The coastal town of Bodø is preparing to showcase another six acts in the second Norwegian semifinal on Friday, 20th January. The live audience and viewers all over Norway are expecting a queentastic evening as the well publicised and highly fancied favourites, a drag act with the Patsy and Edina inspirered song Absolutely fabulous, strut their stuff.
Geir and Dean, the Queentastic girls, are seasoned performers although they have been together as Queentastic for less than a year. 2005 saw their debut with the show Sex, drag and rock 'n' roll and since then they have built up a steady but growing fan base.
For Dean Andersen, it is a first outing at a national selection. However, Geir Lillejord has already dipped a toe in the waters of the Eurovision Song Contest, ending in fifth place as a backing singer in the 2000 Melodi Grand Prix. Geir will be hoping for the same success as his namesake last week – Geir Rønning won one of the first two tickets to the Norwegian final with Jorun Erdal at the seminfinal in Alta.
Former contenstants meet again
Aficionados of the contest will also be keeping an eye on Marit Strømøy. Marit was a member of Charmed, the group which represented Norway in 2000. However, she took time out from the group during the year of the contest, and Hanne Haugstad took her place on stage in Stockholm. She stepped back into the picture for 2005 as a member of the group Blissed, but failed to reach the final four of the Norwegian 'superfinal'. This year she tries again with the self-penned Too much love.
It is perhaps ironic that Marit should come up against her 2000 replacement the same semifinal. Hanne Haugstad herself tries for a second trip to the Eurovision Song Contest, this time solo, with the song Heaven's in your eyes.
Marit also comes up against two of the boys from Cheezy Keys again, who came third in the 2005 Melodi Grand Prix. Hagen and Moen will be hoping that their I hear music will better that placing if they make it to the final.
International appeal
Romania is represented in the second semifinal in the guise of Ovi Martin, who moved to Norway ten years ago and forged a career in pop music. With his entry The better side of me, he will be hoping to bring something of an international appeal to the evening.
All five acts will be joining first-timer Jannicke Abrahamsen in a battle for two places in the Norwegian final. Two further acts will be given another opportunity in a special second chance contest after the three semifinals. The songs can be heard at the Melodi Grand Prix page on the NRK website.
