preformance starts in black and white and changes to colour. When i first saw this preformance i siad to Nathan, OMG!! She's wearing a corset covered in mirrors!, This is because she is. Probably.

Sibel - That Is Where I'll Go
Nathan's view
A very boring ballad which will not win - even if they blocked all the other phonelines. Sorry but I hate it. I actually gave up after 2 minutes.

Hannah's view
Unlike Nathan, i do actually reall like this song. It is a touching ballad by someone with a very powerful and impressive voice. The lyrics are beautiful and match the very emotional music. Of course, Nathan would not notice this because:
a) he is a boy (well, thats debateable)
b) he has no emotions
He will have watched the video and thought, gross pink frilly dress and boring ballad. It isnt. So there. Deal with it.

Rongedal - Just A Minute
Nathan's view
A slightly abnormal song with two bald men singing like Mika. Again, I don't like it even though it's very Europop!

Hannah's view
I was very disturbed and creeped out by this entry. It reminded me of two eggs in red suits prancing around a stage. I didnt like the song. Im sorry, but it was entertaining.
The twin/mirror thing didnt work and the one man trying to sing high was singing out of tune and it sounds awful. Mind you, the low notes arent always on track either. This song was purely meant to be seen, not heard. They were both very energetic and slightly camp. I agree with Nathan, very Mika.
So, gold stars all round everyone!! You're just not going through though! Oh well... great job!

Linda Bengtzing - Hur Svårt Kan Det Va
Nathan's view
Such a fantastic song! I loved it right from the first note! If this doesn't win it'll be embarassing for Sweden. If it was translated into English I think it would do better but it's still great as it is! Please send this to Belgrade Sweden!

Hannah's view
This is a good, fun, pop/rock song. I didnt understand any of the words because i am not Swedish, but i still really enjoyed it and I really want to know what it all means in English! The song is very upbeat with a catchy beat and a fun feel to it.
The video is fun and energetic. She delievers a very strong preformance and 'connects with' (or as i say, milks) the cameras and audience. When I first saw the preformance, my first thought was, what's with the guy in the kilt?! But, if anyone's worried, don't be - you get used to it!!

Christer Sjögren - I Love Europe
Nathan's view
Not the best... I give it 3 stars but it will not win Eurovision. It's too boring.

Hannah's view
Not only did I not like this song, but I got really annoyed with it!! If anyone knows of a band called The Mavericks, then they may very well recognise this song he sings. This is because it is a rip off of 'Dance the Night Away' just with different lyrics.
That aside, this guy feels like a teachers pet to me. He's sucking up to Europe and voters by saying, "I love you all!" It's not good or funny. Its stupid and creepy.
Sorry if i've caused any offense, but i hate this song and am very disappointed and annoyed!

Amy Diamond - Thank You
Nathan's view
Great song from Amy! I like the fact that she's only 15 and she's entering Melodifestivalen knowing she would be the youngest winner! Nice and catchy but not as good as Linda's song in my opinion.

Hannah's view
Very rock song start! I really like this song and I have a lot of admiration for the girl who sings this! She's only 15!! She has good vocals and this song is very catchy, upbeat and dancey.
On the video, Amy is very energetic and fun! I don't particularly like her gold jacket or shoes, but that's just a personal thing. She connected well with the audience but her nerves showed in her voice. There was a slight verbrato (shaking) to her voice through out and she took very deep, but quick breaths and they were audible due to the microphone, but I'm nit-picking here!
GREAT preformance!

Sanna Nielsen - Empty Room
Nathan's view
Lots of people seem to like this as their third or fourth, including me, it's my fourth. Although it is a ballad and I hate that everyone seems to send ballad or dance this year but it's a very strong ballad and could have a good chance in Belgrade in May.

Hannah's view
I really like this ballad, possibly more than the other one. In this 'year of the ballad' as Nathan calls it; i believe that this has a good shot as a ballad. It is a very powerful song with beautiful lyrics. I like the fact that Sanna doesn't have to sign MASSIVE notes for the effect of her ballad to be sent across to her audience. There was a LOT of emotion put into this. In the video she almost bursts into tears, bless her! I love this ballad.

Nordman - I Lågornas Sken
Nathan's view
Second entry in Swedish. I don't love it, I don't hate it... I don't like it either. It's quite weird. Not what I'd expect Sweden to send to Eurovision. If this gets through then I'm sorry but Sweden will have their worst result ever by not qualifying through the Semi Final.

Hannah's view
This song creeped me out even more than the eggs in red suits!!
I didnt like his voice, it's very grating and scary and i would NOT like to meet him down a dark alleyway. So what i'm about to say doesn't make matters better...
Personally, i think he was cramming too many words into the chorus and i didn't like his vocals. I think the wall of fire looked rubbish and slightly fake, but the little bursts were MUCH better.

Frida feat. Headline - Upp O Hoppa
Nathan's view
All my favourite entries are in Swedish and this is my second favourite after Linda's song! It's another catchy and Eurovisiony song. I think this would do well in Belgrade as it will appeal to all areas of Europe. However I think this song is better suited to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. If it was to be sung in English then I believe it would do much better in Belgrade, should it get through.

Hannah's view
Ahh! This song is very fun and energetic. It reminds me off the holidays at the beach and sunshine. The artists sing as a group with a lead and backing and 'Headline' interjecting and getting his own section.
This song is very upbeat and catchy, even thogh it's in another language!
One downside... she was wearing a disgusting yellow jacket... i shall not say anymore as i can feel Nathan glaring at me. With my phsycic powers. Because he's not here. (...?)

BWO - Lay Your Love On Me
Nathan's view
One of the biggest names in the Final for Sweden and this is most people's favourite, it's my third and my highest placing song in English. BWO stands for Bodies Without Organs and they are already very popular in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, they also find that some of their past songs have been in the UK charts as well as the European charts. BWO would be a great entry for Sweden if they get through as they are very good and they present the song very well.

Hannah's view
This song is very... weird. As is the Elizabethan style costumes, and the set strewn with metal cages. It is a very catchy, rhythmical song that may have done well, if it was not up against such strong competition.
The lead male singer is very, ummmmmm... attractive and makes good use of this on the cameras. His vocals are good and the song was sung in tune. I loved the bit in the videa where the man is lifted in the air in a cage and fireworks start shooting from the cage! It's brilliant!
*ahem* yes... so... must now go and cast my votes.

"Germany was divided after World War II. The Soviet Union and Poland claimed the East and the USA, UK and France controlled the West. The East became a Communist state and the West became a democracy. Thousands of East Germans fled to the West. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to close the border and stop the flow of people. The decline of the USSR led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Germany was reunited in 1990. Today 80% of Germany's people live in the West, and the effects of Communism are still felt in the East."

Whitaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
Germany entry sung by No Angels is a very good song. The lyrics are quite touching and the rhythm and beat of the song are really good. Its quite upbeat and very 'girl groupish' in the chorus and has a really nice slow section in the middle.
I really like this entry. Its an excellent chance for Germany, as this is their best girl band. I have only one concern. The music is too good. I have an awful feeling also, that it will not get any votes on the fact of the country's positioning. But, I will not let this get me down and neither should anyone else who loves this song! Its a great piece of music and I wish it well!

Nathan's view
Disappear is a very good entry for Germany, however I expect it to score low due to Germany's positioning in Europe. The song itself is a nice ballad, but not as good as Dima Bilan's Believing (Russia). It has a nice rhythmic beat and the chorus is very singable. No Angels are Germany's best girl group so I think they will be slightly upset if they didn't finish in the top half. If Europe suddenly stops voting politically I think this song would finish in the top 10.

"Ireland was divided in the 1920s, when 26 counties in the south gained independence from the United Kingdom. Since then there has been conflict in Northern Ireland between those who want to remain part of the United Kingdom and those who want a united, independent Ireland. Since Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 it has become a modern, high-tech nation with successful industry. It began using the Euro in January 1999, along with ten other nations."

Whittaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
Well... wow! Dustin the Turkey. Its hard to sum this one all into one word.
When you first hear it, its like Marmite. You love it, or you hate it. In my case, i hated it but it made me laugh. It was a comedy entry and the starting line just contradicted the whole song! 'I come from a land that knows who to write a good song...' And this is the land that produced a song screamed by a puppet of a turkey?!
But, after a while, the beat and catchy chorus does start to grow on you. 'Irelande Douze Point' - say it very Englishly pronouncing it all... Also the random quips and comments like, 'Terry Wogan's wig!' and 'We're sorry for Riverdance'. It certainly made me and Nathan laugh, i dont know about anyone one else.
This entry is very controversial and i expect there will be a lot of debate about this one!

Nathan's view
Wow! Ireland! I mean, its a joke entry? From Ireland? Eurovision's best country? It's a good one at that! I love it. It's really grown on me and the chours is fantastic! The comments that Hannah stated above really do make us laugh and I think it will do really well. I know it's odds on to win and I believe it will... Dublin get ready! We're coming to party!

Hannah's view
What can I say except I love it!!
Nathan played it to me, and I INSTANTLY loved the song! Its upbeat, catchy and so dancy! You feel like you want to just get up and dance or sing along or something! Or is that just me...?
I really like this song (as you can tell) and I hope it does well in the final, because it will reach the final. This is not its kiss of death.

Nathan's view
One of my early favourites but has sunk recently. It gets a bit boring after a while but at first it really makes you want to dance and sing along. I don't think it will get out of the Semis.

"San Marino is entirely surrounded by Italy and it is the third smallest state in Europe. The tiny republic attracts about three million tourists every year. San Marino's inhabitants (known as Sammarinese) enjoy the world's sixth highest income per person."

Whitaker's World of Facts - Russell Ash

Hannah's view
I personally do not like this song. I think that the music is that of a rock song and the lyrics are from a ballad and have had to be adapted for this song. I dont like the voice of this band and I feel that this will not do well in Belgrade.

Nathan's view
I like it. I have very much the opposite opinion of Hannah. I like the way it all fits together and as Italian normally does well in Eurovision, the most recent song I can think of is Tornerò (Romania 2006), I expect this song to get through the Semi Finals and then get a mid table position in the Final.