Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Vodka" written by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The song was performed by Morena. The Maltese entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected through the national final The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition consisted of a semi-final round and a final, held on 24 and 26 January 2008, respectively, where "Vodka" performed by Morena eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a seven-member jury and a public televote.
Malta was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 22 May 2008. Performing during the show in position 16, "Vodka" was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final on 24 May. It was later revealed that Malta placed fourteenth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 38 points.
Prior to the 2008 Contest, Malta had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty times since its first entry in 1971. Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years. The country had, to this point, competed in every contest since returning in 1991. Malta's best placing in the contest thus far was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco and in the 2005 contest with the song "Angel" performed by Chiara.[1] In the 2007 edition, Malta failed to qualify to the final with the song "Vertigo" performed by Olivia Lewis.
For the 2008 Contest, the Maltese national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), broadcast the event within Malta and organised the selection process for the nation's entry. PBS confirmed their intentions to participate at it on 19 June 2007.[2] Malta selected their entry consistently through a national final procedure, a method that was continued for their 2008 participation.
Before EurovisionEdit
The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008Edit
The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The competition consisted of a semi-final and final held on 24 and 26 January 2008, respectively, at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali. Both shows were hosted by former Maltese Eurovision entrant Chiara who represented Malta in the 1998 and 2005, John Demanuele and Ruth Casingena and broadcast on Television Malta (TVM) as well on the website di-ve.com.[3]
FormatEdit
The competition consisted of seventeen songs competing in the semi-final on 24 January 2008 where the top eight entries qualified to compete in the final on 26 January 2008. Seven judges evaluated the songs during the semi-final and the qualifying entries were the eight songs that received the highest scores from the judges. In the final, the results were based on the results of the public televote and the votes of five judges.[4]
Competing entriesEdit
Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 12 and 13 November 2007. Both artists and songwriters were required to be Maltese or possess Maltese citizenship. Songwriters were able to submit as many songs as they wished, however, artists were only able to submit a maximum of two songs.[5] 225 entries were received by the broadcaster. On 24 November 2007, a shortlist of 36 entries that had progressed through the selection process were announced on the TVM programme Il-Weekend Jibda Hawn.[6][7] The seventeen songs selected to compete in the semi-final were announced in a press conference held at the Salesians Hall in Sliema on 9 January 2008. Among the selected competing artists were former Maltese Eurovision entrants Mary Spiteri who represented Malta in the 1992 contest, and Chris and Moira who represented Malta in the 1994 contest.[8][9] The jury panel that selected the seventeen semi-finalists consisted of David Heffernan (Ireland), Anjelina Kirilova (Bulgaria), Viktoria Branimirova (Bulgaria), Wolfgang Weyand (Germany), Michal Dvořák (Czech Republic) and Gerry Keane (United Kingdom).[10]
ShowsEdit
Semi-finalEdit
The semi-final took place on 24 January 2008. Seventeen songs competed for eight qualifying spots in the final.[11] The running order for the semi-final was announced on 9 January 2008.[12] The show was opened with a guest performance by the Boom Band and Ruth Casingena, while the interval act featured further performances by Ruth Casingena together with Chiara.[13] The seven members of the jury that evaluated the entries during the semi-final consisted of:[14]
José Luis Ayllón (Spain) – Radio DJ
José Juan Santana (Spain) – Composer and singer
Johnny Jørgensen (Denmark) – Music teacher
Horst Senker (Germany) – Producer of the music department at Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
Marios Anastasiou (Cyprus) – Musician and music teacher
Radim Smetana (Czech Republic) – Music editor
Aida Kurtović (Slovenia) – Journalist and music editor for Radio Val 202
The final took place on 26 January 2008. The eight entries that qualified from the semi-final were performed again and the votes of a five-member jury panel (20%) and the results of public televoting (80%) determined the winner. The show was opened with a guest performance of "Vertigo" and "Heaven" by the 2007 Maltese Eurovision entrant Olivia Lewis, while the interval act featured performances by Chiara, 1995 Maltese Eurovision entrant Mike Spiteri and Australian Idol 2007 winner Natalie Gauci.[15] After the votes from the jury panel and televote were combined, "Vodka" performed by Morena was the winner.[16] The five members of the jury that evaluated the entries during the final consisted of Joe Cutajar, Frederick Zammit, Eric Montfort, Robert Azzopardi and Christa Caruana.[14]
Prior to the contest, Morena specifically promoted "Vodka" as the Maltese Eurovision entry on 25 April 2008 by performing during the UKEurovision Preview Party event which was held at the Scala venue in London, United Kingdom and hosted by Paddy O'Connell.[17]
At EurovisionEdit
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 took place at the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia and consisted of two semi-finals for the first time on 20 and 22 May, and the final of 24 May 2008.[18] According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2008, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Malta was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 22 May 2008.[19] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 17 March 2008 and Malta was set to perform in position 16, following the entry from Hungary and before the entry from Cyprus.[20]
The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Malta on TVM with commentary by Eileen Montesin.[21] The Maltese spokesperson, who announced the Maltese votes during the final, was Moira Delia.
Semi-finalEdit
Morena during a rehearsal before the second semi-final
Morena took part in technical rehearsals on 14 and 18 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 21 and 22 May. The Maltese performance featured Morena wearing high-heeled long boots with small mirrors and a black outfit with silver and black glitter, designed by Maltese designer Ernest Camilleri,[22] and performing together with four dancers.[23][24] Morena was joined by a backing vocalist on stage: Anabelle Debono. The dancers featured during the performance were Dan Gill, Markus Englund, Nicklas Berglund and Thomas Benstem.[25]
At the end of the show, Malta was not announced among the top 10 entries in the second semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Malta placed fourteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 38 points.[26]
VotingEdit
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Malta and awarded by Malta in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Switzerland in the semi-final and to Sweden in the final of the contest.
^"Latest News". ESCMALTA.com. from the original on 29 January 2008.
^"Two songs each by Morena, Claudia Faniello go to finals". Times of Malta. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ab. maltasong.com. 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 31 January 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
^"Malta to Belgrade with Vodka!". eurovision.tv. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"UK Eurovision Preview Party". ukeurovision.com. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^. ESCToday.com. 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
^"Semi-Final Allocation Draw: the outcome!". eurovision.tv. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Sietse Bakker (17 March 2008). . Eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
^. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
^Klier, Marcus (27 March 2008). "Malta: Morena to be dressed by Ernest Camilleri". Esctoday. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Vodka flowing on the stage in Belgrade!". eurovision.tv. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"First up: Diana, Csézy & Morena". eurovision.tv. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Malta". Six on Stage. Retrieved 28 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Second Semi-Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
^ ab"Results of the Second Semi-Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
^"Results of the Grand Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
External linksEdit
Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest
Malta Council for Culture and the Arts
August 29, 2023
malta, eurovision, song, contest, 2008, malta, participated, eurovision, song, contest, 2008, with, song, vodka, written, philip, vella, gerard, james, borg, song, performed, morena, maltese, entry, 2008, contest, belgrade, serbia, selected, through, national,. Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song Vodka written by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg The song was performed by Morena The Maltese entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade Serbia was selected through the national final The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008 organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services PBS The competition consisted of a semi final round and a final held on 24 and 26 January 2008 respectively where Vodka performed by Morena eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a seven member jury and a public televote Eurovision Song Contest 2008Country MaltaNational selectionSelection processThe GO Malta Song for Europe 2008Selection date s Semi final 24 January 2008Final 26 January 2008Selected entrantMorenaSelected song Vodka Selected songwriter s Philip VellaGerard James BorgFinals performanceSemi final resultFailed to qualify 14th Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 2008 2009 Malta was drawn to compete in the second semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 22 May 2008 Performing during the show in position 16 Vodka was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the second semi final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final on 24 May It was later revealed that Malta placed fourteenth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi final with 38 points Contents 1 Background 2 Before Eurovision 2 1 The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008 2 1 1 Format 2 1 2 Competing entries 2 1 3 Shows 2 1 4 Semi final 2 1 5 Final 2 2 Promotion 3 At Eurovision 3 1 Semi final 3 2 Voting 3 2 1 Points awarded to Malta 3 2 2 Points awarded by Malta 4 References 5 External linksBackground EditMain article Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest Prior to the 2008 Contest Malta had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty times since its first entry in 1971 Malta briefly competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s before withdrawing for sixteen years The country had to this point competed in every contest since returning in 1991 Malta s best placing in the contest thus far was second which it achieved on two occasions in 2002 with the song 7th Wonder performed by Ira Losco and in the 2005 contest with the song Angel performed by Chiara 1 In the 2007 edition Malta failed to qualify to the final with the song Vertigo performed by Olivia Lewis For the 2008 Contest the Maltese national broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services PBS broadcast the event within Malta and organised the selection process for the nation s entry PBS confirmed their intentions to participate at it on 19 June 2007 2 Malta selected their entry consistently through a national final procedure a method that was continued for their 2008 participation Before Eurovision EditThe GO Malta Song for Europe 2008 Edit The GO Malta Song for Europe 2008 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The competition consisted of a semi final and final held on 24 and 26 January 2008 respectively at the Malta Fairs amp Conventions Centre in Ta Qali Both shows were hosted by former Maltese Eurovision entrant Chiara who represented Malta in the 1998 and 2005 John Demanuele and Ruth Casingena and broadcast on Television Malta TVM as well on the website di ve com 3 Format Edit The competition consisted of seventeen songs competing in the semi final on 24 January 2008 where the top eight entries qualified to compete in the final on 26 January 2008 Seven judges evaluated the songs during the semi final and the qualifying entries were the eight songs that received the highest scores from the judges In the final the results were based on the results of the public televote and the votes of five judges 4 Competing entries Edit Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 12 and 13 November 2007 Both artists and songwriters were required to be Maltese or possess Maltese citizenship Songwriters were able to submit as many songs as they wished however artists were only able to submit a maximum of two songs 5 225 entries were received by the broadcaster On 24 November 2007 a shortlist of 36 entries that had progressed through the selection process were announced on the TVM programme Il Weekend Jibda Hawn 6 7 The seventeen songs selected to compete in the semi final were announced in a press conference held at the Salesians Hall in Sliema on 9 January 2008 Among the selected competing artists were former Maltese Eurovision entrants Mary Spiteri who represented Malta in the 1992 contest and Chris and Moira who represented Malta in the 1994 contest 8 9 The jury panel that selected the seventeen semi finalists consisted of David Heffernan Ireland Anjelina Kirilova Bulgaria Viktoria Branimirova Bulgaria Wolfgang Weyand Germany Michal Dvorak Czech Republic and Gerry Keane United Kingdom 10 Shows Edit Semi final Edit The semi final took place on 24 January 2008 Seventeen songs competed for eight qualifying spots in the final 11 The running order for the semi final was announced on 9 January 2008 12 The show was opened with a guest performance by the Boom Band and Ruth Casingena while the interval act featured further performances by Ruth Casingena together with Chiara 13 The seven members of the jury that evaluated the entries during the semi final consisted of 14 Jose Luis Ayllon Spain Radio DJ Jose Juan Santana Spain Composer and singer Johnny Jorgensen Denmark Music teacher Horst Senker Germany Producer of the music department at Westdeutscher Rundfunk WDR Marios Anastasiou Cyprus Musician and music teacher Radim Smetana Czech Republic Music editor Aida Kurtovic Slovenia Journalist and music editor for Radio Val 202Draw Artist Song Songwriter s Result1 Glen and Pamela Loved By You Paul Giordimaina Fleur Balzan Eliminated2 Claudia Faniello Caravaggio Ray Agius Godwin Sant Advanced3 Eleanor Cassar Give Me a Chance Paul Giordimaina Fleur Balzan Advanced4 Mary Spiteri My Last Encore Ray Agius Godwin Sant Eliminated5 Morena Casanova Philip Vella Gerard James Borg Advanced6 Daniela Vella Throw Your Stones Philip Vella Gerard James Borg Eliminated7 Rosman Pace Love Is Just the Way Rosman Pace Advanced8 Klinsmann Go Dominic Galea Claudette Pace Advanced9 Morena Vodka Philip Vella Gerard James Borg Advanced10 Pamela Whispers Paul Giordimaina Fleur Balzan Eliminated11 Klinsmann Superhero Philip Vella Gerard James Borg Eliminated12 Jean Claude Vancell Contradiction Jean Claude Vancell Eliminated13 Chris and Moira All Right Now Chris Scicluna Moira Stafrace Eliminated14 Jessica Muscat Tangled Philip Vella Gerard James Borg Eliminated15 Mary Spiteri If You Believe Paul Abela Raymond Mahoney Eliminated16 Petra Zammit Street Car of Desire Elton Zarb Rita Pace Advanced17 Claudia Faniello Sunrise Ray Agius AdvancedFinal Edit The final took place on 26 January 2008 The eight entries that qualified from the semi final were performed again and the votes of a five member jury panel 20 and the results of public televoting 80 determined the winner The show was opened with a guest performance of Vertigo and Heaven by the 2007 Maltese Eurovision entrant Olivia Lewis while the interval act featured performances by Chiara 1995 Maltese Eurovision entrant Mike Spiteri and Australian Idol 2007 winner Natalie Gauci 15 After the votes from the jury panel and televote were combined Vodka performed by Morena was the winner 16 The five members of the jury that evaluated the entries during the final consisted of Joe Cutajar Frederick Zammit Eric Montfort Robert Azzopardi and Christa Caruana 14 Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total PlaceVotes Points Votes Points1 Eleanor Cassar Give Me a Chance 49 10 3 821 40 50 42 Claudia Faniello Caravaggio 49 12 12 714 56 68 23 Petra Zammit Street Car of Desire 39 4 3 421 24 28 64 Morena Casanova 40 6 3 607 32 38 55 Klinsmann Go 43 8 3 299 16 24 76 Claudia Faniello Sunrise 71 16 4 518 48 64 37 Rosman Pace Love Is Just the Way 36 2 3 253 8 10 88 Morena Vodka 49 14 16 979 64 78 1Promotion Edit Prior to the contest Morena specifically promoted Vodka as the Maltese Eurovision entry on 25 April 2008 by performing during the UKEurovision Preview Party event which was held at the Scala venue in London United Kingdom and hosted by Paddy O Connell 17 At Eurovision EditThe Eurovision Song Contest 2008 took place at the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade Serbia and consisted of two semi finals for the first time on 20 and 22 May and the final of 24 May 2008 18 According to Eurovision rules all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the Big Four France Germany Spain and the United Kingdom are required to qualify from one of two semi finals in order to compete for the final the top nine songs from each semi final as determined by televoting progress to the final and a tenth was determined by back up juries The European Broadcasting Union EBU split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot On 28 January 2008 an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi finals Malta was placed into the second semi final to be held on 22 May 2008 19 The running order for the semi finals was decided through another draw on 17 March 2008 and Malta was set to perform in position 16 following the entry from Hungary and before the entry from Cyprus 20 The two semi finals and the final were broadcast in Malta on TVM with commentary by Eileen Montesin 21 The Maltese spokesperson who announced the Maltese votes during the final was Moira Delia Semi final Edit Morena during a rehearsal before the second semi finalMorena took part in technical rehearsals on 14 and 18 May followed by dress rehearsals on 21 and 22 May The Maltese performance featured Morena wearing high heeled long boots with small mirrors and a black outfit with silver and black glitter designed by Maltese designer Ernest Camilleri 22 and performing together with four dancers 23 24 Morena was joined by a backing vocalist on stage Anabelle Debono The dancers featured during the performance were Dan Gill Markus Englund Nicklas Berglund and Thomas Benstem 25 At the end of the show Malta was not announced among the top 10 entries in the second semi final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final It was later revealed that Malta placed fourteenth in the semi final receiving a total of 38 points 26 Voting Edit Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Malta and awarded by Malta in the second semi final and grand final of the contest The nation awarded its 12 points to Switzerland in the semi final and to Sweden in the final of the contest Points awarded to Malta Edit Points awarded to Malta Semi final 2 27 Score Country12 points10 points8 points Albania7 points6 points Czech Republic5 points4 points Croatia Denmark Latvia Portugal3 points Bulgaria Iceland2 points United Kingdom1 pointPoints awarded by Malta Edit Points awarded by Malta Semi final 2 27 Score Country12 points Switzerland10 points Georgia8 points Ukraine7 points Sweden6 points Latvia5 points Iceland4 points Denmark3 points Portugal2 points Bulgaria1 point Czech Republic Points awarded by Malta Final 28 Score Country12 points Sweden10 points Ukraine8 points Russia7 points Latvia6 points Iceland5 points Georgia4 points Denmark3 points Norway2 points Greece1 point SerbiaReferences Edit Malta Country Profile EBU Archived from the original on 16 July 2014 Retrieved 13 August 2014 Kuipers Michael 19 June 2007 Malta won t withdraw Esctoday Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Klier Marcus 26 January 2008 Live Malta decides for Belgrade Esctoday Retrieved 17 January 2023 Floras Stella 24 January 2008 Tonight Go Malta Song for Europe semi final Esctoday Retrieved 29 August 2023 Klier Marcus 22 September 2007 Malta Song for Europe 2008 rules published Esctoday Royston Benny 24 November 2007 Malta Live Coverage 36 songs progress Esctoday Song for Europe 2008 1st Pre Selection Results maltasong com 24 November 2007 Archived from the original on 10 February 2008 Retrieved 17 January 2023 Royston Benny 9 January 2008 Malta The 17 songs Esctoday The Go Malta Song for Europe 2008 Festival Latest News Tuesday 8th January maltasong com 8 January 2008 Archived from the original on 24 January 2008 Retrieved 17 January 2023 The Go Malta Song for Europe 2008 Festival Second Phase Selection finalist Maltasong Retrieved 29 August 2023 MALTESE SEMI FINAL 2008 Latest News ESCMALTA com Archived from the original on 29 January 2008 Two songs each by Morena Claudia Faniello go to finals Times of Malta 25 January 2008 Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b The Go Malta Song for Europe 2008 Semi finals and final Judges maltasong com 29 January 2008 Archived from the original on 31 January 2008 Retrieved 17 January 2023 Malta to Belgrade with Vodka eurovision tv 27 January 2008 Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link MALTESE NATIONAL FINAL 2008 UK Eurovision Preview Party ukeurovision com Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Eurovision 2 semi finals confirmed ESCToday com 31 July 2007 Archived from the original on 11 October 2007 Retrieved 31 July 2007 Semi Final Allocation Draw the outcome eurovision tv 28 January 2008 Retrieved 27 August 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Sietse Bakker 17 March 2008 Belgrade 2008 The running order Eurovision tv Archived from the original on 18 March 2008 Retrieved 18 March 2008 MALTA Valerie Vella chosen as commentator Archived from the original on 12 February 2010 Retrieved 11 May 2011 Klier Marcus 27 March 2008 Malta Morena to be dressed by Ernest Camilleri Esctoday Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Vodka flowing on the stage in Belgrade eurovision tv 14 May 2008 Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link First up Diana Csezy amp Morena eurovision tv 18 May 2008 Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Malta Six on Stage Retrieved 28 October 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Second Semi Final of Belgrade 2008 European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 23 April 2021 Retrieved 23 April 2021 a b Results of the Second Semi Final of Belgrade 2008 European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 24 April 2021 Retrieved 24 April 2021 Results of the Grand Final of Belgrade 2008 European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 24 April 2021 Retrieved 24 April 2021 External links EditMalta at the Eurovision Song Contest Malta Council for Culture and the Arts Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 amp oldid 1172838981, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
