Bulgaria is holding Saturday its semi-final to shortlist the singers who will compete for the country's representative at 2007 Eurovision in Helsinki.

The jury panel will select nine out of 18 semi-finalists at a huge concert at the National Palace of Culture, in Sofia.

Contestants feature both well-known and newly appearing names. The experienced singer Toni Dimitrova, loved for her sea ballads, and Margarita Hranova will face young talents such as local Star Academy's Axinia, UK-based Petia, MTV-ranked Svetla Ivanova and music-family-born Teddy Katsarova.

The shortlist includes also less known bands and singers, such as Grupata, Pantommind, S-lavina, Natasha & Charlene, and bELLA.

A Russian-versed song is one of the surprising selections performed by folk diva Sofi Marinova and rapper Ustata. The oriental-and-gypsy exotic singing of Sofi, who along with Slavi Trifonov nearly failed the first Bulgarian appearance at Eurovision in 2004, and the rapping of Ustata have already produced several Bulgarian hits.

But the young duet Svetozar Hristov and Lora Vladova, produced by a company of Slavi Trifonov, will try to make up with the crushed Eurovision hopes of the popular talk-show star.

The band Mastilo with charming vocal Viki will try to attack the top once again, after they remained runner-ups last year to give way to winner Mariana Popova.

On Saturday night semi-final competitions will also take place in Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Romania and Spain.

Bulgaria's final competition will take place on February 24.

What some already call "Super Saturday" is by far the busiest national selection night in Europe, as Estonia, Malta, Poland and Slovenia will select their 2007 Eurovision Song Contest representatives.

A total of 42 countries will take part in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, Finland. The semi-final will take place May 10 and the final to see the winner of Eurovision 2007 will be held May 12. Place in the final already have last year's frontrunners Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK.

The horrific metal-masked rock-thrashing Lordi band from Finland emerged without competition to win the finals of Eurovision 2006 in Athens.

Bulgaria's balladic performing Mariana Popova was eliminated early, at the semi-final in Kiyev. She recorded the country's second year participation at Eurovision after in 2005 the manly band of Kaffe took on the stage. Both entries were unsuccessful to land on the finals.

Ireland has won the most times, with seven triumphs, while the UK, France and Luxembourg have all won five times.

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