Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The lights have hardly been turned off in Crystal Hall when the first announcements of those who will be in Sweden 2013 are coming in.  Armenia  in the front line. But also Belarus and Albania didn't waste time to say yes and also Hungary, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Switzerland, Ireland, Bulgaria, France, Romania and Spain are going to be back. Let's see if Sweden and EBU's new plans of a shorter and smaller scale Eurovision will attract the missing children of Andorra, Czech Republic, Monaco and Poland back and keep the others participating, most of all San Marino, Slovakia and Italy. And will Kazakhstan and/or Liechtenstein make their debut?

Last year 130 million people watched the contest and over 10 million televotes were given, let's see if those records will be broken tonight when the competition is fiercer than ever before. There is not a clear winner candidate unlike last year when Norway was won before the voting started really. The juries have already voted last night, tonight it's time for the people in all 39 participating countries to do so. Eurovision 2010 will be also broadcasted live or delayed in Australia, New Zealand, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and also in Hungary and Montenegro giving them a possibility to return next year. The final can be also watched all over the world by various satellites including TVE Internacional, RTP Internacional, HRT Sat, RTS Sat, TVP Polonia and SVT World, and of course on line in eurovision.tv. Have a great time wherever you are watching!

As Eurovision song contest is for the EBU members all of them could actually take part from Libya to Algeria, from Egypt to Jordan. All European members with the exception of the Vatican City have participated in the Eurovision. Tunisia was rumoured to be ready (like Lebanon in 2005) to take part in the late 1970's but it never happened and has not been heard since. Liechtenstein, Kosovo and Kazakstan are all interested, if you believe the internet but none of them is a full member yet. Maybe one day they will join the Eurovision family?  Australia, an associate member, has always been very interested in Eurovision and broadcasts it every year. The wildest rumours some ten years ago said Australia was ready to host the show in Sydney Operahouse and pay all the costs in change of being able to participate! True or not? My guess is as good as yours. The latest wild rumour is the interest of Qatar. But then, they have bought the African sportsmen to bring them medals in the Olympics s...