About Albania...

2006 Result
History (1956 to 2005)
This year's entry
What I predicted...
What you thought...
What actually happened...
What the bookies thought...

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2006 Result

Points in Semi Final: 58
Position in Semi Final: 14th

Points in Final: Failed to qualify
Position in Final: Failed to qualify
More about the 2006 result for Albania

2007 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final

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History (1956 to 2005)

Albania's previous appearances: 2 year(s) out of 50 [note]
Years participated: 2004- [note]
Best result: 7th (2004)

Albania entered Eurovision for the first time in 2004, and defied the sceptics by doing much better than many had expected. Anjeza Shahini and her song of 'The image of you' finished an impressive 4th in the Semi Final, easily qualifying for the Final where it finished 7th. As a result, Albania enjoyed the advantage of a guaranteed place in the Final for 2005. Sticking to what seemed like a winning formula, Albania chose another shouty woman (Ledino Celo) singing an energetic song in English ('Tomorrow I go'). The resulting 16th place with 53 points (including what risks becoming a customary exchange of high marks with Greece and Macedonia) was no disgrace, but it lacked the sweet charm of Anjeza's effort the year before, and sees Albania having to take part in the Semi Final for the first time since its début.
Get 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Offical History' at Amazon.co.uk

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This year's entry

Position in Semi Final draw: 6
Position in Final draw: Failed to qualify

What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"As is now customary, Albania became the first country to choose its entry for Eurovision 2006, managing to wrap up the whole selection process before Christmas. In a departure from the last two years, the country will be represented by a male singer, 20-year-old Luiz Ejlli. Having won the Albanian version of Pop Idol in 2004, many had tipped Luiz to go to Eurovision in 2005, but his contender in the Festivali i Kenges (the Albanian national final), 'Hëna dhe yjet dashurojnë', ended up finishing second to Ledina Çelo's 'Nesër shkoj'. Back for a second try in 2006, Luiz had to see off the 2004 entrant, Anjeza Shahini, in order to secure his place in Athens.

Luiz's song, 'Zjarr e ftohtë' (meaning 'Fire and cold') brings to mind the kind of entry that Serbia & Montenegro and Croatia have recently favoured, with traditional Balkan instruments and costumes and a distinctly ethnic feel. First impressions are quite positive - Luiz appears to be a good-looking boy, while there is certainly potential for a pleasing and memorable stage performance. As always with the Albanian entry, much will depend on its successful compression into three minutes, and whether it is translated into English (it would appear not) - while 2004's entry worked well in both respects, 2005's was much less effective. "

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What I predicted...

My prediction for Semi Final: 15th to 17th
My prediction for Final: Unlikely to qualify
See all my predictions for the 2006 Semi Final
See all my predictions for the 2006 Final

What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"Well, Albania has kept the song in Albanian (a good decision, I suspect), and Luiz is indeed a handsome boy. Other than that the Albanian entry doesn't have a great deal going for it, coming across as a slightly less lively version of the Armenian song. The preview video is also rather disappointing, with Luiz's performance seeming rather limp and languid as he sits on a chair and wiggles a bit. One can only hope that the live show is more eyecatching, hopefully making good use of the various older men with their traditional costumes and instruments, though reports from rehearsals do suggest that the performance continues to lack spark. In any event, I can't see 'Zjarr e ftohtë' having much chance of making the Final - 15th to 17th would be my guess for where it will end up."
Want an alternative prediction? See Simon Hylands' 'Je t'adore, Eurovision!' site

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What you thought...

View the final leader board

In the run up to the Contest, 1,721 visitors to this site awarded points to their favourite songs in the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2006, voting as a representative of their own country's 'jury'. The votes awarded by representatives of each country were totalled, with each of the 38 participating countries (plus the 'Rest of the World') then awarding points - 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - based on the overall voting preference of its representatives. The points awarded to the entry from Albania are shown in the tables below:

Points awarded to Albania overall:
AL	X	HR	0	GR	0	MK	7	PL	5	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	2
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	0	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 14, from 3/39 juries
Position: 28 out of 37

Points awarded to Albania in the Semi Final:
AL	X	HR	0	GR	0	MK	10	PL	8	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	4	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	7
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	3	DE	0	WO	3	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 35, from 6/39 juries
Position: 17 out of 23

Points awarded to Albania in the Final:
AL	X	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	0	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0<