Eurovision head says global contest a "challenge" (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – The Eurovision Song Contest has become so popular around the globe that there may be scope one day for a Worldvision Song Contest, executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand told Reuters.

The Norwegian director of the 56-year-old contest, watched this year from Germany by more than 125 million people in 55 countries around the world, said Eurovision manages to bring Europe together in a way similar to the Euro soccer tournament.

"This is the one moment that all of Europe shares -- across Europe, people watch and enjoy the same exact TV program," Sand said in Duesseldorf, where Azerbaijan won this year's contest early on Sunday morning. "It's a special moment."

He said the Euro soccer tournament also manages to unite Europe in front of their television sets but is held only once every four years -- making it less of a logistical challenge for broadcasters and organizers than running an annual competition.

There is also a World Cup soccer tournament every four years and the question was raised in Duesseldorf: what about holding a "Worldvision Song Contest?"

"Sure there's a World Cup," Sand said when asked about that in his temporary office in the Duesseldorf arena, a soccer stadium that was temporarily turned into a giant indoor TV studio. "A 'Worldvision Song Contest' would be great if we could do it. But it's not in the immediate plans.

"It's a huge logistics operation and you only have one year to prepare it," added Sand, who was appointed to run the European Broadcasting Union's contest in January.

"If we think out of the box I'm sure we could be able to put up something like that. But that's quite a challenge."

Germany's Lena Meyer-Landrut, who won last year's Eurovision Song Contest held in Oslo and came 10th in this year's contest watched by a record live audience of 36,000, floated the idea of a Worldvision contest at a news conference on Friday.

"Maybe the rest of the world can watch it and do something like we do, can do a 'Worldvision'," the 19-year-old high school student said in a passing remark at the end of her news conference. "All countries just having fun."

EUROVISION UNITES CONTINENT

Sand, the executive producer, said this year's Eurovision Song Contest gave Europe a brief and badly needed break from its crisis over debt and deteriorating solidarity.

This year's light-hearted competition featured artists from 43 nations in a good-natured battle for points might not have been a barometer for high culture or good taste.

But he said the contest, won by Azeri duo Ell/Nikki singing a love song in English written by a Swedish composer, might be just the tonic Europe needs at a time when a sovereign debt crisis threatens to undo decades of post-war integration.

"This shows that we can stick together -- at least for entertainment and music," Sand added. "Europe will stay together and be united even though it's in difficult times right now. This is definitely something that shows that Europe is united."

Although the Eurovision Song Contest might be derided as a campish monument to mediocrity and kitsch in some countries, it is for others an eagerly awaited celebration of Europe's diverse cultures and languages.

Part of the contest's charm is its unpredictability. Any nation can win. It levels the playing field, with small nations like Azerbaijan having the same voting clout and chance to win as Germany or the United Kingdom, the home of some of the greatest pop acts in musical history.

Indeed both Greece and Ireland -- small and highly indebted nations at the heart of the euro zone crisis that has battered the bloc's common currency and confidence -- finished ahead of euro zone paymaster Germany and economic powerhouse France in voting by TV viewers and national juries in all 43 countries.

It did not go unnoticed that Germany awarded some of its top scores to Greece (10 points) and Ireland (8 points) even though its public and media has complained about and resisted European efforts to prop up the finances of the two struggling nations.

That a syrupy love song about a love-struck couple performed by an Azeri duo captured the imagination -- and 221 points -- from voters across Europe could also reflect a revival, if only temporary, of solidarity on the shaken continent.

"We want to bring Europe together with our song," Azeri singer Eldar Gasimov said when asked if there was a message from Europe in their win. He said they will make French, Spanish and German versions of their winning song "Running scared."

The extravaganza, conceived by the European Broadcasting Union in 1956, was beamed to nations from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea as well as to countries around the world that were not even competing such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States.

It has been a launching pad for Swedish pop group Abba, who won in 1974 with "Waterloo," and Celine Dion, who took top honors in 1988 for Switzerland.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

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Germany's Lena wants 2nd Eurovision Song Contest win (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – Never before has a Eurovision Song Contest winner claimed back-to-back titles but a perky German teen who gave her long-suffering nation cause to celebrate a year ago is on a risky mission to repeat.

Lena-Meyer Landrut said in an interview with Reuters that she knows history and the odds are against her -- the last winner of the world's biggest musical contest who tried to defend her title ended up last, a humiliating fall from grace.

"Of course it would be bad if I were to come in last place and everyone wrote that they knew beforehand that would be the case -- that would be a total flop," Lena said ahead of Saturday's contest that 36,000 will watch in a converted football arena and 125 million will watch on television.

"I don't think I'll end up in last place," the high school student said, fully aware of the fate of Corry Brokken, who won the contest for the Netherlands in 1957 but was last in 1958.

"I think we have a great performance. I have great dancers and background singers. I think the song is super and I think it will be lots of fun."

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the singer known simply as Lena after her win a year ago in Oslo, which ended Germany's long and anguished drought in the contest that can be as popular as the World Cup soccer tournament in some countries even though it is mercilessly mocked in others.

A refreshingly straight-talking 19-year-old, Lena was little known even at home before she managed to enthrall Germany and all of Europe with a magical performance in Oslo. Her fearless spirit and infectious smile made her an instant celebrity.

Her upbeat British-style pop song "Satellite" soared to the top of the charts in Germany and six countries and was top 10 in another seven -- a phenomenal achievement for a German act.

Before she won, Germans had fretted for years over dreadful song contest results and the more ominous question of why they seemed to be so disliked in the rest of Europe.

Yet after the initial euphoria over Lena faded, a myriad of naysayers, doubters and media critics began searching for flaws in their newfound heroine. Some latched onto the fact that her concert tour did not sell out as evidence of waning appeal while others complained about "Lena fatigue" and that her direct style of speaking made her seem arrogant.

GERMAN NAYSAYERS

"It's so typically German -- we like to see our stars fall after they rise," said Peter Urban, a music expert for German public network NDR and Eurovision Song Contest commentator.

"It's always been like that. Germans aren't really able to stay happy for long about someone else's success. Americans are different. They take care of their stars and are proud of them."

Lena has tried to ignore the negative backlash at home. She said she understands that it is all part of the German DNA, a yearning to see the glass as half empty rather than half full.

"It's a German phenomenon that things first have to be negative before you can find the good things," she said. "That's just how it is. I'm happy that I'm intelligent enough to see this and deal with it so that it doesn't get to me," referring to the negative German media reports.

She said that, all in all, there have been far more positive experiences than negative in the year of her sudden celebrity, although she has dropped hints that she is looking forward to a more normal life after Saturday -- perhaps living abroad.

"All the people in this business are made to look bad and pushed up again, kicked back down and pushed back up. This is just the job. That's the way it is. I'm dealing with it, and much prefer dealing with it than sitting in front of a computer for 10 hours a day."

Lena understands unpredictable voting patterns in the various nations and the dynamics of the Eurovision Song Contest mean that any of the 25 finalists could end up winning -- which is a big part of the competition's charm.

"The best thing would be to come first," she said, adding her goal is the top 10. "But that doesn't mean if I don't win then my life is over. It will carry on. So everything is cool."

(Additional reporting by Anna McIntosh and Victoria Bryan, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Azerbaijan wins Eurovision Song Contest (AP)

By FRANK AUGSTEIN and MELISSA EDDY, Associated Press Frank Augstein And Melissa Eddy, Associated Press – Sat May 14, 10:55 pm ET

DUESSELDORF, Germany – A mother of two and an international relations student from Azerbaijan beat out the much-hyped Irish twins and 23 other finalists Saturday to secure their nation's first-ever win in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nigar Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, who go by the name Ell/Nikki, won 220 points for their classic pop ballad with a catchy refrain, "Running Scared," meaning next year's songfest will be hosted in Baku.

"I'm the happiest man in the world right now," Gasimov, 22, shouted to the crowd of 36,000 who packed the Fortuna Duesseldorf Arena to watch the show.

In the past three years, Azerbaijan has finished in the first 10 at the songfest, but have never before reached the top.

"Its unbelievable our dream came true," Jamal, 30, said after winning the title.

"I've never been a singer before, I was a housewife, a mother of two children," she said. "It was my dream to become a singer and now my dream has come true."

The pair, clad in a white suit and a floaty white gown, were awarded the trophy from Germany's 19-year-old Lena Meyer-Landruth, who had sought to make history by defending her title for a second consecutive year in a row. She finished 10th with the sultry "Taken By A Stranger."

Second place went to Italy — back in competition after a 14-year hiatus — with 189 points for Raphael Gualazzi for his jazz number "Madness of Love." Close behind him in third place was Sweden's Eric Saade, singing the dance pop song "Popular," with 185 points.

Azerbaijan had been among the entries favored to win heading into the competition, but other favorites, including the much-hyped Irish duo Jedward, nor the British bookies' top pick, French tenor Amaury Vassili, came in among the top 10 finishers.

Several entries held up the competition's reputation for quirky, kitschy costumes, with the boys from Jedward wearing sparkling red space jackets and spiky quiffed hairdos and Moldova's punk rock entry taking the stage sporting tall, conical caps and featuring a woman on a unicycle.

More than 120 million viewers around the globe tune in to watch the spectacle that has taken place every year since 1951. Organizers said the production cost (EURO)12 million ($17 million).

Viewers in the 43 participating nations cast votes by SMS or phone which counted for 50 percent of the contestants' final score. The other 50 percent had been determined by panels of juries selected by each nation.

Two rounds of semifinals held earlier in the week whittled the competitors down to 25 finalists who took to the stage Saturday for an extravagant sound-and-light display.

___

Eddy reported from Berlin.

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Eurovision head says global contest a "challenge" (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – The Eurovision Song Contest has become so popular around the globe that there may be scope one day for a Worldvision Song Contest, executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand told Reuters.

The Norwegian director of the 56-year-old contest, watched this year from Germany by more than 125 million people in 55 countries around the world, said Eurovision manages to bring Europe together in a way similar to the Euro soccer tournament.

"This is the one moment that all of Europe shares -- across Europe, people watch and enjoy the same exact TV program," Sand said in Duesseldorf, where Azerbaijan won this year's contest early on Sunday morning. "It's a special moment."

He said the Euro soccer tournament also manages to unite Europe in front of their television sets but is held only once every four years -- making it less of a logistical challenge for broadcasters and organizers than running an annual competition.

There is also a World Cup soccer tournament every four years and the question was raised in Duesseldorf: what about holding a "Worldvision Song Contest?"

"Sure there's a World Cup," Sand said when asked about that in his temporary office in the Duesseldorf arena, a soccer stadium that was temporarily turned into a giant indoor TV studio. "A 'Worldvision Song Contest' would be great if we could do it. But it's not in the immediate plans.

"It's a huge logistics operation and you only have one year to prepare it," added Sand, who was appointed to run the European Broadcasting Union's contest in January.

"If we think out of the box I'm sure we could be able to put up something like that. But that's quite a challenge."

Germany's Lena Meyer-Landrut, who won last year's Eurovision Song Contest held in Oslo and came 10th in this year's contest watched by a record live audience of 36,000, floated the idea of a Worldvision contest at a news conference on Friday.

"Maybe the rest of the world can watch it and do something like we do, can do a 'Worldvision'," the 19-year-old high school student said in a passing remark at the end of her news conference. "All countries just having fun."

EUROVISION UNITES CONTINENT

Sand, the executive producer, said this year's Eurovision Song Contest gave Europe a brief and badly needed break from its crisis over debt and deteriorating solidarity.

This year's light-hearted competition featured artists from 43 nations in a good-natured battle for points might not have been a barometer for high culture or good taste.

But he said the contest, won by Azeri duo Ell/Nikki singing a love song in English written by a Swedish composer, might be just the tonic Europe needs at a time when a sovereign debt crisis threatens to undo decades of post-war integration.

"This shows that we can stick together -- at least for entertainment and music," Sand added. "Europe will stay together and be united even though it's in difficult times right now. This is definitely something that shows that Europe is united."

Although the Eurovision Song Contest might be derided as a campish monument to mediocrity and kitsch in some countries, it is for others an eagerly awaited celebration of Europe's diverse cultures and languages.

Part of the contest's charm is its unpredictability. Any nation can win. It levels the playing field, with small nations like Azerbaijan having the same voting clout and chance to win as Germany or the United Kingdom, the home of some of the greatest pop acts in musical history.

Indeed both Greece and Ireland -- small and highly indebted nations at the heart of the euro zone crisis that has battered the bloc's common currency and confidence -- finished ahead of euro zone paymaster Germany and economic powerhouse France in voting by TV viewers and national juries in all 43 countries.

It did not go unnoticed that Germany awarded some of its top scores to Greece (10 points) and Ireland (8 points) even though its public and media has complained about and resisted European efforts to prop up the finances of the two struggling nations.

That a syrupy love song about a love-struck couple performed by an Azeri duo captured the imagination -- and 221 points -- from voters across Europe could also reflect a revival, if only temporary, of solidarity on the shaken continent.

"We want to bring Europe together with our song," Azeri singer Eldar Gasimov said when asked if there was a message from Europe in their win. He said they will make French, Spanish and German versions of their winning song "Running scared."

The extravaganza, conceived by the European Broadcasting Union in 1956, was beamed to nations from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea as well as to countries around the world that were not even competing such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States.

It has been a launching pad for Swedish pop group Abba, who won in 1974 with "Waterloo," and Celine Dion, who took top honors in 1988 for Switzerland.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

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Azerbaijan wins Eurovision Song Contest (AP)

By FRANK AUGSTEIN and MELISSA EDDY, Associated Press Frank Augstein And Melissa Eddy, Associated Press – Sat May 14, 10:55 pm ET

DUESSELDORF, Germany – A mother of two and an international relations student from Azerbaijan beat out the much-hyped Irish twins and 23 other finalists Saturday to secure their nation's first-ever win in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nigar Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, who go by the name Ell/Nikki, won 220 points for their classic pop ballad with a catchy refrain, "Running Scared," meaning next year's songfest will be hosted in Baku.

"I'm the happiest man in the world right now," Gasimov, 22, shouted to the crowd of 36,000 who packed the Fortuna Duesseldorf Arena to watch the show.

In the past three years, Azerbaijan has finished in the first 10 at the songfest, but have never before reached the top.

"Its unbelievable our dream came true," Jamal, 30, said after winning the title.

"I've never been a singer before, I was a housewife, a mother of two children," she said. "It was my dream to become a singer and now my dream has come true."

The pair, clad in a white suit and a floaty white gown, were awarded the trophy from Germany's 19-year-old Lena Meyer-Landruth, who had sought to make history by defending her title for a second consecutive year in a row. She finished 10th with the sultry "Taken By A Stranger."

Second place went to Italy — back in competition after a 14-year hiatus — with 189 points for Raphael Gualazzi for his jazz number "Madness of Love." Close behind him in third place was Sweden's Eric Saade, singing the dance pop song "Popular," with 185 points.

Azerbaijan had been among the entries favored to win heading into the competition, but other favorites, including the much-hyped Irish duo Jedward, nor the British bookies' top pick, French tenor Amaury Vassili, came in among the top 10 finishers.

Several entries held up the competition's reputation for quirky, kitschy costumes, with the boys from Jedward wearing sparkling red space jackets and spiky quiffed hairdos and Moldova's punk rock entry taking the stage sporting tall, conical caps and featuring a woman on a unicycle.

More than 120 million viewers around the globe tune in to watch the spectacle that has taken place every year since 1951. Organizers said the production cost (EURO)12 million ($17 million).

Viewers in the 43 participating nations cast votes by SMS or phone which counted for 50 percent of the contestants' final score. The other 50 percent had been determined by panels of juries selected by each nation.

Two rounds of semifinals held earlier in the week whittled the competitors down to 25 finalists who took to the stage Saturday for an extravagant sound-and-light display.

___

Eddy reported from Berlin.

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Azeri romantic ballad wins Eurovision Song Contest (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – Azerbaijan won the annual Eurovision Song Contest with the romantic ballad "Running Scared" on Saturday, watched by a television audience of more than 100 million people.

The song about a love-struck couple was performed by 21-year-old student Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, 30, a mother-of-two who lives in London. The duo, known as Ell-Nikki, won a total 221 points.

Italy was second with 189 points and Sweden came third on 185 in the 56th edition of the contest, hosted by Germany. Widely heralded pre-contest favorites Ireland, Britain and France all had disappointing results.

The extravaganza, dubbed the world's biggest music competition with one of television's largest audiences, was beamed to countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea -- and to nations around the world that were not even competing.

"Oh my gosh, we won, we won," said Gasimov, whose face was drenched with sweat as he celebrated on stage in front of 36,000 spectators in a soccer arena in the German city of Duesseldorf that had been converted for the event.

"I'm the happiest man in the world right now," he said.

The Azeri entry had Swedish touches. It was composed by Swedes Stefan Orn, Sandra Bjurman and Iain Farquharson and four Swedish dancers accompanied Ell-Nikki.

Jamal, who has an economics degree, said it was hard to grasp the fairytale victory for Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic of eight million that regained independence in 1991.

"A few months ago I was a housewife and mother of two children -- and my biggest dream was to represent my country in the Eurovision Song Contest," she told news conference. "My dream came true: I'm a winner of Eurovision."

GLITZ AND KITSCH

The Eurovision Song Contest has been a launching pad for international careers. Swedish pop group Abba became famous after winning in 1974 with "Waterloo" and Celine Dion took top honors in 1988 while competing for Switzerland.

Many deride the contest for serving up mediocrity, while others are enthusiastic followers.

From its start in Switzerland in 1956, the contest conceived by the European Broadcasting Union has grown into a giant event where performers, often dressed in spangly costumes, belt out their songs in different languages.

Fans draped in national flags and clad in exotic outfits packed the arena, cheering the 25 finalists who mixed glitz and kitsch with ballads, rock 'n' roll and disco to try to win votes from viewers and 43 national juries.

It was also a disappointing night for Germany after Lena won last year in Oslo.

Lena became an instant national hero for ending Germany's three-decade Eurovision drought. Her song "Satellite" went to the top of pop music charts in six countries and was a top 10 hit in seven others. She was a distant 10th on Saturday night.

French opera singer Amaury Vassili, British boy band Blue and Ireland's Jedward had also been tipped as favorites by bookmakers but finished poorly.

Other famous participants in past contests included Julio Iglesias, Olivia Newton-John, Secret Garden, t.A.T.u., Lordi and Patricia Kaas. Riverdance was created in 1994 when Ireland hosted the contest.

(Editing by Ralph Gowling)

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First fans arrive for Eurovision final (AP)

DUESSELDORF, Germany – Europeans will ditch financial worries to rally behind their favorite performers in the continent's annual Eurovision Song Contest as finalists from 25 countries take the stage Saturday night.

By midday, the first fans had started arriving at the Fortuna Duesseldorf Arena, selected as Germany's venue for the international pop music extravaganza because of its size. Some 38,000 people will watch the event live, while millions of others from Finland to Albania, Poland to Portugal, will watch on TV.

More than 120 million viewers are expected to tune in to see if Germany's Lena Meyer-Landruth can defend her title against acts such as French tenor Amaury Vassili and Irish twins "Jedward," both of which are predicted to have a strong chances at a win.

Asked by reporters after Friday's dress rehearsal whether the pressure was getting to her, 19-year-old Lena insisted she was simply having fun.

"I don't feel any pressure," she said. "I'm not putting any pressure on myself."

If she were to win, Lena could write history as the first contestant to take back-to-back Eurovision titles since the event was founded in 1951 — though strictly speaking it's the song that wins, not the peformer.

Competing against Lena are 20 finalists who were selected in semi-final rounds earlier in the week, along with contestants from France, Britain, Spain and Italy — who along with Germany shoulder the bulk of the event's cost and automatically qualify.

Viewers can cast votes by SMS or phone, which count for 50 percent of the contestants' final score. The other 50 percent are determined by panels of juries selected by each nation.

British bookmakers have tipped Vassili to take this year's title, with his operatic track "Sognu," sung in Corsican.

Irish twins John and Edward Grimes, who go by "Jedward" have also been popular — as much for their electro-pop song "Lipstick" as their quiffy blond hair.

Yet British boy band Blue has also attracted a following for their pop number, "I Can." Speaking to reporters on Friday, singer Lee Ryan said he was surprised at how much fun the competition had been.

"This contest brings Europe together and it brings people together," Ryan said. "And that's the reason I went into music."

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Germany's Lena wants 2nd Eurovision Song Contest win (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – Never before has a Eurovision Song Contest winner claimed back-to-back titles but a perky German teen who gave her long-suffering nation cause to celebrate a year ago is on a risky mission to repeat.

Lena-Meyer Landrut said in an interview with Reuters that she knows history and the odds are against her -- the last winner of the world's biggest musical contest who tried to defend her title ended up last, a humiliating fall from grace.

"Of course it would be bad if I were to come in last place and everyone wrote that they knew beforehand that would be the case -- that would be a total flop," Lena said ahead of Saturday's contest that 36,000 will watch in a converted football arena and 125 million will watch on television.

"I don't think I'll end up in last place," the high school student said, fully aware of the fate of Corry Brokken, who won the contest for the Netherlands in 1957 but was last in 1958.

"I think we have a great performance. I have great dancers and background singers. I think the song is super and I think it will be lots of fun."

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the singer known simply as Lena after her win a year ago in Oslo, which ended Germany's long and anguished drought in the contest that can be as popular as the World Cup soccer tournament in some countries even though it is mercilessly mocked in others.

A refreshingly straight-talking 19-year-old, Lena was little known even at home before she managed to enthrall Germany and all of Europe with a magical performance in Oslo. Her fearless spirit and infectious smile made her an instant celebrity.

Her upbeat British-style pop song "Satellite" soared to the top of the charts in Germany and six countries and was top 10 in another seven -- a phenomenal achievement for a German act.

Before she won, Germans had fretted for years over dreadful song contest results and the more ominous question of why they seemed to be so disliked in the rest of Europe.

Yet after the initial euphoria over Lena faded, a myriad of naysayers, doubters and media critics began searching for flaws in their newfound heroine. Some latched onto the fact that her concert tour did not sell out as evidence of waning appeal while others complained about "Lena fatigue" and that her direct style of speaking made her seem arrogant.

GERMAN NAYSAYERS

"It's so typically German -- we like to see our stars fall after they rise," said Peter Urban, a music expert for German public network NDR and Eurovision Song Contest commentator.

"It's always been like that. Germans aren't really able to stay happy for long about someone else's success. Americans are different. They take care of their stars and are proud of them."

Lena has tried to ignore the negative backlash at home. She said she understands that it is all part of the German DNA, a yearning to see the glass as half empty rather than half full.

"It's a German phenomenon that things first have to be negative before you can find the good things," she said. "That's just how it is. I'm happy that I'm intelligent enough to see this and deal with it so that it doesn't get to me," referring to the negative German media reports.

She said that, all in all, there have been far more positive experiences than negative in the year of her sudden celebrity, although she has dropped hints that she is looking forward to a more normal life after Saturday -- perhaps living abroad.

"All the people in this business are made to look bad and pushed up again, kicked back down and pushed back up. This is just the job. That's the way it is. I'm dealing with it, and much prefer dealing with it than sitting in front of a computer for 10 hours a day."

Lena understands unpredictable voting patterns in the various nations and the dynamics of the Eurovision Song Contest mean that any of the 25 finalists could end up winning -- which is a big part of the competition's charm.

"The best thing would be to come first," she said, adding her goal is the top 10. "But that doesn't mean if I don't win then my life is over. It will carry on. So everything is cool."

(Additional reporting by Anna McIntosh and Victoria Bryan, editing by Paul Casciato)

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French, Irish singers on the rise at Eurovision (AP)

BERLIN – A pair of wildly coiffed Irish twins and a French opera singer are among the favorites to prevent German pop princess Lena Meyer-Landruth from defending her title at the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend.

More than 120 million viewers from Israel to Ireland are expected to tune in Saturday night to watch 25 finalists belt out ballads and bubblegum pop in the hope of wresting the title from Lena.

The 19-year-old German, who won the 2010 competition by a wide margin in the Norwegian capital Oslo with dance number "Satellite," is hoping the audience will fall for her sultry "Taken By A Stranger" in the final, being held in the western city of Duesseldorf.

The contest — held annually since 1951 — is known for over-the-top exuberance in costumes, lighting and set design. The winner is determined by the votes of national judges panels and televoters in participating countries. Fans cannot vote for their own nation.

Lena faces stiff competition this year. French tenor Amaury Vassili topped British bookmakers' odds on Friday, with his dramatic, operatic track "Sognu," sung in Corsican.

A pair of 19-year old Irish twins — John and Edward Grimes, performing under the name "Jedward" — were the second favorite. Known for their quiffy blonde hair, they will perform the upbeat song "Lipstick," which is also one of Lena's favorites.

"I like the Irish boys, and I was the one who told everyone that they are going to be so great," she told reporters ahead of the competition.

Lena and Jedward were tied atop Google's predictor Friday afternoon, having continually swapped first and second place in the vote-generated forecaster over the past few weeks. Google has accurately predicted the past two year's winners by soliciting votes ahead of the final.

The contest, however, is not without controversy. In the last days, questions and doubts have come up regarding the lyrics of the Belarusian entry for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. Today, BTRC has announced that the lyrics of the song have been officially changed.

Finalists were selected from the pool of 38 contestants in semifinal rounds held on Tuesday and Thursday in the Duesseldorf Arena, where the final will also be staged.

The venue can hold up to 24,000 spectators, even with the elaborate stage set up. Organizers estimate the production will cost (EURO)12 million ($17 million).

The annual song competition has launched several European pop music careers — most famously, Abba.

Ireland holds the record for the most overall wins, with seven titles.

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