Romania Places 19th At 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, Norway Wins Trophy

Romanian singer Elena Gheorghe and her song "The Balkan Girls" placed 19th in the grand final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday, May 17, in Moscow, while Norwegian singer Alexander Rybak won the contest with the upbeat ballad "Fairytale."

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Romania obtained 12 points from Moldova, seven points from Spain, five points from Macedonia, five points from Turkey, two points from Serbia, two points from Cyprus, two points from Portugal, three points from Azerbaijan and two points from Ireland.

Rybak scored a record 387 points, beating Iceland with 218 points and Azerbaijan with 207 points.

The elfin-faced Rybak, 23, charmed audiences with his light-hearted love song, which he performed with a winning smile and some deft dance steps while playing the violin.

As winner, Norway will host the next Eurovision Song Contest.

The winner of the competition was picked by a combination of telephone voting and official juries from national broadcasters in the 42 nations that originally took part.

Moscow authorities worked hard to turn the Eurovision contest to display Russia's hospitality and prestige and were reported to have spent USD42 million on the five-day event, making it the most expensive competition in Eurovision's history.

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