Stars such as Phillip Kirkorov, Alsu, the German popular band from the 70s Genghis Khan, and Lys Assia sang and made people forget at least for a while about the word economic crisis.

The winner of the 1991 Eurovision, the Swedish singer Carola also performed her hit from 2007 Invincible. The heart of the mountain, who brought Eurovision to Ukraine in 2004, the wild dancer Ukraine rocked the stage with her rhythm for the joy of the crazy mob.

t.A.t.U sang their hit from 2003 Ne ver’, ne boisya, ne prosi – the once rebellious girls now looked a bit more appeased. A more rebellious artist, though, went on stage to present her/his rebellious of the time “Viva la Diva” – yes, you know I mean Dana International. Other legendary artists went on stage to remind us of the good old days of Eurovision…

Well, watching all these singers, whatever they do, I can’t help thinking about Sir Terry Wogan and his brilliant witted comments in the 70s and 80s. So, think twice before you pack your suitcases for Moscow. As you know it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Though it’s an amazing place and you might have the urge to drop in at the Palace.

Here’s the entry itself:

Stephane & 3G will represent Georgia in Russia, after they did not succeed to get the ticket to Belgrade last year, when they came 4th in the Georgian national selection. Now the quartet (Stephane himself and three charming ladies) are happy to go for the victory in May.

No matter what the controversy resulting from the ambiguous meaning of the title, thought to contain reference to the former Russian president Vladimir Putin, the lyrics have not been changed to far. There is still one possibility: at the HoD meeting (mid-March), when all heads of delegation gather in Moscow, they can vote if the song in any way breaches the rules of the Contest. Some may consider that the Georgian entry violates the rule that songs should not express any political messages. If Georgia is pressed to introduce last-minute changes to the lyrics, they might not be able to get back in the show on time. This might practically mean banishing for the Georgian participants. Not that we wish so.

We personally consider that it is a nice peaceful song, which induces happiness and free boogie between nations, rather than anything else. I hope that everyone else will join us in this opinion.

This-year’s band consists of Nini Badurashvili, Tako Gachechiladze and Kristine Imedadze and of course the popular producer, performer and composer Stephane Mgebrishvili. This is the third time Georgia takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2007, the fantastically talented, flamboyant, and amazingly cheerful Sopho got her country to 12th position with the song “My Story”.

Three of the 12 participating songs were produced by the Bulgarian media:
Poli Genova — One Lifetime is not is not Enough — Poli is a former BonBon (remember that they were the first Bulgarian participants in the Junior Eurovision in Rotterdam, 2007)
Mariana Popova — Crazy – who took part in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest in Athens but with little success. The only noticeable thing of the 2006 Bulgarian entry was the participation of the scandalous transsexual pop-folk star Azis. Today, Mariana’s techno solo was nothing to remember, really.
Grafa – Vrag (Enemy) – one of the kids of the Bulgarian pop music, who took of his music career, when he was 8 or so, and now, in his early thirties, has already celebrated 20 years on stage.

The rest of the other noticeable entries at the Final were the following:

Nora - a former Music Idol participant closed the competition. Her powerful voice, however, was not enough to win her the ticket to Moscow.

Lyubo Savov – the father of Dian Savov, one of last-year’s DJs flying the Bulgarian flag in Belgrade last year, also decided to challenge the first place in the national selection tonight.

Moscow came to Sofia in the face of the winner of various European prizes, and Ani Lorak’s producer Phillipp Kirkorov, who came specially for the show. He performed several hits, one of them the Russian version of Brotherhood of Man’s hit “Save your kisses for Me”. The happiest were my mum’s generation though.

Among those attending the contest in the hall were Stoyan and Elitsa (Bulgarian reps in ESC 2007) and Joanna (the charming vocal, ESC 2008). Deep Zone came out to announce the winner and wish them good luck.

I couldn’t help but noticing that most of the finalist songs were ballads, most were sung in English, and 90% of them had no idea what Eurovision means. All this resulting in an attitude of eternal satisfaction that I did not watch the national final live but stayed at home and viewed it from my cosy sofa. The only entry I felt sorry for not seeing live was the winning entry indeed. So, go for it, Krassi!

Bulgaria will participate in the first Semi-Final on 12 May 2009. So far the countries best result has been in its third year in 2007, when Stoyan Yankoulov and Elitsa Todorova reached top 5.

And the aim – the aim is clear – to bring Greece to the top of 54th Eurovision. As ERT online reported, Sakis said that “Every day I wake up and go to bed with this thought.” Who else can do it but Sakis, who has so many years of experience at the Eurovision stage?!

Here is some more detail on the entries:

Out of control
Composer: Dimitris Kontopoulos
Lyrics: Alexandra Zakka

Right on time
Composer: Dimitris Kontopoulos
Lyrics: Craig Porteils and Cameron Giles-Webb

This is our night
Composer: Dimitris Kontopoulos
Lyrics: Craig Porteils and Cameron Giles-Webb

Whichever of the three entries you prefer, the Greeks know how do throw a party and to make the best of a show. On 18 February a grand (as always) spectacle, will be held in Athens Arena in the Greek capital, when one of the three songs will receive the ticket to Moscow. It will be selected by a 50-50 jury-audience blend voting. Special guests of the show will be the representatives of Cyprus, Montenegro, Belarus and perhaps Malta.

The 2009 UK Entry for Eurovision Song Contest 2009 is a powerful solo ballad, bathing in the splendid and tender atmosphere created by Jade. The song is already popular throughout the UK, Malta, Greece, and in other Eurovision countries.

The Brits hope for a position in top ten and it will be well-deserved indeed. Indeed, many people think that the song is not strong enough to win the trophy. Others are fast to say that it’s a great voice and the songs well deserves a top position, but won’t get it as it’s not a typical Eurovision song.

The UK has won the contest 4 times (’67, ‘76, ‘81, and ‘97) and joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 with Patricia Bredin’s song “All”, who finished 7th.

1. Albania
2. Andorra
3. Armenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Belarus
6. Belgium
7. Bosnia & Herzegovina
8. Bulgaria
9. Croatia
10. Cyprus
11. Czech Republic
12. Denmark
13. Estonia
14. Finland
15. France
16. FYR Macedonia
17. Georgia
18. Germany
19. Greece
20. Hungary
21. Iceland
22. Ireland
23. Israel
24. Latvia
25. Lithuania
26. Malta
27. Moldova
28. Montenegro
29. The Netherlands
30. Norway
31. Poland
32. Portugal
33. Romania
34. Russia
35. Serbia
36. Slovakia
37. Slovenia
38. Spain
39. Sweden
40. Switzerland
41. Turkey
42. Ukraine
43. United Kingdom

The rules stay the same and the Semi-Finals will contain 19 performances each. 20 altogether (10 from each Semi-Final) qualify for the Grand Final (16 May), where the Big 4 are already waiting. France, Germany, Spain and the UK plus the host Russia have a secure place at the Final. It’s good news that none of the Big 4 have decided not to invest money in Eurovision this year, as this would have robbed the contest of its flavour.

Who participates in which Semi-Final will be decided in Moscow on 30 January. Heated debate is expected from you after this draw. This draw will also decide the Semi-Final of the Big-Four and the host country – three in one Semi-Final and three in the other. The running order will be determined as usual after a draw at the regular HoD Meeting in mid-March. There will be three wildcards, who can luckily decide their starting position.

Meanwhile, yesterday the EBU launched their new dedicated website: Eurovision Song Contest – Moscow 2009. The general sponsor is again Raiffeisen Bank. The website for years in a row offers streaming of the ESCTV, mobile services, and downloads.

So, are you getting started for Moscow? I’ll soon try to offer the top list of how to survive financially in the Russian capital – one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The young singer was born in Iceland, but has moved to the Danish capital four years ago. In fact the lot behind the song also come from all over Scandinavia and are well known for their fervent Eurovision activity: the composers Christina Schilling and Jonas Gladnikoff from Sweden, and the Swedish authors Henrik Szabo and Daniel Nilsson.

As you might remember from previous posts on Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, Ms. Björk will be competing with nine other artists in a new-style Danish domestic show – a single national final will select Denmark’s favourite.

The ten artists competing in Copenhagen on 31 January are: Christina Undhjem, Claus Christensen, Jeppe Laursen, Jimmy Jørgensen, SUKKERCHOK, Brinck, Hera Björk, Johnny Deluxe, Marie Carmen Koppel and Trine Jepsen.

Here is a short list with some notes for you to keep an eye on the Danish Melodi Grand Prix:

Brinck Believe Again — His earlier hit I don’t Wanna Love Her is a truly mild ballad with inspiring lyrics and genuine sound. Pop star Ronan Keating himself stands behind the project Believe Again.

Claus Christensen — Big Bang Baby — Yet another pop singer with substantial experience in Eurovision who can cry at the top of his voice “vote for me”.

Christina Undhjem — Underneath My Skin — Born in Norway, Christina has a taste for lyrical mystical music and she can do it well.

Hera Björk — Someday
SUGAR shocks — Det’ det
Trine Jepsen — I Never Fall In Love Again
Wildcard: Jeppe Laursen — Lucky Boy — and indeed he is…
Wildcard: Jimmy Jørgensen — Alice In The Wonderland — if music can be nostalgic, that’s his music
Wildcard: Johnny Deluxe — Crazy
Wildcard: Marie Carmen Koppel — Crying Out Your Name

And thanks God! Because otherwise, we would have to listen to these songs twice, which in many cases would be far from fun.

However, there have been some nice surprises recently. Of course we cannot expect to have the mega names of British, German or French music industry to join in Eurovision. I can’t picture at all Take That, Robbie Williams, or Carl Cox for that matter to apply for Eurovision. But we can witness some movement in the choice of artists in the Big Four, which can only give me satisfaction.

This year, France sends to Belgrade Sébastien Tellier with the song Divine. His track is produced by one of the most successful electronic music duos DAFT PUNK, popular not only in France, but to every fan of the electro beat. Divine is really a divine piece of music, worth your attention and your dance.

Germany seems to be really into Eurovision. Last year, Roger Cicero represented the country, and if you haven’t heard his name before, he is massively popular among Germans, and not only. He is an elite artists, an excellent jazzman with unobtrusive, charming style and immaculate performance. But – definitely non-Eurovision. This year – girl quartet No Angels will try their luck with the track Disappear. A truly Eurovision hit, a summer hit as well.

I don’t feel like commenting on Spain’s entrant out of pure laziness. Rodolfo Chikilicuatre’s song Baila El Chiki Chiki is not even funny. Please, Mr. Chikilicuatre!

United Kingdom dispatches to Serbia Andy Abraham, as we have already advised, with a nice pop-soul song Even If.

As for the host country Serbia, we will enjoy Jelena Tomaševic’s participation with the song Oro. Are we surprised that it is powerful ballad performed by a single singer? I don’t reckon that mimicking success can lead to another success, but let’s give it a chance.

Georgia will compete with Diana Gurtskaya and her song Peace will come. The track is pretty good, though nothing spectacular or surprising. What’s more important in this case, however, is that Ms. Gurtskaya is blind and she sings with power that we cannot witness every day on Eurovision. Still, nothing we haven’t seen on the world’s stage, and I do hope that this will not sway people into voting for this song, unless they like it.

One of the Big 4 also got their winner tonight – Rodolfo Chikilicuatre with his nice song Baila El Chiki Chiki. A guy that first strikes you as Elvis Presley, but when you get to listen to the song… well, I come to think that TVE are not particularly interested in this contest any more. So, baila, amigos! Hasta la vista!

1. Albania: Olta Boka – Zemrën E Lamë Peng

Albania will compete with a nice ballad in Albanian. It’s a pity I can’t get a word, but there’s no need to: the female vocal is resolute yet mild. Could be better in terms of composition, but I reckon many people will like it.

2. Andorra: Gisela – Casanova

Wonder if this is the present state of the Eurovision Song Contest?! Andorra seems to be a million years away from Eurovision. This year’s representative of the small principality is Gisela – a cheerful girl – and I guess she’ll offer a “fairy-tale” show in Belgrade telling us about romance and the historical lover Casanova. But haven’t we heard this type of song many times already…

3. Azerbaijan: Elnur Guseynov and Samir Javadzadeh – Day After Day

There’s been a huge support for Azerbaijan’s debut in Eurovision: Eurovision stars, like Ukrainian diva Ruslana and Serbian winner Maria Serifovic, from across Europe joined in to say “Welcome” to one of three new-comers this year. In Belgrade we’ll see a male duet who, with heavy odds against them on part of the other two competitors, managed to grab the trophy. As for the song – pop-rock supported by high vocals, correct me if I’m wrong, influenced to a degree by the Russian school.

4. Belarus: Ruslan Alenho – Hasta La Vista

Does he stand a chance to win this-year’s ESC? Who knows, but Belarus has always been capable of surprising the audience. Yes, it’s good. Yes, he sings like a god, and yes – there are people in Minsk who can write good songs.

5. Cyprus: Evdokia Kadi – Femme Fatale

Cyprus can’s stop experimenting. Not even after a series of losses for one of the countries who’ve invested so much in Eurovision. Evdokia Kadi sings in Greek, for a change, what’s really notable having in mind what we’ve heard from Aphrodite’s island recently (in 2006, Annet Artani performed a typically American song, which sounded truly out of place, at least to me. Last year, Evridiki with her experiment in French – Comme ci comme ca did not even qualify to the Final). The traditional music that Evdokia has to offer seems to be much less annoying.

6. Czech Republic: Tereza Kerndlová – Have Some Fun

Prague sends to Belgrade a lift-me-up song. It does sounds like Nellie Furtado, doesn’t it? It strikes me as one of the few songs selected so far that can become a European hit, if nothing else. Keep it going, Tereza!

7. Denmark: Simon Mathew – All Night Long

Purely European sound, party atmosphere, cool looks, a naughty cheeky band – the recipe for good mood, if not for anything else. For me, this song embodies the spirit of Eurovision. Sing along:
“The sun is up
I’m feeling great
I’m just enjoying life
Right here in the shade…”

8. Estonia: Kreisiraadio – Leto Svet

Verka Serduchka in a mock pop-jazz-seventies-ridicule version, multiplied by three. Okay, it can be fun, it can be a show, but where’s the music gone? It packed and embarked on a long journey? Of course many people will vote for them, and why not But it’s not surprising in its goal to shock us with its “craziness”. Have a look at the British entries recently for inspiration, and you’ll get what I mean.

9. Hungary: Csézy – Szívverés

This is an ultimate romantic song. I can’t keep looking at Csézy’s dress though, it’s so distracting. I do hope she’ll make up to put on something simpler during the show Well done on the language front!

10. Lithuania: Jerominas Milius – Nomads In The Night

One thing is for sure – Lithuania keep surprising us.

11. Malta: Morena – Vodka

Well, if there is anyone who can help Malta out of trouble and bring it to the Final, that’s Vodka. Cheers

12. Norway: Maria Haukaas Storeng – Hold on be strong

Scandinavia again offers a little piece of valuable music. Miss Storeng knows what and how to sing it – a track that appeals to all tastes. It can make you picture the Aurora Borealis though it’s not terribly romantic.

13. Slovenia: Rebeka Dremelj – Vrag Naj Vzame

Rebeka won Ema 2008 and here she is, representing Slovenia. She did it thanks to a pop song, a couple of backing vocals and.. good (to some) looks. Yet another song in a native language. Great!

14. Turkey: Mor ve Ötesi – Deli

A melodic rock track won the Turkish national selection and is eventually going to Serbia. What more can we want after years of typically traditional music mixed with modern elements that Turkey had to offer to the Eurovision audiences in recent years? A nice sensual male vocal supported by an energetic band – it can turn out to be a nice show.