France: Lisa Angell performs 'N'oubliez pas' live!

Lisa Angell has finally performed her Euroviion entry live. It was performed on The Grand Show some days ago although only broadcaster tonight. There's no doubt that she's a fantastic singer but I don't know how this one will fare in Vienna. See for yourself here..

EDUARD ROMANYUTA TO REPRESENT MOLDOVA!

Eduard Romanyuta has won Moldova's selection. I heard the song once and hated it. Let's see if it's a grower... Sunstroke Project managed third place and DoReDoS came 2nd - both great songs, yet they pick this dud. Sorry Moldova, but I am really not impressed. On the positive note though, Ukraine will kinda be represented in Vienna ;-)

Update - well some people are accusing Eduard, or his associates, of rigging the vote somehow. Hmmm. 

BOGGIE TO REPRESENT HUNGARY!

Boggie has won A Dal and therefore will fly the Hungarian flag in Vienna. Kati didn't even make the top four.. I don't dislike Wars for Nothing. It has a very important message but I fear she might go unnoticed on the big stage. But what do I know.

PERTTI KURIKAN NIMIPÄIVÄT TO REPRESENT FINLAND!

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivä have won the right to represent Finland in Vienna. This is a very controversial choice to say the least. Satin Circus came 2nd - and they were much better tonight by all accounts. I don't know how PKN will be received in Vienna. I have no problems whatsoever with their disabilities, I applaud them in that respect as it must take so much courage to participate in such an event - but there's one problem; the song is poor and it doesn't even last two minutes. Hmm.. defiantly not Finland's best but I predict they'll do pretty well in Vienna. Don't know why but I reckon people in general might vote for this, just for the sake of voting.. if that makes sense. Here are the full results from tonight - courtesy of Ilkar at Blog After Helsinki :-)

So here's Finland's entry!

MARAAYA TO REPRESENT SLOVENIA!

Slovenia has decided and it's Maraaya who is off to Vienna. They were in the Superfinal with Rudi Bučar En Figoni. I do really like this one. The violin parts are awesome and her voice will really stands out in Vienna. Maraaya are a duo consisting of Marjetka Vovk and Raay. They actually composed Slovenia's Junior Eurovision entry too. Good job, Slovenia :-)

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #6!

On Saturday, a total of four countries will select their entries for Vienna and Melodifestivalen will also continue with the forth semi final. The much anticipated Spanish entry will also revealed at 12:00 CET on Sunday too. So we've gout a busy weekend ahead of us!

FINLAND
The Finnish entry will be chosen tonight. Nine acts may be in the running although if the polls are anything to be believed, it' just a formality for handicapped band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, Will they win? However Opera Skaala, Satin Circus and Shava also are very popular. I would personally pick either Satin Circus, Opera Skaala or Solju.

• Norlan "El Misionario - No voy a llorar por ti
• Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää
• Satin Circus - Crossroads
• Shava - Ostarilla
• Opera Skaala - Heart of Light
• Jouni Aslak - Lions and Lambs
• Solju - Hold Your Colours
• Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla
• Angelo De Nile - All For Victory

HUNGARY
Hungary also chooses tonight. My favourite is Kati Wolf - will she be picked and return to the Eurovision stage? No idea. I also like Ív and Passed. Boggie has been very popular with the juries.. so will the televote also support her? Ádám Szabó also isn't one to rule out. This is probably the hardest national final to call. I really look forward to see who they pick! Here's tonight's line-up:

• Ádám Szabó - Give Me Your Love
• Boglárka Csemer – Boggie - Wars for Nothing
• Zoltán Mujahid -  Beside You
• Spoon - Keep Marching On
• Ív - Fire
• Kati Wolf - Ne engedj el
• Passed - Mesmerize
• Bálint Gájerc - That's How It Goes

SLOVENIA
Slovenia's song is going to be selected tonight. Eight acts are in the running however Maraaya and Martina Majerle both seem to the the immediate favourites with people. I also have a soft spot for Jana Šušteršič's song - so I wouldn't mind seeing either of those three win tonight. But how about you? Who do you think should fly the Slovenian flag this year?

1. Alya & Neno Belan - Misunderstandings
2. Tim Kores - Once Too Many Times
3. Jana Šušteršič - Glas srca (Voice of the heart)
4. I.C.E. - Vse mogoče (Everything is possible)
5. Clemens - Mava to (We have this)
6. Maraaya - Here For You
7. Rudi Bučar En Figoni - Šaltinka (A šaltin girl)
8. Martina Majerle - Alive

MOLDOVA
I haven't followed the Moldovan selection much this year however I have heard some songs! I heard about Kitty Brucknell receiving only 88 votes on Tuesday and being eliminated, which I'm sad about however the song wasn't up to much really. Sunstroke Project are aiming to make a return to Eurovision tonight - can they do it? Ukrainian Eduard Romanyuta seems to be popular though but will the jury support him? Hmm... Doredos are also great. I don't have a clue who will win to be honest!

SWEDEN
The final semi final of Melodifestivalen is to be held tonight. Here is the line-up..

• Caroline Wennergren – Black Swan
• JTR – Building It Up
• Midnight Boy – Don’t Say No
• Annika Herlitz – Ett andetag
• Hasse Andersson – Guld och gröna skogar
• Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
• Dinah Nah – Make Me (La La La)

SPAIN
And finally. the long awaited Spanish entry is finally going to be revealed tomorrow at 12:00 CET. Edurne won't disappoint us. All we know about the song is that it's dramatic and with ethnic elements, and 100% in Spanish! In the meantime though, let's enjoy this awesome tune from Edurne!

MOLLY STERLING TO REPRESENT IRELAND!

Molly Sterling has won Eurosong 2015 and therefore will represent Ireland. Fantastic choice. stay tuned for more.....

Well I am thrilled with Molly being selected. Playing With Numbers was performed beautifully. I really enjoyed the show tonight however unfortunately, I was so underwhelmed with Nikki's live performance - apparently she had a sore throat though. Oh well. Kat came 2nd overall and won the juries vote. I didn't expect her to do so well if I'm honest but it is a lovely song. I still don't think it would have been strong enough for Eurovision though.. Swedish singer Erika managed third place in the end, despite winning many online polls and being a joint favourite with the bookies. This blogger was veryimpressed with her live but I guess the Irish wanted someone Irish to represent their country in Vienna. Fair enough. Nikki only managed 4th. Sigh. I feel so sorry and upset for her because the performance wasn't great.. but it's a damn tough song to sing. If only she nailed it vocally. And finally, poor old Alex was just an extra tonight and ended up in last place. And Linda Martin didn't call anyone an odious little man or a gobshite. There's always next year ;-)

Image source from The Late Late Show's Twitter account.

Azerbaijan: Internal selection for Vienna!

The Land of Fire has opted for an internal selection to choose their representative -  an open call for songs has been made. International as well as domestic songwriters are allowed to send in their entries. However the singer must be from Azerbaijan. The entry will be revealed on 15th March! 

Czech Republic: 'Hope Never Dies' to be presented on 10th March!

Marta Jandová and Václav Noid Bárta will reveal Hope Never Dies on 10th March. The Czechs are aiming to return with a bang - and with these two, I reckon we're in for something very special! The video-clip has already been filmed and this is what Biser A. Arichtev, the videos director, had to say about it: 

The music video will be about a couple, which faces a complicated season of their life. At the end they will find their way to each other again, so yes, it will end happily. We spent two days on preparations and one day on filming, with five more days planned for postproduction. I don’t feel that the video will be popular in Eurovision. My aim was to present a beautiful visualisation of a duet, which has been amazingly sung by Vaclav Noid Barta and Marta Jandova

Moldova: Eduard Romanyuta accused of plagiarism!

Eduard Romanyuta won the first semi final in Moldova earlier this week and is therefore one of the favourites to represent the country in Vienna. However something rather interesting has come to light today. His song is a blatant copy of Mariah Carey’s I Want Your Love, according to Moldovan press. There is already a video of the two songs side by side, do you think this is a case of plagiarism? Or has he been targeted unfairly? LISTEN HERE! This begs the question - what will happen if he wins on Saturday?

Israel: Nadav Guedj will sing 'Golden Boy' in Vienna!

ESCToday reports that Nadav Guedj's song for Vienna has been chosen and is entitled Golden Boy. A special committee meet to discuss Nadav's potential Eurovision songs, after he won the right to represent the country last week, and Doron Medali's song has subsequently been chosen. No information about the song itself has been disclosed yet - it will be revealed very soon..

Belarus: New version of 'Time' presented!

Last night, Uzari & Maimuna presented a revamped version of Time. Maimuna's mid-tempo 19th century violin plays a stronger role within the song and Uzari has been working on his English pronunciation. Other than that, there isn't much difference. They will start filming an official video-clip very soon... What do you think?

GUEST REVIEWS: IRELAND'S 2015 NATIONAL FINAL!

The Irish national final is set to take place this Friday. Five acts are in the running. Two very good friends of mine kindly agreed to review the competing songs with me - John from Ireland and Jess from the UK, who runs partner blog ESC-Starz. Here's what we think!

ALEX SAINT - SHE'S SO FINE

Jack - There's absolutely nothing I like about this song. The rapping isn't to my taste and the chorus itself is rather awful to be honest.. I'm sure there's a few people who will enjoy and appreciate this song, although this blogger isn't one of them. 1/10

Jess - This is quite an unpopular opinion but I quite like this song, I am very interested to see what it will sound like live. 7/10

John - Definitely the weakest song in this selection. It really is not suited to Eurovision at all. The song is largely a rap song and we all know how well rap goes down an ESC audience !. Hard to believe it was one of the best five from almost 300 songs submitted. 3.5/10

KAT MAHON - ANYBODY GOT A SHOULDER?

Jack - Charlie McGettigan, who won Eurovision 1994 with Paul Harrington, wrote this song for Kat but that won't be enough to see he win. There's nothing wrong with the song though. It's sweet and she has a good voice etc. but I feel this song will unnoticed on Friday. Frankly, there's stronger songs in the line-up. Not a winner for me but it isn't too bad. 5/10

Jess - When I heard Kat was the favourite I was so excited to hear the song, however it fell a tad short of my expectation and even though she has lovely vocals I am just not a massive fan of the song. 5/10

John - If a ballad is going to qualify it's got to be a really strong song sung by a really strong voice and it must somehow stand out from the other ballads. Kat Mahon's effort is none of these. It just plods along boringly from start to finish. Very slim chance of representing Ireland. 4.5/10

ERIKA SELIN - BREAK ME UP  

Jack - Erika's participation in Eurosong has been rather controversial. She's Swedish and apparently Break Me Up was rejected for Melodifestivalen 2015. Meanwhile, the song was composed by a bunch of Swedes and Timoteij are even going to be backing vocalists for her, reports say. Is there anything Irish about this? If you forget all that, the song itself isn't actually too bad but it's not my favourite. Expect more controversy and drama if she is victorious. 7/10

Jess - I love Erika's song so much! I feel that it really stands out and could do really well at Eurovision, I believe her vocals really suit the song and she will do well in the selection. 10/10

John - This is one of two songs that stand a very strong chance of going to Vienna. Great song, catchy tune and well performed by Erica. The only reservation I have is that, being a proud nation, the Irish will most likely vote for "one of their own". This doesn't bode well for this Swedish songstress. 8/10

NIKKI KAVANAGH - MEMORIES  

Jack - Nikki Kavanagh would be my ideal candidate for Ireland this year. Her song, Memories, will require strong vocals live and I'm positive she can pull it off! Last years winner performed at #4 in the running order, as did Ryan Dolan.. is this a good luck charm for Nikki? She was so close to representing Ireland in 2011 - however was pipped to the post by Jedward. Hopefully Nikki will go one better this time :-) 9/10

Jess - Glad to see Nikki return to the selection with such a great song, I really hope she will have the vocals to match live on the night. If Nikki does get picked to represent Ireland I believe she could get a really good place. 8/10

John - My money is on this one to represent Ireland in Austria. Strong song, strong vocals - and, yes, she really can hit those high notes singing live! It's a contemporary sound and it's an original sound - it is not (unlike our 2013 and 2014 entries) a pale imitation of the previous year's winning song. Go Nikki! 9/10

MOLLY STERLING - PLAYING WITH NUMBERS  

Jack - I feel this song has gone unnoticed by a lot of people. Molly's entry is stunning. I really love this!! If Nikki wasn't to win, then Molly would be my 2nd choice. She is only 16 years old and to write a song like this, just shows how talented she is. I really hope the performance will be just as beautiful and mesmerising, because Playing With Numbers is so gorgeous  - and who knows, maybe the Irish will select this. Maybe... Good luck Molly! 9/10

Jess - Molly has amazing vocals and the song is pretty good, and I believe if she has great vocals on the night she might be one to watch. 7/10

John - I actually like this song very much. Molly is only 16 years old and she co-wrote the song and sings like a seasoned professional. I don't think she will win however but she has a bright future ahead of her and we may be seeing her taking to the ESC stage for Ireland in the very near future. 6.5/10

Here's our points...

Nikki Kavanagh - Memories 26/30

Erika Selin - Break Me Up 25/30

Molly Sterling - Playing With Numbers 22.5/30

Kat Mahon - Anybody Got a Shoulder 14.5/30

Alex Saint - She's So Fine 11.5/30

So that's what we think. But how about you? Who would you like to see Ireland select? Here's a brief recap of the songs:

A massive thank you to John Conway and Jessica Cambridge who kindly reviewed these songs for me! 

Russia: Alexandra Vorobyova won't be selected for Vienna!

Russia is one of the only countries yet to reveal anything regarding their selection plans - however we do now know that The Voice winner, Alexandra Vorobyova, won't fly the Russian flag in Vienna. Dina Garipova was intentionally chosen in 2013 because she won The Voice, and many thought this concept would be repeated this year. Yuriy Aksyuta, the head of the department of music and entertainment at Russia’s national broadcaster, said:

We do not like to repeat ourselves, no matter how good those things are. 

No information regarding their artist or song yet.. however other news outlets suggest Sergey Lazarev has been chosen with this tune!

Slovenia: Entries released in full!

The Slovenian entries have been revealed on Radio Val 202, ahead of their national final on Saturday. Eight acts are competing in EMA 2015 and you can listen to them on ESC+Plus. Maraaya, Jana Šušteršič and Martina Majerle are my three immediate favourites!

UK: Representative to be revealed on 7th March!

The British entry for Vienna is going to be officially premiered on the Red Button service after The Voice on Saturday 7th March. Guy Freeman had to say this regarding the chosen song:

Ultimately, one song stood out as having both instant impact and real memory staying power

The BBC opened submissions to the public last Autumn. Both professional and armature singers/song-writers submitted their entries.. it'll be interesting to see whether they have opted for a more established name or another unknown, like Molly. The problem with sending an unknown artist is that we don't know how they will cope under pressure on the big stage - last year Molly found the whole experience very overwhelming however I was proud of her performance and representation. Here's hoping the BBC has chosen someone equally as awesome! Very few have been rumoured this year however I do keep hearing Tyler James's name - he was a finalist on the first edition of The Voice, back in 2012. Could it be?

Albania: 'Diell' is withdrawn!

Elhaida Dani has revealed on her Facebook page tonight that the composer of Diell has decided to withdraw the song due to personal reasons which are unchangeable and therefore she won't perform it in Vienna.. A new song is going to be selected for Eurovision.

It’s only right that you hear it from me that I’ll be representing Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest with a song other than the one I won with in December.The news will be in the public domain shortly, but I want you to know in advance.The author of Diell, due to unchangeable personal reasons, has withdrawn his permission and this, unfortunately, means it can’t be used at the Eurovision Song Contest. To respect this unforeseen personal decision, and in agreement with RTSH, and respecting the rules of ESC, it’s been agreed that, as the winner of FiK, I will represent my country in Vienna with a new song.It’s hoped that this unforeseen inconvenience won’t hurt or bother anyone. The shared objective remains that Albania receive a good position on the night in Vienna and we will work tirelessly to make it happen

An official announcement from RTSH is expected very soon.

Source - escXtra 

AMINATA TO REPRESENT LATVIA!

Aminata Savadogo has won the Latvian national final with Love Injected. Markus Riva came 2nd, Elektrofolk 3rd and MNTHA was left in 4th place! Enjoy the Latvian song for Vienna below:

Savadogo also competed in the Latvian selection last year with this and placed 5th....

The real star of the show was the Riga Beaver though!! ;-)

Switzerland: Mélanie René reveals new version of 'Time to Shine'

Switzerland's representative, Mélanie René, performed Time to Shine during the Lithuanian final last night and it appears the song has undergone a minor revamp. Listen here.

ELINA BORN & STIG RÄSTA TO REPRESENT ESTONIA!

YES! Moments ago, Elina Born & Stig Rästa won Eesti Laul and therefore will indeed represent Estonia in Vienna. They were in the 'Super-final' with Daniel Levi and Elisa Kolk. It was an amazing show tonight - and the best song defiantly did win. Tallinn 2016? Don't rule it out.

The moment they won....

VAIDAS BAUMILA AND MONIKA LINKYTÉ TO REPRESENT LITHUANIA!

Attention! This time it's a perfect result from Lithuania! Monika Linkyte and Vaidas Baumila have both won the Lithuanian selection and therefore are going to represent the country. This blogger is thrilled - it's an amazing song and the chemistry between the two of them works a treat. Mia therefore will have to wait at least another year.. if y'all remember, she came a very close 2nd place last year too!

Estonia will also be selecting their entry tonight so stay tuned!

Sweden: Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Isa qualify!

Both Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Isa have qualified tonight in Sweden and will participate in the Melodifestivalen final in three weeks time. Kristin Amparo and Andreas Weise made the Second Chance round. Unfortunately, Ellen Benediktson didn't make it.. she came 5th tonight. Stay tuned for the results from Lithuania and Estonia.

Finland: The final line-up is complete!

Photo - Ylva Linda OneVoice on Facebook

The line-up for Finland's national final is now complete. The remaining six acts battled it out tonight and the following three were lucky enough to make it through to the final stage of UMK:

• Solju - Hold Your Colours
• Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla 
• Angelo de Nile - All for Victory

The final is set to take place on 28th February and it promises to be an amazing show..

Malta: Amber films official video-clip for 'Warrior'

Amber has this week been filming the official music video for Warrior in Rabat. It seems the song has undergone minor changes to make it even more powerful and the finished product will be released next month. Amber had this to say:

The song remains the star of the show. Warrior is about dealing with the challenges we have to face in life and having the strength to overcome obstacles. The moment I sing here I feel a lot of emotions. I hope that my fans can share this feeling when they listen to my song

Photograph - Daniel d’Anastasi

Germany: Ann Sophie completes national final line-up!

On Thursday night, the Clubkonzert took place in Germany and Ann Sophie won the right to participate in the German national final. The Clubkonzert round isn't to be dismissed as Elaiza, last year's winner and eventual representatives of Germany, came from the Clubkonzert round. Could Anne Sophie follow in Elaiza's steps? Watch her in action here. She's great!!

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #5!

Another national final weekend awaits us, ahh I love this time of year :-) Three countries will be selecting their song for Vienna whilst Finland, Hungary and Sweden continue their selections.

ESTONIA
Eesti Laul concludes tonight. Ten songs are in the running to represent Estonia and the winner will be decided by a 50/50 combination of jury and televote.

1. Luisa Värk - Minu päike
2. Maia Vahtramäe - Üle vesihalli taeva
3. Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday
4. Kali Briis Band - Idiot
5. Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers - Troubles
6. Daniel Levi - Burning Lights
7. Elisa Kolk - Superlove
8. The Blurry Lane - Exceptional
9. Elephants From Neptune - Unriddle Me
10. Triin Niitoja & John4 - This is Our Choice

Will Elina Born & Stig Rästa win as predicted or could there be a major upset? This blogger would devastated if they didn't win.. it's an amazing song!!

LITHUANIA
Mia, Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila will tonight fight for the Lithuanian ticket to Vienna. All three have previous national final experience.. The song was decided last week and it's This Time. Interestingly, Monika and Vaidas both performed the song amazingly together. They even kissed - it was a lovely performance and I would love to see them both win. But I don't know if that's possible as it would be rather unfair on Mia I guess.....

• Mia - This Time
• Monika Linkytė - This Time
• Vaidas Baumila - This Time
• Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila - This Time

You will be able to watch the show at 19:00 CET

FINLAND
The final semi final of Finland's UMK is set to take place tonight.

1. Ida Bois - Kumbaya
2. Aikuinen - Kyynelten lahti
3. Solju - Hold Your Colours
4. Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla
5. Angelo de Nile - All for Victory
6. Heidi Pakarinen - Bon voyage

Find out here what myself and Blogilkar thought of tonight's line-up!

SWEDEN
Another seven acts are aiming to make the final of Melodifestivalen as the 3rd semi final will be held tonight. I will be focusing on Estonia and Lithuania and therefore won't watch the show tonight..

• Andreas Weise – Bring Out the Fire
• Isa – Don’t Stop
• Kalle Johansson – För din skull
• Kristin Amparo – I See You
• Ellen Benediktson – Insomnia
• Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Jag är fri (Manne Liem Frije)
• Andreas Johnson – Living to Die

HUNGARY
Nine acts will be hoping to qualify to the final of A Dal although only four will make the cut.

• Bálint Gájer - That's How It Goes
• Bogi Dallos - World of Violence
• Gabi Szűcs - Úgysem felejtesz el
• Gergő Oláh - A tükör előtt
• Gyula Éliás Jr. feat. Fourtissimo - Run to You
• Ív - Fire
• Kati Wolf - Ne engedj el
• Other Planet - Untold Story
• Passed - Mesmerize

Of course I want to see Kati Wolf make the final.. I expect Passed and Bogi will also sail through to the final too, but who will join them?

LATVIA
All attention will be on Latvia tomorrow, as Supernova finally concludes. Only four acts remain in the competition. Aminata Savadogo seems to be the big favourite, with Markus Riva also a big contender for victory. Maybe. Although don't rule out MNTHA. Her song is weird yet somehow wonderful - and the Latvians don't always select the most internationally friendly songs..ElektroFence's song isn't bad but come on.. the other three are so much better! More here

Portugal: 'Festival da Canção' participants revealed!

The full line-up for Festival da Canção has been revealed and the following acts will participate.

Adelaide Ferreira – Paz

Composer: Adelaide Ferreira / Lyrics: Adelaide Ferreira

Diana Piedade – Maldido Tempo

Composer: Carlos Massa / Lyrics: Carlos Massa

Filipa Baptista – A Noite Inteira

Composer: Augusto Madureira / Lyrics: Augusto Madureira

Filipe Gonçalves – Dança Joana

Composer: Héber Marques / Lyrics: Héber Marques

Gonçalo Tavares – Tu Tens Uma Mágica

Composer: Gonçalo Tavares / Lyrics: Gonçalo Tavares & José Cid

José Freitos – Mal Menor (Ninguém Me Guia À Razão)

Composer: Chukry / Lyrics: Chukry

Leonor Andrade – Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa

Composer: Miguel Gameiro / Lyrics: Miguel Gameiro

Rita Seidi – Lisboa, Lisboa

Composer: Sara Tavares / Lyrics: Sara Tavares

Rubi Machado – Quando A Lua Voltar A Passar

Composer: Sebastião Antunes / Lyrics: Sebastião Antunes

Simone de Oliveira – À Espera Das Canções

Composer: Renato Júnior / Lyrics: Tiago Torres da Silva

Teresa Radamanto – Um Fado Em Viena

Composer: Fernando Abrantes / Lyrics: Jorge Mangorrinha

Yola Dinis – Outra Vez Primavera

Composer: Nuno Feist / Lyrics: Nuno Marques da Silva

Simone de Oliveira's name might be familiar to you. She represented Portugal in 1965 and 1969 and is hoping to return to the contest once again after all these years. Meanwhile Adelaide Ferreira also returns - she represented the country thirty years ago. This blogger is most excited to hear Diana Piedade's song though. She took part in the Portuguese version of Pop Idol a few years ago and has a fantastic voice.. I've always admired her. Portugal will select their entry on 7th March, with two semi finals to take place beforehand on 3rd and 5th March.

Italy: Il Volo will sing 'Grande Amore' in Vienna!

As expected, Grande Amore has been confirmed as the Italian entry. Il Volo won Sanremo 2015 last weekend and therefore also the right to represent Italy in the contest. Will Italy be victorious? The song has had 6 million hits on YouTube in only a week and Italy are the current favourite to win with the bookmakers. Although we still have 27 entries to go, let's remember that :-)

Montenegro: Željko Joksimović to compose Knez's entry!

Željko Joksimović will compose the Montenegrin entry and apparently it's going to be an uptempo number. Maybe something like this? Maybe. The song is going to revealed within the next few weeks.

Review: Latvia's Supernova 2015!

Four songs remain in the running to represent Latvia so yours truly decided to do a little review. 

MNTHA - Nefelibata

Sending this song to Eurovision would be a very brave and daring choice for Latvia. I do like it and would love to see MNTHA win on Sunday but if the Latvians want to ensure qualification (after all these years), Nefelibata might not be the best option. Would be a very risky but an exciting choice.. 8/12

Markus Riva - Take Me Down

Markus's song is very good and would appeal to an intentional audience. I wouldn't be too disappointing if he won even though he isn't my favourite. He's only my 3rd favourite but I still think it's a great song - that's how good the Latvian selection, Supernova, is this is year. Would be a very decent entry for Latvia, if they select it. 7/12 

ElektroFolk - Sundance

This is another interesting song however Sundance could be portrayed as a bit of as joke in Vienna. My least favourite and I don't think Latvia should send this. The mixture between elektro and folk is an awesome idea but the song isn't strong enough me thinks. But it isn't bad. 5/12

Aminata Savadogo - Love Injected

Love Injected is my favourite in this years Latvian national final for sure, so naturally I'd be thrilled to see Aminata win. Her vocals are fantastic live and the song is so awesome. Would she ensure Latvia's qualification? I think so. This is Latvia's best shot if they want to do well. It's getting a 12/12 from this blogger as I love it so much.

The Latvian national final is set for 22nd February. More details regarding the show to follow in due course. Who would you like to see succeed Aarzemnieki? Check out the songs below:

Greece: Participants revealed, final set for early March!

Five acts are in the running to represent Greece. The line-up for the national final has been revealed today and you can see who will participate below:

• Maria-Eleni Kyriakou
• Shaya
• C:Real
• Barrice
• Thomai Apergi & Legend

Maria-Eleni Kyriakou won the most recent edition of The Voice in Greece - and Thomai Apergi participated in the Greek selection a couple of years ago with this funky tune..

Songs to be revealed very soon - and the national final itself is set for the first week of March, an official date remains unknown.

Photograph - Gossip-tv

NADAV GUEDJ TO REPRESENT ISRAEL!

Earlier tonight, 16 year old Nadav Guedj won The Next Star and therefore will represent Israel in Vienna. Iky Levy & The Rasta Hebrew Me came 2nd - followed by Avia Shoshani and Sari Nachmias respectively. His song will internally chosen by a special committee at IBA and released later. Did Israel pick the best singer tonight? Or would you have preferred someone else?

Israel: Participant to be chosen tonight!

Israel's artist will be chosen this evening. The winner of The Next Star will fly the Israeli flag. Some of you might be familiar with Avia Shoshani - she was one of Moran's backing singers in Malmo. Here's the line-up for tonight:

• Avia Shoshani
• Sari Nachmias
• Iky Levy and the Rasta Hebrew Men
• Nadav Guedj

The song will be internally chosen and released within the next couple of weeks.

Latvia: Here are the finalists for Supernova 2015!

Only four acts remain in Latvia's selection. These are the qualifiers and one of them will represent fly the Latvian flag in May:

• Aminata - Love Injected
• MNTHA - Nefelibata
• ElektroFolk - Sundance
• Markus Riva - Take Me Down

The final will take place on 22nd February. Who would you like to see win?

Italy: Full statistics from #Sanremo2015 here!

The full results from this years edition of Sanremo are out. Il Volo won the super final with a pretty impressive 56.2% of the teleovtes - whilst 33.4% of Italians who voted opted to support runner up Nek. Malika came 3rd with 10.4% of the votes. However this opinion was not shared with the 'Expect Jury' - Malika 39,9%, Nek 37,5 and they put Il Volo third with 22,9%. Meanwhile, the 'Demoscopic Jury' also placed Nek first but Il Volo were not far behind them . Once again, the gorgeous Malika was placed third. The full results from the super final is; 39,05 for Il Volo, 35,38 for Nek and 25,57 for Malika. So overall, Nek was the juries favourite and Il Volo won because due to the public vote.

Onto some sadder news. Or at least some sadder news for this blogger. Lara Fabian and Anna Tatangelo both came last in their respective shows. This is slightly surprising - as I believed Anna's song was fabulous and would've made a very decent Italian entry.

BOJANA STAMENOV TO REPRESENT SERBIA!

Yihuuu! Bojana Stamenov has just won the right to represent Serbia! This blogger is absolutely thrilled with this decision. Bojana Stamenov was fantastic tonight and Serbia will definitely stand out. Danica Krstić unfortunately came last.. and therefore, Aleksa Jelić was tonight's runner up. All the songs were pretty good but the Serbs defiantly selected the best. Welcome back, Serbia!

I am already hearing that the song might have a revamp before Eurovision - and maybe an English translation? Maybe.

Serbia: National final to be held tonight!

Serbia will select their representative for Vienna tonight. Vladimir Graić has composed three songs for the finalists - Aleksa Jelić, Bojana Stamenov and Danica Krstić - and the winning combination will be decided by a jury and televote. The songs are yet to be released in full although judging from the snippets, I want Danica Krstić to win! Here's the line-up for tonight's Serbian national final:

• Aleksa Jelić – Vodi Me
• Bojana Stamenov – Ceo Svet Je Moj
• Danica Krstić – Suze Za Kraj

You will be able to watch the show here at 21:00!

IL VOLO TO REPRESENT ITALY!

As expected, Il Volo have won Sanremo 2015 and will therefore represent Italy in Vienna. Nek came a very respectable 2nd place and Malaki was 3rd. Here's the full results from tonight:

Nina Zilli came 9th - which is rather ironic as she also came 9th in Sanremo 2012 and Eurovision 2012. Even though Il Volo weren't my immediate favourites, I still really like the song but I'm not sure if they will work in Eurovision. Grande Amore isn't the Italian entry for sure yet though, that should be officially confirmed soon,

MARÍA ÓLAFSDÓTTIR TO REPRESENT ICELAND!

María Ólafsdóttir has won Söngvakeppnin moments ago, narrowly beating off competition from Friðrik Dór Jónsson, who was the big favourite to win. 

This blogger thoroughly enjoyed Iceland's national final tonight. Almost all the songs were decent and Eurovision worthy - but they did select the best song I think. Or at least the best for Eurovision. I think she can do very well. Haukur Heiðar Hauksson and Björn og félagar sung their entries in Icelandic however all the other acts opted for English tonight. A great choice! 

Estonia: Here are the finalists for Eesti Laul 2015!

The line-up for Estonia's national final is complete! Check out who made it below:

• Elina Born & Stig Rästa "Goodbye to Yesterday"
• Daniel Levi "Burning Lights"
• Triin Niitoja & John4 "This is Our Choice"
• Kali Briis Band "Idiot"
• Luisa Värk "Minu päike"

They will join last weeks qualifiers:

• The Blurry Lane "Exceptional"
• Maia Vahtramäe "Üle vesihalli taeva"
• Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers "Troubles"
• Elephants From Neptune  "Unriddle Me"
• Elisa Kolk "Superlove"

Of course I am thrilled to see Elina Born & Stig Rästa qualify. Now let's hope Estonia send them!!

Lithuania: 'This Time' to be performed in Vienna - but by who?

The Lithuanian song for Eurovision has been chosen and it's This Time. Mia, Vaidas Baumila and Monika Linkyte will perform it next week and then the Lithuanians will select their favourite version and that'll be the Lithuanian entry! Was the best song chosen tonight?

Sweden: Mariette and Magnus Carlsson qualify!

We have two more qualifiers for the final of Melodifestivalen! Mariette and Magnus Carlsson have qualified directly to the final! More to follow....

Photograph - SVT 

Finland: Three more acts qualify for UMK final!

The 2nd semi final of UMK has just concluded in Finland and the following acts made the cut:

• Shava – Ostarilla
• Opera Skaala – Heart of light
• Jouni Aslak – Lions and lambs

Some surprises here. Siru is out!!! Bollywood inspired Shava made it though. They are not my favourites but it's fun and colourful! Opera Skaala's performance was actually very good, I have to admit. They definitely would stand out if they won UMK and made it to Vienna.

I still think the winner will be either Satin Circus or PKN.... Anyway, the third and final semi final will be held next week! Stay tuned for more from the wonderful world of Eurovision tonight :-)