Serbia 2008: RTS fires the starting gun

from esctoday.com

RTS (Radiotelevizija Srbije), the host broadcaster for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade has announced that it will be running a competition that will lead to the creation of the next Eurovision Song Contest's branding and logo, the stage, and most surprisingly, the hosts of the event.

NEW LOGO

This will graph and symbolise the pictorial identity of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. It should associate with Serbia, music, youth and Europe. It will also provide the graphic symbol for medias, press and the competition's identity.

Bidding is opened for 30 days and it is opened for all native and foreign persons. Bidding is anonymus. Prizes will be arwarded for the top three designs of €5000, €3000 and €2000 respectively.

THE STAGE

A competition to determine the ideal solution for stage for next year's Eurovision Song Contest at the Beogradska Arena, Belgrade is also underway. The key determinants are:

- To represent an association with Belgrade and Serbia
- To represent native identities, history and modern themes, symbols and universal recognised messages.
- To ensure that the stage can be seen from all angles of hall and subordinated for TV broadcast
- To have settings of all new electronical possibilites including some movable parts of stage

The Winning idea will get €10,000 award.

THE HOSTS

Four hosts are being sought for 2008. Two will win the right to host Beovizija, and another pair to host the Eurovision Song Contest. Bidding is opened for 30 days for all persons older than 18 years. Must be creative, communicative, can speak english and one more language of EU.

100 people will make it to the first round for testing and camera work. 24 male and 24 female people will progress to a second round of selection, participating in 20 special shows, with couples gradually being eliminated. The winners will be chosen through a mix of televoting and jury. The winning pair will host the Eurovision Song Contest and the second placed couple will host the national final.

source:esctoday.com

photo:google

Storm in an Eastern Teacup?

from esctoday.com

Despite the outcry against certain voting issues this year, particularly the semifinal result, many countries that initially spoke about withdrawal are now confirming their participation for next year. In the first of our new series of Have your say articles, we're asking if the outcries about the perceived 'Eastern bias' were an over-reaction in the heat of the moment, or fair, justified and expected again next year.

Israel is the latest country to put its Helsinki Blues behind it and look forward to participation at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Denmark is set to announce details of its preselection possibly as soon as next week, putting an end to any doubt that the former twice-winning Scandinavian nation will be competing next year too.

Already we have confirmation from the Netherlands and Malta that they will participate in Serbia and once again attempt to qualify from the ever-growing Eurovision Song Contest semi-final...... read more on esctoday.com

The world gears up for Live Earth

On Sunday 25 June 1967, the Eurovision programme 'Our World' - the first-ever live international television production - was broadcast across the globe between 9pm and 11pm CET.

As the EBU website reminds us, it was an undertaking of incredible complexity, involving control rooms around the world, three satellites (Intelsat I, Intelsat II, and ATS-1), over 1.5 million km of cable, and ten thousand technicians and programme staff.

The ground rules for the show included that everything had to be live, and that no politicians or heads of state must be seen. Nevertheless, the world's politicians almost wrecked it. Just four days before the broadcast, five Eastern block countries dropped out. They were protesting the West's response to the 'Six day War' in the Middle East.

But the show went ahead to an estimated audience of between 400 and 700 million, an enormous audience even by today's standards. All in black and white, and various shades of grey, as colour TV was still in its infancy.

Read full article HERE

source: RNW

photo:EBU

Czech Television music shows vie for Web audience

Copyright laws block Czech audiences from popular U.S. shows

Czech Television (ČTV) has turned its attention to Internet broadcasting and interactive television, as copyright and licensing laws keep virtually all current U.S. shows blocked to Internet users here.

The network’s newest project, Digináves, gives Mini DV camcorders to selected viewers to report on issues that matter to their neighborhoods. It has also prepared what it calls “Web magazines” for televised programming such as StarDance, Eurovision Song Contest and International Television Festival Golden Prague.

“ČTV pays big attention to all Internet opportunities. The amount of available programs is still growing,” said Anna Freimanová, a spokeswoman for the network.

By catering to a cyber audience, ČTV is targeting a growing demographic in the Czech Republic much ignored by foreign firms.

Read full article HERE

source:The Prague Post Online

Luminita Anghel and Jose Carreras

Luminita Anghel, the Romanian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev organized the Gala Charity Dinner that took place on the 3rd of July in Bucharest at the Parliament palace.

Jose Carreras, the famous opera singer, was one of the guest stars during that night and of course he performed live in front of all the people that have been gathered there for the Gala.

The auction included personal objects of famous Romanian People such as the T-shirt of Cristian Chivu, the Romanian footballer and captain of the national team, with his autograph which has been sold for 9.000 euro, a bottle of champagne from Ilie Nastase, the former Romanian tennis player and one of the top players from the 1970’s while Jose Carreras offered his personal pencil which has been sold for 3.000 euro.

The concert that has been given during the night of the Gala Charity Dinner has been organized by Luminita Anghel and Bogdan Fraedrich. Jose Carreras got up on stage at 21:00 accompanied by the George Enescu philharmonic band.

He performed seven parts from several operas signed by Francesco Paolo Tosti, Vincenzo Bellini, Edvard Grieg, Josep Ribas, Franz Lehar, Ernesto Tagliaferri and Stanislao Gastaldon.

The target of the Charity Dinner was to earn as much money as possible to help the humanitarian organization, United Way Romania, and some other organizations.

The amount of money that has been earned was 30.000 euro although the Gala cost 400.000 euro.

Portuguese fans want to speak Serbian

from oikotimes.com

In order to prepare the Portuguese fans trip to Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, a group of Portuguese fans is organizing a course of Serbian. The inscriptions are already passing. According to OGAE Portugal, the lessons will begin in September.

In 2006 and 2007, the Portuguese fans also organized Greek's and Finnish courses, with a great adherence.

For more information, please contact ogae.portugal@netc.pt.

Listen Dancing Lasha Tumbai (Lullaby Version)

Tickets for JESC selection available as of August 1

The tickets for the Junior National selection in the Netherlands will be available as of August 1st.

The two semifinals and the final will take place at the Studio Baarn. The tickets cost 12,50 Euros. For more information you can go to the official website of the tickets: http://www.ticketpoint.nl/

Source:oikotimes.com

Malta Junior Song for Europe Festival Regulations

ESCMalta.com reports:

“ After Malta confirmed its participation in the JESC, the Malta Song Board published the regulations for the Junior Song for Europe Festival. ”

The Malta Song Board published the regulations for the Junior Song for Europe Festival. The winner/s will represent Malta in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that will take place in Rotterdam on 8th December 2007.

There is no exact date when the Maltese Junior selection takes place. However a possible date will be given later, somehwere in the first week of September.

The closing date for submissions is on 9-10 August 2007. This year the pre-selection takes place on a eliminatory and live phase. On the 25th August 2007 the Malta Song Board announces the 16 finalists that will compete in the Malta Junior Song for Europe Festival.

Like last year pre-recorded backing-vocals and dancers will not accompany the main singer on stage. It is unclear if the festival will take place in last year's open-air venue in the ruins of the royal theatre in Valletta or it will return to Sir Temi Zammit University Hall, Tal-Qroqq.

Junior Song for Europe Festival 2007- Regulations

Maltasong preparations revealed

OGAE Malta reports:

During an exclusive interview with Martin Gauci, Maltasong Board's secretary, held on Ogae Malta's "Eurovision Radio", some interesting facts about the meeting with the songwriters were revealed.

During the same interview held, few minutes after the meeting was over, Martin Gauci revealed the following points:

a. The present Maltasong Board committee members were ALL confirmed by the Minister of Culture, Hon. Francis Zammit Dimech and will serve for the second consecutive year.

b. Robert Abela's proposal, revealed last Sunday on "The Sunday Circle", that the jury might retain the option to change the singers of the finalist songs for Maltasong 2008, did not find a consensus among the Maltasong Board members and so the idea will be shelved;

c. Some songwriters proposed that songs should retain the points by the first (when songs are brought down to 50), second (the semi-finals) and possibly third (final) set of juries and these points will be accumulated throughout;

d. Many songwriters agreed that the final result should be a mixture of judges with televoting and not 100% televoting;

e. Various other songwriters proposed that 50 songs should be kept in the first phase (whether or not they achieve the 50% of the total votes);

Martin Gauci also revealed that the application forms for the Malta Song for Europe 2007 will be issued on Thursday 5th July 2007. Age limit will be between 10 and 15 - according to the EBU rules.