Dima Bilan from Russia was one of the favorites and finally won the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade. He already participated 2006 and came 2nd with “Never let you go”. This time he topped himself. Congratulations to Russia!

There will many discussions about this result and the voting. Of course, it can only be one winner, so it's a bitter pill for the rest. The United Kingdom came last, the were rumors that the UK will withdraw if there won't be a better result in future, and if that happens Eurovision will die. Unbelievable that Sweden came only 18th and Portugal 13th, those were really highly favorised and failed completely. Through the voting procedure it also came out that all the mirgrant workers voted for their home country, so the result is always similar. Many people think it's time to have the juries back to receive a fair voting. The EBU must rethink the voting procedure, otherwise the contest will lose interest in the Western European countries. How can this be that the Big 4 countries always end up in the low positions?

Here are the final results: 1. Russia (272 points), 2. Ukraine (230 points), 3. Greece (218 points), 4. Armenia (199 points), 5. Norway (182 points), 6. Serbia (160 points), 7. Turkey (138 points), 8. Azerbaijan (132 points), 9. Israel (124 points), 10. Bosnia & Herzegovina (110 points), 11. Georgia (83 points), 12. Latvia (83 points), 13. Portugal (69 points), 14. Iceland (64 points), 15. Denmark (60 points), 16. Spain (55 points), 17. Albania (55 points), 18. Sweden (47 points), 19. France (47 points), 20. Romania (45 points), 21. Croatia (44 points), 22. Finland (35 points), 23. Germany (14 points), 24. Poland (14 points) and 25. United Kingdom (14 points).

Excitement everywhere in Belgrade today. Who is going to win the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest this year? The top favorites in the press center are: 1. Portugal, 2. Serbia, 3. Ukraine, 4. Sweden, 5. Israel, 6. Greece, 7. Iceland, 8. Russia, 9. Georgia and 10. Turkey.
There is not one clear favorite this year so there are many who could be the winner.
It has never been to exciting like this. May the best song win!

After a spectacular show last night, the organizers had to prepare for the third and most important show: the big Eurovision final. Today there was held this first of three dress rehearsals with all 25 countries. At the beginning Marija Serifovic singing a kind of a capella version of “Molitva” her winning song from last year, then it turns into a modern techno version, and after that she is going to present her new song, the interval act we have the honour to listen to Goran Bregovic and his “Wedding and Funeral Orchestra” with traditional Serbian music.
As already mentioned there is a really good mix of different kind of music from ballads to hard rock. There is a well balanced amount of Eastern and Western European countries. The strongest performances were: Ukraine, Serbia, Iceland and Portugal – judged by the reactions in the Arena.
There are heavy discussions about the favorites and the result is going to be tighter as ever.

One of the world's most popular fashion designers showed up in Belgrade for the Eurovision Song Contest. He is going to be a co-commentator for the French TV. Jean-Paul said in a press conference that he loves Eurovision and he watched it since he was a little child, he loves the music and of course the outfits, which were always up to date every year. He has already designed a dress for Dana International's entry in 1998 and can imagine to do it again. So far he has not seen many costumes of tomorrows show, as he just arrived from Greece. Recently he has designed Kylie Minogue's outfit for her world tour. Jean-Paul especially liked the outfit of Germany's singer Guildo Horn in 1998. Tonight there will be a Belgrade fashion show where is going to be the special guest. It's highly appreciated that such a big name will be combined with the contest.

The exciting heat of the second semi final went differently as expected. The biggest favorites have qualified Sweden and Ukraine, but unexpected winners were Albania, Latvia, Croatia and Denmark. Iceland and Portugal qualified for the first time and the audience was screaming “Portugal, Portugal” before the last envelope has been opened. Of course there was huge disappointment in all other countries which have done so much effort and have to go home now like Switzerland and Hungary. The last ten qualifiers and their position in the final are Ukraine (18.), Croatia (9.), Albania (3.), Iceland (11.), Georgia (17.), Denmark (16.), Sweden (15.), Latvia (14.), Turkey (12.) and Portugal (13.)
The atmosphere was far better than in the first semi final, the arena war nearly filled with audience and with this choice of music the final is going to be a very exciting one. There are five Scandinavian countries in the final, as well as all three countries of the Caucasus. In the final there will be a fair mix of Western and Eastern European countries, as well as a good mix of ballads and pop & rock songs.

Tonight the highly expected second semi final will take place in the Belgrade arena. Many people think that the song are much stronger. Due to the two semi finals the chance for qualification has raised a lot. Formerly there were 28 countries and only 10 were picked, with the new system from 19 countries ten will go to the final. The ten favorites among the journalists are: 1. Sweden, 2. Ukraine, 3. Turkey, 4. Portugal, 5. Iceland, 6. Belarus, 7. Bulgaria, 8. Georgia, 9. Malta and 10. Cyprus. It's going to be very exciting again and the new concept brings a big thrill to the contest.
Yesterday the German and the Finnish delegation enjoyed a boat trip on the rivers of Danube and Sava. The weather was beautiful and the sunny break was good for everybody during the tight schedules of the recent days.

There was held a EBU press conference today and Svante Stockselius, the supervisior of the Eurovision Song Contest informed about the latest issues. This year's contest will be broadcasted all over Europe and additionally in Kazakhstan, Australia – SBS is going to show all three shows - and for the first time in New Zealand. The concept of the Eurovision Song Contest caused huge interest in other territories, the Middle East and Northern Africa is negotiating with the EBU about the rights, to create something similar. Furthermore, the idea of a “World Song Contest” has become even more realistic now. There will be a new trophy, which is going to be handed over from winner to winner. The Swedish designer of the trophy is called Kjell Engman – he is from the same region Smaland like Charlotte Perrelli. The trophy was revealed by the special guests Lys Assia - Eurovision winner 1956 - and Marija Serifovic - last years winner. This year's winner will receive an exclusive promotion tour through eight European co untries to make Eurovision even more popular.
The result of the first semi final was determined by televoting and one jury. If there would not have been a jury to pick one country, the result of the ten qualifiers would have been the same! The viewing figures were better than estimated. There were many complaints that the arena was half empty for the life transmission, RTS explained that they made a mistake by selling ticket packages only and the majority was interested in the final only. Furthermore tickets have been handed out to the sponsoring companies, but the people didn't show up. The TV spectators did not have the impression of a great atmosphere in the arena so far. Many people felt disturbed through the big flags from the first rows in the arena, but Svante emphasized that this should be like this to bring the party atmosphere in the European homes. RTS said that they are also willing and able if Serbia wins again for hosting another contest in 2009, the executive producer Sandra Susa (RTS) is happy and hopeful that the image of Belgrade and Serbia will revised with this Eurovision Song Contest.

The result of the first semi final from Belgrade showed that the gimmick song did not succeed and quality songs were more popular, maybe the time is over for trash songs. The qualified countries and their starting position in the final on Saturday are: Greece (21.), Romania (1.), Bosnia & Herzegovina (6.), Finland (8.), Russia (24.), Israel (7.), Azerbaijan (20.), Armenia (5.), Poland (10.) and Norway (25). The importance of the running order should not be underestimated, the best starting positions are the high ones.

Of course, if there are winners on the one hand, there are also losers on the other hand. Bad luck for those countries which haven't qualified and have to go home. The decision was not easy, the result only represents the opinion of the TV spectators and one jury. Which country the jury has chosen will be revealed after the result of the final night. Once again this evening showed that it's impossible to predict the result exactly, but furthermore that the atmosphere and message of an entry is most important. Congratulations to all winners!

Tonight Europe decides which 10 countries of the first semi final will qualify for the big final on Saturday. The second semi final will take place on Thursday. During the last rehearsals, there were huge technical problems with the sound and in the schedule. Gisela from Andorra had to wait almost two minutes before she could start with her songs. Many people consider this first semi final weaker as the second one, but that's always a matter of taste. These are the favorites of the journalist here in Belgrade for the tonight's show: 1. Greece, 2. Russia, 3. Israel, 4. Romania, 5. Armenia, 6. Norway, 7. Azerbaijan, 8. Slovenia, 9. Bosnia & Herzegovina and 9. Poland.

The big question this year is, will the new 3-show concept will work? Today were the two first rehearsals of the complete first semifinal. The Serbian broadcaster has done a brilliant job. The whole atmosphere of the production is breathtaking and very original. First of all there is not the general Eurovision anthem, it will be sung by different people. The opening act is titled “Video killed the radio star”, it is dedicated to the beginnings of TV and Eurovision in Belgrade – a medley of unforgettable Eurovision songs. The postcards between all entries are creative and beautifully made. Excellent! The interval act is very special, due to the fact that an orchestra will be seen, for the first time after 1998, when the EBU decided to do without an orchestra in future.

By hearing all the songs in a live concert, it came clear that there is much difference between live and video clip. Very good live acts were Israel, Belgium, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, The Netherlands, Finland, Romania, Russia and Greece. Great disappointment gave us Estonia, Azerbaijan, Slovenia, Ireland, Andorra and Armenia. We would also like to point out that especially Finland had a brilliant live act with an impressive stage show. With such a a different concept a qualification is for sure. The same with Greece. She is a lovely singer with great charisma and she will capture the hearts of the TV spectators by a storm. Her choreography is perfectly studied and this is her big strength. Greece is a hot candidate for the final! And now it's for sure Russia is using the ice on stage, so there will be an additional commercial break before Greece can go on stage. Ridiculous.

Last night the official opening party of the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest took place in the impressive premises of Palata Serbia. Almost all artists, journalists and fans joined this very special party. This is the perfect spot to meet and greet. Hundreds of people from all over Europe and beyond enjoyed this fascinating place to exchange their opinions and experiences in the Eurovision Song Contest. This event also shows that Europe is getting closer every year through a music show watched by more than 500 million spectators from all over Europe and the World. Furthermore the Eurovision Song Contest is a message of peace, tolerance and understanding which is far more than just a music show.

One of the four girls of Germany's girl band “No Angels” - Jessica - is suffering from a viral infection and could not have been on stage at today's rehearsal. One of the background singers replaced her. Hopefully all four girls will be on stage on Friday afternoon for the first dress rehearsal.

The Russian singer Dima Bilan is trying to win the Eurovision Song Contest with all efforts. As you can already watch in the video clip that there is a violinist and an ice skater – the Russian want to bring everything on stage! There will be an extra 2sqm ice field for the skater! The only problem is that there won't be that much time for cleaning up the stage for Greece, as there are only 40 seconds left. There was a heavy discussion to put a commercial spot in between, but this is ridiculous as Greece is the last entry in the first semi final. By the way it seems that both countries will qualify even though.

The Eurclub has opened it's doors and it has never been so crowed like last night. All big names were on stage and gave their performance to it's best. It was the party of the Ukraine and Ani Lorak welcomed the attend guests with “Shady Lady”. Charlotte from Sweden came and sang “Hero” in front of an enthusiastic audience. There were also Boaz from Israel accompanied by Eurovision winner of 1998 Dana International, Miodio from San Marino, Sirusho from Armenia, Morena from Malta, Ruslan from Belarus and Diana from Georgia. Dima Bilan was a bit over the top, he used more time than anybody else and even give a long iteration after the music has been put off. Due to his unfriendly reaction to the press in advance, Diman received several “Boos” from the audience. It was very crowded and the music was loud, but unfortunately there was no real dancefloor and a calmer area for relaxation.

This rehearsal day was the first opportunity for the five finalists to get familiar with the stage in the Belgrade Arena. All other countries from the semi-finals have already rehearsed at least one time. Germany's “No Angels” showed the live-singing qualities, using wind machines and long colored cloth. Many journalists thought that the performance is a bit too boring. The UK entrant Andy Abraham showed is talent in singing and dancing. His groovy song “Even if” was highly respected by the audience. The host country Serbia will be starting on 23rd position on Saturday's final and Jelena has a wonderful stage. The volunteers gave a huge guard of honor. Many countries are using pyrotechnics on stage, this is not always an advantage.
The ways between the Press Center and the Belgrade Arena are circumstantial and long, you need at least 20 min by foot or shuttle bus.

By now all the participants of the semi-finals had their stage rehearsals and get used to the stage and feel the atmosphere of the Belgrade Arena. 43 countries in total have to rehearse over two weeks! This means preparing in the backstage area, rehearsal on stage with sound check and choreography fine tuning, judging the performance in the viewing room and finalized with a press conference. Every country is scheduled for two days. All countries from the first and second semi-final must participate for three times in the complete rehearsal that means the complete first and second show from the beginning to the end. All qualified countries then have the chance to rehearse another three times for the big final. It’s all a big marathon. The most outstanding performances so far are Sweden, Ukraine and Switzerland, but also Hungary and Portugal have delighted the audience. The favourites by the bookmakers are Sweden, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

The rehearsals for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest have already started since Sunday. Busy schedules filled with stage rehearsals, press conferences, improvements and getting familiar with the light and sound determine the days of the performers.
At this point we would like to mention the really outstanding stage design – this is probably the best, we have seen for years. The illumination and atmosphere can be created by each country. The only disadvantage is the slippery surface, many delegations have complained already.

As well as in the recent years, the team of eurovisionlive.com will be covering this year’s edition of the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade. Our team will be in the middle of the European hot spot from May 17th until May 25th providing you with a copious reportage including interviews, background information, photos, special features and the latest news.

Due to the fact that there are 43 countries in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the qualification system was in need to be changed. To avoid upcoming rumours about an unfair voting system, the draw of the running order has been made in a different way. The allotment has been controlled in advance that a country which likes to vote for certain countries will not be in the same pot. Actually there are three shows for the first time: two Semi-Finals and one Grand Final. The first Semi-Final will be broadcasted on Tuesday 20th and the second on Thursday 22nd.
In each Semi-Final there will be 19 participating countries and only 10 will qualify for the Grand Final. Only nine countries from each Semi-Final will be selected for the Grand Final, on the basis of the televoting results. A wild card is given to the country chosen by a jury not already qualified for the Grand Final. Should two or more songs receive exactly the same number of calls, the results of a stand up jury will be used. Only those countries are allowed to vote in the Semi-Finals which will be in the list of participating countries of that evening. Only the countries from the Big 4 and Serbia are allowed to vote in the Semi-Finals.
All other rules for the songs stay the same: a maximum duration of three minutes, a maximum of six people on stage, all artists must be aged at least 16 on the day of the Semi-Finals, free choice of language, live performance on stage, accompanied by a recorded backing-track which contains no vocals of any kind or vocal imitations.

This year’s Eurovision stage is probably going to top last year’s design from Helsinki. It’s incredibly important for the host country to have a unique and remarkable stage design. Later on videos and photos it can always be recognized as the “Belgrade stage”. Regarding to the new logo and the theme “Confluence of Sound” there is a high recognition value also be found in the stage design. There are two rivers the Danube and Save which flow together in Belgrade.

By now there are all video clips of the 43 participating countries are online and available to watch at our “All Preview Videos” section. So from now on you can judge yourself what entry is going to be your favourite. Some countries have made a real video clip, others just made the show of the pre decision available. A professionally made video clip is of course a good promotion, but the quality of the voice on stage can only be judged by live performance.

Almost all of the 42 participating countries have made their choice for Belgrade, there are only 11 countries left. Unlike former years all details kept secret. Nowadays it’s possible to listen and watch the songs from the pre-decisions via YouTube and internet live-streams from the TV channels, like the Swedish melodifestivalen. So it’s easy to follow the country’s choices from Azerbaijan to Iceland and so on. So far there are only a few big names: No Angels from Germany, Ani Lorak from the Ukraine and Kreisiraadio from Estonia. Hopefully there are more big names to come. Charlotte Pirelli (formerly Charlotte Nilsson) is taking part in the Swedish final with hero. She has won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999 with “Tusen och en natt”. Her chances are quite high to qualify for Belgrade. There were six different pots based on the voting patterns of the past four years, to avoid voting disadvantages from last years. Now the discussion is open again, being in the first or second Semi-Final.

Today at 13.00 CET the EBU broadcasted the draw of which countries will participate in the Semi-Finals on Tuesday 20th May and Thursday 22nd May. The draw only shows which countries appear in which Semi-Final, not the running order of the shows:

Semi-Final 1 – Tuesday 20th May:
Montenegro, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, Moldova, San Marino, Slovenia, Norway, Belgium, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Semi-Final 2 – Thursday 22nd May:
Croatia, Denmark, Bulgaria, Portugal, Ukraine, Switzerland, Macedonia, Iceland, Cyprus, Latvia, Belarus, Hungary, Albania, Sweden, Turkey, Lithuania, Georgia, Czech Republic and Malta.

All participating countries are allowed to show both shows, but they can only vote for the show there are in. From the finalists (Big 4 and Serbia) the draw decided that Germany and Spain can vote in the Semi-Final 1 and France, Serbia and United Kingdom can vote in Semi-Final 2.
There were six different pots based on the voting patterns of the past four years, to avoid voting disadvantages from last years. Now the discussion is open again, being in the first or second Semi-Final.

Thanks to Marija Šerifoviæ, Belgrade and Serbia have the privilege to host the most exciting music show in the world. Every year more and more countries joining the Eurovision family, this year there is a record of 43 participating countries. Due to several reasons like the voting from last year, there will be two semi finals and one final. 19 countries will start in each semi-final, which will be broadcasted in the participating country. So the draw will decide which country will start in which semi-final. The Big Four countries like United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany as well as the last years winner Serbia are directly qualified for the final on Saturday the 25th of May. This new system should avoid unfair voting. The participating countries are: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom. The running order will be taken by a draw on Monday 28th of January.