JESC:Several minor changes in the format of the event

eurovision.tv reports:

At the Heads of Delegation meeting of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, currently taking place in sunny Cyprus, the Steering Group introduced several minor changes in the format of the event. CyBC also revealed the design of the stage for this year's contest.

The Steering Group of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest also decided to give the back-up jury a 50% say in the outcome of the competition. According to the rules of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the back-up jury has to be a diverse group of people, and should include children.

The 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which is the 6th running, will take place on the 22nd of November in Lemesos, Cyprus. The show will be hosted by Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the presenters are unknown yet. The Host Broadcaster did reveal that the show will be hosted by a man and a woman, in the roles of Adonis and Aphrodite.

The second Heads of Delegation meeting, which also marks the deadline to officially enter songs, takes place on the 13th and 14th of October. The running order will be drawn during the October meeting as well.

CyBC revealed the stage design as well (photo). The set was designed by George Papadopoulos, who got inspired by previous Eurovision Song Contest stages, the theme Fun In The Sun and water that surrounds the island of Cyprus. The front side of the set will contain real water.

Ukraine to host 2009 Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Ukrainian broadcaster NTU has won the bid to host the 2009 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The seventh running of the competition, which was introduced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 2003, will take place in Kyiv. The election took place in Lemesos, Cyprus, where the 2008 running will take place.[..]

In 2005, NTU successfully hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv.

"We are very proud and honoured to welcome children from all over Europe to Ukraine next year, and we are looking forward to host a great show," said Viktoria Romanova, Head of Delegation on behalf of NTU.

More informations here

source: eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2008:How the West has won

Herlad Sun
by Andrew Bolt

HOW bizarre. Russia thinks its win in last month's Eurovision song contest is a national triumph.

Even weirder is that Britain is still moaning over its assumed humiliation.

Just this week, Labour MPs even tabled a motion in the House of Commons demanding the BBC quit screening this "farcical event" after singing dustman Andy Abraham, a TV talent quest runner-up, came last, putting Britain once more in the basement with most of the rest of the West Europeans.

But steady, my tone-deaf friends. Eurovision produced the very opposite results to the ones you imagine.

Eurovision, of course, is not the most precise indicator of cultural power.

It may be the world's most popular song contest, but the acts that 100 million viewers switch on to watch each year are almost all of spectacular mediocrity. They're like pre-chewed food - tomorrow's "easy listening" music today.

Yet touchy Russia has still spent the past week and a half swaggering as if it had actually beaten Napoleon again - rather than been conquered by yet another Golden Horde. Its Dima Bilan was the first Russian in the competition's history to win first prize, leading to celebrations so mad that a Moscow News headline blared: "Russia in Ecstasy over Eurovision Win."

President Dmitry Medvedev publicly rang Bilan to congratulate him, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent a telegram declaring this was "One more important triumph for all of Russia".

Except it wasn't. Bilan won not because he was being Russian, but because he was being Western. He sang in English a number inspired by Australian self-help guru Rhonda Byrne and produced by America's Timbaland which sounded, sadly, much like all that man's stuff.

It was no different with the two runners up: both the Ukrainian and Greek songs were typically Western genre songs sung in English. In fact, 17 of the 25 finalists sang in English, including even the French.

The ceremony, too, hosted in Belgrade, was conducted almost entirely in English.

So if the English had any sense of cultural history they'd take pride, not offence. Here is a tiny island nation whose language now provides the lyrics of international music, with 23 of Eurovision's 53 winning songs having been in English.

If top Western artists competed in Eurovision as top Eastern ones such as Bilan do, there'd be more trophies to take home, too, but when a Russian bear sings in English, you know the West has still won.

t.A.T.u. "220" new videoclip

«220» is the second single from the upcoming Russian album "Upravleniye Otbrosami" («Waste Management»).

"In the nearest future "220" will premiere on MTV (Ukraine), Viva! (Poland), MAD TV (Greece), MAD TV (Bulgaria) and on several Russian music channels.
MUZ-TV and MTV-Russia refused to play "220"."

tATu


"220"

Malta Song Board to fall under PBS

The responsibilities of the Malta Song Board will now be handed over to the PBS, as a new Board of Directors, headed by Dr. Clare Thake Vassallo has been appointed.Dr. Vassallo, who has already served on the Board for several years, is a senior lecturer at the Department of Translation and Interpretation within the Faculty of Arts.

She joined the Board in the year 2000, where she served for four years, after joining again in 2005 and was in charge of the restructuring of children’s programs on TVM.

Other members of the board include Joseph Bonello, Lara Tonna, Josef N. Grech and Isabelle Gatt.

Meanwhile, it was also announced, that the Malta Song Board will not be re-appointed.

Instead, the Board’s responsibility will fall under the remit of the PBS.

READ MORE....


source:OGAEMalta

Ani Lorak :Eurovision winner's party at SCALA

EUROVISION winner's party at London SCALA 31.05.08 with Dima Bilan (RUSSIA)and Ani Lorak (UKRAINE).

Ani Lorak - Simply the best

Dima Bilan - MIR (World) New song

Dima's new song "Mir" (World) from the new russian album (coming on 11th of June!)