Hasta la Vista: Belarus won’t be in Eurovision final (Video)

• 23.05.2008, 0:14

Ruslan Alehno, the Belarusian representative in the Second Semi-Final of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, failed to qualify for the final. So, our country won’t be represented at the prestigious European musical stage.

10 countries have been qualified for the final: Ukraine, Georgia, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Albania, Portugal, Croatia, Iceland, and Turkey.

Belarus, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Malta haven’t qualified for the final.

Ruslan Alehno performed Hasta la Vista song. As experts note, Alehno’s performance wasn’t so good. Four dancing girls, the stage, “decorated” with baubles, the singer climbed on them from time to time, and the fireworks resembling squibs. At the end of the performance a letter R (Ruslan) was formed out of the baubles.

It’s worthy to note that Georgia’s representative Diana Gurtskaya, qualified for the final, wanted to perform for Belarus, but a special commission chose Ruslan Alehno.

The winners of the first semi-final are Greece, Romania, Bosnian and Herzegovina, Finland, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Poland, and Norway. Nine singers were chosen by televoting, and one – by jury in the countries, participating in the contest.

The final will be held on 24 May.