Results From The Second Semi-Final

Part two of the 2014 semi-finals took place today in Copenhagen, and here are our ten qualifiers!

Firelight from Malta: This gets the family-friendly vote for sure. Their folksy song is incredibly likable, and it will do well in the finals.

Carl Espen from Norway: Simple and moving. Loving this moody ballad.

Conchita Wurst from Austria: WOW. Well, this is an amazing performance. There is a huge movement behind Conchita, and it's now believed this underdog has a real chance to win on Saturday.

Sebalter from Switzerland: Another cute folk song, but this won't do as well as Malta.

Teo from Belarus: The Belorussian Robin Thicke advances.

Tinkara Kovac from Slovenia: This is the most surprising finalist of the night. I like Tinkara, but her song isn't as dynamic as some of the others.

Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd from Greece: Greece really brought it this year. Their song is probably the most fun, most party-ready song in the whole contest right now.

Softengine from Finland: An alternative band with a catchy song. They get the straight guy vote.

Donatan & Cleo from Poland: Welcome back, Poland! Though Cleo's voice faltered, the performance was incredibly entertaining (let's be real here: this made it through because of gratuitous Polish boobs).

Paula Seling and Ovi from Romania: This performance gave me LIFE. It was completely over-the-top and wonderful, everything we (I) wanted from Romania. From holograms to a circular piano, Danish presenter, Lise Rønne, could not have been more correct when she commented, "Less is not more."

Shortly after the finalists were announced, a running order for Saturday's final was created. Remember, in an incredibly competitive year like this, the order in which you perform can mean everything. Traditionally, entries have a much better chance of winning if they are placed within the second half of the show.

The Best of the Rest

Tonight is the second semi-final in Copenhagen. 15 entries will compete for the remaining 10 spots in the final.

Norway's Carl Espen is expected to do well. "Silent Storm" was chosen through Norway's Melodi Grand Prix (which is similar to Sweden's Melodifestivalen in its scope and popularity). It's not my typical Eurovision pick (I usually prefer something a bit more flashy or ridiculous), but I'm captivated by Norway's haunting ballad.

From Israel, we have Mei Finegold with "Same Heart." GET IT GIRL. Mei got her start through Israel's version of American Idol, a program called Kokhav Nolad. Israel last won Eurovision in 1998 with the lovely Dana International, who is a transgender male-to-female performer. "Same Heart" is a great pop song with a strong club following, and it will do well among certain audience members (gays).

And now, we got to Malta with the band, Firelight. Malta has participated in the Contest 27 times, and they've never won. Personally, if you want folk, I think The Netherlands is putting forth a stronger entry. But there's a lot of buzz behind "Coming Home." With the popularity of bands like Mumford and Sons, Firelight has a very good chance of making it to Saturday's final, and maybe winning the whole thing.

American viewers, the second semi-final starts at 2pm Central Time. Watch here.