The Russian singer was joined on the stage by Hungarian violinist Edvin Marton and famous Russian Olympic skater Yevgeny Plyushchenko, who pirouetted on artificial ice to the tune.Bilan has won the first-ever title for Russia in the competition, which has recently been dominated by Eastern European countries because of so-called bloc-voting among ex-Soviet republics and former Yugoslav states.This year's competition was held in Belgrade, Serbia. Serbia's songstress Marija Serifovic won last year's title with her ballad "Molitva" or "Prayer."Bilan's appearance at the finals, which opened late Saturday at the Belgrade Arena hall, was his second in just two years. In 2006, he won second place.Bilan had been tipped as the favorite going in, along with Ukraine and Sweden.This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30
Nov. 6, 2006: Cameras catch what appears to be a look of outrage on the face of Faith Hill upon learning that she's lost out on the Female Vocalist of the Year award to Carrie Underwood at the Country Music Awards. Amid a firestorm of backlash in the days that follow, Hill will insist she was kidding. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for CMT)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 11, 1974: Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is born in Los Angeles, Calif. After his big break as a homeless kid on 'Growing Pains,' he will be nominated for an Oscar for his work in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' He will become absurdly, irrevocably famouswith the release of 'Titanic' in 1997 and later becomes Martin Scorsese's favorite leading man. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 8, 2006: While in Canada filming 'Blonde and Blonder' with co-star Pamela Anderson, Denise Richards throws two photographers' laptops off a hotel balcony, striking two elderly, wheelchair-bound women. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 11, 1984: Diminutive TV star Gary Coleman undergoes his second kidney transplant in an effort to combat his nephritis, the disease that stunts his growth.(WireImage)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 8, 1965: Viewers are introduced to the Horton family of Salem in the debut episode of 'Days of our Lives.' (NBC Photo)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 10, 1975: The freighter the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald goes down in Lake Superior, taking with it all 29 crew members. Later that month Gordon Lightfoot will commemorate the tragedy in the song 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' which will go to No. 2 on the charts the following summer. (AP Photo/Lake Superior Maritime Collection, University of Wisconsin-Superior / George Pimentel/WireImage.com)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 6, 1972: Rebecca Romijn is born in Berkeley, Calif. After a successful career as a swimsuit and lingerie model, she will make the leap to acting. Along the way she will marry first John "Full House" Stamos and later Jerry "the fat kid from 'Stand ByMe'" O'Connell. (ABC/Bob D'Amico)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 9, 1967: Armed with a Rolodex stolen from a San Francisco radio station and a $7,500 loan, Jann Wenner and Ralph J. Gleason publish the first issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Beatle John Lennon graced the cover. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 10, 1969: The greatest kids' show of all time, 'Sesame Street,' makes its debut. It will go on to win more than 100 Emmy Awards, 11 Grammys and change children's television forever. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
This Week in Pop Culture History 9.30Nov. 5, 1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front' wins Best Picture and earns Lewis Milestone the prize for Best Director at the fourth annual Academy Awards.
The Russian won 272 points from viewers from 43 countries who picked the winner by phone calls and text messages.Ukraine's Lorak was second with 230 points, followed by Greece's Kalomira with 218.The glitzy event was launched by Serifovic. Other guest stars include Bosnian ethno musician Goran Bregovic and Serbia's and L.A. Lakers' former NBA star, Vlade Divac.Though criticized by many as a show of kitsch and an extravaganza, the Eurovision Song Contest, or Eurosong, is revered by its many followers. They often travel across the continent to support their favorite singers.About 15,000 guests are believed to have arrived in Belgrade for the event, crowding the Serbian capital for the first time in years.Serbia is taking advantage of the opportunity to present itself as part of Europe after years of pariah status in the 1990s under the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic.Authorities have gone out of their way to throw a perfectly organized party. During the finals, a huge screen was put up in front of the Belgrade City Hall as thousands flocked to watch the show.After the winner was announced, fireworks lit the Belgrade skies.The finale included 20 contestants who made it through the two semifinals earlier this week. In addition, performers from Britain, France, Germany and Spain, who are the biggest sponsors of the event, and Serbia, the host country, went straight into the final without having competed in preliminary rounds.Serbia was represented by Jelena Tomasevic, who finished sixth.Miley Cyrus Accused of Song Stealing
Lindsay, Samantha Get Close in Cannes
