http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1343/42/377121.htm
First Semi Sees Win for Israeli-Palestinian Duo
Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
Tel Aviv-born Noa celebrating after
14 May 2009By Anna Malpas / The Moscow TimesThere were tears, rubber hammers
and an inflatable pink tank on Tuesday night, as 18 contestants were narrowed
down to 10 in the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Going through to the final are performers representing Israel, Sweden,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malta, Armenia, Turkey, Romania, Finland, Portugal and
Iceland.
Meanwhile, contestants from Bulgaria, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Switzerland,
Belgium, Montenegro, Macedonia and Andorra had to part with the dream for
another year.
The show featured pop duo t.A.T.u. performing their hit "Not Gonna Get Us" with
the deep-voiced Alexandrov army choir filling in the chorus line. The stage was
decorated with a inflatable pink tank and military jet. "Don't tell me that's
not political," one fan commented.
The Eurovision contest is supposed to be a nonpolitical event. The Georgian
entry was disqualified this year for a song that played on the name of Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Channel One host Andrei Malakhov and model Natalya Vodianova provided a
hyperenthusiastic commentary throughout the night. "I'm all covered in goose
bumps," Malakhov said as they pressed a large button to reveal the names of the
finalists. "I'm about to faint," Vodianova topped him.
The acts also got into the spirit. Portugal's singer Daniela Varela
disintegrated in tears at the end of her act. "I got something in my eye," she
said later.
Israel's winning song, "There Must Be Another Way," which is performed by a
Jewish singer and a Christian Arab, was greeted by one of the most exuberant
group of fans, who waved Israeli flags and inflatable hammers and sang along
word-perfect.
"We're proud of our nation. It was unbelievable," said one fan, Moshe Melman,
who carried a giant hammer with the Star of David. He said about 50 supporters
had flown from Tel Aviv.
"We want to show the coexistence of Jewish and non-Jewish people in Israel,"
Melman said. "There must be another way, as in the words of the song."
"We feel our victory is not only for both of us and for our song, but also for
what we represent," Tel-Aviv-born singer Noa told journalists after the show.
"We represent hundreds of thousands of people who are moderates, who choose
life over death."
Among the others, Romania was seen as the biggest surprise entry to the final.
"The sexy but completely mediocre singer Elena [Gheorghe] from Romania with her
blatantly bad English and song about Balkan girls went through by a miracle,"
Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote.
Others, though, have called her scantily clad performance, in which she sang
"My hips are ready to glow," one of the sexiest this year.
"I believe in God, and I think God can really help you," Gheorghe told
journalists after the show.
Malta's entry, Chiara, the most persistent of all the entries, having competed
in Eurovision twice already, was the happiest to be in the final. "It's like I
started something and I never finished it," she told journalists after the
show.
The second semifinal starts late Thursday night, with the final on Saturday.
The metro will remain open until 2:30 a.m. on Thursday and 3:30 a.m. on
Saturday so that fans can get home.
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