It took almost four hours to watch all 39 entries. No wonder they split them up into two halves. There’s only about three or four real trashy entries. Notably Portugal, Belgium and Monaco, which were particularly bad, and respectively polled only five, two and two points out of twenty.

So, our winners, and our tips for the top this year are:

1. Hungary: Nox with Spin, World. In some ways, quite reminiscent of Wild Dance, last year’s winner, but then at the same time a strange mix of Irish and Middle Eastern influences. We actually listened to this one three times through, and each time we were more convinced it was this year’s winner. The video is quite bizarre in a lot of ways, so it will be interesting to see how they actually perform on stage, which could be what swings it either way for them. (19 out of 20)

2. Iceland: Selma Björnsdóttir with If I Had Your Love. What the hell is going on here? Its video is just plain bizarre. Is she cupid trying to shoot the guy with an arrow of love, or is she really some crazed assassin stalking the streets of Reykjavik. A song that goes everywhere, with some slow bits, some dance bits… And she’s a mix of Leena Philipsson and Carrie Bradshaw. Still, entertaining stuff, and I’d put it up there in the top five. I don’t think we’ll be seeing an Icelandic Eurovision in 2006, though. (17 out of 20)

3. Slovenia: Omar Naber with Stop. There are two versions of this song, so it’ll be interesting to see which one he performs on the night. The one on all the press tapes is a more finished and jazzed up version of what was floating around the net some weeks ago, so that’s probably what we’ll hear on the night, so expect a slow build up and a powerful middle and end. He should get extra points for his looks, but will be able to stand on the strength of his song alone. I can’t really rank this one and Iceland above one another, so they sit together in joint second place to my mind. (17 out of 20)

4. France: Ortal with Chacun Pense à Soi. It’s a bit of a grower, this one. Not much to start with, but once it gets going it’s very catchy. Not particularly speedy, but accomplished, and sure of itself. France generally does do nice songs (always in French) that are quickly forgotten, but this is a good step up from last year’s entry, and would be greatly improved if they got rid of the semi-rap break out two thirds of the way through. (17 out of 20)

5. Latvia: Walters and Kazha with The War is Not Over. This is a surprise. It’s nothing like the other songs in our top five. Largely acoustic, and just two guys sitting on stools playing their guitars. The words are quite poiniant. Stuff about people jumping out of tall buildings and hitting the floor and war not being over. September 11th? War on Terror? Perhaps… (16 out of 20)

An honourable mention also goes to Lithuania for an entertaining ditty but overall, in spite of being sure Hungary is on for top spot, my personal favourite is Slovenian Omar Naber, and Stop.

1. Eurovision betting
   There was a time when Ireland won about three Eurovisions in a row, and there was talk of it being on the verge of bankrupting...
   
   
2. Eurovision 2006 final
   What a great contest. Admittedly it went in waves, starting out quite slow and dull, but the middle section was fantastic, with some really different...
   
   
3. Eurovision 2006 semis
   The second most important night of annual TV: the Eurovision semi-finals. I was thinking it was a shame the UK didn't have to qualify, because...