Eurovision 2010: Semi Final draw allocation took place in Olso this very morn

Forget the glitz and glamour of the Euro 2012 qualifying rounds draw this morning. At the same time In Oslo, the draw for who is singing in which semi-final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest was made by a very bored-looking policeman and a presenter who kept being interrupted by ESC bossman, Svante Stockselius.

This time around, each country was allocated a place in one of two semi-finals, but also which half of that qualifier they'll be performing in, so the delegation can organise which date to arrive in Oslo for rehearsals. Here's who's singing where, in the order they came out of the bowls about 10 minutes ago:

SEMI-FINAL ONE (Tuesday, May 25)
FIRST HALF: Serbia, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia.
SECOND HALF: Greece, Iceland, Malta, Portugal, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Belgium, Poland, Albania.

SEMI-FINAL TWO (Thursday, May 27)
FIRST HALF: Switzerland, Lithuania, Sweden, Ukraine, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Israel, Armenia.
SECOND HALF: Georgia, Turkey, Ireland, Slovenia, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania.

Good news for ireland in that they perform late on and the UK has been confirmed in voting in the second qualifier.

Right, I'm off to the fans meet-up in Liverpool I blogged about a few weeks ago. Hope to see some of you there - and I'll report back on what happens.