Spain: Televoting results announced!

There has been lots of controversy and outrage this week as Brequette didn't win.. many believe the voting was rigged. Always drama! But anyway, the Spanish broadcaster has revealed a full breakdown of the public vote. Ruth Lorenzo won the televote with 30,97% - hardly a runaway victory, is it? But I'm still really happy that Ruth won! Brequette was 2nd with Jorge following her very closely. Here are the results:

1. Ruth Lorenzo – Dancing In The Rain 30,97% 
2. Brequette – Más 27,40%
3. Jorge González - Aunque se acabe el mundo 25,34%
4. Raúl – Seguir sin ti 9,36% 
5. La Dama – Estrella fugaz 6,93% 

UK: Aiden Grimshaw to Copenhagen?

The guessing game of who's represent the UK is almost over.. Aiden Grimshaw sent a tweet out last night which was addressed to @BBC Eurovision - it was probably meant to private message. Although it could have been a publicity stunt? He deleted the Tweet straight away.

He wouldn't be a bad choice whatsoever although the song would have to be good. Aiden came 9th in the X Factor 2010 - and he was one of the favourites to win the whole show. He's released one album which peaked at #19 in the charts. However there is something which I find strange - why would be he contacted the BBC over Twitter anyway? If it is him.. surely he would contact the BBC by email or phone? We'll find out if it's him or not on Monday! Not long to wait now...

HIS MANAGEMENT DENIED IT... OH WELL!  

Ireland: National final tonight!

It's Ireland's turn to select their representative tonight! Five very strong songs are in the running. "The Late Late Show" will be used to select Ireland's entry, as usual. I want Can-Linn to win, Kasey is fantastic and defiantly deserves to represent The Emerald Isle. Eoghan Quigg is probably me 2nd favourite, his song is cute but he isn't very popular so I can't really see him winning...

Patricia Roe brings a fantastic old fashioned ballad, which would probably fail to qualify in Copenhagen. Laura O’Neill's song is very classy indeed but a little forgettable? Andrew Mann is the dark horse in this competition... All the songs are good but there are not outstanding songs. I think Can-Linn is the best choice for sure. Tonight's hopefuls:

1. Patricia Roe - Don’t Hold On (Mentor: Valerie Roe)
2. Eoghan Quigg - The Movie Song (Mentor:  Mark Murphy)
3. Can-linn featuring Kasey Smith - Heartbeat (Mentor: Hazel Kaneswaran)
4. Andrew Mann  - Be Mine (Mentor: Cormac Battle)
5. Laura O’Neill - You Don’t Remember Me (Mentor: Billy McGuinness)

Israel: Listen to Mei Finegold's songs!

Mei Finegold has presented her three possible Eurovision songs tonight. I like them all but "Same Heart" is my immediate favourite, although that could always change after hearing them some more times. Listen to them here!! I'll hopefully get round to doing a review at some point. Mei's selection show will take place on 5th March - and I think Israel be be one of my favourites this year.

UK: Representative to be revealed on 3rd March!

The speculation will finally come to an end on Monday! The announcement will be made in a special announcement show on TV at 19:25.. I'm really nervous and excited to find out who it will be! It's also been confirmed that the song itself will also be premiered live along with an interview.

Several names have been rumoured including Rylan Clark, Belinda Carlisle, Geri Halliwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Jane McDonland... I could go on forever! Fingers crossed the BBC has chosen someone great! :-)

Sweden: Alcazar are #1 on iTunes!

JA! Alcazar are already front runners to win Melodifestivalen on 8th March - and they are leading the Swedish charts too. Some people love them and some people hate them, but no one could possibly deny their massive fanbase. Is it time they represented Sweden? They will defiantly be the ones to beat.

Sanna Nielsen (my personal favourite) is currently 2nd in iTunes, while Ace Wilder is 3rd. Other acts that have made the Swedish charts include Anton Ewald, Linus Svenning, Ellen Benediktson, Oscar Zia and Panetoz. It's fantastic seeing acts from Melodifestivalen in the Swedish charts! If only there was that amount of interest in Eurovision here, in the UK... Bonnie Tyler peaked at 93 in the British charts last year. Sigh. Anyway it's clear that Alcazar and Sanna are the favourites to win Melodifestivalen. The second chance round will be held this Saturday and Helena Paparizou will fight for a place in the final. I hope she makes the final. Why didn't she qualify anyway?

I'm actually surprised to see that YOHIO hasn't made the top ten - although his song is rather poor this year and my least favourite. Alcazar to Copenhagen? If the Swedish charts are anything to go by.. then YES! There's only two songs here that are not from Melodifestivalen - very impressive indeed.

Georgia: The Shin and Mariko to sing "Three Minutes To Earth"!

(EBU)

It's been announced The Shin and Mariko will sing "Three Minutes To Earth" in Copenhagen. The song is composed by Zaza Miminoshvili and penned by Eugen Eliu - and they are recording it in Germany.

They spoke to eurovision.tv and this is what they had to say regarding their entry:

"The song is about feelings and thoughts you have when you return, and it also tries to answer the question how the earth sounds at the moment",

It's due to be released in a couple of weeks. A video-clip will be recorded in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi! I'm excited about this one.

Poland: Donatan & Cleo selected for Eurovision!

Donatan & Cleo have been confirmed as the Polish representatives. It's no surprises as Donatan said they were in talks with TVP last week. And they've been asking their Facebook fans what language they sing in Polish or English.

Well it seems a special bilingual version will be used in the contest. The song in question has had over 38 million hits on YouTube and is already a massive domestic hit in Poland. Many fans, including myself, see Poland making the top ten with no problems. This song is awesome! Warsaw 2015? It's also been confirmed that Donatan won't be present on stage.. so Cleo will have five backing dancers. Enjoy the live version here.

Lithuania: "Attention" announced as song choice!

But who's going to perform it in Copenhagen? Well that will be decided on 1st March. Three acts are currently in the running to fly the Lithuanian flag - and these acts are Mia, Vaidas Baumila and  Vilija Matačiūnaitė. I prefer Mia's version. She brings class to this song!

Poland: Representative to be announced tomorrow?

Apparently the Polish entrant is going to be revealed tomorrow. Will it be Donatan and Cleo? Hopefully! They have been asking their fans on Facebook whether they should sing in Polish or English. Many people have said keep the Polish version :-)

France: Voting lines closed!

Voting lines have now closed in France, y'all! So, who's going to win? My favourite is Twin Twin and I hope they get the honour.. but I have a sneaky suspicion it could be Destan. I reviewed the songs a couple of weeks ago. The results will be revealed next Sunday!

San Marino: Valentina Monetta shoots video-clip!

Valentina Monetta is in the production of shooting the music video for her 2014 Eurovision entry. The song itself is going to be revealed on 14th March through a special TV show, similar to last year with the usual guests. Take a look here to see the production of her music video.

Could this be third time lucky for Valentina? Hopefully! I'd love to see her in the final.

Spain: Ruth Lorenzo wins!

HELL YEAH! After an amazing show, the lovely Ruth Lorenzo stormed to victory in Spain! The best choice, without a doubt... Brequette won the jury vote and Ruth Lorenzo won the televote so there was a tie. But the rules stated that in the event of a tie, the televote would decide the outcome... so therefore Ruth will fly the Spanish flag in Eurovision.

Dancing In The Rain is a beautiful song and I am so happy for Ruth. She defiantly deserves it... her voice is ridiculously good. Brequette was okay but you could tell the nerves got her. Shame. La Dama came last which was totally undeserved!! Here is tonight's results:

1. RUTH LORENZO 66
2. BREQUETTE 66
3. JORGE GONZÁLEZ 48
4. RAÚL 42
5. DAMA 36

Could Ruth go all the way in Copenhagen? Maybe... it's a contender.

Latvia: Aarzemnieki have cakes to bake in Copenhagen!

I'm disappointed for Samanta, although I am kinda pleased to see Aarzemnieki represent Latvia. A sweet little song although I can't see it troubling the left-hand side of the scoreboard in Copenhagen...Samanta Tina and Dons made the super-final - and both would have been great choices, too. Cake To Bake is a guilty pleasure of me. Although it's safe to say we will not be heading to Riga in 2015...

I'll update this post with the results, tomorrow morning. Spain should be selecting their representative within the hour - STAY TUNED!

Hungary: András Kállay Saunders wins "A Dal"!

Yipee! I'm very satisfied with Hungary's choice. The amazing András Kállay Saunders has just won "A Dal", the Hungarian selection, with Running. I'm very excited about this one.

I'll update this post with results soon!!

FYR Macedonia: Tijana Dapčević reveals "Tamu kaj što pripaǵam"!

Tijana Dapčević has tonight revealed her Eurovision song. The Macedonian version is entitled "Tamu kaj što pripaǵam" and the English version, which was also perfomed tonight, is entitled "To The Sky". I la la love it!! :)

I knew her song would be fantastic - but I now want to hear this live, as she was clearly singing on playback tonight. A very pleasant entry indeed from the Macedonians. Listen to the Macedonian version here and the English version here. It's unknown if she'll use the English or Macedonian version in Copenhagen. I prefer Macedonian.

Sweden: Anton Ewald and Alcazar qualify!

No surprises here... both Alcazar and Anton Ewald qualified for the grand final. I didn't hear any of the songs but apparently Anton Ewald's vocals were pretty weak tonight. Ellinore Holmer and Ammotrack qualified to next weeks second chance round. Janet Leon came 8th, surprisingly. 

I'm sad for Linda Bengtzing. She should have at least made the second chance round, but it wasn't to be unfortunately. Stay tuned for results from Latvia, Hungary and eventually Spain...

Spain: National final tonight!

Ahead of tonight's national final, I thought I'd decide to review the finalists. Who will win? Will it by one of the favorites? Or could we be in for a surprise?

Brequette – Más (Run)
Brequette seems to be the biggest favourite! "Mas (Run)" is a strong ballad and it is very powerful indeed. I would not be surprised to see this win at all. I also love the crossover between English and Spanish. This will probably win but I think Ruth is Brequette's biggest competition. I still have a feeling this will come up on top though. Plus I'm sure she'll be great vocally.. and that big note is fantastic. Her song was composed by Thomas G:son. 10/12

La Dama – Estrella Fugaz
La Dama could actually be a dark horse in this competition. But maybe her song isn't strong enough for the Eurovision stage but I really like it anyway. Although her draw isn't great.. I can't help thinking this would benefit from a revamp in English. A very nice song indeed. 7/12

Ruth Lorenzo – Dancing In The Rain
My favourite! Tonight's selection is without a doubt a two horse race between Ruth and Brequette. Ruth's voice is fantastic and I have always wanted to see her in Eurovision. I guess the outcome will be decided by whoever performs the best. She does have a lot of fans and the jury will probably appreciate it... I didn't like it much at first but the revamped version is much better. I la la love it! Although many people will be very unhappy if Brequette doesn't win... 12/12

Jorge González – Aunque Se Acabe El Mundo
A nice summer tune. This won't win but it's very nice to listen nevertheless. Jorge said in an interview somewhere that the song is about having fun even in these tough economic times.. I'm interested to see this on stage- hopefully it won't be ruined by a tacky performance. 6/12

Raúl – Seguir sin ti
#BORING! This is very old fashioned and incredibly boring.. I can't see this winning tonight and I hope he doesn't win. The weakest song in this selection for me. I don't hate it but I don't really like it either. 3/12

Good luck, Spain! :-)

Estonia: Final line-up revealed!

Eesti Laul is one of my favourite selections and the line-up is incredibly strong this year, too. Anyway, we now have our finalists who qualified through their respective semi finals. Here are the list of finalists:

• Traffic – Für Elise
• Maiken - Siin või sealpool maad
• Sandra Nurmsalu - Kui tuuled pöörduvad
• Norman Salumäe – Search
• Brigita Murutar - Laule täis taevakaar
• Tanja – Amazing
• Wilhelm – Resignal
• Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band – Maybe-Maybe
• Kõrsikud – Tule Ja Jää
• Lenna – Supernoova

Fingers crossed for Sandra Nurmsalu! She does seem the favourite - but I also like Lenna, Tanja and Traffic. Estonia will select their representative next weekend.

Copenhagen 2014: What's happening tonight?!

Tonight is going to be rather hectic because Spain, Latvia and Hungary will hold their nationals finals - and therefore three more acts for Eurovision 2014 will be selected tonight. Tijana Dapčević will also reveal her song for FYR Macedonia, too. And there's even more from Sweden, Lithuania and Italy. Check out what's happening below...

SPAIN

The Spanish representative will be decided by a mix of jury and televote. I'm going to be concentrating on Spain tonight as there are two songs in the running that I adore...Ruth and Brequette! They are both my favourites. I'd be delighted to see either of them win and I also like La Dama's offering but I doubt it'll be strong enough for Eurovision. The jury consists of David Bustamante, Merche and Mónica Naranjo. "Mira quién va a Eurovisión" will take place in Barcelona at 22:00 CET. These are the acts:

1. Brequette – Más (Run)
2. La Dama – Estrella Fugaz
3. Ruth Lorenzo – Dancing In The Rain
4. Jorge González – Aunque Se Acabe El Mundo
5. Raúl – Seguir sin ti

LATVIA 

I'm really excited about this. 12 songs are in the running to represent Latvia in Copenhagen... and the line-up is very strong. I really want Samanta Tina to win. <3 she's winning many online polls and came 2nd last year. Could it be hear time? Dons is also great - and  I also like Olga and Līgo, Aarzemnieki and Katrine Lukins. The show will kick of at 20:25 CET. Fingers crossed for Samanta :-) here are tonight's hopefuls:

1. Ralfs Eilands and Valters Puce – Revelation
2. Markus Riva – Lights On
3. Katrina Bindere — Moment and Tomorrow
4. Dons — Pedeja vestule
5. Samanta Tina — Stay
6. Niko – Here I Am Again
7. MyRadiantU – Going All the Way
8. Olga and Ligo – Saule riet
9. Aminata Savadogo – I Can Breathe
10. Aarzemnieki – Cake To Bake
11. EiroSmits – If I Could (Get Away)
12. Katrine Lukins – You Are The Reason

HUNGARY 

Another country selecting their entrant tonight is Hungary. Eight finalists have qualified through heats and semi finals.. and I believe Kállay-Saunders András should win. And he probably will! The jury seem to love him. But Bogi seems very popular too.. maybe she will win? "A Dal" has been fantastic this year - a really strong selection. One of these will fly the Hungarian flag in Copenhagen:

• Király Viktor - Running Out Of Time
• Bogi - We All 
• New Level Empire - The Last One 
• Depresszió - Csak a zene 
• Kallay-Saunders András - Running 
• Fool Moon - It Can’t Be Over 
• Pál Dénes - Brave New World 
• Honeybeast - A Legnagyobb Hős

FYR MACEDONIA

Tijana Dapčević will reveal her song for Copenhagen tonight. No details regarding the song have been announced and this blogger cannot wait to hear it. I've got a feeling Tijana's song will be amazing. "Pobeda" has been announced as the songs title which translates to "Victory" although this isn't official. 

ANYTHING ELSE?

Yep! The 64th edition of Sanremo will come to an end tonight. This blogger wants either Giusy Ferreri or Arisa to win. Melodifestivalen will also take place where Anton Ewald, Alcazar and Linda Bengtzing will be competing for a place in the final! Lithuania will hold their semi-final too where one act will be eliminated ahead of next weeks final.. Azerbaijan and Belgium will also continue their selections tomorrow evening!

KEEP IT HERE FOR THE LATEST UPDATES TONIGHT!

Belgium: Song titles revealed!

The Eurosong process continues this weekend with the first semi-final - where the first set of acts will perform their possible Eurovision entries.

An album will be available to download on 9th March, with all the competing songs and instrumental versions - and that will cost €12.99. There has been controversy surrounding this selection actually as the identity of the group One Day is unknown. Belgian press speculate that the lead singer is Kate Ryan. We'll find out soon enough. Anyway, here are the song titles:

• Day One – Who Ever You Are
• Eva Jacobs – Nothing Is Impossible
• Petra – Killer Touch
• Udo – Hero (In Flanders Fields)
• 2 Fabiola feat. Loredana – She’s After My Piano
• Axeela – Chasing Rainbows
• SIL – What’s The Time In Tokyo
• Yass – Need You Tonight
• Axel Hirsoux – Mother
• Bandits – One
• Nelson – Wild Side
• Tisha Cyrus – Kitty Cat

Spain: Rehearsals underway!

Spain is one of the countries that are selecting their representative for Copenhagen tomorrow night - and rehearsals have been taking place today. Ruth Lorenzo has been promoting her song, as she performed it live on a TV show this morning. You can watch that here! Who would you like to see win? I'm torn between the lovely Ruth and Brequette! :-)

Montenegro: Sergej Ćetković's entry to be revealed on 9th March!

The Montenegrin entry will be revealed on 9th March. Sergej Ćetković has hinted that the song will be a strong Balkan ballad.

It's also been announced today that Armenia's song will be released on 15th March - with an official video-clip. Oh, and let us not forget Tijana will be revealing her song tomorrow either! Exciting times, indeed.

Romania: Selecţia Naţională finalists revealed!

Renée Santana is back! 

The lucky 12 acts, that will compete in Selecţia Naţională, have been revealed. And there are some famular names in the mix too - including Paula and Ovi, Ştefan Stan with Teddy K, Renée Santana and Anca Florescu. It's a pretty strong line-up.

These are the Romanian finalists:

• Ştefan Stan feat. Teddy K – Breathe
• Naomy - Daca tu iubeşti
• Bere Gratis - Despre mine şi ea
• Silvia Dumitrescu - Fiorul iubirii
• Marcel Crăciunescu - Hardjock
• Anca Florescu – Hearts Collide
• Vizi Imre – Kind of Girl
• Renée Santana & Mike Diamondz – Letting Go
• Paula & Ovi – Miracle
• Mirela Vaida Boureanu – One More Time
• The dAdA – Unpredictable
• The Zuralia Orchestra – You Know

Romania will pick their entry on 1st March. The live version of Paula and Ovi's song can be heard here.

NuVidz: Katrine Lukins, Within Temptation, Anca Florescu, Sam Bailey!

Katrine Lukins is bidding to represent Latvia and she's released the official video-clip of You Are The Reason ahead of Saturday nights final. I think there are stronger offerings in Latvia but this is very nice. I'd be okay if she did win! I simply love this latest tune from Within Temptation! It's entitled "Whole World is Watching" - and they've actually released two versions. They have teamed up with Piotr Rogucki and  Dave Pirner, and both versions are fantastic. <3 The Romanian hopefuls will be revealed this evening and Anca Florescu hopes to make the cut with Hearts Collide. Sam Bailey will release Compass as a single on 16th March. A truly beautiful song and this lady does have a sensational voice. It'll also be released on her upcoming album, which is going to be released 24th March.

Poland: Donatan and Cleo in talks with TVP!

Donatan has posted a photograph on this Facebook page where he said that talks have been underway with the Polish broadcaster regarding their participation in Eurovision.

Here's the Englush translation of what he said: 

“We were invited by TVP to a mysterious meeting today and we we went. It seems you have written to TVP mass emails and letters asking (and asking) to send us to Eurovision. At the moment we do not know what to say … mixed feelings … I will sleep on it"

Fingers crossed this will be officially confirmed soon! 

Romania: 159 songs submitted!

The Romanian broadcaster has received a total of 159 songs - however nice songs were invalid and therefore 150 songs remain in the selection. A jury will decide which 12 songs will make the grand final, which is going to be held on 1st March.

The lucky acts will be presented at the end of the week. I wonder if Alexandra Stan submitted a song?

UK: Paloma Faith denies her participation!

If you were hoping Paloma Faith would represent the UK, I'm afraid you'll be disappointment. As she's put a stop to the rumours that were circulating this morning - she tweeted "Of course I'm not doing Eurovision are you all insane?!".. Charmed, I'm sure.

I'm not too disappointed really. She would have been an okay choice although she isn't my favourite artist. This begs the question even more though - who will represent the United Kingdom? Every other participating country has either announced their national final date or act. Although the British act is yet to be announced... but I have heard the BBC have picked someone and that an announcement is due in early March. Is it going to be Geri?

Denmark: Snippets released!

Yesterday, DR presented 30 second snippets of the entries that are competing in DMGP. You can listen to them here.

I have no immediate favourite although Bryan Rice's song sounds pretty good. I also really like Michael Rune ft. Natascha Bessez - that saxophone solo is awesome! I'll reserve my judgement until I hear the full versions, though. The Danish will pick their representative on 8th March.

Spain: Remastered versions online!

WOW! The Spanish broadcaster has released the final versions of the songs that'll compete in Saturday nights final. I want Ruth to win now! When Ruth's song came out a couple of weeks ago, I was a little underwhelmed, however she's remastered it and it's brilliant! I love it. It would be fantastic to see her represent Spain.. Raúl has also revamped his song but it's still rather dull. The other three remain the same.

The Spanish final will take place on Saturday! I've heard La Dama will be alone one stage - and so will Brequette. Ruth is going to be joined by five girls although it's unclear if they are dancers or backing vocalists - they'll probably be baking vocalists. You can buy "Dancing in the rain" tomorrow on iTunes... although you can already pre-order it here.

UPDATE - The running order has also been revealed:

1. Brequette – Más (Run)
2. La Dama – Estrella Fugaz
3. Ruth Lorenzo – Dancing In The Rain
4. Jorge González – Aunque Se Acabe El Mundo
5. Raúl – Seguir sin ti

Hungary: Eight finalists chosen!

The final line-up has been decided. Two semi finals have been held where eight acts qualified. Kallay-Saunders András seems to be the favourite - but all of the entries are pretty good. Bogi's performance was great and I think she has a chance to win. Joni, who was one of my favourites, was unfortunately eliminated - although she wasn't great live..

These are the finalists:

• Király Viktor - Running Out Of Time (Chosen by the jury)
• Bogi - We All (Chosen by the jury)
• New Level Empire - The Last One (Chosen by public voting)
• Depresszió - Csak a zene (Chosen by public voting)
• Kallay-Saunders András - Running (Chosen by the jury)
• Fool Moon - It Can’t Be Over (Chosen by the jury)
• Pál Dénes - Brave New World (Chosen by public voting)
• Honeybeast - A Legnagyobb Hős (Chosen by public voting)

Hungary will select their entry on 22nd February! A Dal has been fantastic this year.

Slovenia: Songs to be presented on 4th March!

The seven finalists in Slovenia will present their bidding entries on 4th March at 18:00 CET - ahead of their national final on 8th March. I am really looking forward to hearing the songs! It would be nice to see Slovenia to well this year.. after being extremely underrated in 2012 and 2013, although if they were to win in Copenhagen, could they afford it?

Lithuania: Three acts remain in the selection...

The Lithuanian marathon will finally come to an end in a couple of weeks - and three acts remain in the selection. Monika Linkytė was eliminated last night.

Mia, Vilija Matačiūnaitė, Vaidas Baumila still have two songs in the selection - so I guess one of the songs will be eliminated next week? Or maybe the two finalists will compete with both of their songs in the final? I have no idea. The grand final is due to be held on 1st March.

Iceland: Pollapönk win!

WTF?!?! Iceland has selected the worst song in their selection tonight.. yep, Pollapönk will fly the Icelandic flag in Copenhagen. A terrible shame. They had Ásdís, Greta, Sigríður and even Gissur - however for some bizarre reason, they opted for Pollapönk.

I guess it has charms for some people although I think it's terribly annoying. It's even more annoying than last years Latvian entry... Oh well! Good luck Iceland (you are seriously going to need it). Sigríður came 2nd, and she would have been a decent choice.

Sweden: Oscar Zia and Ace Wilder qualify to the final!

The third semi final of Melodifestivalen took place tonight and we now have to more finalists! The lucky acts are Oscar Zia and Ace Wilder. I'm afraid neither impressed me really. Meanwhile, State of Drama and Outtrigger will fight for a place in the grand final as they qualified to the Andra Chansen round. I enjoyed State of Drama's offering - they were the best tonight I think. 

The remaining participants have been eliminated:

• dr. Alban & Jessica Folcker – Around the World
• Shirley Clamp – Burning Alive
• CajsaStina Åkerström – En enkel sång
• EKO – Red

The last semi final is going to take place next week - and it'll be a great show! We have Linda Bengtzing, Alcazar, Anton Ewald and Janet Leon taking part!

STAY TUNED FOR THE ICELANDIC RESULTS! 

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin final tonight!

Iceland is the next country to choose their representative! Söngvakeppnin has already seen two semi finals where four acts qualified directly to tonight's final and another two were awarded a wildcard by a jury. The line-up isn't great but there is one gem. Ásdís María Viðarsdótti's "Amor" is brilliant - it's defiantly unique however she only made the final because she was awarded the wildcard. Therefore I can't see Iceland opting for this...

Realistically, it's between Greta and Gissur - and maybe F.U.N.K? I'd be surprised if one of them didn't win.. It's a shame Magni Ásgeirsson didn't try again this year as he would've walked it. These are tonight's hopefuls anyway:

• Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir – Eftir eitt lag
• Gissur Páll Gissurarson - Von
• F.U.N.K. - Þangað til ég dey
• Pollapönk - Enga fordóma
• Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir - Lífið kviknar á ný
• Ásdís María Viðarsdótti – Amor

The show can be watched here at 20:45 CET!

Turkey: Return in 2015 is likely!

FANTASTIC! CADDE, a reliable Turkish website, has reported that negotiations between the EBU and TRT have been successful as Turkey are set to return to Eurovision next year.

Unfortuantly, Turkey withdrew in 2013 in protest of the televote/jury voting system and also becuase of the "Big 5" Rule. Which is kinda strange as their results have always been good... apart from 2011, where Yüksek Sadakat failed to qualify. Still, it's awesome they intend on returning! :-)

Romania: Mihai Traistariu decides not to enter Selecția Națională...

Mihai Traistariu was set to participate on Selecția Națională with I'm Sorry although he eventually decided not to submit the song. But why? Well a well-known Romanian astrologer has said that this is not Mihai's year for Eurovision and that he should try next year instead - Mihai did actually post the advice on his Facebook page so he must have took this advice into account...

Many fans, including myself, were excited regarding his participation in the selection - although there's always next year. Maybe he thinks Paula and Ovi will be unstoppable? He said:

The song is great and it’s perfect for me. However, I realized that I need more than that for Eurovision, which is no longer just a song or voice contest. You need everything, from the song, the voice, to a great show, otherwise you risk getting home empty-handed. And I wouldn’t bear it. I wished to come back to the arena of this great contest with all my soul, but I feel like this is not my year. Something tells me that this is not my time, my heart tells me that I can do more than this.

Even though the song is song is slightly dated, it's still great! The Romanian hopefuls will be revealed next week sometime. 

Belarus: Changes to the lyrics of "Cheesecake"!

Due to the reference of "Google Maps" in TEO's song, the lyrics have been changed slightly to comply with EBU rules. References to any organisation are now allowed as the EU regulations clearly state “no messages promoting any organization, institution, political cause or other, company, brand, products or services shall be allowed”.

The lyric has now changed to "All Maps". I'm surprised Belarus hasn't changed the song yet, to be honest... haha! Although TEO has actually confirmed that he wants to keep this song for Copenhagen. Valentina Monetta had the same problem in 2012, as her original entry was entitled "Facebook Uh-Oh-Oh" but the reference to Facebook was taken away as it would have been disqualified otherwise.

NuVidz: Emma Marrone, Patricia Roe, Dons, Marco Mengoni!

Trattengo Il Fiato is Emma's latest single. This song is beautiful - and I think Emma could sing pretty much anything and it would sound awesome. So pleased she'll represent Italy in Eurovision this year. Ireland's national final will be held in two weeks time, and I cannot predict a winner - so the outcome will probably depend on the live performances. Anyway, Patricia Roe is one of my favourites and you can enjoy the official video-clip of "Don't Hold On" here. Could this win? This blogger wouldn't complain. On 22nd February, Latvia will select their entrant for Copenhagen and Dons seems to be one of the main contenders. Here is the official video-clip of Pēdējā vēstule. It would be a fantastic choice for Latvia... much better than the garbage they sent last year. Marco Mengoni was one of the biggest selling Italian artists in 2014 - and in his attempt to conquer the Latin market, he's released the Spanish version of  "L’Essenziale". It's now entitled Incomparable. Enjoy :-)

Moldova: "Flying" withdrawn from the national selection...

Boris Covali is one of the favourites to win the Moldovan selection, with the song "Flying" - however the song has unfortunately been withdrawn by his manager. It appears the song "Perfect Day" will replace it, even though "Perfect Day" didn't make the original final 24.

The reason why "Flying" was withdrew from the selection is because of “financial agreements” between the people behind “Perfect Day”, the Moldovan broadcaster and Boris's management. "Flying" was composed by international songwriters consisting off Michael James Down, Jonas Gladnikoff, Primož Poglajen and Dimitri Stassos. Many fans have expressed their outrage that this song is no longer in the selection... A full statement from the songwriters can be found here. A new version of the song was planned to be recorded in Stockholm - and there were plans for a commercial release too. "Flying" was winning most online polls and was receiving lots of positive feedback from Eurovision fans - although it appears money talks, unfortunately... TRM, the Moldovan broadcaster, and Boris's management have still not commented on the situation! Stay tuned for more - as this story won't go away. The songwriters of "Flying" have said they will be taking legal action. This should be a fair competition and its clear to see that this is not fair whatsoever. It's a disgrace. #TeamFlying.

UK: Announcement due shortly?

Good news. It seems the BBC have not forgotten about Eurovision - as the BBC Head of Press, responsible for Eurovision, has tweeted that the first meeting (regarding Eurovision) is done. It's also believed an announcement is due very soon as the artist has been selected.

Who will it be? I have no idea. Hopefully not Geri! This blogger heard somewhere that Olly Murs may be our representative with a song penned by Gary Barlow.. that would be fantastic. But at-least we know the BBC have actually selected someone! Josh Dubovie (or Josh James now) has announced that he knows who our act for Copenhagen is... Hmmm!

Greece: Four finalists announced, final in March!

Greece is the latest country to release their selection details. Four artists have been chosen to compete in the national final - which is due to be held on either 4th or 5th March. The official date and venue of the national final will be announced soon. 

These are that acts that hope to fly the Greek flag in Copenhagen:

• Freaky Fortune
• Josephine
• Crystallia
• Kostas Martakis

The songs are due to be released at the end of February. 

Portugal: Hopefuls revealed!

Festival da Canção returns this year and the Portuguese broadcaster, PTR, has today revealed the ten lucky acts that'll participate. Rui Andrade is going to give it another shot - third time lucky? He's already entered the selection in 2011 and 2012, coming 3rd on both occasions. Meanwhile, Catarina Pereira is giving it another shot. She came runner up in 2010 with Canta por Mim!

These are the acts:

• Rui Andrade – “Ao teu encontro” (Marc Paelinck)
• Suzy – ”Quero ser tua (como a lua é do luar)” (Emanuel)
• Zana – ”Nas asas da sorte” (Jan Van Dijk)
• Raquel Guerra –  ”Sonhos roubados” (Nuno Feist)
• Catarina Pereira – ”Mea culpa” (Andrej Babic)
• Madalena Trabuco - ”Coração de filigrana” (Tozé Santos)
• Lara Afonso – ”O teu segredo” (João Matos/Miguel Ferrador)
• Ricardo Alfonso – ”Emoção” (Ricardo Alfonso/Luis Fernando/Rui Fingers)
• Carla Ribeiro - ”Mais para dar” (Hélder Godinho)
• Ivo Lucas – ”Eu vou” (João Só)

Catarina's song is composed by Andrej Babić, who has composed numerous Eurovision songs in the past - including "Vida minha", "Cvet z juga" and "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)".

Lithuania: Martynas Kavaliauskas disqualified!

I haven't been following the Lithuanian selection this year, as it's been going on for months and months. The final has actually been postponed until 1st March due to high interest. And this is brilliant as it shows so many Lithuanian people are interested in Eurovision. :-)

Martynas Kavaliauskas has been disqualified from the selection as he violated rules by cheating in televoting. LRT confirmed that over half of his votes were fraudulent. Oh dear... Anyway, we still have four acts competing for the Lithuanian ticket to Copenhagen and these are:

• Mia - It's not too late / It's all about a boy
• Vilija Matacinaute - Blowing out cobwebs / Dying
• Vaidas Baumila - Attention / Is this the way
• Monika Linkyte - You found me / Let's share that love tonight

Spain: National final set for 22nd February!

The Spanish national final will take place on 22nd February - and it'll be held in Barcelona. I think all the songs are pretty good to be honest but I'm totally backing Brequette. She's amazing. I'll do a special review of these songs at the weekend.

Latvia and Hungary will hold their national finals that night at FYR Macedonia will premier their entry too. Isn't it exciting? These are the acts:

• Brequette – Run (Más)
• Jorge Gonzáles – Aunque se acabe el mundo
• La Dama – Estrella fugaz
• Raúl – Seguir sin ti
• Ruth Lorenzo – Dancing In The Rain

The winner will be decided by a public televote and professional jury - and the names of the jury will be announced pretty soon.

Poland: Donatan & Cleo selected with "Slavic Girls"?

It appears the duo Donatan & Cleo with have been selected internally for Eurovision - according to sources close to TVP, the national Polish broadcaster. The song they take to Copenhagen would be Slavic Girls! It's brilliant! The English version was actually released this morning..

The original version, in Polish, has clocked over 37 million and is already a domestic hit over in Poland. No confirmation from TVP yet but hopefully they'll confirm this soon, fingers crossed! The BBC also did an article on the song in November, when it was released. I'm already reading "Warsaw 2015"-  let's just hope TVP confirm soon.

Sweden: Sanna Nielsen and Panetoz proceed to the final!

Melodifestivalen continued tonight in Linköping with the 2nd semi-final and the fan favourite, Sanna Nielsen, managed to qualifry directly to the grand final! She'll be joined by Panetoz - and of-course Yohio and Ellen Benediktson.

Martin Stenmarck (ESC 2005) and JEM were sent to the second chance round. Personally, I had a feeling Pink Pistols would make the final as they seemed to be gathering a lot of attention from international fans although they only managed to come 7th. Melodifestivalen is proving to be fantastic yet again.

Malta: Firelight selected for Copenhagen!

Okay, they weren't among my favourites but it's a great choice from Malta nevertheless. Firelight have won the Maltese national final with Coming Home. Daniel Testa was tonight's runner up and De Bee came third!

My favourite, Jessika, won the public televote although she couldn't stop Firelight from winning as the jury opted for Firelight instead. I'm pleasantly surprised with Malta this year :-) And here are the results:

1. Firelight - Coming Home 
2. De Bee - Pin The Middle 
3. Daniel Testa - One Last Ride 
4. Amber - Because I Have You 
5. Deborah C - Until We Meet Again 
6. Pamela - Take Me 
7. Franklin - Love Will Take Me Home 
8. Jessika - Hypnotica 
9. Christabelle - Love Tricity 
10. Ryan Paul Abela - City Lady 
11. Sophie - Let The Sunshine In 
12. Wayne William - Some Kind of Wonderful 
13. Davinia - Brand New Day 
14. Chris Grech - Oblivion