Romania: Morandi demand help from Bulgarian fans on MTV

After Morandi were chosen for "Best artist in Romania", the pop duo, consisting of composer Marius Moga and singer Andrei Ropcea (Randi), will fight for the prestigious award in the category "Europe's favorite" of the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Voting for "Europe's favorite" is already active and the deadline is on November 3. The official awards ceremony will be held on November 6 in Liverpool, England.

Morandi's opponents in this category are Nightwish, Leona Lewis, Eurovision 2008 - Dima Billan and others.

source

Esctoday.com Awards

The third annual esctoday.com awards are just a few weeks away, and this year esctoday.com members will be given the chance to determine the nominations for each category.

[..]Over the next two weeks, we will run a series of polls for each category The esctoday.com team will then finalise the nominations and you, the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest, will be able to vote in the biggest awards programme for the competition.[..]

More information at esctoday.com

The categories are:

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2008:

SONG OF THE YEAR
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
LYRICIST OF THE YEAR
COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST BAND PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST ENTRY NOT TO QUALIFY FROM THE SEMI FINAL
BEST DRESSED PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR
WORST DRESSED PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL FINALS 2008:

BEST NATIONAL FINAL 2008
BEST NATIONAL FINAL PERFORMANCE (EXCLUDING WINNER) OF THE YEAR
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION
BEST BAND PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION

To vote, you must be a registered esctoday.com member. Membership is free and allows you to vote in the online polls, react to articles and enter all competitions on the website.

Click here to register.

News about Greece and Sakis Rouvas

According to oikotimes.com ERT is about to announce this week the date for the Eurovision 2009 press conference.

For 10 weeks, Sakis Rouvas song "Kai Se Thelo" has been in the top of the Greek National Airplay charts this year.

On October 24, Sakis will appear for the first time as the host of the Greek X-Faxtor show on Antenna TV.

Read more about at oikotimes.com

Slovakia back to the Eurovision Song Contest

Slovakian public broadcaster STV announced that it will bring Slovakia back to the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow next year. It will be the first time that the country participates in eleven years.

Slovakia has entered the competition three times in the past, with poor results on each occasion.
They entered for the first time in 1994 with Martin Durinda and Tublatanka singing Nekonečná pieseň, winning just 15 points. In total, they have picked up only 42 points.




source:esctoday.com

First ever Asiavision Song Contest in mid-2009

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)announce that the Eurovision Song Contest format was purchased by Asiavision Pte. Ltd., to hold the first ever Asiavision Song Contest in mid-2009!

The plan is to organize the first ever Asiavision Song Contest in mid-2009, with 15 represented countries, including China and India. It will be based on the highly popular Eurovision Song Contest, which is an annual competition for active Members of the EBU, represented by the public broadcasters in their respective countries.

The annual song contest is planned to be a six-month regional and national tournament culminating in the Grand Final. The song contest will be distributed in the following countries: China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Targeting the most populous region in the world with more than three billion people the show has a potential audience of over 500 million viewers. A number of broadcasters have indicated their desire to be the Host Broadcaster for the first ever Asiavision Song Contest.

Read more...

Estonia decided to participate in ESC 2009

ETV, Estonian national broadcaster, decided to take part in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
The country won’t boycott the festival. The decision was based on a poll organized by the national broadcasting association, where 66% of the public voted YES to the Estonian participation.

Margus Allikmaa, ERR Chairman of the board, is still not convinced Estonia should participate in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.

"Eurovision was never free of politics", every country has used the contest for political reasons and so will Russia!. It is very naive to believe that singing and politics can be kept apart. But as our poll showed that the majority of Estonians wish our country to participate, I have to respect that", said M.Allikmaa.



sources:esctoday.com;oikotimes.com

The jury is back for ESC 2009 Final

eurovision.tv reports:

During a meeting in Moscow, the EBU Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest decided to introduce a voting model of a mix between televoting and jury votes in the 2009 Final.

No change will be made in the voting during the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Details on the balance between jury and televoting outcome are still to be determined in the months to come.

A survey amongst delegation heads from represented countries revealed that a majority is in favor of such mixed model.
A mixed voting system also has great support amongst the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Svante Stockselius, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest said:

"Nothing is more democratic than the vote of the public. But a jury takes the opportunity to listen to the songs several times, before they make up their minds. In Belgrade, we saw a difference in judgment of the public and the back-up juries, and we believe a combination will make the show more interesting."

In its next meeting, later this year, the Reference Group will decide upon the exact way the jury has to be composed, and to discuss rules to assure a fair jury vote.

The Semi-Finals will not see any changes in the voting procedure. As at the 2008 contest, televoters will again decide upon the nine songs that qualify in each of the two Semi-Finals, while the highest ranked entry of the back-up juries that didn't qualify yet through televoting will also qualify.


read also: Eurovision 'Big Four' final spots confirmed

Elitsa Todorova seriously injured during rehearsal

The Bulgarian singer Elitsa Todorova (ESC 2007) survived by miracle Saturday, after hundreds of kilograms of iron crashed down, on top of her during a concert rehearsal.

A sudden storm had caused a scaffold from the concert's stage to crash down on performers and the technical team. Two other individuals have been injured, however, Elitsa's condition is the most serious one because the singer had sustained head trauma.

It is still unclear if the concert would take place as scheduled. According to reports, the wind in the area is becoming stronger and there is a possibility of cancelling it.

The company that has built the stage on the sand has not yet offered an explanation of the cause of the incident.


Hope she'll be ok soon!




source

Don’t boycott Moscow’s Eurovision song contest said EBU to Estonia

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is not amused over calls of prominent Estonian politicians to boycott next year’s Eurovision song contest hosted by Russia for Georgian conflict.

Svante Stockselius, executive of EBU that is organising the annual Eurovision Song Contest, told Postimees that Eurovision was an non-political event and that politicians have no right to decide whether to boycott it or not.

Stockselius said that he could not understand the proposal made by the Estonian Minister of Culture Laine Jänes and by chairman of the National Broadcasting Association Margus Allikmaa that Estonia could boycott next year’s Eurovision finals in Moscow over the conflict in Georgia.

"These issues should not be linked. We are organizing a non-political event and if the hosting country is able to ensure the safety of participants, there is no reason why it should not be allowed to host the finals," said Stockselius.

The EBU official added that if Estonia wishes to stay away from the Eurovision song festival in 2009, it is up to the country. "We have many members who don’t participate every year and who return later," added Stockselius. -source-

Estonia itself hosted the Eurovision contest in 2002 after winning the 2001 edition.

Culture Minister of Lithuania, Jonas Jucas says that it is too early to speak about the opportunity to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow with intention to express the protest over the Russian aggression against Georgia.

According to Jucas- "Spontaneous decisions might aggravate the efforts of diplomats to harmonize the conflict. It is not right time to speak about that," the culture minister noted. -source-


credit photo

Tickets for Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 are now available online

The tickets for the 6th edition of Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 which will take place this year in Cyprus are now avalilable online.

Tickets are available for the three Dress Rehearsals, and the live show on Saturday, 22nd of November.

Dress Rehearsal tickets are available for prices between 5 and 20 euros, while live show tickets cost between 30 and 70 euros.

You can buy your tickets through a special ticket ordering website.

source

Running order for Eurovision Dance Contest

The order of performances for the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest, which will take place on the 6th of September in the Scottish city of Glasgow, was announced:




1. Sweden
2. Austria
3. Denmark
4. Azerbaijan
5. Ireland
6. Finland
7. The Netherlands
8. Lithuania
9. United Kingdom
10. Russia
11. Greece
12. Portugal
13. Poland
14. Ukraine
15. Spain

The winner of this year's competition will be decided by televote and a special expert jury.

source

Belgium plans internal selection for ESC 2009

Belgian broadcaster RTBF will again internally select the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow.

"I can already confirm that there won't be an open national selection," Jean-Michel Germys, RTBF's Director of Entertainment,told Belgovision.com.

Whether RTBF will go for a pure internal selection or a variation of it, will become clear later. French-speaking Belgian artists who have the ambition to represent Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest, will be disappointed. In no way an open national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 will be organized.

source

Greece: Good news, Bad news

Good News:

"The first ever (and only, so far) winner of the Eurovision Song Contest for Greece, Helena Paparizou is about to start recordings for her international album.[..]
At the moment she is touring Greece giving concerts along with Manos Pirovolakis."

Bad News:

"The pressure of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and the treatment Kalomira had from the Greek media and press before and after Belgrade seems to be the main reason for her trip back to her family in New York. This is what we get from her father's statement in an interview in Downtown magazine.

Kalomira was mistreated and wasn't paid for her promo activities he said but at the end he leaves an opening for his daughter to come back in Greece in August. The news come as a shock since it is weird how a young artist who reached almost the top in Eurovision and applauded (afterwards) in Greece, stops everything. At the moment Kalomira is in New York close to her family, especially her sister who gave birth to her first child."

source: oikotimes.com

Eurovision Dance Contest site online

The European Broadcasting Union launched the official website of the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest on http://www.eurovisiondance.tv.





As the event comes closer, the website will be gradually expanded with more information.

The Eurovision Dance Contest took place for the first time in 2007.
The 2008 running of the show takes place on the 6th of September in Glasgow, Scotland.


source

Alexander Zhukov to head ESC 2009 organising committee

First Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov will head the organising committee for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.

"The composition of the organising committee will be approved this or, at the latest, next week," Zhukov said on Wednesday.

He said not even tentative cost estimates for the event had been made yet.
"There are no estimates yet. We have to create the organising committee first," Zhukov said.

On Monday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the Eurovision Song Contest would be held in Moscow, taking into account the level of its preparedness, the development of infrastructure and the possibility of minimising the costs.[...]

Moscow authorities said they are ready to organise and hold the Eurovision-2009 song contest in the Russian capital.

Moscow will do it “at the highest level”, an official in the city administration said.

"We have big experience of holding such events. We can do it. We will receive the guests and provide them with transportation and accommodation," he said.[...]

read more...

Putin settles it:Moscow will host Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday chose Moscow as the host city for next year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting of the Russian inner Cabinet.

Several Russian cities had applied to host the event. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said the strongest rival bid had come from St. Petersburg.

Zhukov, charged with overseeing preparations for the event, said Moscow's Olimpiysky sports complex would be the likely venue.

Vladimir Putin, a St. Petersburg native, pointed to Moscow's developed infrastructure and the possibility of reducing costs as reasons for the choice.

source

Sakis Rouvas to Moscow!

According to mad.tv and oikotimes.com Sakis Rouvas will represent Greece next year in Moscow.

"The Greek national broadcaster confirmed the news to oikotimes.com few moments ago but officially they will launch a special press conference most likely in September. This makes Greece the first country revealing its artist for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. The song might be also internally selected but for sure either internally or selected by the public will be delivered by Dimitris Kontopoulos, secure sources told us."

Sakis Rouvas - Kai se thelw

Start voting for ESC Radio Awards 2008

Start voting for ESC Radio Awards 2008!

Between July 7 and July 13 the world-wide listeners of ESCRADIO.COM, the biggest online platform for Eurovision music, can vote for their favourites in four categories:

- Best Song 2008
- Best Female Artist 2008
- Best Male Artist 2008
- Best Group 2008

The 42 songs and artists from this year's Eurovision Song Contest-2008, get a second chance.

Vote for your favourites here

LORDI New album out in october

LORDI will realease a new album internationally on October 20, 2008.

The new, still unnamed album presents melodic hard rock wich had characterized Lordi's musical career throughout the years from Get Heavy to The Arockalypse.

The Arockalypse has sold 350 000 units and cerified gold in Sweden and Germany and triple platinum status in Finland.

"Dark Floors – The Lordi Motion Picture DVD” went gold in Finland before its official released date, Friday June 13th.

Meanwhile, the band announced the tour schedule for the next weeks:

05.07.2008: Bergum, The Netherlands -
12.07.2008: Lisalmi, Finland
25.07.2008: Benatska Festival, Czech Republic
26.07.2008: Lorka Rock, Madrid, Spain
02.08.2008: Wacken, Germany
16.08.2008: Witney, UK
23.08.2008: Imatra, Finland

source

ESC Radio Awards 2008

Start voting for ESC Radio Awards 2008

The 42 songs and artists from this year's Eurovision Song Contest-2008, get a second chance. Between July 7 and July 13 the world-wide listeners of ESCRADIO.COM, the biggest online platform for Eurovision music, can vote for their favourites in four categories:


- Best Song 2008
- Best Female Artist 2008
- Best Male Artist 2008
- Best Group 2008