On this page you can see my predictions for the second semi-final. In a year strong for ballards, there are remarkably few at the top of the scoreboard for Thursday's extravaganza. The demure Ms Loboda gains a surprising top spot with her basic gibberish in a S&M cage. Hot favourite Rybak can only gain a second place, followed by the Cellists and the greased hunk. Dark-horse pop from Azerbaijan should qualify with ease, as should the ethno clap-trap of Moldova. As it turned out I managed to get three wrong in this more competitive semi final. The instrumental in all but name from Slovenia bombed, as did the nonsense from Serbia, and the bottom of the barrel from Ireland. They are replaced below by surprisingly decent Lithuania, not so decent Albania, and anything but decent Croatia.
Indeed 2009 may well be the straw that broke the camels back for the Netherlands whose greatest export since the prostrate massager should gain few new fans. Slovakia will probably wish they didn't bother, and Lativa should bomb even with guaranteed neighbourly points taken into consideration.