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51ST EUROVISION SONG CONTEST SEMI-FINALS HELD IN ATHENS
Athens News Agency, Greece
May 19 2006
First-time contestant Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, FYROM,
Ireland, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine are the 10
countries that qualified in the early hours of Friday for the 51st
Eurovision song contest Final on Saturday night, following viewer
voting late Thursday among the 23 contestants at the spectacular
semi-final held in the indoor basketball venue at Athens' OAKA main
Olympic complex.
The 23 countries taking part in Thursday night's semi-final were:
Armenia (which is taking part for the first time in the history of the
competition), Bulgaria, Slovenia, Andora, Belarus, Albania, Belgium,
Ireland, Cyprus, Monaco, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, The Netherlands, Lithuania,
Portugal, Sweden, Estonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland.
The ten best semi-finalists elected late Thursday night will now
compete in Saturday's final with the 14 top songs of last year's
Eurovision song contest: Switzerland, Moldova, Israel, Latvia, Norway,
Malta, Denmark, Romania, Croatia (which was the first runner up and
took the slot following the withdrawal of Serbia-Montenegro), the four
major countries which traditionally participate in the competition
-- Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- and 2006 host
country Greece, which won the Eurovision song contest in 2005 with
"My Number One" performed by Elena Paparizou.
Thursday night's qualifiers were Armenia, with "Without your Love"
performed by Andre; Bosnia-Herzegovina, with "Lejla" performed by
Hari Mata Hari and his band; Finland, with "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
performed by the heavy metal band Lordi; FYROM, with "Ninanajna"
performed by Elena Rusteska; Ireland, with the ballad "Every song
is a cry for love" performed by Brian Kennedy; Lithuania, with "We
are the Winners (of Eurovision)" performed by LT United; Russia,
with "Never let you go" performed by Dima; Sweden, with "Invicible"
performed by Carola; Turkey, with "Superstar" performed by Sibel Tuzun;
and Ukraine, with "Show me your Love" performed by Tina Karol.
The event was hosted by Greece's Eurovision 2004 third-place winner
and pop heartthrob Sakis Rouvas ("Shake It") and Greek-American model,
reporter and actress Maria Menounos, who will also host the Final on
Saturday night.
Athens News Agency, Greece
May 19 2006
First-time contestant Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, FYROM,
Ireland, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine are the 10
countries that qualified in the early hours of Friday for the 51st
Eurovision song contest Final on Saturday night, following viewer
voting late Thursday among the 23 contestants at the spectacular
semi-final held in the indoor basketball venue at Athens' OAKA main
Olympic complex.
The 23 countries taking part in Thursday night's semi-final were:
Armenia (which is taking part for the first time in the history of the
competition), Bulgaria, Slovenia, Andora, Belarus, Albania, Belgium,
Ireland, Cyprus, Monaco, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, The Netherlands, Lithuania,
Portugal, Sweden, Estonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland.
The ten best semi-finalists elected late Thursday night will now
compete in Saturday's final with the 14 top songs of last year's
Eurovision song contest: Switzerland, Moldova, Israel, Latvia, Norway,
Malta, Denmark, Romania, Croatia (which was the first runner up and
took the slot following the withdrawal of Serbia-Montenegro), the four
major countries which traditionally participate in the competition
-- Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- and 2006 host
country Greece, which won the Eurovision song contest in 2005 with
"My Number One" performed by Elena Paparizou.
Thursday night's qualifiers were Armenia, with "Without your Love"
performed by Andre; Bosnia-Herzegovina, with "Lejla" performed by
Hari Mata Hari and his band; Finland, with "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
performed by the heavy metal band Lordi; FYROM, with "Ninanajna"
performed by Elena Rusteska; Ireland, with the ballad "Every song
is a cry for love" performed by Brian Kennedy; Lithuania, with "We
are the Winners (of Eurovision)" performed by LT United; Russia,
with "Never let you go" performed by Dima; Sweden, with "Invicible"
performed by Carola; Turkey, with "Superstar" performed by Sibel Tuzun;
and Ukraine, with "Show me your Love" performed by Tina Karol.
The event was hosted by Greece's Eurovision 2004 third-place winner
and pop heartthrob Sakis Rouvas ("Shake It") and Greek-American model,
reporter and actress Maria Menounos, who will also host the Final on
Saturday night.