...is this Saturday, and here's a thread to talk all about it

Opinions on the songs? The Irish entry looks...er...interesting...

Isn't it a turkey?

Yes, it was on the Today programme this morning. I don't think the Irish entry is definitely in the final on Saturday yet - it needs voting for tonight, I think.

I like our entry for once, but it won't get anywhere.

Dustin [the turkey] is a scream alright!!!!!!

I think we should take a leaf out of Italy's book and sit it out for a year.

Well Dustin failed to qualify...so having won the thing 7 times we are back to not taking part at all! All a bit sad really. We should never have put Dustin in, the true Eurovision fans weren't impressed...I heard he was booed!

I don't think Italy have participated in it for years...

Apparently the Irish entry was booed. There's a rule now, I believe, that each act should have a maximum of six people on stage. The Irish apparently had seven. Can't have helped...

Nahhh!!! Only 6 people and one turkey, surely!!!

We have our 25 qualifiers... get ready for a musical feast on Saturday!!!!!

Our village are having a Eurovision night in the village hall! I am going to keep well away. Go the turkey!!

The Turkey's out of it

Nil point?

Can't wait for tomorrow. Did anyone see the entry that seemed to have two women and one man dressed as Elvis? I onle saw a brief clip, and don't know which country they were from. There was also an entry where the singer looked like Pat Butcher and she had dancers dressed as Mike Reid circling round her.

What time does it start? I could look at the TV guide but its all the way downstairs....

20.00-23.15

www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision/

www.eurovision.tv/page/home

I wish we lived nearer some of you! Hubby and I are not very interested in Eurovision, but my son loves it. I suggested he might like to go round to a friend's and watch it, so he went off to Youth Club last night hoping to find a soulmate.

This morning: "Mum, were you serious about not wanting to watch it? Because I could always take the portable TV up to my room." "I thought you were going to go round to a friend's?" says I. "Ah" says he, "I meant to tell you..all my friends have better taste in music than I do!"

So it looks as if it will at least be on, even if I'm not watching it! Hope you all enjoy it!

I used to have the same thing with my flat-mate who was obsessed and used to make me watch it every year without fail as none of his other friends were remotely intererested!

Now he's moved 'down south' I have escaped

Very nearly!!!

I haven't watched this (except for the voting which is, of course, the best bit) for years but I saw most of it tonight.

And I have three words to describe what I saw and heard.

Bizarre.

BIZARRE.

BIZZZAAAAAARRRRRRRE.

We got 14 points, and finished stone cold last.

What were some of those entries about...

Having moaned about having to have it on, I must admit that I thought the Bosnia Herzogovina one was hilarious - haven't laughed so much for years!! It was just unbelievable!

The Latvian pirate one was pretty good too, but I hated the Azerbaijan one with the weird angels and the Devil. At least it passed the time whilst I did the ironing!

Who won?

I believe it was Russia, although having got up at 5am yesterday morning I was a bit tired.....

It was. They were a long way ahead of the opposition.

Does anyone have any idea of how the political voting can be stopped/reduced?...

Stop voting? That isn't helpful though... I've no idea! Unless you prevented the political voters from voting for their group.

How about a system where we don't know which country is which until it's all over? They could all have numbers and we vote for the number instead of the country, and although it would be easy enought to find out which was which most people woudn't bother (maybe?).

You would have to do away with all the individual country competitions to do that, and there would have to be a large amount of checking to ensure information didn't leak out to the press.

It's quite a good idea, but a lot of 'keeping an eye on things' would have to occur.

Of course we also put a lot of money into the kitty each year to help it to be broadcast. That's why we're always in the final regardless of how we did the previous year. (Germany, France & Spain are in a similar category.)

But it is a wonderful spectacle regardless of the voting etc. The voting just adds to the farcity (is that a word?) of the whole thing.

For entertainment value (rather than a serious musical contest) it is unbeatable.

Latvian Pirates should have won....

With a hi hi ho and a hi hi hey..we are the Wolves of the Sea

OH for goodness sake lighten up, we all know its a farce, of course the Balkans stick togther, so does the Eastern Block and the Scandinavian belt...the whole things a hoot. The french guy walking round with his inflatable globe, the Latvian Pirates and a whole host of other lunatic fringe performers come for a few minutes into the spotlight, its one of the funniest evenings viewing on the Tele...This isnt a serious competition, I mean to say look at Great Britains entry last year sung by Scooch or somesuch nonsensical name...they were appalling and what made it so funny was they seemed to believe in their own hype...

Of course its embarassing...it's supposed to be..and for what its worth I thought the British entry wasn't that bad..he performed well and so what if we only got 14 points...for goodness sake we were beaten by Latvian Pirates now you can't take that seriously...its a scream....

I love Terry Wogan ripping the mickey out of the performers, the presenters....it makes the whole thing go very nicely....Long may he reign

I vote we start a petition to keep him in the job