Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010

Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Country  Malta
National selection
Selection process The GO Malta Eurosong 2010
50% Jury
50% Televoting
Selection date(s) Weekly semi finals
9 December 2009–
13 January 2010
Final
20 February 2010
Selected entrant Thea Garrett
Selected song "My Dream"
Finals performance
Semi-final result Failed to qualify (12th, 45 points)

Malta selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 on February 2010 in the The GO Malta EuroSong 2010 competition, organised by the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), the Maltese broadcaster. At the final of the contest held on 20 February Thea Garrett was chosen by jury and televoting to represent Malta with the song "My Dream".[1][2]

Contents

Before Eurovision

The GO Malta Eurosong 2010

Malta's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was selected by the GO Malta Eurosong 2010 contest. 36 songs were selected in an open call for songs by PBS, which could be submitted until 30 October.[3] In a change from previous years only Maltese nationals could submit songs to the selection process - this change however caused some criticism, especially from Grace Borg, former chairwoman of the Maltese Eurovision selection.[4] It has been announced that songwriters can enter more than one composition, however artists may only perform one song.[3]

36 artists were chosen to compete in six semi-finals, held between 9 December and 13 January. The votes of a professional jury and televoting selected twenty songs to progress to the final of the contest, held on 20 February 2010. The winner again selected by both jury and televoting, with each getting a 50% say in the final result.[3] The semi-finals were incoparated into the new talent show L-Isfida (The Challenge).[5]

In November it was announced that plans for the competition were paralysed by legal disputes between PBS and Grace Borg. Despite this the Maltese Head of Delegation, Joe Dimech, has denied that the whole national selection process was in danger, and that PBS were consulting legal advice. New dates for the national selection were to be made after missing their planned start date of 9 November for the first stage of the contest.[6][7] On 18 November a Maltese court ruled in favour of PBS, in that they could prohibit foreign composers from competing in the GO Malta EuroSong 2010, finally allowing the Maltese selection process to continue.[8][9]

On 19 November PBS revealed details on their selection process: 123 entries were received by PBS for the contest, considerably less than last year's total due to PBS rules allowing only one song per singer and allowing only Maltese songwriters to submit entries. From 2 to 4 December an international jury selected 36 songs from the submitted entries, and three days later the qualifiers performed in front of a different jury.[10][11]

Semi-finals

On 4 December after three days of judging PBS released the names of the 36 competing songs. These include two former Eurovision representatives: Mike Spiteri (1995) and Miriam Christine (1996), as well as many names familiar to the Maltese Eurovision selection process.[12]

After judging the 36 songs on 4 December PBS later announced the running order and semi-final allocation of each of the 36 songs. The six semi-finals were held weekly from 9 December to 13 January, during the L-Isfida talent show, hosted by Claudette Pace from the Audiovision TV Studios in Hamrun.[13]

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final was held on 9 December 2009. Televoting was open from the end of the show until Saturday 12 December at 16:30 CET.[14]

Semi-final 1–9 December 2009
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Raquela "Here I Am" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
2 Ally "Curiosity" Elton Zarb, Gerard James Borg
3 Richard Edwards "Change" Richard Micallef
4 Foxy Federation "Fired Up" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
5 Klinsmann "Her Name Was Anne" Jonathan Spiteri & Klinsmann Coleiro, Aldo Spiteri
6 J.Anvil "Mirage" Andrew Zahra, Deo Grech
Semi-final 2

The second semi-final was held on 16 December 2009. Televoting was open from the end of the show until Saturday 19 December at 16:30 CET.[15]

Semi-final - 16 December 2009
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Aldo Busuttil "Pizzicato" Philip Vella, Alfred C. Sant
2 Claudia Faniello "Samsara" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
3 Claire Galea "Ole Satchmo Blues" Claire Galea, Erin Stewart Tanti & Claire Galea
4 Godwin Lucas & Eve Daly "The Best Years" Carm Fenech
5 Josef Tabone "Who Cares?" Elton Zarb, Rita Pace
6 Glen Vella "Just A Little More Love" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan
Semi-final 3

The third semi-final was held on 23 December 2009. Televoting was open from the end of the show until Saturday 26 December at 16:30 CET.[16]

Semi-final 3–23 December 2009
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Miriam Christine "Beautiful Contradiction" Miriam Christine, Gerard James Borg
2 Thea Garrett "My Dream" Jason Paul Cassar, Sunny Aquilina
3 Tiziana Calleja "Words are Not Enough" John David Zammit, Paul Callus
4 Eleanor Spiteri "Velvet Ocean" Paul Abela, Joe Julian Farrugia
5 Francesca Borg "I Surrender" Dominic Cini, Mario J Caruana
6 Eleonor Cassar "Choices" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan
Semi-final 4

The fourth semi-final was held on 30 December 2009. Televoting was open from the end of the show until Saturday 2 January 2010 at 16:30 CET.[17]

Semi-final 4–30 December 2009
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Audrey Marie Bartolo "Good Intentions" Miriam Christine, Rita Pace
2 Wayne Micallef "Save A Life" Wayne Micallef
3 Ryan Dale & Duminka "One For You" Ryan Dale, Jon Lukas
4 Mike Spiteri "Twenty Thousand Leagues" Ray Agius, Alfred C. Sant
5 Cynthia Attard "If I Knew" Miriam Christine, Gerard James Borg
6 Dario Bezzina "Grave Dancers" Chan Vella, Alexia Schembri
Semi-final 5

The fifth semi-final was held on 6 January 2010. Televoting was open from the end of the show until Saturday 9 January 2010 at 16:30 CET.[18]

Semi-final 5–6 January 2010
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Petra Zammit "All I Need" Andrew Zammit, Keith Zammit
2 Pamela Bezzina "Hold On" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan
3 Nadine Axisa & Clifford Galea "Once in a Lifetime" Jason Paul Cassar, Mario Farrugia
4 Priscilla & Kurt "Waterfall" Mark Debono, Rita Pace
5 Baklava "Euphoria" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
6 Rosman Pace "Hypnotized" Rosman Pace
Semi-final 6

The sixth semi-final was be held on 13 January 2010. Televoting will open from the end of the show until Saturday 16 January 2010 at 16:30 CET.[19]

Semi-final 6–13 January 2010
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist
1 Ruth Portelli "Three Little Words" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
2 Roger Tirazona "Silver Rain" Paul Abela, Joe Julian Farrugia
3 Jessica Muscat "Fake" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg
4 Silver Clash "Broken" Robert Parde
5 Lawrence Gray "Stories" Ray Agius, Godwin Sant
6 Dorothy Bezzina "Moments" Chan Vella, Alexia Schembri

Final

The final of the GO Malta EuroSong 2010 was held on 20 February at the Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta' Qali, hosted by Keith Demicoli and Pauline Agius, with Owen Bonnici presenting from the Green Room.[20] 20 songs were selected from the 36 finalists, and were revealed on 16 January.[21][22] The draw for the running order in the final was held on 17 January.[23]

A number of guests performed during the final: Sirusho, the Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008; Mary Spiteri, who came third for Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 1992; and last year's, Malta EuroSong winner, Chiara.[1][24]

The winner was Thea Garrett with the song "My Dream", written by Jason Paul Cassar and Sunny Aquilina, who received maximum points from both the jury and televoting public, gaining nearly double the points of runner-up Glen Vella, with Tiziana Calleja finishing in third place.[1][2]

Final - 20 February 2010
Draw Artist Song Composer - Lyricist Jury Televote Total Place
1 Dorothy Bezzina "Moments" Chan Vella, Alexia Schembri 21 6 27 10
2 Foxy Federation "Fired Up" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg 0 9 9 18
3 Lawrence Gray "Stories" Ray Agius, Godwin Sant 21 12 33 7
4 Eleanor Spiteri "Velvet Ocean" Paul Abela, Joe Julian Farrugia 25 14 39 5
5 Claudia Faniello "Samsara" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg 3 28 31 8
6 Thea Garrett "My Dream" Jason Paul Cassar, Sunny Aquilina 54 48 102 1
7 Priscilla & Kurt "Waterfall" Mark Debono, Rita Pace 6 13 19 12
8 Nadine Axisa & Clifford Galea "Once in a Lifetime" Jason Paul Cassar, Mario Farrugia 7 12 19 12
9 Glen Vella "Just A Little More Love" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan 28 30 58 2
10 Audrey Marie Bartolo "Good Intentions" Miriam Christine, Rita Pace 7 3 10 17
11 Klinsmann "Her Name Was Anne" Jonathan Spiteri & Klinsmann Coleiro, Aldo Spiteri 10 16 26 11
12 Claire Galea "Ole Satchmo Blues" Claire Galea, Erin Stewart Tanti & Claire Galea 3 6 9 18
13 Wayne Micallef "Save A Life" Wayne Micallef 27 9 36 6
14 Petra Zammit "All I Need" Andrew Zammit, Keith Zammit 7 7 14 15
15 Ryan Dale & Duminka "One For You" Ryan Dale, Jon Lukas 7 6 13 16
16 Eleonor Cassar "Choices" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan 5 11 16 14
17 Silver Clash "Broken" Robert Parde 0 5 5 20
18 Tiziana Calleja "Words are Not Enough" John David Zammit, Paul Callus 13 32 45 3
19 Ruth Portelli "Three Little Words" Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg 19 12 31 8
20 Pamela Bezzina "Hold On" Paul Giordimaina, Fleur Balzan 27 13 40 4

Promotion

Thea Garrett will take part in a wide promotional tour on April, in order to promote her Eurovision entry "My Dream". Her tour will begin on 15 April, where she will visit Slovakia, appearing on a national breakfast show and on a state radio station. Afterwards she will visit the Netherlands, performing at the "Eurovision in Concert" festival in Zaanstad on 24 April. Afterwards she will fly to Belgium, where she will perform on the "Studio TVL" show on regional TV channel TV Limburg and at a Eurovision party in Antwerp.[25]

Garrett also recorded a Maltese version of "My Dream", entitled "Ħolma" (Dream).[25]

Meanwhile, as of 24 April, Eurovision commentator Valerie Vella will host "Euromix" on PBS, which will preview the video-clips of the 39 Eurovision entries.[25]

At Eurovision

Malta competed in the first semi-final of the contest, on 25 May, and failed to qualify to the final..

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Webb, Glen (2010-02-20). "Thea Garrett takes the Maltese ticket to Oslo!". European Broadcasting Union. http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=9353&_t=Thea+Garrett+takes+the+Maltese+ticket+to+Oslo!. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Floras, Stella (2010-02-21). "Malta sends Thea Garrett to Eurovision". ESCToday. http://esctoday.com/news/read/15163. Retrieved 21 February 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c Siim, Jarmo (2009-10-01). "Malta chooses in February". European Broadcasting Union. http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=4413&_t=Malta+chooses+in+February. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
  4. ^ Viniker, Barry (2009-08-31). "Grace Borg attacks Malta selection... again". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14289. Retrieved 2009-08-31. 
  5. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-09-09). "Malta: Talent search will be part of national selection". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14304. Retrieved 2009-09-09. 
  6. ^ Hondal, Victor (2009-11-07). "Malta selection process paralysed". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14475. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
  7. ^ Calleja Bayliss, Marc (2009-11-06). "Eurosong 2010 procedure postponed". ESCMalta.com. http://escmalta.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=906&Itemid=1. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
  8. ^ Viniker, Barry (2009-11-18). "PBS wins court case in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14503. Retrieved 2009-11-18. 
  9. ^ "Grace Borg loses case for festival rule change". Oikotimes. 2009-11-18. http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=6857. Retrieved 2009-11-18. 
  10. ^ Floras, Stella (2009-11-19). "http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14513". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14513. Retrieved 2009-11-19. 
  11. ^ "PBS gets 123 entries, national final on 20/2". Oikotimes. 2009-11-19. http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=6872. Retrieved 2009-11-19. 
  12. ^ Hondal, Victor (2009-12-04). "These are the 36 Maltese semifinalists". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14577. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  13. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-12-08). "Malta Song for Europe semi final allocation". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14587. Retrieved 8 December 2009. 
  14. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-12-09). "Live: First semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14596. Retrieved 13 December 2009. 
  15. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-12-16). "Live: Second semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14636. Retrieved 23 December 2009. 
  16. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-12-23). "Live: Third semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14668. Retrieved 23 December 2009. 
  17. ^ Klier, Marcus (2009-12-30). "Live: Fourth Semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14736. Retrieved 30 December 2009. 
  18. ^ Klier, Marcus (2010-01-06). "Live: Fifth semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14771. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
  19. ^ Klier, Marcus (2010-01-13). "Live: Sixth semi final in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14824. Retrieved 13 January 2010. 
  20. ^ Klier, Marcus (2010-01-08). "Three hosts for Maltese national final revealed". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14782. Retrieved 10 January 2010. 
  21. ^ Klier, Marcus (2010-01-16). "Results: 20 acts qualified in Malta". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14853. Retrieved 16 January 2010. 
  22. ^ Webb, Glen (2010-01-16). "Maltese finalists announced!". European Broadcasting Union. http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=8163&_t=Maltese+finalists+announced!. Retrieved 16 January 2010. 
  23. ^ Klier, Marcus (2010-01-17). "Malta: The running order for the final". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/14861. Retrieved 17 January 2010. 
  24. ^ Montebello, Edward (2010-02-21). "Sirusho to guest star at Maltese Final". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/15094. Retrieved 21 February 2010. 
  25. ^ a b c Montebello, Edward (2010-04-09). "Thea Garrett to kick-off with her promo tour". ESCToday. http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/15492. Retrieved 9 April 2010. 

External links