After Jelena, Jelena

So Andrea Šušnjara isn't the next lead singer of Magazin (just like Ana Pavić wasn't) and Jelena Rozga will still sing with them during Dora, according to the band's guitarist Željko Baričić. Nearly all the papers are carrying the story today, except, funnily enough, 24 sata, the tabloid Andrea blabbed to in the first place.

Dora article of the day, though, comes from the Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija, reporting on the local interest in the competition. Danijela Martinović's promise of 'professional' dancers and Emina Arapović's intriguing new look are one thing, but not half as worthwhile as Severina's comments on Moja štikla. (In case any of its readers have missed Seve's residence on the showbusiness pages throughout the last month, SD helpfully reminds them that 'many people have already evaluated Brega's arrangement as the Serb melos, and accused Seve of singing in ekavian'.)

Over to Severina, though:

'Only people who have never heard the song could make a comment like that. Moja štikla is a very unusual and witty song, it isn't made on a mathematical principle of 2+2=4 and chorus. It contains elements of linđo, ganga, rere, šijavica and other authentic Croatian musical moments. If some people call such a composition Serb folklore, then all of us have a dreadful problem. Then I don't know where we are! And as for ekavian, Blic in Serbia printed the lyrics of the song, in ekavian of course, and then one of our daily newspapers took over those lyrics.'

What was I saying about essentialised folklore at Eurovision? And about language and nationhood? Or the boundaries of the Croatian cultural space? Or practically anything else that I call work these days?

In advance of Seve's performance in the second semi-final on Friday (where she'll be accompanied by five backing singers in 'national costume'), the Gazette has been enjoying Slobodna Dalmacija's decasyllabic headline, too:

'Seve s rerom spremna za Atenu
Andrea neće zamijeniti Jelenu'*

To be fair, the Dora line-up does look like quite a contest, but I didn't realise it was meant to be as epic as all that.

* 'Seve ready for Athens with rere / Andrea won't replace Jelena.'