After last nights second chance round (Siste Sjansen) we now know all 8 members for the final, both Venke Knutson and Bjørn Johan Muri beat off their competition to sail through to next Saturdays shows.

While no order has been given yet, and NRK may indeed throw in a wildcard yet, I’m just going to list them as is.

Keep Of Kalessin – The Dragontower

Very much so a rock number, but not deaf metal sort of symphonic rock. Norway does love it’s rock.

Maria Haukaas Storeng - Make My Day

Norway’s darling, one of the favourites to win. Can she do it again? To be honest, it’s very bland.

Alexander Stenerud – Give It To Me

Love it, glorious in all it’s 2 key changes, will it win though I don’t think so. Maybe if he becomes more animated?

Maria Arredondo – The Touch

Nice ballard, very Yohanna, she even comes with a dodgy blue dress and all.

Didrik Solli-Tangen – My heart is yours

Cute guy, okish ballard, that’s about it really.

A1 - Don’t wanna lose you again

Hot favourites to win, but can they stop the Maria machine? Here’s hoping…

Bjørn Johan Muri - Yes Man

I like this, it’s a nice uptempo song, but it’s not really a contender.

Venke Knutson – Jealous Cause I Love You

As the Schlagerboys put it “Given that one of them starts of in a chair, waves a feathery fan around during the song and has a talky bit just before the chorus” this is Norwegian Schlager, not great but good.

My prediction A1 to get it with Maria in close second. Come Saturday we’ll see if I truly am psychic or not :S

This is looking less and less like a joke.

When we first heard Justin Lee Collins was hoping to enter Eurovision for any country that would have him last year we laughed. We knew he was filming his efforts for British TV channel five and it seemed like a joke designed for a comedy programme which would mock the national selections for Eurovision across Europe.

Now it’s looking like Justin Lee Collins is deadly serious.

He has set his sights firmly on Eurosong here in Ireland and if this interview with ITN is anything to go by, he seems pretty assured that he has a place secured in the National Final.

Indeed, he has already appeared on Ireland’s most popular chat show, The Late Late Show, to raise his profile amongst Irish televoters and convince the public that his entry is not a joke.

With a song written by acclaimed song writers Ronan Keating and Paul Barry, this is looking less and less like a parody and more and more like the early front runner to represent Ireland in Oslo.

We are not amused.

Although he does betray a good taste in Eurovision chansons, listing 1993′s French entry Mama Corsica as his all time favourite entry.

Well would you Adam and Eve it!

When Abba stormed to victory in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with Waterloo how many points do you think they were awarded by the host country?

Nul points. Nada.

Waterloo went on to top the British singles chart and the band score eight more British Number 1s before disbanding in 1980. Their Greatest Hits Collection, ABBA: GOLD has sold 4 million copies in the UK. Mamma Mia! the musical debuted in London’s West End and the movie version is one of the highest grossing cinema releases in British history.

A surprising bit of ESC trivia on this Sunday morning!

What’s the closest an Andra Chansen entry as ever come to winning Melodifestivalen you ask? Well Alcazar were shocked to be demoted to the second chance round in 2005 with their schlager anthem Alcastar but when they scraped through to the final in the Globen some new white costumes and a much worked on key change saw them finish a very respectable third in the final. But the year before, Shirley Clamp came even closer to winning Sweden’s ticket to Eurovision despite qualifying from the Andra Chansen.

Min Karlek only finished fourth on its first outing in Malmo in 2004 but took second place in the Andra Chansen to take its place in the final line up in the Globen. Sporting a new blue frock Shirley powered her way to second, only beaten by Lena Philipsson with her runaway winner Det Gor Ont.

You can also follow Shirley Clamp on Twitter!

Bursting onto our screen last February was a then unknown artist from Sweden, Agnes. She won their Pop Idol and has since to gone on and conquer the world.

We love love love “Love Love Love” and hope you do too

Työlki Ellää by Kuunkuiskaajat won with 42% of the vote.

Hmmm yea, I’ll let you decide. I think its like Urban Trad but not as catchy.

So will we expect a poppy UK this year?

EuroBash 2010 Dublin will be staged in the Dress Circle Room at The Gaiety Theatre on February 20th. Live performaces by Irish Eurovision Stars with Euro disco till 3am. Full bar till 2.30am. All proceeds will be donated to Temple Street Children’s Hospital. Tickets must be purchsed in advance of the event, call Ken + 353 87 256 9584 or e-mail eurobash@gmail.com Tickets also from OGAE IRELAND call Diarmuid Furlong + 353 87 686 1857

You can join their Facebook profile here, see you all there

10 artists were chosen out of 155 submissions to be in the Estonian finals of Eesti Laul 2010.The list includes several former participants of the Estonian selection and the Eurovision Song Contest. Including my favourite Iiris Vesik who should have won in 2008 instead of those boring boring fools with her hit “Ice Cold Story“

Iiris Vesik – Astronaut – Written by Iiris Vesik, Ago Teppand

Disko 4000 – Ei Usu – Piret Järvis, Sander Loite, Paul Oja, Kallervo Karu
Violina feat Rolf Junior – Maagiline Päev – Mihkel Mattisen, Timo Vendt, Rolf Roosalu, Liis Lass
Nikita Bogdanov – Made Me Cry – Nikita Bogdanov
Mimicry – New - Timmo Linnas, Kaspar Ehlvest, Ivar Kaine, Kene Vernik, Paul Lepasson
Marten Kuningas – Oota Mind Veel – Marten Kuningas – Heini Vaikmaa, Oskar Ove
3 Pead – Poolel Teel – Janek Murd, Erkki Tero
Lenna Kuurmaa – Rapuntzel – Vaiko Eplik
Groundhog Day – Teiste Seest Kõigile – Tõnn Tobreluts, Tauno Tamm, Keio Münti, Indrek Mällo
Tiiu Kiik – The One And Only Love – Tiiu Kiik

8 days and counting people!