The 26 countries chosen to take part in the 2016 Eurovision song contest finale has been announced and the fans are all prepared to witness this spectacular event live. On Saturday, May 14, Logo TV will air the first live broadcast of Eurovision so that people in the United States can watch it along with their EU counterparts.
Twenty countries were chosen after the two semi-finals and six countries always have a place in the finals. Combining both these categories, the countries taking part in the grand finale are: Belgium (Laura Tesoro), Czech Republic (Gabriela GunÄÃková), The Netherlands (Douwe bob), Azerbaijan (Samra), Hungary (Feddie), Italy (Francesca Micheielin), Israel (Hovi Star), Bulgaria (Poli Genova), Sweden (Frans), Germany (Jamie-Lee), France (Amir), Poland (MichaÅ‚ Szpak), Australia (Dami Im), Cyprus (Minus One), Serbia (Sanja VuÄić ZAA), Lithuania (Donny Montell), Croatia (Nina Kraljić), Russia (Sergey Lazarev), Spain (Barei), Latvia (Justs), Ukraine (Jamala), Malta (Ira Losco), Georgia (Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz), Austria (ZOË), United Kingdom (Joe and Jake), Armenia (Iveta Mukuchyan).
You can watch the video of the performances of all the participants, including those from the semi=finals, on the Eurovision web page.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest will especially be exciting because for the first time professional juries and tele-voters from every participating country will award a separate set of points from 1 to 8, 10 and 12. This means that top 10 countries in both the jury and tele-vote will receive points.
You can vote for your favourite contestants via the official app, telephone and/or SMS after the last song has been performed. Keep in mind that the voting widow will be closed 15 minutes after that, and these votes will be partially responsible for the outcome of the contest.
You can watch the event live online via the Eurovision WebTV. This year, along with the participating nations, Eurovision will also be telecast live in the U.S. via Logo TV. The event will also be hosted by live voiceover commentators Carson Kressley and Michelle Collins.
U.S. seems to be truly embracing the European song contest, with even singer Justin Timberlake claiming he is excited for the event. Timberlake told USA Today that he will be bringing his new single "Can't Stop the Feeling'" to the Eurovision Song Contest.