Perhaps that htm contributed 1 to a sell-out, although worship of the 25-year-old Photos phenomenon has been growing apace in this country, fuelled by pages bakesale tn05 jpg htm earlier recordings and two 10 previous London recitals, pages both remarkable This tn05 was not bakesale such a happy occasion. "There's so much jpg pages bakesale tn05 jpg htm negativity 06 from the media about Eurovision," Hansen protests. "It's like the West jpg End theatre 1 critics bakesale in 06 London - they images Photos bakesale 10 1 06 kill for pleasure. There's a stigma about the jpg Eurovision pages Song Contest, 1 a journalistic cliche that says it is 10 per se images bad quality Maybe it's tn05 tn05 a case of political correctness But the attraction of bakesale the contest is its excitement. Critics should acknowledge that."Kleveland images is equally htm robust. "In spite of all the criticism - not 06 least from British htm journalists bakesale - you haven't bakesale images Photos bakesale 10 1 06 been able to kill the bakesale Eurovision pages Song 10 Contest It's about innocence, fun and competition Everyone sits images at home Photos Photos giving points.

Just as many mark the performers for their dresses as for their songs - that emphasises what it's all about."She hopes the love affair between Norway and the Eurovision Song Contest continues to blossom "Norway is really interested in music," she enthuses "Everyone sings in a choir. He maintains that the contest is "a step forward at the negotiating table. It does help with European unity."Kleveland wouldn't go that far, but she is keenly aware of the PR benefits to Norway of a show broadcast to more than 300 million people in 42 countries (including South Africa, Australia and South Korea) All for a budget of just pounds 4m "People's memories are very short," she muses. "We are a nation of four million people, so the funding to promote ourselves in the world is limited. If we had to buy the promotional package we're getting from the Eurovision, we could never afford it."As we tot up the promotional marks for Norway, the country is very much in credit.

"At the Olympics," he reflects, "you saw Norwegians as a strange people waving flags and wearing red national costumes It was very folkloric. We're giving Norway a more modern image of a country good at providing equipment for the oil and electricity industries."Kleveland agrees. "It's important to show we don't just play around in mountains and believe in trolls. We're a modern welfare state, and for 25 years we've been an oil and gas nation." Lars Otto Wollum, Eurovision's information advisor, asserts that the contest "is more socio-politically important than we realise".Morten Harket - this year's co-presenter (with NRK's Washington correspondent, Ingvild Bryn) and the former lead singer with what is perhaps Norway's biggest export after oil, the pop group A-ha - evidently agrees. He shows me a model of the set for the contest - a hockey-pitch-sized, hi-tech mock-up of an oil rig, Norway's major industry. When Bobbysocks, the Norwegian duo, won in 1985 with "La det swinge" ("Let It Swing"), the Prime Minister held a state dinner for all Oslo's diplomatic corps in their honour, and they gained a government marketing award for their services to exports.NRK's nerve-centre on the outskirts of Oslo is gearing up for the Big Night under the auspices of the executive producer of the Contest, the splendidly named Odd Arvid Stromstad, a stubbly man with rock-star looks who might also be known as "Mr Eurovision". We said 'no' to the EU in a referendum in 1994 because we felt we could do better on our own, without foreigners."The Song Contest is an opportunity for Norway to present itself to the world as something more than just a country of fjords and flags.