Semi-final 2 - 14th May 2009, Moscow

ALBANIA: Kejsi Tola - Carry Me In Your Dreams - Qualified

AZERBAIJAN: Aysel - Always - Qualified

CROATIA: Igor Cukrov - Lijepa Tena - Qualified

CYPRUS: Christina Metaxa - Firefly - Eliminated

DENMARK: Niels Brinck - Believe Again - Qualified

ESTONIA: Urban Symphony - Rändajad - Qualified

GREECE: Sakis Rouvas - This Is Our Night - Qualified

HUNGARY: Zoli Ádok - Tánclépés (Dance With Me) - Eliminated

IRELAND: Sinéad Mulvey & Black Daisy - Et Cetera - Eliminated

LATVIA: Intars Busulis - Probka - Eliminated

LITHUANIA: Sasha Son - Love - Qualified

MOLDOVA: Nelly Ciobanu - Hora Din Moldova - Qualified

NETHERLANDS: De Toppers - Shine - Eliminated

NORWAY: Alexander Rybak - Fairytale - Qualified

POLAND: Lidia Kopania - I Don’t Wanna Leave - Eliminated

SERBIA: Marko Kon & Milan Nikolić - Cipela - Eliminated

SLOVAKIA: Kamil Mikulčík & Nela Pocisková - Leť tmou - Eliminated

SLOVENIA: Quartissimo - Love Symphony - Eliminated

UKRAINE: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine - Qualified

Ivan Toporischev, Moscow, exclusively for Eurovision Mania

The second Eurovision Semi-Final ended several hours ago. Now we know who is going to act at the Eurovision Final. Ten more countries have gained their right to fight for the first prize - “Crystal Microphone” - of the Eurovision Song Contest. These are: Azerbaijan, Croatia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Albania, Moldova, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Greece. All in all, 19 countries presented their songs at the Second Semi-Final. However, only 10 of them have got through to the Eurovision Final. On the 12th of May, at the First Semi-Final the other ten countries got the right to present their songs at the Eurovision Final. These are: Finland, Portugal, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Israel, Sweden, Romania, Iceland, and Armenia.

Russia is hosting Eurovision 2009, and that is why the Russian Singer Anastasia Prykhodko did not have to participate in the Eurovision Semi-Finals. The “Big Four” Countries – Britain, Spain, France and Germany – traditionally have the right to skip Semi-Finals and act right at the Eurovision Final. The singers from these four countries will come onto the Eurovision stage only on the 16th of May, when the Eurovision Final takes place.

It has become known that the hosts of the Eurovision Final Concert – Ivan Urgant and Alsou – will communicate with the crew members of the International Space Station. Dima Bilan, the Eurovision 2008 Winner, is going to show his extraordinary act. And there are a lot of other surprises that have been prepared for the Eurovision Final.

The prologue of the Second Semi-Final was based on the stereotypes associated with Russia. The Russian folk-band “Terem-Quartet” presented the songs of the previous Eurovision Contests: “Waterloo”, “Ding a Dong”, “Diva”, and, of course, Dima Bilan’s “Believe”.

The first stereotype associated with Russia is Matryoshka, a traditional Russian nested doll. However, the nested dolls that appeared on the Eurovision stage were gigantic and covered with graffiti. The main Russian “character” is, of course, a Brown Bear. He appeared on the stage dancing together with a White Bear. At the end of their dance, the Bears unfolded a banner with the words “Eurovision 2009” on it, thus, marking the beginning of the Second Eurovision Semi-Final. Then Natalya Vodyanova and Andrey Malakhov, the hosts of the concert, came onto the stage.

Right after the concert the winners of the Second Semi-Final took part in the draw to get their numbers for the Eurovision Final. They also answered the journalists’ questions.

The Estonian performers reminded that this is the first time when their country managed to get through to the Final since 2004. Svetlana Loboda from Ukraine told that if she wins this year she will sell her another flat to get money for the Eurovision Show in Ukraine. The Moldavian singer, who has got number “13”, confessed that she is never lucky in lotteries. Alexander Rybak who has just celebrated his 23rd birthday got a letter with warm congratulations and wishes from his grandmother.

This is the schedule of the Eurovision 2009 Final that will take place on the 16th of May:

1. Lithuania: Sasha Son
2. Israel: Noa and Mira Awad
3. France: Patricia Kaas
4. Sweden: Malena Ernman
5. Croatia: Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea
6. Portugal: Flor de Lis
7. Iceland: Johanna
8. Greece: Sakis Rouvas
9. Armenia: Inga and Anush Arshakyan
10. Russia: Anastasia Prykhodko
11. Azerbaijan: AySel & Arash
12. Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Regina”
13. Moldova: Nelly Ciobanu
14. Malta: Chiara
15. Estonia: “Urban Symphony”
16. Denmark: Brinck
17. Germany: “Alex Swings, Oscar Sings!”
18. Turkey: Hadise
19. Albania: Kejsi Tola
20. Norway: Alexander Rybak
21. Ukraine: Svetlana Loboda
22. Romania: Elena Gheorghe
23. Britain: Jade Ewen
24. Finland: “Waldo’s People”
25. Spain: Soraya

For entire illustrated list of Eurovision 2009 Finalists, click here!

The winners of the First Eurovision Semi-Final have given their first interviews. All of them are saying: “We are so happy!”

On the 12th of May the First Eurovision Semi-Final took place. Ten countries: Turkey, Sweden, Israel, Portugal, Malta, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Armenia and Iceland have got through to the Eurovision Final.

Right after the announcement of the voting results, the Channel One correspondents talked to the winners of the First Semi-Final.

Noa, together with Mira Awad she is representing Israel, said: “I am so happy! I thought that my heart would burst with joy.” “We felt very nervous when we were waiting for the results. Thank God, we were the third, otherwise we would have gone crazy”, said Noa. She also thanked Russia for a warm welcome.

The Icelandic singer Johanna probably had the hardest time: her name was the last one on the list of First Semi-Final Winners. “I was very nervous. My name was the last one on the list, and I was sitting and waiting, and waiting. I was not sure if I qualify for the final or nor. I was just standing together with other participants and was trying to believe that everything will be alright. I am so happy, that I have got thought to the Eurovision Final”, said Johanna.

The members of “Regina”, a pop-group from Bosnia and Herzegovina, were no less happy than Johanna from Iceland. One of the singers told: “I do not know how to describe my feelings. I am just happy. I am going to drink something. I am tired, but I am very happy. All of us are so happy!”

The sisters from the Armenian duet also had to wait till the very last moment. “We were so stressed. We have almost gone mad”, said Inga and Anush. “Words cannot describe our feelings. One of the dancers fainted with joy when she heard the results.  We are full of energy, and we are going to do our best at the Final”, promised the Armenian singers.

The reporters asked Daniela Varela from the Portuguese band Flor-de-Lis why she burst into tears at the end of their act. At first she tried to laugh off and said that she got something in her eye. But later she confessed that she started to cry because that was a very emotional moment. “I did not know that I could be so emotional. But I just could not help crying when I saw all those people supporting us and chanting “Portugal! Portugal!”

Chiara from Malta was less emotional when her name was announced. “Of course, I felt more nervous than usual, because I am used to acting in Eurovision Finals, and Eurovision Semi-Final is something rather unfamiliar for me. However, I think that in Malta everybody is crazy with joy now”. The journalists asked Chiara why she comes back to Eurovision Song Contest again and again; maybe it has already become a part of her image and in fact she does not have a real desire to win.  “The truth is I am really very stubborn. If I start doing something I want it to be perfect. I want to win”, said Chiara, and the audience burst into applause.

May 12: the First Semi-Final Live Broadcast

Ivan Toporischev, Moscow, exclusively for Eurovision Mania

On the 12th of May we will see the live broadcast of the first Eurovision 2009 Semi-Final. The viewers will see the show that has been prepared for a long time. The day before, on the 11th of May, the musicians who are going to participate in the first Semi-Final rehearsed their acts in costumes, and that was their last chance to make any changes and to correct any mistakes.

On the 11th of May, the representatives of the Channel One gave a press-conference. They spoke about the conception of the Eurovision broadcasts and answered many other questions. Not only had the organizers of the broadcasting participated in the press-conference, but also the hosts of the Eurovision Ceremonies. These are Andrey Malakhov, Natalya Vodyanova, Ivan Urgant and Alsou.

Konstantin Ernst, Director General of the Channel One opened the press-conference and said: “We are happy to see all of you and we hope that this week you will get a lot of surprises and a lot of pleasure”.

Ivan Urgant was telling jokes, as usual. He told the journalists that he was very upset because he had just known that he was not going to be the only host of the Eurovision Concerts. He also mentioned that his colleagues from the “ParisHiltonProjector” Program were less fortunate than him and did not get the chance to host the Eurovision Ceremonies. When a Belarusian journalist asked him to sing some Eurovision hit, Ivan agreed and sang the famous “Diva” by Dana International, and made some caustic commentaries afterwards. He was also the one who decided to answer the questions concerning the Gay-Parade and to speak about the actress who had been invited to host the Eurovision Ceremonies but refused to come.

“I substitute the actress Konstantin Ernst was speaking about”, commented Ivan after the Director told about the negotiations with a famous American actress who insisted upon very high royalties for her participation in the Eurovision Concerts.  “I mean we look alike. I don’t know exactly what actress you are talking about, probably, we are speaking about the same actress”.

Johanna, Iceland, Eurovision 2009

Photo: Gennady Cherkasov, mk.ru

“I think it is a great luck for me to work with Ivan”, said Alsou. Together with Ivan they will host the Eurovision Final. “Vanya Urgant is very professional; it is very easy to work with him. He can make people laugh when it is needed. With him, I feel comfortable on the stage. The most difficult thing for me is to learn my words, because everything is timed, you cannot deviate from the script. You have to say exactly what is written. Much of my text is in French, so I have to remember what I studied at school for 8 years.  People say I sound good and my accent is OK. It is very important for me to feel confident, to say everything right, and not to let anybody down”.

After the press-conference, the second rehearsal of the First Semi-Final took place. Natalya Vodyanova and Andrey Malakhov who are going to host the First Semi-Final Ceremony spoke with the audience in Russian, English and French. Dmitriy Shepelev was telling jokes in “Green Room”.

Today everything is real here: the light, the sound and the performers. But the voting is postponed till the evening. The live broadcast of the Eurovision Semi-Final starts tonight, at 11 p.m., Moscow time.