New playlist - remember that round where we all said ooh look no Sweden...

Fingers and toes crossed for Saara! Can't remember who asked about it, but yeah the tour places are confirmed after tonight.

She's only gone and done it again! So proud of our Saara!

SAARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasnt expecting that!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Think my neighbours are going to hate me!

Woohoo Saara is on the tour! She's done wonders since taking over creative control.

Really am surprised that Saara avoided the bottom three again. Seems this crazy persona is working.

I wouldn't sit through the other shite just to see her but hopefully this ups her chances of going to Eurovision, either for Finland or the UK

I reacted in the exact same way Nick, it was absolutely amazing and bless her heart she was made up- Well deserved, I watched the rest of them and they're bland, tone deaf or both so she''s like a breath of fresh air

Had a listen to the JESC songs so far - sounds like another strong contest, nothing's as good as Destiny but what is? Macedonia in particular really suprised me, can't see them finishing anywhere near last with that!

Gifty is raging

Saara could actually go top 5 here. She would surely topple Honey G, Ryan and the girl group in the sing off??

Dan the Banjo Man was a #1 across Europe in 1974 although not here even though "Dan" was British and played all the instruments. A cracking foot tapper and thanks to bbg & Lurker for the big points and weedy for points.

Congratulations iJSM and thanks Nick for hosting.

That would have been "Best of Iberia".

We can but hope!

Next week, the acts mentioned above will be in the bottom 3. Then...

*Shock Twist* No app vote, no sing off, you're all eliminated. Goodbye.

Saara Survives.

Hello all! Hope everyone is well. Just popping in here just to ask is anyone else trying to buy Melfest tickets that are on sale tomorrow morning or am I the only crazy person planning on going to the final next year?

ohhh....I've been the last 2 years...though promised myself I would save and not go through the amazing (but expensive) weekend that Melfest is next year! Stockholm is the most amazing place ever tho

Is there something in the water in the Baltic countries? It’s almost all Scandi-Baltic here. It almost seems like cheating to go for a Melfest song though ‘cos we know the entries are all going to be good….

1. Winny Puhh – ‘Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läks eile Lätti’ (Estonia 2013) : Not a clue what the hell is happening but it's still extraordinary to watch, like a weird drug trip or something....
2. Mick Pedaja – ‘Seis’ (Estonia 2016) : Mystical, ethereal and basically shadows and projection, quite liked it.
3. Isa – ‘I Will Wait’ (Sweden 2016) : Dramatic and elegant start which bursts into life. Very Stig and Elina last year and 4Fun from Lithuania in 2007.
4. Marty Brem – ‘Clown’ (Austria 1981) : Hurrah! A golden oldie! Rubbish song, every aspect of this is suitably insane – in short everything you could ever hope for from this kind of list….
5. Shava – ‘Ostarilla’ (Finland 2015) : Finland meets Bollywood meets Summer Holiday in a flower-power passion-wagon. Crap but brilliant at the same time!
6. Oscar Zia – ‘Human’ (Sweden 2016) : A national selection entry done properly
7. Alcazar – ‘Blame it on the Disco’ (Sweden 2014) : A gay space invasion
8. Ace Wilder – ‘Don’t Worry’ (Sweden 2016) : Quintessential Melfest, great staging. Shows a level of seriousness in a selection competition that the UK doesn’t even show in the real thing….
9. After dark – ‘La dolce vita’ (Sweden 2004) : La Cage aux Folles meets Melfest
10. Amaryllis – ‘Kick the Habit’ (Belgium 2016) : Phantom of the Opera meets a Ferrero Rocher advert!
11. Opera Skaala – ‘Heart of Light’ (Finland 2015) : Falco’s wet dream! Rock me Amadeus! Mystifying but strangely entertaining....
12. Danny Saucedo – ‘Amazing’ (Sweden 2012) : Like a Swedish boyband dance-troupe’s tribute to the Blackpool Illuminations with really crap lyrics….
13. The Hardkiss – ‘Helpless’ (Ukraine 2016) : The Borg Queen says “Resistance is Futile”. Epic stuff! Jamala was probably crapping herself through this entire song thinking “f**k, not again!”
14. Sirkus Eliassen – I Love You Te Quiero’ (Norway 2013) : Watership Down as bad hip-hop!
15. Wiktoria – ‘Save Me’ (Sweden 2016) : This is how you do a good national selection entry
16. Panetoz – ‘Håll om mig hårt’ (Sweden 2016) : We’ve come a long way from ‘Starship Troopers’ haven’t we….

PS - Saara survived!!!!!

PPS - how exactly do these polls actually work? I usually just watch the videos and pick one or two I like the most.

this is a surprise. I almost broke my duck! congratulations iJSM it was catchy song, although Angela Lansbury winning would have been nice. thanks for the 12 points Nick.. considering I did not give your entry points. Thanks for hosting this round and thanks to everyone else who voted Cocovan was a last minute find. it's a shame the video has very few views.. nunaney you might want to read this .. Cocovan has a connection with Kyo.. spooky! http://www.last.fm/music/Cocovan/+wiki

.....

Come again?

Absolutely delighted for Saara.

She might be back there next week because she's due an early slot and I think they'd give her a weak girlband song, but I can't see 40D doing anything to survive and she'd kill them in a sing off and they wouldn't have the whole 'SAARA THE PUBLIC AREN'T CONNECTING' when it'd be there 3rd time there.

i've never found a winner in six years of doing ds fandabbydosey and i'd like to keep my duck

Well folks it is the 31st October and you know what that means? Nope not Halloween…It is only 1 day to go till the UK Eurovision public submissions close. I wonder what rubbish that has to go through due diligence and will get thrown out immediately!

Kinda knew this was you.
I LOVED Heaven and Earth, but this was quite dull. Sorry.

I dread to think, of course, it'll be like that with all selections and in all cases, there's often a big difference in quality between some of the acts in Semis and the song which eventually goes to Eurovision....

Should the BBC not just ask somebody vaguely successful to do it very nicely indeed (complete with suitable bribe) and then let us lot pick the song? We used to get half decent efforts that way. Then get in some Swedes or some Ukrainians to stage it, you know, somebody who knows what the hell they are doing in that department.... But hey, we aren't going to get a proper showcase with Semis or a presenter and jury with real expertise or put on an appropriate channel so what's the point?

If you think of the wealth of people we could send if we were doing as the Russians do and send a big gun, it's pathetic! Where is Florence Welsh when we need her? Hell, Hurts, anybody!

So for all the panicking about safety/finances/interest in going to Ukraine, 2017 will have an equal high 43 participants matching 2008 and 2011. The Australia haters will have to stay pressed.

(Still hopes that Patrick Wolf has put something forward, I know he said the single he is suppose to release he wanted to do at Eurovision x)

and yay 43. I'n never going to be upset about Australia being in when I got excited at this supposed rule change that could see up to 20 new countries in the next few years, not that I see any gaining entry and it was just to secure Australia full time.

I got MelFest tickets! #Pray4SarahaAsComebackQueen