In a few minutes, the 2009 Eirodziesma final which will select the next Latvian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Ventspils.

The ten acts that have qualified through last night's semi final will be competing for the Latvian ticket to Moscow in a few minutes.

The show

The show to be broadcast on LTV1 will start at 20:15 CET and it will be hosted by Kristine Virsnite and Ugis Joksts at the Olympic Center in Ventspils. Ten acts will present one song each and the winner will be chosen by televoting and jury vote. The jury comprises Janis Lusens, composer, Jolanda Gulbe, singer, Aivars Hermani's, musician, Daiga Mazvasite, music journalist, Edmunds Kasevskis, radio producer.

Tonight will see as special guests The Pirate of the sea, who represented Latvia last year in Belgrade as well as Sasha son, who is representing Lithuania this year and the Polish hopeful, Lidia Kopania. One of tonight's contestants, Kristina Zaharova, will also perform during the interval with her song I wish I could pretend, which was withdrawn from the Latvian final to compete in Ireland, where it came second

Webcast

A webcast is provided here.

Participants
1.Simply 4 – When the sun goes down
2.Aisha and G Point – Hey hey hey hey
3.Annija & Kristina – Angel of mine
4.Sabine Berezina and PER- Bye bye
5.Iveta Baumane & Ivo Grisninš-Grislis – Tic tac
6.Intars Busulis- Sastregums
7.Natalija Tumsevica – Dynamite
8.Camillas – Time goes
9.Trianas Parks -Call me any time you need a problem
10.Ketta- Without you

Live coverage

Ha ha ha, ho ho ho sing the Pirates who open the show with Moscow by Dschinghis Khan, the German contestant of 1979.

1.Simply 4 – When the sun goes down
Current poll standing 7th with 6,5%

And we are off to a mellow start with Simpy 4 sitting, dressed in black and white performing their Backstreet Boyish ballad. They start off slightly off tune, just like last night in the semi but they manage to get it together fast and they deliver their song much better overal recieving an enthusiastic applause by the audience.

2.Aisha and G Point – Hey hey hey hey
Aisha leads currently the esctoday.com poll with 17,9%

One of the stars of the night for next. Aisha is very popular currently in Latvia and that could help her. The singer is all over the stage, the song is powerful and she lives up to it, although someone could not expect flawless vocals with so much jumping around. We can clearly see some Pink influences in the song which is also recieved warmly by the packed stadium.Last year she ended up second after the Pirates, let's see what happens tonight….

3.Annija & Kristina – Angel of mine
Current poll standing joint 3rd with 13,2%

Change of pace, as Annija, Kristina and their two male backings take the stage to perform the secon ballad of the night. The song is dreamy and lyrical and definitely tonight's performance is a much better one than the one the ladies delivered last night as their voices manage to blend better. Although we still fail to get the gimmick of the song where the male backing singers set two pieces of paper on silver trays :/

4.Sabine Berezina and PeR- Bye bye
Current poll standing 9th with 3,8%

Nineteen year old Sabine is definitely a great vocalist and her delivery is perfect, although the song itself is not one to stand out, one of many we can hear every day on the radio all over the world. PeR do their best to help….

5.Iveta Baumane & Ivo Grisninš-Grislis – Tic tac

Current poll joint standing 3rd with 13,2%

Iveta and Ivo are next with their rythmic and memorable Tic tac, which brings to mind older melodies from past contests (Tell me, What happened to our love for example) as well as other non Eurovision songs. The vocals fail to carry the public away it seems as the song is received lukewarmly despite the energetic performance.

6.Intars Busulis- Sastregums
Current poll standing 8th with 4,7%

Intars is very hot nowadays in Latvia but it seems the local public expected something more from his song as the comments tell us. He is performing the only song in Latvian tonight (one of the two in the semi) a dramatic rock act. Obviously an experienced live performer, he lives up to the song with its many ups and downs and he is nicely backed up by the two lady and three male members of the band. This is one energetic song, even though it does get a bit noisy towards the end.

7.Natalija Tumsevica – Dynamite
Current poll standing joint 3rd with 13,2%

A very sexy Natalija for next. A black ensemble and a really dynamic performance. Leather punk rock, excellent vocals by Natalija and her backing singers who never allow her to sound out of breath as it would be natural with all that dancing. There is a lot of energy on stage as well as plenty of fire, as one by one her dancers come up in flames.

8.Camillas – Time goes
Current poll standing 6th with 7,5%

This is another energetic and original performance if slightly messy. This song could easily appeal to teenage audiences with its vibe and bold lyrics but we doubt it would score well with the jury. Nevertheless, it is original and the band do a great job supporting it.

9.Trianas Parks –Call me any time you need a problem
Current poll standing 10th with 1,9%

And more hard act for next..very hard. Clockwork orange performance, eccentric make up and good vocals from Trianas Parks.

10.Ketta- Without you
Ketta is currently a joint first in the esctoday.com poll together with Aisha

Ketta closes the show tonight. She is as good as she was last night. Uptempo and rythmic RnB song but soft enough to be pleasing to the ear. Ketta is attractive and she interacts well with the camera.

And we are off for the first round of voting which will take us to the Super Final.

Despite the abundance of uptempo songs tonight with 4 minutes to go in the televote Angel of mine and When the sun is going down lead the televote followed by Sastregums and Hey hey hey in fourth place.

And to the Super final go (in the running order just drawn):

1.Intars Busulis- Sastregums
2.Natalija Tumsevica – Dynamite
3.Annija & Kristina – Angel of mine

The three acts perform again and the televote starts. With four minutes to go Intars Busulis leads with a 200-300 vote margin from Annjija and Kristina.

One minute before closing this is overturned and Annija and Kristina lead with 600 or so votes.

The results are in!

3rd Dynamite
2nd Angel of mine

And the winner is Intars Busulis with Sastregums.