Cirque du Soleil to open Eurovision 2009 finale

Montreal circus troupe Cirque du Soleil will open the finale of the Eurovision Song Contest, organizers announced Friday.

The internationally famous circus troupe, featuring spectacular production and acrobatics, is promising to take Eurovision viewers to a fantasy land in its opening number.

The finale, to be held Saturday, is watched by about 100 million TV viewers.

Another 10 qualifiers in the annual contest were chosen Thursday night at a semi-final held in Moscow.

Among those to make the cut are Norwegian Alexander Rybak who sings as he plays violin and Lithuanian Sasha Son who tinkles out the opening bars of We Are the Champions on the piano before launching into into his own song Love.

Germany unveiled its act for the song Miss Kiss Kiss Bang, with U.S. burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese peeling off clothing in support of group Alex Swings Oscar Songs.

Among the favourites to go on to the final contest are Greek pop singer Sakis Rouvas, singing This is Our Night, and U.K. entry Jade Ewen, singing a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, It's My Time.

Other semi-finalists who made the cut Thursday include:

• Azerbaijan: Aysel, Always.
• Croatia: Igor Cukrov, Lijepa Tena.
• Ukraine: Svetlana Loboda, Be My Valentine.
• Albania: Kejsi Tola, Carry Me In Your Dreams.
• Moldova: Nelly Ciobanu, Hora Din Moldova.
• Denmark: Niels Brinck, Believe Again.
• Estonia: Urban Symphony, Randajad.

Netherlands group De Toppers, who had threatened to boycott the finale if Moscow blocked a gay march on Saturday, did not qualify.

The finale, being held in Moscow, will feature 25 songs from 25 countries.