Hello & welcome to a celebration of the finest pan--European annual musical jamboree known to man, the Eurovision Song Contest. And so to Düsseldorf in Germany where our Teuton cousins are beavering away preparing a mighty contest for 35,000 people (no, not the UK TV audience). So put your incredulity and appreciation of fine music firmly in the top drawer and celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with me.

We have a particularly shocking year on our hands, but with that comes an open contest. Around 10 nations seem to be in the hunt, and I'm finding it difficult to follow up last year's 1-2-3 prediction with another profit making tip. Unfathomably France are way ahead of the field with the type of operatic effort that got the contest into trouble in the mid-90's. The UK in the shape of Blue are well in the chasing bunch, and for the first time sine 2003 I honestly have a good feeling for our chances. Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia are amongst the very limited number of acts that pleases me, and you can learn more over the 4 pages of this year's contest that can be found here

The Semi-finals have come and gone, and there wer some surprises amongst the general dross. Due to an very un-German like drop in efficiency all commentating across Europe failed to work during the first semi final, and more shockingly the first five songs on the card were savaged by bad sound quality (or so they say...). None of these nations made it through to the Final, and as a result a small zephyr brewed and then peetered out. Unlike Jemini some of these acts have a real reason to feel aggrieved, and I understand Norway briefly considered sending in the gun boats (official trademark Wogan).
I wouldn't suggest there are similar amounts of national shame to another famous event, but there is definite squirming beneath the organisers lederhosen...which apparently sounds just like Iceland's horn descension.