YLE has announced the hosts of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki. And the hosts are: Jaana Pelkonen (30), who is currently presenting Finland's national selection and Mikko Leppilampi (28) a popular Finnish actor and singer.

Jaana and Mikko's selection was based primarily on their presentation skills and extensive TV and stage experience. Other aspects were also taken into consideration such as their fluency both in English and French, their personal charm and sensitivity and their suitability to the style of the contest. The organisers believe that the chemistry between these two young people will contribute to the success of the shows. They will be hosting both the semi final on May 10th and the final on May 12th, as well as the dress rehearsals, a total of eight events expected to be watched by more than 100 million viewers all over the world.

The host selection process was long and methodical. A lot of options were considered, both individual presenters and couples. Rumors were soaring and YLE kept their ear to the ground by monitoring the public debate very closely. Finally after careful consideration and many camera tests Jaana and Mikko were selected.

Jaana Pelkonen is a familiar face to Finnish Eurovision fans as she was the YLE on-the-spot commentator in 2005 and 2006. She was always following the contest but she says that she really fell in love with it in 2005 whe she first presented Finland's national selection with Heikki Paasonen. She has extensive TVexperience.She started with a game show in 1998, then moved on to chart show Jyrki, then FarOut and Escort shows. She did radio work first 1995-1998 before movingto the small screen.
Jaana is currently working on her thesis in Social Sciences and aims to get her Master's degree in 2007.

Mikko Leppilampi released his debut solo album in May 2006. But it was another art form that originally made him famous all over Finland. Mikko won the Jussi Award (Finnish equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Male Leading Actor for his debut film Helmiä ja sikoja in 2003. Since then he has done 5 box office hit movies and alsotook part in the Hairspray musical in Helsinki last year. He was also the presenterof the TV series Nevada. Currently he is working on two films, Joulutarina, a family drama and War of the dead, an action film where he plays Lieutenant Laakso.

Click here to be directed to Mikko's official website.