In a few minutes the semi final of Beovizija, the two-part show to select the Serbian entrant in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest will start in the Sava Centar in Belgrade. Twenty acts will be fighting it out to be one of the ten which will qualify for the final to be held tomorrow.

The show
The show starts at 21.15 and it will be hosted by Jovana Jankovic, the popular RTS presenter who also co-hosted the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. She will be accompanied by Srdjan Timarov and Milena Vasic-Raznatovic.The ten finalists will be selected by a mixture of televote and jury vote at a 50-50 split.

Webcast

The show will be aired live on RTS 1 and RTS Satellite. A webcast will be provided here and here (Real Player)

If the RTS webcast is full, live streaming is also provided on BTRC here. (Thanks Djamila 🙂

The participants

1. SevdahBABY and Miki Element – Previse reci

2. Zbogom Brus Li – Ha ha ha

3. Trio Pasaz and Katarina Sotirovic – Zauvek

4. Vanja Mijatovic – Led i zar

5. Sonja Bakic – Nista novo

6. Marko Kon and Milan Nikolic – Cipela

7. Andrej Ilic – Nemam te

8. Etar – Sanjaj me

9. Lejla Hot – Cekajuci princa

10. Dusan Zrnic – Tvoje drugo ime je greh

11. Minja Samardzic – Petak uvece

12. Oscar & Beauty Queens feat. Dorde Marjanovic – Superstar

13. Ana Nikolic – Bili smo najlepsi

14. Ivana Selakov – Moje odbrane

15. Pozitivan haos – Gloria

16. Danijel and Milica – H8ER

17. Zemlja gruva – Svejedno je

18. Saska Jankovic – Nauci me

19. "OT Bend" – Blagoslov za kraj

20. Tijana Bogicevic – Pazi sta radis

Live coverage

1. SevdahBABY and Miki Element – Previse reci

2. Zbogom Brus Li – Ha ha ha

A joke entry for next. Circus pop from Zbogom Brus Li (Good bye Bruce Lee). Lead singer stares crazily at the screen and it is quite difficult to follow what is going on on stage as the entire band is all over the place holding stuffed animals, violoncellos etc. Lukewarm reception by the audience.

3. Trio Pasaz and Katarina Sotirovic – Zauvek

Good vocals by the two ladies now who are accompanied by a full live band. A pop rock entry which is quite hard to remember. A nice rock, guitar bridge will appeal to the rock fans.

4. Vanja Mijatovic – Led i zar

A welcome change in pace now with Vanja clad in elegant black and accompanied by lady violinists and a piano. A slow, sweet ballad, well received but not memorable enough to stick out. Vanja's performance is quite to the point and she takes advantage of the stage which brings back fond memories from May.

5. Sonja Bakic – Nista novo

A rock entry for next. Powerful sounds and an excellent performance from Sonja. The song is not what you would call a winner but Sonja makes the best out of it.

6. Marko Kon and Milan Nikolic – Cipela

Well… that's a face to remember! The first ethnic splashes hit the Sava Centar stage as Marko and Milan take the stage. This is certainly a unique entry tonight, something you might hear on the street maybe or a folk festival. Marko and MIlan are accompanied by a female dancer in white and three male ones jerking spastically like puppets or street mimes.

7. Andrej Ilic – Nemam te

One more ballad, Andrej is a good vocalist and he makes the most out of the song. A typical, Balkan ballad well performed and fully choreographed with four lady dancers in long, black, evening gowns.

8. Etar – Sanjaj me

Another rock entry from Etar now, vocally correct but choreographically challenged. Not that there is much to be done with this particular number.And the impressive act from the Ekpress TV series practically kills it.

9. Lejla Hot – Cekajuci princa

Lejla tries again this year. Holding a stuffed frog or something and accompanied by four lady dancers dressed like housewives, doctors etc. Towards the end of the song, off are the costumes . Lejla is vocally great! At a point the dancers turn their backs to the audience, get dressed and just ..go!

10. Dusan Zrnic – Tvoje drugo ime je greh

Dusan performs a song by Croatian Andrej Babic. Song is well-structured and he delivers a good, solid performance accompanied by three lady dancers in pink, provocative outfits who make ample use of three chairs and the floor for their act. The song is very well received.

11. Minja Samardzic – Petak uvece

This next entry is difficult to describe. It brings to mind older times and Minja's performance leaves a lot to be desired.

12. Oscar & Beauty Queens feat. Djordje Marjanovic – Superstar

One of the hot favourites of the night. The Beauty Queens and Djordje Marianovic with a song by 2007 winner Vladimir Graic. The song bears a distinct cabaret flavour and it is obviously especially made for Evrovizija. This is a good performance, funny and professional.

13. Ana Nikolic – Bili smo najlepsi

This is followed by the second favourite of the press and fans. Ana performs in a tiny bodice which leaves little to the imagination accompanied by accordingly dressed dancers. One could say that it is more the popularity of the singer than the song itself which makes it a favourite.

14. Ivana Selakov – Moje odbrane

A power ballad now. Ivana's dancers bring to mind Jelena's dancers in Belgrade. A good vocal performance but a forgetable song nontheless

15. Pozitivan haos – Gloria

A semi operatic entry, slow and epic and some of the best male vocals so far. The presentation follows in the steps of the Bosnian video for Bistra Voda with ladies waving red flags. This is one of the best entries so far both visually and vocally.

16. Danijel and Milica – H8ER

An energetic performance by Danjjel and Milica but maybe the worst vocals of the night. The duo just fail to coordinate. They are accompanied by a four member ballet.

17. Zemlja gruva – Svejedno je

And a little jazz is added to the mix now. 60's look for the two lady singers and the backing saxophonists. The song goes nowhere in particular and there are some serious vocal problems there.

18. Saska Jankovic – Nauci me

A rythmic ballad next by sweet Saska, and her dancers dressed as Olympic gymnasts with ribbons. Saska is great vocally and is rewarded with a long round of applause.

19. "OT Bend" – Blagoslov za kraj

Former participants of the Operacija Trijumf show take the stage now. And it seems that all this live practice pays off as they are all very good on stage, excellent vocally and coordinated. The song has a right balance of power and rhythm and it seems the audience love it.

20. Tijana Bogicevic – Pazi sta radis

And this is the last one for tonight. A female ensemble with Tijana and her four dancers. The song is tic tac rhythmic but it never really breaks out when yiu think it will.

The 2009 Eurovision entrants of Bosnia & Herzegovina,FYR Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro all perform their entries in the interval.

And the ten finalists are:

1. Oskar & BQ feat. Djordje
2. Milica & Danijel
3. Sonja Baki�
4. Saška JankoviÄ�
5. Dušan ZrniÄ�
6. Marko Kon & Milan Nikolic
7. OT Band & Kaja
8. Andrej Ili�
9. Etar
10. Pozitivan haos