Semi Final Two: Georgia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus

However, those steely juries - and now televoters - of Europe have never been swayed to vote for anything on the basis that the performer is foregoing their physical impairment to embrace such a peaceful, harmonious notion. It's all about the song.

In 2002, the Germans were expected to sweep to victory with an uptempo confection performed by blind singer Corinna May. The poor soul looked terrified on the night as she tried to dance, her voice straining to hit the notes at the same time, but got little sympathy from the voters. The favourite finished 21st.

This is only the second entry from Georgia (they sent something a bit Bjork-y on their debut last year) and is very much in the Love Shine a Light mould of Contest crowd pleasers. We won't mention the rather unfortunate way Diana pronounces the 'Peace' of the title.

Reports from rehearsals state that Diana's backing singers cover her with a big sheet as part of the stage act (how unkind - and not especially peaceful). Then again, nobody else is doing anything especially anthemic this year, and this is a very effective number.

With that in mind, Diana and her chums could well be playing onstage hide-and-seek at the Saturday final.

But she'd better remove said sheet before leaving the stage, or the more timid Eurovision entrants in the wings will think the Belgrade Arena is haunted by a big ghost.

Boom or Bang?: Borderline qualifier.

Hungary: Csezy - Candlelight

Boom Bang a Blog readers, I must confess - this is the one song that has completely passed me by this year.

That's because:

(a) It's a ballad. I don't really do ballads.

(b) It's a dramatic ballad at that, and they're always a bit too girly for my linking.

(c) It's a ballad.

Don't despair. Less picky Eurovision fans have assured me that Csezy has lungpower equivalent to an entire room of seven-year-old girls singing along to High School Musical at a birthday party, so you certainly won't ignore her when she's on stage.

Candlelight is also the one song where people appear to be saying: "That one's passed me by. It's because it's a ballad. But then I saw her singing this on the Hungarian final and I couldn't believe how good it was."

Ooh, fancy. As long as she isn't scared out of her wits by a Georgian lady in a sheet as she's waiting to go on stage, Csezy could turn in one of the best performances of the night.

Boom or Bang?: The ultimate sleeper of 2008.

Malta: Morena - Vodka

This is smashing fun.

Without doubt the only Eurovision song ever to mention Gorky Park, those canny Maltese have realised how many of the Eurovision voting nations have connections with the Soviet era and have come up with something delightfully Russki.

Morena sounds like the sort of girl it is legally binding to go out and get drunk with when visiting the island of Malta. For her performance of this frenetic, Kalinka-ish paean to spies, blokes and potato-based spirit, M will be toe to knee in mirror-clad kinky boots while some beefy gentleman throw themselves about around her.

All of the semi finalists have now rehearsed at least once in Belgrade and - despite the obvious impact of Vodka (both liquid and lyrical) - the general concensus seems to be Malta will miss out on a spot in the final for the second successive year.

How unfair. We need something a bit cheeky to balance out the earnest balladry.

People of Europe. Vote Vodka. Vote Morena.

If only because they've stretched out a Eurovision entry of less than three minutes to a promo video lasting close to six.

Boom or Bang?: Hic. It's the besht Malteshe entry everrrrr.

Cyprus: Evdokia Kadi - Femme Fatale

Pray silence for Nicosia's answer to Liza Minelli.

Although Cypriot telly tried really hard to have plenty of contemporary pop (and performed in English) in its domestic heat back in January, the patriotic voters plumped for the only song in the selction performed entirely in Greek.

This has to be the most eccentric entry of the Contest. It veers in directions you don't expect it to, starting with a gentle Zorba-esque bouzouki refrain and then descending in to electrical guitar, chanting and all sorts of other stuff before it comes to an end.

Different and eccentric can sometimes be bywords for good (think Kate Bush, think Julian Cope). But don't think it for this.

And is it me, but doesn't the phrase Femme Fatale whip up images of a sassy, flirty Lauren Bacall, dragging effortlessly on a really long cigarette while elegently draped across an armchair in a black and white William Wyler movie? It doesn't sit quite so well with the Cypriot equivalent of Su Pollard.

There could be one saving grace. Evdokia will stand on a table covered in a red cloth during the perofrmance. At a pre-determined moment, her backing dancers will whip said cloth from beneath her feet.

If she falls off that table, she's getting my vote.

Boom or Bang?: Too many ideas in one song could prove Fatale for Evdokia's chances.