Eurovision 2009. Moscú

In May this year in Moscow the most popular song contest Eurovision will take place. The contest will pass from May 1 to 16 in the Olympic Stadium. More than forty countries have already confirmed their participation in the contest.

Russia obtained the right to receive the contest after the victory of Dima Bilan on the Eurovision last year, and the prime minister of Russia Vladimir Putin declared, that the event will take place in Moscow. At the same time the mayor of Belgrade Dragan Dzhilas solemnly entrusted to Yuri Luzhkov symbolic keys from the contest – a kind of a bond of CDs.

Today the majority of the countries has already been determined with the fact, who will be its representative at the contest. As each year there were some surprises. For example, France will be represented by Patrisia Kaas. She argued her solution the following way: “First I did not want to participate in the contest – it is for the debutants in the whole. But then I decided: I will defend my country! Abroad this competition has enormous importance, although in France, we do not pay such attention to this”.

Norway this time is presented by Belorussian Alexander Rybak, who was born in Minsk, but at the age of four he was taken to Scandinavia.

One more interesting history – the failure of Georgia of the participation in the Eurovision – in response to the demand of organizers to change the text of the song of group “Stephen and 3G” “We don't wonna put in”.

However, it is not the first case, when the contest is blamed, not without reason, for being politically loaded.

As in all host countries, in Russia was developed the stylistic concept of contest, there was selected emblem – “bird fantasy” – the stylization of firebird, character of Russian folk tales. The draw was held in “Russian style” – on 30th of January in the hotel Mariott Royal Aurora. Cards with the names of participating countries were divided into six baskets and hidden in the Russian dolls Matryoshka. Iana Churikova, television anchorwoman, balloted.

This Eurovision will become 54 in succession. So the contest is one of the oldest. And what is more – this is the most long-life program of world television.

The idea of the contest was born in the Fifties among the terms EBC.

The first contest, by the name “Grand Prix of Eurovision”, took place in May 1956 in Swiss in the city Lugano. In the contest participated only seven countries, each representing two songs. The only condition was; limitation in the time – each song must not sound longer than 3,5 minutes.

A quantity of the countries desiring to participate in the contest substantially increased in the course of time, so the rules became tougher. For example, today only the countries-members of EBC can participate in the competition, even if they lie beyond the limits of Europe. Songs must sound only in the living performance, audience voting plays a big role in the determination of conqueror – moreover voices are counted among the spectators of each country separately. The country, which won the points, becomes conqueror – it uses the privilege to receive the next contest on its territory.

In different years in the contest Eurovision took part ABBA, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias and many other famous today artists. As the most successful participating country is considered Ireland – its representatives conquered seven times, the youngest conqueror was thirteen year Sandra Kim from Belgium, and a quantity of songs heard in the course of competition exceeded a thousand.

Meanwhile according to Nikolai Kakory the Vice President of company “Intourist” – one of two general tour operators of “Eurovision 2009”, during the contest in Moscow is expected a daily arrival from 3 to 5 thousand foreigners.

“We will be able to accept all, who will wish, it will be enough place for all, but it will be less tourists then we’d like” – reported Mr. Kakora in the interview for “Interfax-tourism”. The inhabitants of England, Italy, France, Germany and Scandinavia manifest the greatest interest to the contest. Many of them will remain in Moscow all the time of the contest, many will arrive only to the finale. Both for those and for others the additional tourist program is developed. For example, during the period of the Eurovision all volunteers can visit, for example, Saint Petersburg.

The arrangement of participants of the Eurovision and journalists will be accomplished by another important company – “Akademservis”.

The tickets for the contest will be put on the market in the middle of March, and, according to the information of the “Interfax-tourism”, the third of them will be directed to the European broadcasting union, which will distribute them among the participating countries of contest.