Eurovision Song Contest 2008: Difference between revisions
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The draw to decide the running order of the songs in each Semi-Final and the Final was conducted at the Heads of Delegation meeting on [[17 March]] [[2008]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news/belgrade-2008?id=590 |title=Belgrade 2008: The running order! |author=Sietse Bakker |publisher=Eurovision.tv |date=2008-03-17 |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> |
The draw to decide the running order of the songs in each Semi-Final and the Final was conducted at the Heads of Delegation meeting on [[17 March]] [[2008]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news/belgrade-2008?id=590 |title=Belgrade 2008: The running order! |author=Sietse Bakker |publisher=Eurovision.tv |date=2008-03-17 |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> |
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KOSOVA |
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== Individual entries == |
== Individual entries == |
Revision as of 19:59, 17 July 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | |
---|---|
"Confluence of Sound" | |
Dates | |
Semi-final | 20 May 2008 (SF 1) 22 May 2008 (SF 2) |
Final | 24 May 2008 |
Host | |
Venue | Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia[1] |
Presenter(s) | Jovana Janković[2] Željko Joksimović[2] |
Directed by | Sven Stojanovic |
Host broadcaster | RTS |
Website | eurovision |
Participants | |
Number of entries | 43: 19 in each semi-final; 25 in the final (5 prequalified and 10 from each of the semi-finals) |
Debuting countries | Azerbaijan San Marino[3] |
Returning countries | None |
Non-returning countries | Austria[4] |
Vote | |
Voting system | People in each country can vote by tele-vote or SMS. Each country's 10 favourite songs are awarded 12, 10, then 8 through to 1 points based on the votes of the population of each country. All participating countries in the semi-finals and final will have the right to cast points in the final.[5] |
Winning song | Russia "Believe" |
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted by Serbia. The semi-finals were held on 20 May and 22 May, and the final was held on 24 May 2008 in the capital, Belgrade. Russia was declared the winner, with Jim Beanz and Dima Bilan's song Believe performed by Bilan. The Belgrade Arena, venue for the Contest, is among the largest indoor arenas in Europe, with a total capacity of more than 20,000 seats. Serbia gained the right to host the Contest after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. The host broadcaster was RTS.
At a press conference in Helsinki in May 2007, Svante Stockselius, executive supervisor of the Contest for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that the competition's format may be expanded to two semi-finals in 2008 or 2009.[8] On 28 September 2007 it was announced that the EBU had approved the plan of hosting two semi-finals in 2008.[9] The 2008 contest's official website opened on 15 January 2008. For the first time ever, Eurovision.tv streamed national finals on ESCTV with broadcasters' permission.[10] On 30 January 2008, Eurovision.tv revealed the theme of the Contest: "The Confluence of Sound".[11]
On 14 September 2007, the Mayor of Helsinki handed over the "Eurovision keys" to the Deputy of Belgrade. This ceremony is meant to be a tradition from now on, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition.[12]
Due to problems and riots in Belgrade following the declaration of independence by Kosovo on 22 February 2008, the EBU held a phone conference to decide if the contest should be moved to a different country. Ukraine was considered an option since they came second in Eurovision Song Contest 2007. YLE were another option, as they hosted last year's competition in Helsinki, Finland.[13] ERT also offered the EBU to host the contest in Athens, Greece again.[14] It was later decided that the contest would stay in Belgrade, with the EBU giving support. RTS would gain a guarantee of safety and security from the government of Serbia for all visitors and participants of the contest.[15] The delegations of Croatia, Israel and Albania had special security.[16] The show was hosted by Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović.[17] Jelena Tomašević represented Serbia with a song composed by Joksimović; this led to debate over his role in the contest.[18]
Visual design
RTS ran a competition that led to the creation of the 2008 Contest's branding, logo and the stage.[19] The theme of the Contest was based around the "confluence of sound". This was symbolic as Belgrade lies on the confluence of two European rivers, the Sava and Danube. The logo chosen, a treble clef, formed the graphical basis of the design created by Boris Miljković.[20]
The postcards in the first and second semi-final were based around the creation of the flag of the nation that was to perform next. The creation of the flag would occur by the interaction of at least two people. Each post card had a short story related to it regarding Belgrade and its people. During each postcard a short letter written by the musician of the upcoming performing country was displayed. All were in the national language of the artist’s country. The postcards were brought to an end by a stamp with this year's Eurovision logo.
According to RTS the stage represented native identities, history and modern themes, symbols and universally recognised messages. The confluence-themed stage also contained a large number of television and LCD display screens. The stage had settings for all new electronic possibilities including some movable parts of the stage.[21] It was designed by Chicago-based David Cushing.
The first semi-final was created around a city theme. The contest opened with a panorama of the city of Belgrade forming in the stage's background with two waves sliding down the stage to meet in the centre - at the confluence, the overall theme of the contest.
The second semi-final was based around the theme of water, which was enhanced by the look of the stage during the interval act where the water formed the main colours of the stage.
The final was based on the theme of the confluence. Construction of the stage lasted several days and was carried out by various teams from across Europe. Pyrotechnics were heavily used during the first semi-final particularly for entries from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The stage received positive feedback from the media and fans describing it as "one of the best looking stages in the history of the competition".[22]
Format
Based on research conducted by the EBU's tele-voting partner Digame, the semi-finalists were sorted into the two heats through the drawing of lots, which was seeded to keep countries that have a significant history of voting for each other apart.[citation needed] Each broadcaster had to broadcast the semi-final in which they took part, with the broadcasting of the other semi-final being optional. The draw for the semi-final allocation occurred in the Belgrade City Hall on Monday 28 January 2008 at 13:00 CET and was conducted by dancers from the National Dance Ensemble KOLO. First, two envelopes with 'Semi-Final 1' and 'Semi-Final 2' were drawn. Then, three countries from each pot were chosen randomly to take part in the first semi-final and the other three in the second one. The country left in Pot 5 took part in the first envelope that is drawn. While, the country left in Pot 6 in the second one.[23]
The automatic finalist countries chose whether they would broadcast both semi-finals or just one, but viewers from these countries could only vote in one. From the draw conducted, it was decided which of the five finalist countries would broadcast and have voting rights in either of the events. The semi-finals were webcast live through Eurovision.tv.[24] The top nine songs from the televoting qualified for the final, and a tenth was determined by the back-up juries. Twenty-five songs competed in the final.[5]
Semi-final allocation
On 24 January 2008, all 38 countries in the semi-finals were separated into the following pots based on voting history and geographical location:
Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | ||||||
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Pot 4 | Pot 5 | Pot 6 | ||||||
Running order
The draw to decide the running order of the songs in each Semi-Final and the Final was conducted at the Heads of Delegation meeting on 17 March 2008.[25] KOSOVA
Individual entries
Template:Entries of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Participating countries
On 21 December 2007, the EBU confirmed that 43 countries would be present in Belgrade.[26] San Marino, as well as the newest EBU member, Azerbaijan, made its debut at the 2008 contest. Austria did not compete; its broadcaster, ORF, said "we've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the decision."[4] Italy, which has not competed since 1997, and which would have been an automatic finalist[citation needed], was again absent. Slovakia was absent due to budget problems.
The following countries competed in two semi-finals which were broadcast live on Tuesday 20 May and Thursday 22 May 2008. In addition to this, automatic finalists Germany and Spain exercised voting rights at the first semi-final. France, the United Kingdom and Serbia exercised voting rights at the second semi-final. Spain and France each broadcast only the semi-final in which they participated; Germany, Serbia and the UK screened both semi-finals.
Final
The finalists were:
- the big four France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom
- the host country Serbia
- the top nine countries from the first semi-final plus one wildcard from the juries (marked in flax)
- the top nine countries from the second semi-final plus one wildcard from the juries (marked in flax)
The final was held on 24 May 2008 and was won by Russia. Russia's victory was questioned by Ukraine's officials later in May, whose representative was the runner-up.[27]
Semi-finals
Semi-final 1
- The first semi-final was held on 20 May 2008
- Peach indicates countries which qualified for the final
- Flax denotes the entry chosen by the jury to go to the final
Semi-final 2
- The second semi-final was held on 22 May 2008
- Peach indicates countries which qualified for the final
- Flax denotes the entry chosen by the jury to go to the final
Scoreboards
Semi-final 1
Semi-final 2
Final
12 points
Below is a summary of all 12 point in the final:
N. | Recipient nation | Voting nation |
---|---|---|
8 | Armenia | Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Russia |
7 | Russia | Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine |
6 | Greece | Albania, Cyprus, Germany, Romania, San Marino, United Kingdom |
4 | Serbia | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland |
2 | Azerbaijan | Hungary, Turkey |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia, Serbia | |
Denmark | Iceland, Norway | |
Norway | Finland, Sweden | |
Romania | Moldova, Spain | |
1 | Albania | FYR Macedonia |
Germany | Bulgaria | |
Iceland | Denmark | |
Latvia | Ireland | |
Spain | Andorra | |
Sweden | Malta | |
Turkey | Azerbaijan | |
Ukraine | Portugal |
Broadcasting
Semi-finals broadcasts
As stated above, a country only has to broadcast the final and the semi-final when it is one of the competitors. The United Kingdom,[32] San Marino, Greece, Croatia,[33] Ireland, Germany,[34] the Netherlands,[35] Norway,[36] Malta,[37] Serbia,[38] Finland,[39] Bosnia and Herzegovina,[40] Denmark,[41] Portugal,[42] Cyprus,[43] Israel,[44] Estonia,[45] Turkey,[46] Latvia,[47] Slovenia,[48] Russia,[49] Ukraine,[50] Lithuania, the Czech Republic,[51] Andorra,[52] Albania,[53] Bulgaria, Iceland,[54] Sweden,[55] Romania[56] and Australia confirmed they would broadcast both semi-finals.
International broadcasts
- Australia
- Although Australia is not eligible to enter, the contest was broadcast on SBS. The first semi-final was broadcast on Friday 23 May at 7:30 p.m. local time, with the second semi-final on Saturday 24 May 2008 at 7:30 p.m. local time, and the Final on Sunday 25 May 2008 at 7:30 p.m. local time[57], amongst a weekend of Eurovision-themed programming.[58] SBS local host, Julia Zemiro, provided introductory and concluding segments with SBS otherwise broadcasting the BBC's coverage and commentary.[59] In recent years the contest has been one of SBS's highest-rating programmes in terms of viewer numbers.[60] The final rated well for SBS with 427.000 viewers tuning in for the final with 421.000 for the second semi-final and 272.000 for the first semi-final.[61]
- Austria
- In Austria, ORF broadcast the contest live and received extremely high TV ratings, despite its withdrawal. However, it did not broadcast the semifinals on 20 and 22 May, though Austrians were able to watch these on German television via ARD.[62]
- Italy
- San Marino RTV, which broadcast the full event, is available in some parts of Italy: Romagna (and a small part of Emilia, including Bologna), northern Marche, and southern Veneto, including Venice.[63]
- Template:Country data World
- A live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest was available worldwide via satellite through European streams such as TVRi, ERT World, Armtv, TVE Internacional, TRT International, TVP Polonia, RTP Internacional, RTS Sat and SVT Europa. The official Eurovision Song Contest website also provided a live stream without commentary via the peer to peer medium Octoshape.
High-definition broadcasts
RTS broadcast the event in 1080i high-definition (HD) and 5.1 Surround Sound. The new high-definition television system was in place at the Belgrade Arena by April 2008.[64] This is the second year that the event was broadcast live in HD. BBC HD broadcast the contest in High Definition in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Swedish broadcaster SVT broadcast both the semi-final and the final on their HD-channel SVT HD. Lithuanian broadcaster LRT broadcast both the semi-final and the final in 1080i high-definition (HD) on their channel LTV. The same occurred on Swiss HD channel HD suisse; on this channel viewers were able to choose the language of the commentary while viewing a semi-final or final of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, all other countries broadcast the show only in standard definition, and the event will only be available to buy on a standard-definition DVD; it will not be released on Blu-ray Disc.
Maps
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
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Gallery
Notes
- ^ "Welcome to Belgrade Arena". Eurovision.tv. 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
- ^ a b "Jovana Janković & Željko Joksimović the hosts". Oikotimes.com. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "San Marino in Belgrade confirmed". ESCToday.com. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Austria will not go to Belgrade". ESCToday.com. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
- ^ a b "Eurovision 2008 - format confirmed!". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ "ŠERIFOVIĆEVA I BREGOVIĆ U FINALU EVROVIZIJE". evropesma.org. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
- ^ "Ukrajinka digla Arenu na noge".
- ^ "Two semi finals in 2008". ESCToday.com. 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
- ^ "Eurovision: 2 semi finals confirmed!". ESCToday.com. 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ "Revamped eurovision.tv site launched!". ESCToday.com. 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Belgrade 2008: The Confluence Of Sound". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ "Belgrade received Helsinki city keys". Eurovision.tv. 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "'Helsinki could host Eurovision again'". ESCToday.com. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ "WEBU holds phone conference to decide host city". Oikotimes.com. 2008-02-2]. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Eurovision 2008: Set to stay in Belgrade". esctoday.com. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ "ЕВРОВИЗИЈА ПОД СИЛНО ОБЕЗБЕДУВАЊЕ: Во Белград ќе се пее со страв". vreme.com.mk. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ "Jovana Janković & Željko Joksimović the hosts". Oikotimes.com. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "Serbia: Zeljiko's double role in question". ESCtoday.com. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ "Serbia 2008: THE WINNER OF THE LOCAL OPEN COMPETITION FOR THE SUBLOGO – CODE MAMA 2008". RTS.co.yu. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ "Izabran novi logo za „Evrosong" u Beogradu". blic.co.yu. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ "Eurovision 2008: Full stage image - The Sava, the Danube & Kalemegdan". ESCToday.com. 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "Eurovision 2008 Stage". lyricstranslations.com. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ "All you need to know for Monday's draw!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Svante Stockselius explains the new format". Oikotimes.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ Sietse Bakker (2008-03-17). "Belgrade 2008: The running order!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ^ "43 Countries for Eurovision 2008". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ Украина заявляет о фальсификации результатов "Евровидения-2008" NEWSru.com May 29 2008.
- ^ "www.eurovision.tv/page/news/belgrade-2008?id=785".
- ^ The song is mostly in English, but includes words and phrases in French, German, Italian and Spanish.
- ^ Song is in English, but contains three words in Spanish.
- ^ Song is in English, but also includes 2 Russian words excluding 'vodka': На здоровье/Na zdorovye (Cheers).
- ^ During the UK national final (Eurovision: Your Decision), Terry Wogan confirmed both semi-finals would be broadcast on BBC Three.
- ^ "Croatia: We will broadcast both semi finals".
- ^ "Supporters of German finalists and broadcast details revealed". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ "Netherlands: We will broadcast live both semi-finals". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
- ^ VG Nett - TV-guiden, VG, May 22, 2008
- ^ "exclusive PBSmalta to air both semifinals". ogaemalta.com. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Oba polufinala u direktnom prenosu". evropesma.org. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
- ^ "Finland: YLE to broadcast both semi finals". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ^ "BHRT goes Euromaniac". oikotimes.com. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ^ "Denmark: DR to broadcast both semi finals". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ "RTP to broadcast both Eurovision semi-finals". oikotimes.com. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ "Cyprus: CyBC to air both semis and preview shows". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ "OGAE Israel: 12 points to Sweden!". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ "Estonia: Sahlene to be ETV's spokeperson". esctoday.com. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ^ "Turkey: TRT will broadcast both semi-finals live". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ^ "Latvia: Wolves of the Sea release first CD". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
- ^ "Slovenia: Rebeka danes na poti v Beograd (Rebeka will today go to Belgrade)". RTVSLO.SI. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
- ^ "Eurovision: Rossija". Rossija. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
- ^ "Eurovision: fair play". NTU. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
- ^ "Czech Republic: Broadcasting both semi finals". esctoday.com. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
- ^ "RTVA Official Schedule for Thursday has slot marked for Semi Final 2 as well". RTVA. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "TVSH Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well". TVSH. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "RUV Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well". RUV. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "SVT Official Schedule for Tuesday has slot marked for Semi Final 1 as well". SVT. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "TVR1/29 May 2008 - 30 May 2008".
- ^ "Australia: SBS to air both Eurovision semi finals". TVtonight.com.au. 2008-04-26. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Mitchell, Simone (2008-05-23). "Eurovision 2008". The Vine. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Nicholson, Sarah (2008-05-21). "Top of the Euro pops". Courier Mail. news.com.au. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Broadcasting of Eurovision in Australia". OZEurovision. 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "The Who We Are update: week 24". smh.com.au. 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "ORF to broadcast the Eurovision final live". oikotimes.com. 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ^ "San Marino to air both Eurovision semi finals". ESCtoday.com. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ "Tijanić: Sa RTS-a proterane španske serije". MTS Mondo. Retrieved 2008-05-05.