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© Olympic Stadium
Olimpiisky, the strongest candidate
Russia: Get to know the possible venues
The arena is not really fresh though. It was built for the Olympic Games 1980 and since then it has not been seriously revamped. On the other hand, it is a very experienced venue. George Michael, Beyoncé, Jennifer López and many other world stars performed there. Unfortunately, it is the only arena of such a type in Moscow, which is able to provide a good sound for up to 23,000 people.
The only real competitor of Olimpiisky is Megasport. It is a new and modern sport palace on Hodynskoye Polye, but its capacity is limited to 14,000 spectators. Moreover, it is often criticised for bad acoustics.
Olimpiisky has some more advantages. It is the closest arena to the city centre. This fact is specially important, when moving from hotel and back. If you take the metro, it takes just about 15 minutes to go from the Kremlin (which is in the very centre of Moscow) to Prospekt Mira station, which is close to the arena. In addition, you can easily use a circle line, which rounds all the centre and connects all the metro lines.
Megasport is not rather distant, though it is probably not so convenient. It takes about 10 minutes by metro to get from the city centre to the Dynamo station and then 15 minutes on foot only to reach the arena. The district is very nice, modern and prestigious. Earlier it was an old aerodrome, now you will find there blocks of flats. In one of them Dima Bilan lives, by the way.
Though, the area near Olimpiisky seems to have much more sights. There are a lot of churches and gardens. The Garden Ring Road and Ostankino tower are close as well. And what it is the main for all Eurovision guests, it won’t be a real problem to be accommodated there. Due to neighbourhood with the All-Russian Exhibition Centre, that district has plenty of hostels, hotels and private apartments for rent. A normal price for a middle class 2-roomed flat is about 120 euro per day, but do not forget that prices possibly will increase as the Eurovision Song Contest comes closer.
Stay tuned to esctoday.com to learn more about preparations for Eurovision in Russia.
A very special thanks to Anton Kudrevic for the submission of the article.
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Jonny,
It must have been awful for Olta 
How can anyone be so nasty as to throw bottles of urine onto the stage?
Stockholm,
I totally agree about booing. There's no excuse for booing whatsoever. You don't like the artist, don't applaud them.
Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to send Silvia Night to ESC but apparently she was very popular in Iceland. In Sweden we knew about this character before the contest. And no matter how much you dislike a song or an act I think it's inappropriate for the audi ence to start booing.
if silvia night was just a role, what the heck she had to do in Eurovision?
i guess she got kicked out becuase she has been rude
I don't think so. I think ppl just didn't like the song much. Most ppl see the songs/artists for the 1st time on that night (unless someone is famous ofcourse)...except esc fans.
Yes Mina, you are right about the "f..n" thing..I tend to forget that the ESC was and apparently still remains a kind of conservative family show. But still, i liked Silvia Night very much, her song was very good for the modern standards of the ESC, i iked the way she performed the star-persona, i liked to watch her on stage, and i still think she deserved a place in the final, even in the top3. But i guess she got kicked out becuase she has been rude..well, i wouldn't like t know how some other artists of the contest have behaved when no cameras are there..anyway, i like Silvia Night, she reminds me also of Cindy Lauper, a cool pop star of the 80's and of a cool girlfriend of mine of the past. And i liked "Congratulations" as an ESC entry a lot
part of the success and the game of scoring well in the ESC is the attitude of the artists with the media and the co-participants. A good way with them brings also some more points
I agree with that up to a point. Silvia Night took things too far but it doesn't mean that if someone is nice, they'll get voted.
People don't care what the participants do as long as it's not something outrageous (and screaming f*** you IS outrageous 
).
That is why i aso think, part of the success and the game of scoring well in the ESC is the attitude of the artists with the media and the co-participants. A good way with them brings also some more points
Mina,
ok..i think you are right about the bad manners thing. Abu the "theater", i think the ESC had always something thetrical, since the show on stage plays a huge roll, sometimes more than the song itself. and that is what i meant by my comment back then right after ESC 2006: there is theatre in the ESC and there is even some circus sometimes..Lithuania 2006, Lordi 2006, Ireland 2008, Latvia and Estonia 2008, just to name a few. Fr me Silvia belonged to this category of entries. And because i liked the icelandic song of 2006, and since ESC 2006 went to a theatre kind of entry, i would have prefered to see Silvia winning it..
I don't mind the theatrical aspect of Eurovision as long as it's not offensive. About the entries you mentioned (Lithuania 2006, Lordi 2006, Ireland 2008, Latvia and Estonia 2008), I didn't like any of them...lol
A theatrical aspect to me means something like Latvia 2002..that I can appreciate and even vote for (as I did)...I can also appreciate something a bit over the top like Norway 2005 (I did like the song, too, in that case) or Moldova 2005.
There are a million ways for someone to act snobbish/mad/whatever without having to use such language. She could have said you are amateurs, you are awful, I could come up with 1,000 words that would have the same impact but without being offensive.
i think you might be influenced a bit of all the bad press she got back then from the greek media
Vincent, if I was the type to be influenced by the greek media, I would hate Dima..lollll
I don't need the media to tell me that someone screaming *f*** you' is bad manners.
Like I said before, if she had kept her act snobbish without using swear words, I wouldn't mind..but I really can't find such language funny..I can't justify calling someone an ugly f*** old b** (Carola) or someone else a s*** when you're in front of the reporters and people (and many kids) are watching you...so what if it was an act?
Just because I pretend to be Eve, for example, I should go on stage naked?
The song was ok, it wasn't among my favourites, not because of her but as a song I found it just ok.
The thing is if such participants go to the final, what's next in Eurovision? People will try to be as outrageous as they can, just to get points and I don't think that's Eurovision...theater maybe.
Mina,
on Silvia Night we totally disagree..i think you might be influenced a bit of all the bad press she got back then from the greek media. I think especially acts like this make the ESC so special..This entry was a big show on and off stage..And most of all i find the tune of the song fresh and catchy enough to make me wanna listen to it again. Now from all the ususal hilarious and unserious acts of ESC 2006(Finland-Lordi, Lithuania-"We are the winners", Iceland;"congratulations" 
i did find and i always do find Sylvia the best. I remember right after Lordi's victory i said" "Well, now that a clown act has won the contest, it is a pitty Silvia did not make it, because she was the best clown of all this year"..and i still believe that
Johny, and here is a clip about the "controversial" attitude of Silva Night..i find her very very good :-)
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=x3nx88r_RBs
@Johny,
http://www.youtube.c(...)&feature=related
i think this brought the booing and cost her a place in the finals. for me this song back then and still sounds like a winning song..
I don't think ppl like Silvia (and I mean the act) belong to eurovision. Eurovision is a family show, ppl went to the rehearsals with their kids and they shouldn't have to listen to anyone (act or not) swearing like that. She could act snobbish/like a queen or anything else since it was part of her act but she should watch her language. Apparently Europe didn't catch the joke and I'm glad she didnt make it to the final. Acts like that are what's killing Eurovision, not eastern blocks.
Johny, we agree very much on Silvia Night!! and i am happy about it :-)) abut the booing before her first semi final performance: i think many of the spectators and most of all the greek spectators and the greek media did not get at all her point and her mocking over the attitude f a big diva and took her words by heart. While rehearsing on stage she said something like "..i said music now, you f...ing amateurs" while she was waiting for the music to beginn. The gree press took this by heart and made a whole negative campaign against her and her diva atiitude. Until today they do nt understand that she was playing a role..Anyway..For me this was one of the best entries of the last 6 years in the ESC
Silvia Night was absolutely cook, she shuld have qualified and even won the 2006 contest. I was so sad back then that a few people got her point and her satirical performance. And her song was catchy enough..i votef for her a lot back then..
Marlaine 1999, Cyprus had a very good song, but she sang pretty bad and with trembling voice on the ESC night..i guess that is why she scored so low
guys, i am sure Marianda Peridi will come top bottom in the semis. That is a pitty for Cyprus, but since they do not have any diaspora, neighbouring, or political-friendly votes, they should know that they have to try a bit more than others. Now, this singer, whose name i had never ever heard before, although i am greek, does not sing, performs or loks impressively(i watched some clips of hers after the disappointing news that neither Martakis nor Tamta will go forCyprus this year..What can i say..Sakis did scare all others :-) A friend of mine told me today, she thinks, after the assignment of Sakis of Greece, all other performers will be female, just because no male star would like to compete withhim.let us see if she is right
I wonder what they would have thought though if Silvia Knight got to the final
OMG I had forgotten that name...what a nightmare!
LOL
I seen that Aussie video before on the Rove show. It cracks me up! I wonder what they would have thought though if Silvia Knight got to the final. I mean how do you explain how one of the songs in the competition included a conversation with God where the singer was told she destined to win the whole thing!
Why didn't we just launch Ani Lorak and her light up men-in-a-box weapon on Hitler? The WW2 would have been over in no time
Hahaha...good 1...or how about a combination of Dustin, Rodolfo, Ani and Laka?!
Jonny,
that Australian video is too funny..I liked when he said the songs must last 3 mins because more than that and we could end with brain damage..LOLLLLLL
However, I wouldn't exactly call the Australians tasteful either
That's true Jonny, times change very fast. Yes, I don't think take me to your heaven would have won but it might get in the top 10.
Yes, Marlain is really good and the song would be more suitable for eurovision but they voted the same way you do, the song they like, not the song Europe would like
Btw she had represented Cyprus in 1999 and was 22nd.
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=tsfAK70jpF8
Thanks Jonny.
Of course I was referring to the singer and my opinion is that Marianta isn't suitable for ESC..it would be like if we sent Chryspa last year.
I'm trying to be realistic..Cyprus doesn't have any 'permanent' votes (not my fault, blame the EBU) so they would need a 'shiny' artist with a very good song and I just don't think Marianta is that good.
I hope I'm wrong...I don't think anyone wants Cyprus to make it to the final more than Greeks do!!!
@Mina carnation
You said you think that "Cyprus won't make it next year either." How can you possible know something one year before the competition? If that is your attitude towards certain countries, then I am sorry, but you supposed "Escfans" should not complain about political voting or biased voting against some countries! You don't even know who's representing the damn contrie yet and you think it's gonna fail!! And by the way, there was nothing said about Marianta, where do you find this bubblegum news? Please land back at Reality International Airport!
Vincent,
I don't think Cyprus will make it next year, either. I don't know what they expect from Marianta, she's a pretty girl with an average voice, not really a pop singer...I don't know, I hope I'm wrong.
It's better for us ofcourse
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