What is eurovision 2011

Some countries simply announce who will compete in a given year, like Turkey, Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while others like Sweden or Croatia go the traditional route and organize competitive music festivals.

Interest in the contest grows every year. In Lithuania, for instance, 43 artists competed for the honor of representing their country in Dusseldorf this year. Germany, however, didn't host a contest. Stefan Raab and a panel of TV executives agreed that Lena should have the chance to defend her title in It's a practice reflected more in the early years of the competition when previous winners would regularly return to the stage a year after their wins, including the first ESC winner, Lys Assia from Switzerland.

Early in , Lena performed 12 new songs on national television in Germany, and viewers were invited to vote for their favorite. The choice went to "Taken by a Stranger. It seems unlikely, though, that Lena will come away with a second win back to back.

In and , Luxemburg won twice in a row, followed by Israel in and But Ireland is the Eurovision king with a record seven total wins, three of which were back to back from to Back to the 'big four' Since , Eurovision uses a system which guarantees a spot to the "big four" - England, Spain, France and Germany. Those are the countries that bear the vast majority of costs for Europe's favorite music competition. Until the competition in Oslo in , it had been 13 years since one of the big four countries had won.

The current voting system allows a jury of music experts and fans from across Europe equal say in who goes to the final round as well as who ultimately wins. Viewers can vote by sending text messages or calling in during the show. Estimates expect around 10 million votes. This year, they will be tallied up in Cologne, Germany, where telecommunications providers will be on hand to count votes from across the continent.

But many more than 10 million will be in front of the TV for the finale on May An estimated million viewers will take in the broadcast - about as big of an audience as the Oscars and the American Superbowl draw in combined. Will French frontrunner and tenor Amaury Vassili win over audiences in the finale? Is Germany smart to bet on Lena a second year in a row? Get the inside scoop on Europe's favorite TV tradition here.

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