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 Wild Cards

There's a lot of talk about Austria's Conchita Wurst. She was chosen as the representative very early in the Eurovision process (back in September of last year), which is usually a good sign. Of course, the first thing people notice about Conchita is her out-of-the-ordinary look: a beautiful drag queen with a full beard. But what's really exciting is the realization that she can actually sing. Reports from rehearsals say that Conchita is killing it in the vocal department. 

Could Conchita Wurst actually be victorious at Eurovision this year? It's unlikely, but never forget that a bunch of Finnish men in monster costumes won in 2006 with record-breaking votes. So weirder things have happened.

After taking a two-year hiatus from Eurovision, Poland is BACK. Poland has never won Eurovision, and for the past decade, they have rarely made it out of the semi-finals. But producer Donaton and singer Cleo seem to make a good team. Their song, "My Slowanie" (translation: "We Are Slavic") has been getting a lot of buzz. Partly, because it is a fun song and such a great return for Poland, and partly, because the gratuitous music video is full of hot, sweaty boobs. The Metro called this "the rudest Eurovision entry ever," but it doesn't bother me. I'm loving Cleo's look, and of course, the clapping. More clapping in songs!

Two other unique entries are France and Belarus. It's unlikely that Twin Twin will win the competition for France on Saturday, but "Moustache" could become the song of the summer. Teo from Belarus will likely share a similar fate: his song, "Cheesecake," is fun and kind of ridiculous. He won't win, but his future as a Belorussian Robin Thicke looks promising.

Austria, Poland, and Belarus will perform in the second semi-final, taking place tomorrow night (2pm Central Time for my American friends). Let's hope they all get passed on to the final! Watch here.