ESC

The Norwegians are having a great time hosting this contest. Everything is running smoothly and there's a great buzz around Oslo. There's another thing the Norwegians are doing very well and that's the preparation for their entry.

Georgia had their second round of rehearsals this afternoon and while the phrase 'throwing the kitchen sink at it' has been used  for several other countries already it's probably best used for the Georgians. They are over-complicating a song that should stand on its own with a simple presentation.

Ireland has been promising a lot for since their first rehearsal on Day 4. Today Niamh and her crew took their second rehearsal in the Telenor arena and were vocally spot on again.

Norway got their chance to rehearse for the final. The arena was full of Norwegian visitors and they weren't the only ones wowed by a solid performance from Didrik.

There's very little pressure on the Netherlands to qualify or even do well. Sieneke seems to be enjoying herself but apart from the odd hardcore shclager fan not too many are enjoying this.

Denmark were one of the favourites going into this contest but it's looking as if they're struggling just a little bit to live up to that tag.

Eva was on stage again this afternnon for her second rehearsal and everything went as smoothly as the first time. The entry is one of the few that almost everyone in the press centre is very happy with.

Hera Bjork was polished and professional in her rehearsal today. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but no one can deny that they know what they want and they're getting it.

Greece up next and this is going pretty well for Yiorgos and his friends. The stage act hasn't changed at all, but there have been changes to the camerawork.

Finland belted through three goes of their song in the Telenor arena this afternoon. There's not much to change here as it's a pretty well rounded package. There is still the uneplained blob of ice cream on the stage though.