ScottyEm

So bookies have largely forgotten about the 50% jury stake? But yes, my arse twitched a touch also...

Cyprus, Austria and Finland appear to be the winners from today as far as boookies are concerned. Croatia had a small surge but I still think the song is pretty hopeless.

I think they’re two vastly different entries, I think they might both squeeze through?

Seems like it’s been a rather underwhelming first half? Acts have either remained still or drifted in the odds.

Didn’t have him down as a bottom?

Arse twitching at precisely 1:40pm on Monday

I’m going - 5th time round for me now.

Bookies are tipping Finland to miss out... I must provisionally book a place in the Betty Ford clinic for 9th May.

I have two firm favourites which I will be dammed if I had to choose one over the other: Loreen - Euphoria Poli Genova - If Love Was A Crime

Incredible!

Finland doing well. I know this means little but I'm clinging on to anything remotely positive. Israel are unsurprisingly pissing this already.

They gel incredibly well.

In a quiet semi, I think he’d have a shot in hell. If there’s gonna be a shock qualifier, I’d put my money on Lithuania. But in this semi, I don’t want any shock qualifiers! I think there will inevitably be shock non-qualifiers of course...

My prediction is partially based on emotional preparation, incase this happens. Am I paranoid? A bit, yes.

Monsters is, I think, perhaps the most difficult song this year to predict. It could as easily come 4th as it could come 14th in the semi. My gut, sadly, suggests the latter is more likely. But I adore it regardless and it's my firm fave of 2018.

And here comes the chip on the Brit shoulder again

I wouldn’t worry, I think Azerbaijan will still sail through.

They could next win in 2019, or 2039, possibly never. As long as they continue with their half-arsed selection process, a win is only inevitable by accident - like Portugal.

She's coming on after a straight run of slow paced tracks, which will help. I also wonder if there's an ad break before her, even better. To be honest, I thought she'd be closing this semi.

Israel. The song alone is a likely winner but I sense the hype and talk will ascend as we approach Eurovision week and so viewers (and juries) will already be watching out for Netta. Estonia is a close threat but I don't see any others as a likely winner. I think Australia is too ordinary to clean up the televotes.

Interesting to see a lot of ppl (and not just on here) are suggesting Azerbaijan will crash our? It’s far from groundbreaking but surely this will sail through even in this very dicey semi.

This qualifying over Finland would send me over a cliff edge.

No idea what’s happened there but I had 2017: 21 2018: 22 Both solid years, but neither as good as 2016.

It worries me why it’s drifted SO MUCH in the odds. If the bookies are basing it on the NF performance, that’s stupid because it’s almosr certainly gonna be different in Lisbon. That aside, I have doubts on it qualifying? Feels like a lot can go wrong with it. I hope I’m wrong and she’ll slay the whole bloody thing but, for now, I have her down as not qualifying in that beast of a semi final.