Eurovision Song Contest / Chicken Dinner / 21 May 2008 /

Something for everyone say Chickendinner in their look at the second semi-final Eurovision odds...

Nice work, Ireland. As suspected, the silly turkey failed to impress, hence Wogan won't even have the chance to say the words "Emerald Isle" in his best Radio 2 voice on Saturday. Ireland can now enjoy the contest without having to worry about winning again, what with all the expense and inconvenience of staging next year's show that success brings. The rest of Europe can relax in the knowledge that they'll never have to listen to that wretched song again. Of those who scraped through, Israel, Norway and Finland can all count themselves lucky.

This second semi-final features two of the big favourites: Ukraine ([1.06] to go through on Betfair) and Sweden [1.17]. The Ukraine's jolly disco anthem, Shady Lady, is like a Eurovision masterclass, and they've proved themselves very muscular opponents in finals gone by - winning the thing in 2004, and finishing runners up last year. Sweden have gone with their veteran 1999 winner, Charlotte Nilsson, now known as Charlotte Perrelli, and have just emerged as a big favourite after winning a Europe-wide BBC vote for the best song entry. Charlotte will be singing a tear-jerker called Hero.

Of the other seventeen semi-finalists, Latvia [1.71] and Bulgaria [1.23] both stand out as the kind of acts that can make a room full of hysterical face-painted Europeans go absolutely mental. The former are competing with a bonkers song about pirates, the latter are bringing the rave - get your glow-sticks and ecstasy ready, Europe! Both will go through.

The risk-takers in this group - those who have dared to croon in their native tongue - are Turkey [1.23], Albania [1.87], Switzerland [2.0], Croatia [1.77], Cyprus [3.8] and Portugal [1.78].

Of those, Turkey have gone for a cool indie song, which more moping, gothic areas of Europe will find painfully beautiful, and Switzerland have opted for the kind of soaring power ballad that makes you disappear off to the toilet to weep dramatically the minute it has finished. Croatia are also rumoured to be brilliant.

Macedonia [1.57] will be counting on Europe feeling that what it needs right now is some below par Macedonian sex music (it doesn't), and should continental tastes suddenly turn in the direction of an atmospheric Dungeons and Dragons rock opera, then Lithuania [7.4] can count themselves enormously lucky. At least those two made an effort. The Czech Republic [5.0], on the other hand, seem totally uninterested, and have sent along a regulation blonde to warble some bland nonsense - next year, Czechs, try to be a little less insulting, some of us actually care.

Of the rest, Iceland [1.76] are upbeat, Malta [2.9] seem drunk, Hungary [1.79] have gone for a ballad, Denmark [2.62] are seemingly on drugs, and Belarus [2.4] and Georgia [1.5] will need the planets aligned and the gods on their side to go through.

So those most likely destined for failure, are: Macedonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Czech Republic, Albania, Lithuania, Belarus, Georgia, Denmark.

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