The 2009 Eurovision Song Contest
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The 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow
Eurovision 2009: In 2008, Russia won the Eurovision Song Contest with singer Dima Bilan, who performed the song Believe.
His victory brought the 54th Contest to Moscow, where a modified voting format premiered with the re-introduction of national juries, together with televoting from countries around Europe.
Forty-two nations confirmed their participation in the Contest, which included two semi finals on 12th and 14th May 2009 and the Grand Final on 16th May 2009.
Contents at a Glance
Welcome to Eurovision 2009
Norway Wins Eurovision 2009
Alexander Rybak, the young singer and violinist, claimed the crown at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest for Norway.
His song Fairytale came streets ahead of his nearest rival, Iceland, who won the distant runners-up position. His victory brought the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest to Oslo, Norway.
The Eurovision Song Contest Explained
If you're unfamiliar with the Eurovision Song Contest, check out the link below that details the event, along with giving information and video performances of past winners.
Russia's Winning 2008 Eurovision Song
Dima Bilan: Believe
Why was the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow?
Under the rules of the European Broadcasting Union. the winning country from the previous year hosts the current year's event. In 2008, Dima Bilan won the Contest with the song Believe and thus the competition came to Russia in 2009.
Here is a reminder of the winning song from 2008.
Eurovision 2009: The Hosts
Unconfirmed reports stated that Milla Jovovich was to host the final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
However, Channel One, Russia (the host TV station) eventually confirmed that the Final was to be hosted by Russia's 2000 Eurovision Song Contest contestant, Alsou and media personality Ivan Urgant.
The semi-finals, held on 12 and 14 May, were co-hosted by Andrey Malahov, one of the most popular TV presenters in Russia, along with Russian model Natalia Vodyanova.
Eurovision 2009 Host City: Moscow
Travel to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Host City
Moscow Olympic Indoor Arena
Home to the ESC 2009
Olympic Stadium, known locally as the Olimpiyskiy, is a large indoor arena located in Moscow, Russia. It was built for the 1980 Summer Olympics and hosted the basketball and boxing events. A part of the Olimpiyskiy Sports Complex, it makes up one architectural ensemble with another venue, constructed at the same time, the Swimming Pool. The venue is so large that up to 80,000 people can occupy its space. It has hosted the Davis Cup finals and Bandy World Championships on several occasions, and is the home of the Kremlin Cup tournament. The Bandy World Championships will be held in Moscow again in 2010. It was the world's 1st indoor bandy arena. When smaller indoor sports are held at the venue, such as tennis or basketball, only 1/4th of the floor space is used. Capacity at this configuration can vary between 10,000 and 16,000 people.
Read more about the Moscow Arena at Wikipedia.
Moscow Essentials
What You Need to Know About Moscow
- Official site of the Russian National Tourist Office.
- If St. Petersburg is Russia's imperial crown, Moscow is its familial heart. It is a city in which one comes face to face with all that is finest and all that is most frustrating in Russia.
- A Journey to Moscow - City Guide to Moscow hotels, restaurants, theaters, shops
- Welcome to Moscow - the capital of Russia, its political, scientific, historical, architectural and business centre, from which power and might of the Russian state developed.
- Moscow Travel Information and Travel Guide - Russia
- Moscow tourism and travel information such as accommodation, festivals, transport, maps, activities and attractions in Moscow, Russia.
- EarthCam - Moscow Cam
- Camera situated on top of the Moscow Business World Bank, offering a central view of the Moscow skyline.
- The Moscow Times - Daily News on Business, Politics and Culture in Russia
- The Moscow Times is a daily English-language newspaper featuring objective, reliable news on business, politics and culture in Russia and the former Soviet Union (CIS).
Eurovision 2009: The Participants
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) revealed the final list of nations that were present at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
After several years away, Slovakia returned to the Eurovision fold, while 2008 newcomers, San Marino, withdrew. Georgia did not take part due to controversy over their song entry (see below). Latvia and Lithuania also competed, despite earlier announcements to the contrary.
The following countries were represented in the two Semi-Finals of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on the 12th and 14th of May:
Albania; Andorra; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; FYR Macedonia; Georgia (withdrawn); Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Latvia; Lithuania; Malta; Moldova; Montenegro; the Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey and Ukraine.
France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom - known as the Big Four - were automatically qualified for the Final together with last year's winning country, Russia. The draw for the running order for each song in the Final was as follows:
Of the 25 participants, the countries who immediately qualified for the Final were drawn to perform in the following order:
3rd - France
10th - Russia
17th - Germany
23rd - United Kingdom
25th - Spain
The remaining 20 places were determined from the 10 winning countries of each semi-final.
Georgia Withdraws From the 2009 Contest
It was announced on March 11, 2009 that Georgia had withdrawn from the 2009 Contest due to differences between the Georgian national broadcaster and the European Broadcasting Union.
The withdrawal surrounds the "controversial" song that was due to represent Georgia called "We Don't Wanna Put In" by Stephane & 3G. The lyrics were deemed politically charged against Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, and thereby in breach of the Contest's rules. The Georgian broadcaster was then requested to either change the song's lyrics or find another song. They refused, stating that there was no political reference in the lyrics, and citing political pressure from Russia.
The song can be heard in the video below.
Great Eurovision Song Contest Collectibles
Losing Participants: Semi-Final 1
Semi-Final 1: Performed 12th May, 2009
- Andorra: Susanne Georgi - "La Teva Decisio" (Your Decision)
- Belarus: Petr Elfimov - "Eyes That Never Lie"
- Belgium: Patrick Ouchene - "Copycat"
- Bulgaria: Krassimir Avramov - "Illusion"
- Czech Republic: Gipsy.cz - "Aven Romale" (Come in Gypsies)
- FYR Macedonia: Next Time - "Nesto Sto Ke Ostane" (Sweetest Thing That Will Remain)
- Montenegro: Andrea Demirovic - "Just Get Out of My Life"
- Switzerland: Lovebugs - "The Highest Heights"
Great Eurovision 2009 Deals!
The Twitter About Eurovision
The Latest Eurovision Tweets
Eurovision Song Contest 2009: Draw
Are You A Eurovision Freak?
Eurovision Freak by eurovision
See more Eurovision Mugs
Eurovision Song Contest 2009: Results
Placing/Country
Artist
Song
Points
01 Norway
Alexander Rybak
Fairytale
387
02 Iceland
Yohanna
Is It True?
218
03 Azerbaijan
AySel & Arash
Always
207
04 Turkey
Hadise
Dum Tek Tek
177
05 United Kingdom
Jade Ewen
It's My Time
173
06 Estonia
Urban Symphony
Randajad
129
07 Greece
Sakis Rouvas
This Is Our Night
120
08 France
Patricia Kaas
Et S'il Fallait Le Faire
107
09 Bosnia/Herze...
Regina
Bistra Voda
106
10 Armenia
Inga & Anush
Jan Jan
92
11 Russia
Anastasia Prikhodko
Mamo
91
12 Ukraine
Svetlana Loboda
Be My Valentine
76
13 Denmark
Brinck
Believe Again
74
14 Moldova
Nelly Ciobanu
Hora Din Moldova
69
15 Portugal
Flor-de-lis
Todas As Ruas Do..
57
16 Israel
Noa & Mira Awad
There Must Be...
53
17 Albania
Kejsi Tola
Carry Me In Your..
48
18 Croatia
Igor Cukrov ft Andrea
Lijepa Tena
45
19 Romania
Elena
The Balkan Girls
40
20 Germany
Alex Swings Oscar..
Miss Kiss Kiss Bang
35
Results Continued
Placing/Country
Artist
Song
Points
21 Sweden
Malena Ernman
La Voix
33
22 Malta
Chiara
What If We
31
23 Lithuania
Sasha Son
Love
23
24 Spain
Soraya
La Noche Es Para Mi
23
25 Finland
Waldo's People
Lose Control
22
Eurovision Video News, Views and Gossip
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Other Featured Eurovision Information
Eurovision Winners: ABBA
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Your Thoughts on the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Your Comments Are Welcomed!
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juniperberry
Feb 4, 2012 @ 11:54 pm | delete
- what a fascinating lens!
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Snozzle
May 14, 2009 @ 10:28 am | delete
- Very interesting 5* lens but Eurovision is something of a farce over recent years with block votes going to 'friendly' countries rather than to the best songs. No doubt I'll still watch and will moan all the way through!
Mike.
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Janusz
May 7, 2009 @ 3:37 am | delete
- I´ll be watching, but as always politics will play a major role in deciding the winner. Blessed by a Squid Angel :)
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a_willow
May 3, 2009 @ 12:55 am | delete
- Wow! You really worked hard on this lens! And it shows! Of course, I voted for Croatia. Whom else? LOL
Angel blessing for this extremely well done lens! :)
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nArKiSsOs
May 2, 2009 @ 2:30 pm | delete
- I just say BRAVO! Well Done! :)
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Sarunas
Mar 30, 2009 @ 10:56 am | delete
- Beautiful lens :)
I had voted for Lithuania :D
5* from me.
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debnet
Mar 28, 2009 @ 5:41 am | delete
- I love Eurovision... for all the wrong reasons of course! I heard Terry Wogan won't be hosting the Uk tv programme this year. I hope that's wrong, he makes the show! I'm gald they've revamped the voting system this year but I have a feeling that it won't change things. Everyone votes for their closest political neighbour... so I'm sure we'll see another eastern Europe Country win... again. Yet another great lens Bon :)
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by Waxing-Lyrical
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of my favourite annual events and Eurovision 2009 is no exception.
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