Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

ESC National Year
Year = 2008
Country = GRE
Preselection = National Final
60% Televoting/SMS
40% Judging panel
Preselection date = February 27, 2008
Entrant = Kalomoira
Song = "Secret Combination"
SF result = "Qualified" (1st, 156 points)
Final result = 3rd, 218 points

Greece and Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) held a national final to choose who would represent them in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Three artists, Chrispa, Kostas Martakis, and Kalomoira, were selected by ERT to participate in the final held on February 27, 2008. The Greek public, along with an expert jury, chose Kalomoira with the song "Secret Combination" as the 2008 entry. At Eurovision, she placed first in the first semi-final and third in the final.

National final

ERT chose to hold a national selection again for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 after efforts to find a big name artist for an internal selection failed. [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1709|title=ERT sources confirm national final for Belgrade|last=Konstantopoulos|first=Fotis|date=2007-12-07|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] ERT originally proposed to Elli Kokkinou internally, but she declined due to her pregnancy. [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1454|title=Elli said no, ERT seems to head for national final|last=Konstantopoulos|first=Fotis|date=2007-11-16|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] From 2004 to 2006, ERT had selected high-profile artists internally, while in 2007 ERT held a a National Final after failing to find a big name once again. On December 17, 2007, ERT officially announced the participants of the national final: Kalomoira, Kostas Martakis, and Chrispa. [ cite web | title = ERT announces the national final participants | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1837|publisher="Oikotimes"|date=2007-12-17|accessdate=2008-01-23|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] [ cite web | title = Greece: National final participants announced | url = http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/9908|publisher="ESCToday"| accessdate=2008-01-23| date=2007-12-18| author=Stella, Floras]

The participant's songs had to be submitted to ERT by January 25, 2008. [ cite web | title = Submission for songs due on January 25 | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1938|publisher="Oikotimes"| accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2007-12-28| author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] On February 3, 2008 Kalomoira and Kostas Martakis' songs for the national final were leaked on the internet. [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2447|title=Reactions on the leaked songs and preferences|date=2008-02-04|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] ERT had previously stated that they would not release the songs before the press conference on February 6, 2008. [ cite web | title = Two national final songs leaked on the web | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2427 |publisher="Oikotimes" |accessdate=2008-02-03 |date=2008-02-03| author=Drakouli, Rallou] At the February 6 press conference at the Athens Hilton Hotel, ERT officially revealed the songs and more details about the National Final to the media and public. cite web | title = The press conference at the Athens Hilton hotel | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2176 |publisher="Oikotimes" |accessdate=2008-01-23 |date=2008-01-17 |author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] The national final would take place on February 27, 2008 at the Athinon Arena with the winner being chosen via 60% Televoting/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury. cite web | title = ERT announces date and venue for national final | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1883|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2007-12-21|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis]

The National Final took place on February 27, 2008 at 10PM CET at the Athinon Arena on a stage that was slightly bigger than the previous year's. Kalomoira, Kostas Martakis, and Chrispa each had to sing the song they chose live. The winner was chosen via 60% Televoting/SMS Messaging and 40% internal jury. The president of the jury was Mr. Mimis Plessas, while the jury included Christos Dantis, ERT executive Johnny Kalimeris, Mr. Gontakas and Mr. Andrikakis representatives from ERT's TV and Radio divisions, as well as others. cite web | title = (UPD) The stage, the jury and one invitation for you | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2672 |date=2008-02-23 |accessdate=2008-02-24 |publisher="Oikotimes" |author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2704|title=Author of the Greek victory entry in the Eurovision NF jury|date=2008-02-25|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] The host's of the show were the Maggira Sisters. [ cite web | title = The Maggira Sisters to host the national final | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=1932|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2007-12-27|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] Similar to the previous year's show, there was also entertainment in the show by international participants. International participants included Rebeka Dremelj from Slovenia, Nico & Vlad Miriţă from Romania, Elnur Hüseynov and Samir Javadzadeh from Azerbaijan, and Evdokia Kadi from Cyprus. [cite web | title = (UPD) Revelations regarding the Greek national final | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2621|publisher="Oikotimes"
accessdate=2008-02-24|date=2008-02-19|author=Drakouli, Rallou] Sarbel also performed "Yassou Maria" as well as the previously unheard "Eho Trelathi". The National Final was streamed live on New Hellenic Television (NET), ERT World, and the official websites of ERT and the Eurovision Song Contest. The whole show was "Las Vegas show girl" themed."National Final, February 27, 2008, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT)."]

Besides a few small faults in the program, the production ran much more smoothly than in 2007. cite web | title = High TV rates in Greece, poor televoting figures | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2745 |author=Economou, Thanasis |publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-03-18|date=2008-02-28] The show lasted about two and a half hours and ERT's broadcast topped the programs aired on February 27 by 45.9% according to "AGB Hellas", while it is estimated that 1.9 million viewers watched the show. Kalomoira was the winner of the final and came first in the televoting, and second in the jury vote.

The songs

Chrispa

Chrispa chose a song composed by Marios Psimopoulos with lyrics by Antonis Papas. The provisional title of the song was "SOS for Love", but it was later changed to "A Chance to Love". [ cite web | title = Chrispa to sing 'SOS For Love'; title to change | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2277 |publisher="Oikotimes"|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis|accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2008-01-23] cite web | title = Chrispa decided 'A Chance To Love' | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2360|date=2008-01-28|accessdate=2008-01-28|publisher="Oikotimes"|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] The song is Ethnic style, described as a "Dance Oriental", with lyrics in both Greek and English. Chrispa appeared at the National Final on stage in a white short dress with four male dancers with tattoos on their chests and backs. She started the song sitting in a black chair with her dancers huddled around her. She later got up and sang while her dancers danced in the background.cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/10687|title=Tonight live: Greece decides Eurovision entry|last=Viniker|first=Barry|date=2008-02-27|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-08]

Kostas Martakis

Kostas Martakis competed in the National Final with "Always and Forever", a song by Dimitris Kontopoulos with lyrics by Vicky Gerothodorou. cite web | title = Στην τελική ευθεία ο Κώστας Μαρτάκης | url = http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=28406|language=Greek|publisher="MAD TV"|accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2008-01-18] [ cite web | title = Kostas Martakis to sing 'Always & Forever' | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2278 |publisher="Oikotimes" |accessdate=2008-01-23|date=2008-01-23|author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis] The song was originally presented at the ERT press conference in its original form as a pop song with a rock feel to it, but for Eurovision and the National Final he decided to sing a Dance Version of "Always and Forever". [ cite web | title = Κ.Μαρτάκης: Με την dance version στον τελικό | url = http://www.eurovision-greece.com/news/2008/February/news26a.html|publisher= "Eurovision-Greece"|accessdate=2008-03-21|language=Greek|date=2008-02-26] Martakis appeared in all white with two female and two male dancers and back up singers also in white. He started off his song sitting down, later getting up and dancing. During the middle part of his song, he jumped up on a platform, and a big prop opened up on stage in the shape of the letter V with him in the middle. The lights then went to him with smoke machines on during a break, while his dancers started singing as backing vocalists with microphones facing him.

Kalomoira

Many songs were sent into Kalomoira and her record company Heaven Music, and they picked her entry from these songs. [ cite web | title = Kalomira; the deadline, the songs and a party | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2134| date=2008-01-13| accessdate=2008-01-23| author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis| publisher="Oikotimes"] Kalomoira picked an R&B style upbeat song with a Greek feel composed by Konstantinos Pantzis with lyrics by Poseidonas Giannopoulos titled "Secret Combination". Giannopoulos also wrote lyrics for "Comme Ci, Comme Ça": Cyprus's Eurovision song in 2007. [ cite web | title = Η Καλομοίρα σε "secret combination" | url = http://www.mad.tv/news/?id=28414&c= |publisher="MAD TV"|date=2008-01-21|accessdate=2008-01-23|language=Greek] The song had an "American production" feel to it. cite web | title = Greece: Kalomoira's composer exclusive | url = http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/10238| author=Kalimeris, Aris |publisher="ESCToday"|date=2008-01-24|accessdate=2008-01-24] Kalomoira appeared on stage in a short JLO dress [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2538|title= Kalomira (NF, 2008) in New York for J LO clothes|last=Konstantopoulos|first=Fotis|date=2008-02-11|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] , accompanied by four male back up dancers. At the start of the show, the four dancers held her up on top of themselves while she was laying down flat. Later she came down, and started dancing with them. During the break of the song, the four dancers got down in a circle and started bowing to Kalomoira while she danced in the middle. At the end of the song, the dancers got in a row and took off their shirts to reveal a letter on each of them spelling "LOVE" with Kalomoira at the end.

Result of National Final

At Eurovision

Although Greece was granted a place in the 2008 final because of Sarbel's seventh place finish at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, it had to compete in a semi-final in 2008 because the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to regulate all countries except the Big 4, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, to pass through a semi-final. [ cite web | title = All you need to know for Monday's draw! | url = http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news/belgrade-2008?id=416|publisher="Eurovision.TV"|accessdate=2008-01-28|date=2008-01-24|author=Bakker, Sietse] [cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/9327|title=Eurovision: 2 semi finals confirmed!|last=Viniker|first=Barry|date=2007-09-28|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-13] This was the first time since 2004 that Greece had to participate in a semi-final. The EBU split up countries with a friendly voting history into two different semi-finals, to give a better chance for other countries to win. On January 28, 2008, the EBU held a special draw which determined that Greece would be in "Semi-Final 1" held on May 20, 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. [ cite web | title = THE 2008 EUROVISION DRAW LIVE' | url = http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=2354| publisher="Oikotimes"| accessdate=2008-01-28| date=2008-01-28| author=Konstantopoulos, Fotis]

The Maggira Sisters were the commentators for both the semi-final and final while Alexis Kostalas was the Greek jury spokesperson. ["Eurovision Song Contest Semi-final 1, May 20, 2008, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT)." ]

emi-final

Kalomoira presented "Secret Combination" nineteenth (last) in the first semi-final on May 20, 2008. In March 2008, Konstantinos Pantzis, the composer, announced that there would be a few tweaks to the song for its appearance at Eurovision. [ cite web | title = Η νέα έκδοση του Secret combination| url = http://www.eurovision-greece.com/news/2008/March/news13.html|date=2008-03-13|accessdate=2008-03-21|publisher="Eurovision-Greece"|language=Greek] [cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/10856|title=Greece: Eurovision Version of Secret Combination|last=Viniker|first=Barry|date=2008-03-13|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-13] The changes included a new beat to the introduction and a few changes to the chorus. ERT announced that this new version would be presented to the EBU as the official version of the song. [ cite web | title = Greece: Eurovision Version of Secret Combination| url = http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/10856|author=Viniker, Barry|accessdate=2008-03-23|date=2008-03-13|publisher="ESCToday"]

The stage show included new choreography, as well as Victoria Halkiti and Nektarios Georgiadis as backing vocalists.cite web | title = Kalomoira hails 3rd in EUROVISION! Well done to Greece!
url = http://www.lgr.co.uk/music/news/12899/kalomoira-hails-3rd-in-eurovision-well-done-to-greece/publisher="London Greek Radio"|accessdate=2008-05-26|date=2008-05-14|author=Neophytou, Tony] Kalomoira started off the show sitting on a diamond sequenced bench held up by her dancers.cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/11358|title=Day 2: Romania, Russia and Greece|last=Davies|first=Russell|date=2008-05-12|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-08] She then got down and started a dance routine with complex choreography. There was also a large purple book on stage that opened up as a heart shaped pop-up book that Kalomoira stepped out of when she sang the lyrics "an open book". [cite news |url=http://www.lgr.co.uk/music/news/13012/secret-combination-storms-into-uk-top-40/ |title='Secret Combination' storms into UK TOP 40 |publisher= "London Greek Radio" |date=May 28, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-29|author=Neophytou, Tony] At that same moment of the book opening, she changed her outfit converting it from a pink dress into a silver mini skirt. Toward the middle of the song during the break, the cameras cut to Kalomoira who was doing a provocative dance; shaking her whole body. At the end of the song, she was slightly lifted up by her dancers. The background image on stage was a skyline of buildings that moved with glowing lights. She wore clothes exclusively by JLO [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=3261|title= Kalomira in the JLo shop opening in Athens|last=Konstantopoulos|first=Fotis|date=2008-05-05|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] and managed to finish in first place out of nineteen countries, receiving 156 points.

Final

Kalomoira performed a repeat of her semi-final performance at the Eurovision Final on May 24, 2008. She was the twenty-first act out of twenty-five countries, after Azerbaijan and before Spain. Having led initially in the voting, Kalomoira finished in third place behind Russia and Ukraine, receiving 218 points. She received 12 points, the maximum number of points a country can give to another country, from the United Kingdom, Germany, Albania, San Marino, Cyprus and Romania. Latvia, Iceland, Portugal, Finland, Norway and Lithuania were the only countries that did not vote her in their top ten, thereby giving her no points. The Final received 93% ratings and was watched by over six million people in Greece.cite web|author=Kalimeris, Aris|title=Six million Greeks watched the big final|publisher="ESCToday"|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/12005|date=2008-05-25|accessdate=2008-06-10]

After Eurovision

After the contest, Kalomoira told the media that she was relieved about the results, but the only thing she wanted to do was go home and rest, after months of preparation and a promotional tour for the contest. On May 25, 2008 in Athens, the Greek delegation held its first press conference after the final. The delegation included Kalomoira, Konstantinos Pantzis, Poseidonas Giannopoulos, and the ERT staff. She stated that "it was an honor...to represent Greece in this contest" and she thanked Greece because they supported her from the first moment she said she would compete.cite web|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/12180|title=Greece: Kalomira puts career on ice|last=Floras|first=Stella|date=2008-07-31|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-08] However, months later, it was revealed that when she left Greece to go to the United States, it was because she felt mistreated by her record label and was not paid for several arrangements she had made with Heaven during her stay and had to pay for many things herself. [cite web|url=http://www.oikotimes.com/v2/index.php?file=articles&id=3890|title= Kalomira Sarantis speaks out for the first time|last=Konstantopoulos|first=Fotis|date=2008-08-03|publisher="Oikotimes"|accessdate=2008-08-13] In an interview with "Downtown Magazine", Kalomoira's father stated that she was treated "like dirt" by Heaven Music and that she may or may not continue her singing career, but that it was up to her.cite web|url=http://mad.tv/news/?id=31860&c=|title=Φως στο τούνελ για το Καλομοιράκι|date=2008-07-29|publisher="MAD TV"|language=Greek|accessdate=2008-08-03] In response, Makis Pounetzis, the new CEO of Heaven Music, claimed that he was "surprised" by Kalomoira's remarks and couldn't offer an explanation, though he did say that her contract would be honored should she choose to go back and sing again.

"Secret Combination" became a successful hit throughout Europe, peaking at number one in Greece and Cyprus and charting in a number of other countries. [cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/chart03.htm|title=Greek Top 50 Singles|date=|publisher=IFPI|language=Greek|accessdate=2008-05-11] [cite web|url=http://www.music.net.cy/charts/superfm.htm|title=Super FM Airplay Charts|date=|publisher=|language=Greek|accessdate=2008-08-17]

See also

* Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
* Eurovision Song Contest 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.ert.gr/en Official ERT Website]
* [http://eurovision.ert.gr/ Official Greek Eurovision Site of 2008]