When George Cremona, my secondary Maltese teacher and nowadays, a great friend of mine, told me about this innovative idea … I was already thinking about writing this article about this great event which I’m sure, will delight both the young audience, but also, the older generation. Cremona, casually encountered Trevor Zahra’s book “Il-Ktieb tal-Fenek l-Ahmar” (The Red Rabbit’s Book), which was written in 1986. Trevor Zahra is one of the most popular Maltese writers, who adapts his stories to the young generation, but also writes books and novels for the older ones. The book’s main character, the Red Rabbit, became a very close friend of Cremona, and thus, they built such a strong bond, that they started to work on this project together, back in November 2011.

Thus, Cremona manages to merge two main roles of his everyday life. First and foremost, that of a dedicated teacher and educator, always on the lookout for the latest and most innovative teaching methods to reach out to his students, and secondly, his other role, that of an experienced broadcaster, who in the past eleven years, produced and presented programmes as a tribute to Maltese songs. The synergy of these two different roles in continuous collaboration with well-known author Trevor Zahra led to the development of this thoroughly researched, carefully studied unique production for the Maltese islands. Consequently (and mainly, so that the rabbit himself, who might be reading this write-up will enjoy it because it makes him feel so famous) one can honestly say that the friendship between Zahra and Cremona, whose roots date back to many years ago, was further strengthened as a result of this chance encounter with the rabbit. Cremona was all the time being assisted by Marisa Aquilina and Tanya Caruana, with whom the rabbit.

The soiree will network theatrical, creative art, under the able direction of veteran actress, Josette Ciappara and Maltese hits thereby giving the audience a taste of musical history to be enjoyed by all and sundry. The main roles will be played by Renato Dimech (the rabbit) and his companions Thea Farrugia and Craig Roy Vella, two children who love the rabbit, but at the same time like to tease him and make his life ‘harder’, because let’s face it, the rabbit has some decidedly strange ideas about us humans!!! t collaborated even more fervently! What makes this soiree totally different to all the many other intelligently and enthusiastically produced musicals in Malta and Gozo, is the fact, that this time, the singer themselves will sing those hits which have endeared the ears and touched the hearts of generations of Maltese of all ages. Besides doing what they can do best, these singers will be the main guests of the rabbit, and we leave it to your imagination to think what is actually in store for all of them. Whilst all this will be happening on stage, the audience will not remain passively silent but will be playing an active role all through the evening. It will sing along, participate actively and above all… we are afraid we have to stop there, because the rabbit explicitly warned us not to reveal any more! 

The participating singers include some of our most popular ones the likes of Augusto Cardinali, David Azzopardi, Debbie Scerri, Eleanor Cassar, Enzo Gusman, Fr. Karm Debattista, Freddie Portelli, Ira Losco, Janvil, Jade Vella, Mary Rose Mallia, Mike Spiteri, Nadine Axisa, Philip Vella, The Greenfields u Vince Fabri. They will surely guarantee a most enjoyable evening adorned with the greatest Maltese past and present hits. Apart from these, there will also be a group of able dancers under the direction of Jade Schembri and two children’s choirs, one belonging to Sant Iermu School in Valletta and the other being none other than the ‘Mirabitur’ choir under the masterly direction of Simone Attard. The latter won the gold medal at the International Choir Festival held in 2011.

This activity will mainly serve to better promote the wealth of good which “Dar tal-Providenza” is doing for Maltese society at large and will be presided by the Director of the same home, Fr. Martin Micallef. All participating artists voluntarily offered their time and different talents free of charge in aid of this home and its residents. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the home’s founder, Mons. Mikiel Azzopardi (1910- 1987). For this reason, during this activity a special tribute will be devoted to this noble and generous personality, whose dedicated and untiring work has resulted in such a wealth of good for Maltese society at large, especially in aid of the handicapped. This tribute will be in the form of an original song entitled ‘Wisq iktar mill-kliem’(more than words can say), lyrics by George Cremona, music by Philip Vella. 

A second aim of the activity is to create a better awareness in the general public of traditional texts written in Maltese like the above-mentioned book written by Trevor Zahra (Il-ktieb tal-fenek l-ahmar). The people in the audience will be introduced to the book in various ways in a way that they can better understand what the author had in mind when he put pen to paper and gave birth to it and to its intriguing protagonist. A third but surely not less important aim is to help the audience to better appreciate Maltese music as written by competent Maltese composers and sung by Maltese able singers. Unfortunately, Maltese songs have long had a poor reputation. The soirée will show very clearly that this is based mainly on prejudice. The audience’s constant and active participation during the whole event will dispel all this and prove that the Maltese heart of whatever age can thoroughly enjoy an evening of lively Maltese music and will be ready to participate actively by singing along to its heart content. It will be truly an evening to remember! 

The event will be held on Sunday, 4th November at Catholic Institute, Floriana. Tickets may be bought directly from the institute, or otherwise through www.istitutkattoliku.com at a donation of 10 Euros (Hall) or 8 Euros (Gallery). All proceedings in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news items with regards to a number of local events in aid for Charity.

Source: Press Release, Brian Grech (Image)

Il Festival della Canzone Italiana, a popular Italian song contest, held annually in the city of Sanremo and it was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest. The first edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, held between 29 and 31 January 1951, was broadcast by RAI's radio station Rete Rossa and its only two participants were Nilla Pizzi and Achille Togliani, supported by Duo Fasano. Starting from 1955 all the editions of the Festival have been broadcast live by the Italian TV station Rai 1. From 1951 to 1976, the Festival took place in the Sanremo Casinò, but starting from 1977, all the following editions were held in Teatro Ariston, except 1990's one, held at the Nuovo Mercato dei Fiori. 

This summer will mark the third edition of the hit reality television singing programme entitled Don't Stop Me Now but for the very first time ever, it will be airing on NET Television starting as from next Thursday, 5th July at 20:30 CET. During the very first night, there will be eighteen (18) semi-finalists who will be brought down to ten (10) by the end of the showcase and those remaining will ultimately compete against each other during the whole series. Thanks to the production team behind the programme, we have managed to obtain the latest news about those who did audition for the roles and these are the eighteen semi-finalists along with their respective biography.

Roderick Attard Ghiller: The oldest participant. He is 30 years old, married and has 1 daughter. His profession is that of a Chef. His father was the one that pushed him to start taking his singing talent seriously. Roderick’s favourite singer is Ronan Keating. 

Nicole Cutajar: An 18 year old full time nursing student. Her family consists of loads of pets and her mum pushed her to start taking singing seriously since she thought she had a great voice. Her idol is none other than Whitney Houston.  

Deem: Currently reading a degree in Commerce majoring Accounts and Marketing. Singing was always in her veins, but due to certain life circumstances, she had to stop, but fortunately enough, lately, close friends encouraged her to re-pursue this talent. She doesn’t have that particular idol … but her favourite band are The Corrs. 

Kevin Cortis: Currently reading a Diploma in Banking and Financial Services at MCAST, 19 year old Kevin’s idol is Beyonce and it was a particular teacher that pushed him into taking the singing seriously.  

Norbert Bondin: Attend St.Martins’ Institute, where he is reading a degree in Economy and Managment. He works in a family-run restaurant. His idol is Adele, and his passion for singing was there from a tender age. He was also a finalist in the 2011 Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with the track Int Tkun Hemm written by Philip Vella.

Marlon Bianco: He is a 23 year old guy amongst 4 other siblings, who made the big step alone and started attending singing lessons. His favourite singers are Elton John and Ronan Keating. He auditioned for the 2012 Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza getting as far as the second elimination phase with the track Jekk Nippruvaw composed by Paul Abela and penned by Joe Julian Farrugia.

Leanne Axiaq: She is a 22 year old ex-business student at MCAST. She doesn’t have any siblings. From a young age, she enjoyed singing and dancing. Avril Lavigne is her idol. She was one of the semi-finalists of the Talent Żagħżugħ portion of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza back in 2009 with the song Inkomplu Għalenija composed by Carlo Fenech and penned by Sunny Aquilina.

Graziella Vella: She is an 18 year old student studying at MCAST, reading her first diploma in health and social care. Infact, during the Summer holidays, she will be working as a careworker with down-syndrome children. She doesn’t have any siblings. Her mum was the only that sought the musical talent in her and consequently, she started singing in Doreen Galea’s choir, until she reached the age in which she could start taking individual lessons. Rihanna is her favourite singer. 

Fiona Camilleri: She is the middle sibling amongst three girls and she is 21. She is in her 3rd year of tertiary education, reading a degree in Social Work. Her passion for Disney songs and nursery rhymes was always present and nowadays, she admits that she doesn’t live without singing and music. Ingrid Michaleson, Adele ad Dame Kiri Te Kanawa are her favourite singers. 

Denise Spiteri: Gozitan teen, who has just finished her A levels, specializing in Pure Maths and Computing. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a course at the University of Malta, whilst also, specializing in music in an international country. She thinks that one is born with music and that’s why singing was something that cam natural for her. Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo are her ultimate idols. Denise was one of the finalists of the Junior Eurosong a couple of years back with the song Eastern Breeze and also the following year with Free Like a Butterfly.

Marysia Azzopardi: She is a 17 year old working student and forms part of  a big family (7 members). Music was always a passion and as years went by, this passion grew. 

Anabelle Chetcuti: She is the youngest sibbling from 3. She is studying at MCAST Community Service and Diploma for Beauty Specialists. Her parents were her ‘push’. Adele, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Sean Paul made a huge impact on her. 

Bernard Carabott: He is a 20 year old student worker and has two other sibblings. Started singing following his own initiative. He says that when he doesn’t sing, it’s like there is something missing and he feels very sad.

Clayton Seychell: He is a 16 year Aloysian student. His first opportunity concerning music came when he participated in a school concert. His favouirte group is Take That. Clayton is also the brother of former contestant Letizia Seychell.

Jessica Cachia: She is a 20 year old Delicatessen Assistant in a supermarket and is the youngest amongst 3 sibblings. Jessica started singing in the church’s choir and one fine day, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in singing and thus, she started singing lessons with Phyllisianne Brincat. Last year, she was a semi-finalist in the Talent Żagħżugħ portion of the Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza with the track SOS written by Philip Vella.

Carla Borg: She is a 22 year old student who has just finished the final exams of her third and last year at the University of Malta studying psychology. Infact, in the coming November, she will graduate as a psychologist (Congratulations!). She insisted on mentioning her boyfriend, Justin, who is always right there to give her all the necessary support. Julie Andrews is her idol, and she remembers that, in her childhood, she would grab a hairbrush and starts singing infront of a mirror!

Franklin Calleja: He is currently focusing all his efforts on his musical career. His grandparents were the ones that triggered the musical talent in him. Leona Lewis’s voice inspires him. Franklin was also a finalist in the Junior Eurosong competition a couple of years ago.

Ranier Farrugia: He is an 18 year old IT diploma student at MCAST. Romina Mamo pushed him to start singing lessons after she noticed his talent in a school audition for a play for the school prizeday. His favourite artist is Michael Bublè.

The programme has definitely had a lot of positive factors noting that some of the people who had been on the shows have gone onto become leading artists in the present industry including Francesca Borg, Dario Bezzina, Kurt Calleja, Ylenia Vella and Corinne Caruana. It will be quite interesting to see whether this years' edition of Don't Stop Me Now will find a vocal that will ultimately impress the viewers at home and also the judges in the programme. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com as we keep you posted with the latest on the local music scene. Don't Stop Me Now will be produced and hosted by Eileen Montesin who in the Eurovision Song Contest community is known for being the commentator for quite a number of years.

Source: EMH Productions

Last 13th June, Kaya together with her students Anhelica Pace, Nicole Agius, Rutger Scicluna Galea and Chantelle Abela, represented Malta in the Eurokifs Festival in Maiori, Italy. 

This festival was split over 3 days and in the first semi-final, held on the 15th June, the participants were obliged to sing in their native language. The second semi-final was held the day after, and the participants, sung a song they personally chose. From the semi-finals, only 6 finalists were chosen for the final night. The participants were judged by 13 internationl juries from Lithuania, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Russia, Croatia, Poland, Estonia, Turkey, Georgia, Malta and Ukraine. None of the countries could vote for its respective participant/s. Kaya was infact the Maltese judge. Vincenzo Colossanto invited her to sing the song “First Time” on the final night. The song was infact a semi-finalist in this year’s Malta Song For Europe.

The festival was divided into 4 categories. Anhelica Pace and Nicole Agius competed in the first category (from 6 to 9 years). This was the fourth international experience for Anhelica, who managed to place third once again. Anhelica interpreted the song “Minn statwa ghal tifla”, composed and written by Kaya and Christopher Azzopardi and “Tu vuo fa l’Americano”. For Nicole Agius, this was her first international experience, and she managed to place first! Nicole interpreted the song “Wuff Wuff Baw Baw, composed and written by Kaya and Christopher Azzopardi and “Tintarella di Luna”. Daria Birzu, from Romania obtained the second position in this category. 

In the second category (from 10 to 12 years), Rutger Scicluna Galea was the youngest participant who managed to reach the final. Rutger obtained the third position and the best interpretation award. Rutger interpreted the song “Lehen it-tfal”, composed and written by Kaya and Christopher Azzopardi and “Adagio”. This was Rutger’s second international experience after last May, he obtained the same position in an international festival in Poland. The Romanian Andreea Oprisan obtained second place whilst another Romanian, Viorela Storian placed first. 

Chantelle Abela participated in the third and last category (between 13 and 16 years) Chantelle obtained a prestigious certificate to sing in Russia in February 2013. She interpreted the song “Semmghali Għanja ħelwa” written and composed by Kaya and Joe Chircop and “Just walk away”. The “Gran Prix” winner was Presiyana Dimitrova from Bulgaria. 

On behalf of our editorial team, we would like to congratulate all the mentioned participants and wish them all the best of luck in their musical career and moreover, we encourage other participants to seek for such international opportunities, which surely boost their musical career and also strengthen their characters and personality. 

Source: escflashmalta.com, Kaya (Press Release)

For the second time in a row, Malta will not participate in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. This was announced officially on esckaz.com. On July 16 2011, Malta decided to withdraw from the ninth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, being the first withdraw for Malta making the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 to be the first one without a song sung in English since Malta's songs were the only songs in the language after the United Kingdom withdrew in 2006. 

Malta has entered the Junior Eurovision Song Contest eight times since debuting at the first contest in 2003. Entrants for the Contest are selected in the Junior Song For Europe contest, organised by the Maltese broadcaster PBS. Malta's best placing in the contest was in 2008, when Daniel Testa came 4th with Junior Swing. The country's worst placing was in 2005, when Thea & Friends came 16th and last in the contest with Make It Right. We were last represented in 2010 by Nicole Azzopardi and the song Knock Knock .. Boom Boom! The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the tenth edition of the contest, and will take place at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 1 December 2012. Dutch broadcaster AVRO will be the host broadcaster for the event. For the second time the Netherlands will play host to the contest. This is the first time in the history of the contest that a country will have hosted twice, with the last time being in 2007, when the contest was held in the city of Rotterdam.The show will be hosted by Ewout Genemans and Kim-Lian van der Meij. 

Seven countries have so far confirmed their participation in the contest; Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Giorgia, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine. Italy and San Marino might participate for the very first time, whilst Spain and Serbia may return. On the other hand, we might have one withdrawal; Moldova. Withdrawing from this festival, surely gave the ‘big’ Eurovision a boost, since funds weren’t divided from the PBS noting that the results have also improved with the artist for the 'big' Eurovision receiving more exposure and promotion. On the otherhand, young talents are limited to their ‘overseas’ experiences, since it was surely a good stepping stone for international experience, and most of the Maltese past participants have signed overseas contracts and had loads of international exposure. Perhaps, in the near future, we will return … perhaps.

Source: esckaz

Rona Nishliu, the Albanian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest last week in Baku, has won the majority of the votes (829) and was announced as the winner of the Barbara Dex Award, followed by Ireland’s duo, Jedward and Bulgaria’s Sofi Marinova. 

If someone has never heard of this award, here’s the gist of it; the annual price for the worst dressed artist in the contest. This award was in fact named after the 1993 Belgian representative, Barbara Dex. This year’s award, saw a record-breaking number of votes. A total of 2,851 valid votes were cast. According to The House of Eurovision, organisers of the award, Rona Nishliu emerged as a clear favourite to lift the trophy from the beginning of the voting. Her blue and black dress and donut-shaped hairdo was the first choice for 829 voters. Well, she kind of was willing to win this award with that ‘scary’ and ‘ambiguous’ so called costume!

The Irish duo are once again runner ups for this award for the second consecutive time. Yes, infact, last year, they were also placed in second place. This year, they gained 551, whilst the rest, 232. Were gained by the Bulgarian representative, Sofi Marinova. Below you can see the top ten of this year’s edition of the Barbara Dex Award:

01. Albania – Rona Nishliu (829)

02. Ireland – Jedward (551)

03. Bulgaria – Sofi Marinova (232)

04. The Netherlands – Joan Franka (163)

05. Ukraine – Gaitana (145)

06. Denmark – Soluna Samay (82)

07. Turkey – Can Bonomo (76)

08. Sweden – Loreen (66)

09. Bosnia & Herzegovina – Maya Sar (62)

10. San Marino – Valentina Monetta (62)

Source: Eurovision House

'It was a unique, moving and wonderful experience. I would do Eurovision again!' These were Pastora Soler’s words, during a press conference at the RTVE headquarters in Madrid, where she shared her Eurovision experience with the media. The singer, who is fresh  from Baku and who gained an astonishing 10th place, states that the past six months were very intense, and thus, she would refuse to do this experience once again right next year, since it’s a very demanding, yet great experience. 

Pastora Soler feels happy with her performance last Saturday: “I managed to communicate well on stage. I cried, I was moved and got the goosebumps”, and added that “everyone was touched by the song, and they tell me wonderful things. It is also important that people got together again to watch Eurovision”. Regarding the top ten placing achieved in the Eurovision final, Pastora Soler feels like a winner and describes it as an “unforgettable” moment and a “turning point” in her career.Carlos Mochales, head of Entertainment at RTVE, congratulated the broadcaster and Pastora Soler: “You have given it all and you will always be in our hearts and memories”. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: RTVE

These English don’t live without the Eurovision. That’s a fact. After Engelbert Humperdinck’s  ‘flop’ last Saturday (with only 12 points, finishing second from the bottom), BBC was unsure whether it should continue participating or not. Nevertheless, big names are already emerging as ‘favourites’ to represent the country next year in Sweden … and let’s face it, it’s the 5th time Sweden will be hosting the Eurovision, and I think that they are ‘experts’ in organizing a great and superb contest, thus no country should miss this showcase contest in such a ‘Eurovision expert’ country!

UK should really choose it’s representative well this time round. Ok, big names are big names, but they are repeatedly doing the same mistake, year after year. They were ‘favourites’ to winning last year’s contest since world-known boy band Blue participated, but … instead … all their high hopes ended at position number 11. 

Funnily enough, American pop band ‘Scissor Sisters’ have vowed to end UK’s Eurovision crisis. A big statement indeed. Well, rules state that contestants do not have to actually be from the country they are representing. This rule was also opted from the Swiss, when in 1988, Celine Dion, despite being a Canadian, was chosen to represent the country with a French song (Ne Partenz Senza Moi – Don’t Leave Without Me), and eventually won the contest. Jake Shears, Scissors Sisters’ singer, told BBC Radio Five Live that he would go for the Eurovision if he was asked to do so, “If I was asked I would gladly do it for you. I would love to. I’d be happy to.”

Another big name tipped to represent the country is Sir Cliff Richard, who was also a favourite for this year’s edition, but since he has been busy with personal commitments, he preferred to leave this ‘mission’ in someone else’s hands. Sir Cliff Richard, 71, has carried the nation’s hopes twice before. A BBC insider said: “Cliff has been approached and there is potential interest. He’s obviously one of our most respected performers and he’s certainly among the frontrunners for 2013. Cliff is a real perfectionist and would have to be convinced he has a strong song to work with. Hopefully he won’t be put off after the disappointment at the weekend.”

Sir Cliff finished second in 1968 with Congratulations and came third in 1973 with Power to All Our Friends. “There’s a sense of unfinished business for Cliff at Eurovision as he’s come so close to winning in the past. Hopefully it will be third time lucky,” said the insider.

The UK hasn't won Eurovision since 1997, with our entrants finishing last in 2003, 2008 and 2010. Well, one thing the UK must make sure to avoid this time round … another disappointment from yet another big name. Between Scissors Sisters and Sir Cliff … I think I’ll prefer the second, although his past achievements in such a prestigious contest don’t really ‘predict’ his future achievement if he was to be the chosen. In that, Scissors Sisters would be the ‘modern’ choice for the Brit’s in 2013. Let’s hope they’ll make the best choice! ;)

Source: Daily Express, Eurovision.tv

RTÉ, the Irish broadcaster, has confirmed its participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Sweden. With Ireland, the full list of confirmed participants has risen to thirteen (13 - Albania, Austria, Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden (the host country) and Switzerland).

Julian Vignoles, Assistant Commissioning editor for factual programmes at RTÉ, confirmed that there will a ‘potential change of approach’ to the Eurovision Song Contest, and this, shall be discussed in the coming few weeks. Perhaps Ireland will try to comeback with a bang in the coming contest and perhaps, with a more ‘professional’ artist, namely MARY BYRNE. Mary Byrne (born 3 November 1959) is an Irish singer-songwriter from Ballyfermot, Dublin. She rose to fame in 2010 after becoming a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Following her elimination in the live semi-final, she signed a record deal with Sony Music Ireland. Byrne and her fellow The X Factor finalists gained a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart after releasing "Heroes" a cover of David Bowie, in aid for Help for Heroes. Her debut single, "I Just Call You Mine" was released on 4 March 2011. Mine & Yours, Byrne's debut album was released 28 March 2011 in the UK. 

The album was produced by hit-maker Nigel Wright. In June 2011, Byrne was asked to perform at a special gala performance in Dublin to mark Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of Ireland. She was also Neil Diamond's special guest at the Aviva Stadium, where she performed in front of 55,000 people. August 2011 saw Byrne appear in GREASE: The Musical at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin. She began work on an autobiography, This Is My Life, and was released on 21 October 2011 in the UK and Ireland. Mary decided to leave Sony Music as she accepted a new record deal offer with Decca Music and Universal Music, who are confident they can 'get her music career up and off the ground'. She has produced her second album, called “...with Love”. After this ‘huge’ success, she may be Ireland’s lucky charm for the next contest, but obviously, competition is big and no one can really predict what will be the eventual outcome result.

Vignoles added that Jedward not winning the contest was a slight relief for RTÉ. If Ireland had won the contest, they would’ve had to host in 2013. Vignoles said that would’ve been a ‘headache’, but also a ‘privilege’. One of the issues with hosting would’ve been finding a venue, as Ireland has a lack of indoor arenas as big as the Baku Crystal Hall or the Düsseldorf Esprit Arena. Jedward finished in a ‘quite disappointing’ 19th position with their song Waterline in Baku. They ‘made a hit’ in Baku and during Eurovision parties and conferences, but that was not enough to at least finish at last year’s 11th position in the final night, after making it through quite an ‘easy’ semifinal. Many infact, insisted that the twins’ song last year, had a better ‘feel’. Nevertheless, Jedward will surely not be given a ‘3rd chance’, since chances are that they will either do worst, or stick once again to this position, and let’s face it, we’ve had enough of the blonde Irish twins! ;) 

Source: escXtra, RTÉ

After yesterday’s second semi-final, which saw the last 10 countries qualifying for tomorrow’s awaited final, and in which, we are going to see the Maltese representative, Kurt Calleja, some slight information has been released by the EBU regarding yesterday’s results and for the first time since the semi-final format was introduced. Infact, we are in a position to say that there was a TIE for tenth place in last night’s semi. With two songs tying for tenth place in the second semi-final, under the current rules of the contest the song that received votes from the most number of countries is deemed to take the higher position.

That also turned out to be an identical number, then a countback system of the number of 12 points, the 10 points etc would come into consideration. The results of the second semi-final also showed a greater difference between the juries and the televoters than with the first semi-final on Tuesday. The jury, last night, agreed on six out of the ten songs that qualified. Of the remaining four, two were put in the final thanks to jury’s vote, whilst the other two were ‘saved’ thanks to the televoting. Since the semi-final system was introduced in 2004, there has always been a clear cut top ten every single year, however, last year saw the closest results so far, where in both semi-finals, the tenth and the eleventh place were only separated by 1 single point.

In fact, last year, Glen Vella, our representative, didn’t qualify for just one point (could be from the jury or from the tele-voting). Thea Garrett also was very close to qualify for the final night in 2010. Last night, saw a FIRST for the record books with the tie-break rule being used for the first time. Since Semi-Finals were introduced in 2004, there has always been a clear cut top ten every year. However last year saw the closest results so far, when in both Semi-Finals the tenth and eleventh places were separated by a single point. Last night saw a first for the record books with the tie-break rule being used for the first time. The full voting results of the Semi-Finals will be revealed shortly after the Final. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com

Source: Eurovision.tv