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Greece’s national final moves forward without Marina Satti

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Marina Satti will not be attending ERT’s national final to select the artist and song that will represent Greece at Eurovision 2025.

MAD TV has already begun preparations for the big night, scheduled to take place on January 30 at the Christmas Theater. According to published reports and our own sources, last year’s Eurovision representative for Greece will not be present at the national final.

It remains unclear whether her absence is due to ERT’s decision not to invite her or her own unavailability due to a packed schedule.

It’s worth recalling that during last year’s competition, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis distanced himself from Marina Satti’s behavior, particularly her infamous yawn during the press conference following the second semifinal. This occurred while Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, was speaking. Political backlash also arose from statements made by two of her dancers, who referred to the minority in Thrace as “Turkish.”

While Marina Satti may not be a guest at this year’s national final, other notable guests are expected to attend. The event will be hosted by Helena Paparizou and Sakis Rouvas, with stage direction handled by Fokas Evangelinos.

On Friday, January 10, the announcement of the 12 national final contestants is anticipated, along with the release of their competing songs.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Eurovision Awards 2024: Results Announced!

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In recent years, Eurovision.tv has been hosting its own annual Eurovision Awards. Voting took place via the official Eurovision Song Contest app and was open from December 6 to December 13.

The results for the following 12 categories are:

Artistic Vision

  • Bambie Thug
  • alyona alyona & Jerry Heil
  • Slimane
  • Nemo

Vocal Powerhouse

  • Nemo
  • Isaak
  • Gåte
  • iolanda

Miss Congeniality

  • Windows95man
  • Marcus & Martinus
  • Angelina Mango
  • Baby Lasagna

Onstage Ensemble

  • Μαρίνα Σάττι
  • 5MIINUST x Puuluup
  • Ladaniva
  • Nebulossa

Luscious Looks

  • Megara
  • Nebulossa
  • Teya Dora
  • Silvester Belt

Style Icon

  • Bambie Thug
  • Raiven
  • Mustii
  • Nemo

Choreo Monarch

  • Sarah Bonnici
  • Marcus & Martinus
  • Olly Alexander
  • Kaleen

Most Rizz

  • Window95man
  • Marcus & Martinus
  • Angelina Mango
  • Hera Björk

Total Slay

  • Silia Kapsis
  • Nutsa Buzaladze
  • Dons
  • Tali

Non-qualifying Show-stopper

  • Aiko
  • Saba
  • Electric Fields
  • Luna

Music Video

  • Nemo
  • Ladaniva
  • Eden Golan
  • Baby Lasagna

#ALBM Cover of the Year

  • Silvester Belt – “Rush” (Troye Sivan)
  • Natalia Barbu – “How Will I Know” (Whitney Houston)
  • Fagree & Ilkin Dovlatov – “Bəri Baz (Folk Song)
  • Besa – “Rrjedh Në Këngë E Ligjërime” (Vaçe Zela)

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Greek representative, Marina Satti, and Cyprus’ representative, Silia Kapsis, won in their respective nominated categories.

You can watch the video with the results below:

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest updates!

Marina Satti on the yawn incident: “The answer given regarding safety did not satisfy me”

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Marina Satti gave her first television interview following Eurovision 2024, where she achieved 11th place for Greece with her song ZARI. She appeared on MEGA’s The Big Picture with Niki Lymberaki. As expected, Marina was asked about the infamous yawn during the press conference after the Second Semi-Final, which occurred while Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, was speaking.

Addressing the Incident

Marina Satti reflected on the controversial moment, admitting she never anticipated that it would gain such widespread attention, something she only realized the following day.

Without offering a definitive explanation, Satti clarified once again that her yawn was unrelated to the ongoing events in Gaza or her personal views on the matter. She elaborated that, at the moment of her yawn, a response was being given (presumably by Eden, though she did not name her) regarding the safety of artists in the competition. According to Satti, this response did not satisfy her.

“I could have been smarter and more cautious… A very specific question was posed at that time by a journalist. It was about safety. The response given did not satisfy me. Backstage, there was military presence and security personnel. I can’t know all the details, but the atmosphere was tense. I would not have addressed the issue (regarding Gaza) in that way. I don’t want my words or actions to be misinterpreted. I should have been more cautious.”

Does She Regret It?

When asked by Niki Lymberaki whether she regrets the incident, Satti appeared to have mixed feelings:

“I can’t say whether I regret it. It was a very honest reaction on my part. I regret and feel sorry for all those around me whom I may have inconvenienced, people who supported and trusted me.”

Her Position on the Middle East Crisis

Finally, when asked about her stance on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Marina Satti expressed a universal sentiment:

“My opinion is that I don’t want people to die, to be kidnapped, or for blood to be shed. That’s the view of any human being. Who wants people, especially children, to die?”

What do you think of Marina Satti’s comments on one of the most talked-about incidents of this year’s Eurovision? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Eden Golan’s Best Wishes to Marina Satti and Bambie Thug

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Shortly after her appearance at the United Nations headquarters and Central Park in New York, marking one year since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Eden Golan gave an interesting interview to Hollywood Reporter. The Israeli singer spoke about her Eurovision experience, the overwhelming support she received during the televote, and shared her feelings about Marina Satti and Bambie Thug, who both showed hostility toward her in their own way during the competition.

As you will see in her response regarding Marina Satti and Bambie Thug, Eden Golan holds no grudges and wishes them the best. She expressed her desire to completely leave behind everything she experienced in Malmö.

“Good luck. I hope all their dreams come true. I pray. I pray for them. I pray for them to have a good life and be happy.”

Following the release of her new song and her performance of October Rain at the UN and Central Park, Eden remains in the U.S., where she is planning her next professional steps.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: Hollywoodreporter

Greece: Is Marina Satti the reason for the change of the president of ERT?

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The electronic edition of Avgi , mentions in an article the reasons for the non-remaining of Kon/nos Zoulas in the position of President of ERT. In fact, the columnist claims that, among others, Marina Satti’s appearance at Eurovision 2024 was one of the reasons why Kon/nos Zoulas is saying goodbye to the radio station of Agia Paraskevi.

Marina Satti “fires” Kon/nos Zoulas from ERT

From the first moment, both Marina Satti herself and other contributors to the Greek participation mentioned in their statements that the President of ERT himself, Kon/nos Zoulas, was the one who convinced the popular artist to say yes to Eurovision .

It is no secret that Kon/nos Zoulas, since 2019 when he had assumed the duties of the President of ERT, had several times proposed to Marina Satti and her record label, to represent Greece in the Eurovision contest. Finally, Marina Satti represented Greece in Malmö last May, taking 11th place with ZARI.

Marina Satti’s infamous yawn at the press conference, immediately after the end of the second semi-final and when the representative of Israel Eden Golan was speaking, had provoked strong reactions, forcing even the government representative to take a stand, effectively emptying the behavior of the Greek representative.

Much has been written since then, but the displeasure of the goverment is a given. At the time, many considered Mr. Zoulas to be responsible, as he was the one who chose Marina Satti as Greece’s representative in the competition. Newspaper Vima wrote at the time that the government would like the country’s representative at Eurovision to be chosen in 2025 with the participation of the audience, wanting in this way to abdicate any responsibility that would exist in the selection of the artist.

For what other reasons is Kon/nos Zoulas leaving?

Of course, as you understand, this is not the only reason why Kon/nos Zoulas is leaving ERT. According to the article, the goverment had been deeply dissatisfied with the works of Mr. Zoula in the last period. From the operation of ERTNews which was never in the right place at the right time, to the difficulties to collect the remunerative fee and from the publications about the expensive mixed productions, to the refusal to proceed with the Collective Labor Agreements with the Unions of ERT workers.

And a small editorial

Regardless of one’s view of Marina Satti’s behavior in the competition, it is paradoxical if expected that what upset the government was a rude act by an artist and not the dramas and complaints that accompanied the selection of last year’s Greek entry . Perhaps even this simple incident shows the pathogenicity of the Greek state and the way it solves problems and situations.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: AVGI

Marina Satti waved the symbol of Palestine at her concert in Thessaloniki

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Marina Satti’s concert in Thessaloniki on Monday June 17, at the Lazarist Monastery, was full. Marina Satti, together with the group that accompanied her on stage in Malmö, excited the audience of the Greek co-capital. Wanting to send her own message, our representative at this year’s contest brought with her on stage a huge fan-watermelon, which is used as a symbol of Palestine on social media and beyond.

Marina Satti’s attitude towards the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, provoked many reactions during this year’s competition. Marina Satti’s yawning at the moment when the representative of Israel, Eden Golan, was speaking, became a topic of discussion in Greece and beyond, while the government representative was also asked about the issue, taking a clear distance, at the same time condemning the behavior of the Greek representative in the music contest.

Now freed from the Greek representation, Marina Satti, even though she had initially claimed that her behavior had nothing to do with the representative of Israel, it seems that she is now willing to show her real thoughts regarding the issue in question.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

What happened at the dress rehearsal before the flag parade and almost blew up the contest!

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About the incident that happened shortly before the flag parade of the last general rehearsal and resulted in Marina Satti, Nemo and Bambie Thug not appearing in it, the head of the Israeli delegation spoke, naturally giving his own version of the events . But for the first time we have a public position on the incident in question, even from one side of those involved.

According to Yoav Tsafir, head of the Israeli delegation to Eurovision 2024, the incident in question happened shortly before the start of the flag parade, at the midday general rehearsal of the final. While all the artists were backstage waiting to come out for the flag parade the following happened:

The singers are standing in line before the parade of flags, Eden was also standing there, next to her was her stylist, preparing her for the performance – and right next to her was the Greek representative, crying: “The Israelis are harassing me, these bastards are writing horrible things about me on social media for what I did (yawn)” and everyone comforted her. For a moment the stylist looked at her and smiled, then Marina Satti raised her middle finger to him. The stylist kept smiling, took out a camera and took a picture of her. Then Bambie Thug lost it and started screaming loudly at the Israeli delegation: “We want peace and you’re bothering us”!

We remind you that subsequently the artists from Greece, Ireland and Switzerland did not appear in the flag parade, while Bambie Thug from Ireland did not sing at all, instead broadcasting a video of her performance in the semi-final.

As we point out at the beginning of the article, this is the first public statement about what happened in the disputed incident. Of course, we will await the placement of the other side with interest.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: Switzerland Calling

Greece: ERT denies reports regarding Greece’s intentions to withdraw just before the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024!

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As we informed you earlier and according to a publication by the Norwegian newspaper VK, which was also republished by the Swedish Aftonbladet, six countries – among them Greece – threatened to withdraw from the Grand Final of Eurovision. This scenario was avoided just 25 minutes before the start of the show, as an agreement was made.

Six delegations threatened to withdraw from Eurovision 2024

According to VK, the delegations from Norway, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal and Greece were negotiating with EBU threatening to withdraw from the competition. The reason behind their potential withdrawal was Israel’s participation along with Joost Klein’s disqualification. Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision 2024 participants’ list, the security measures and the behavior of members from the Israeli delegation were the main causes of the frictions that arose during the week in Malmö.

Specifically, Magnus Børmark, a member of the Norwegian band Gåte, stated that:

We were considering withdrawing until the last moment. Many of us reacted to the fact that Israel had the opportunity to use Eurovision as its own political tool. Our common point was that we did not want to participate in Eurovision to be used and stigmatized in a war propaganda machine in Israel. We participated to create a space where we can unite in music – in a political situation where everyone chooses sides and hates each other.

Ultimately, the six delegations were persuaded to compete as usual, according to VK’s article, just twenty five minutes before the Grand Final began.

ERT never considered withdrawing

According EurovisionFun’s information gathered during our stay in Malmö and today, following the publication of VK’s controversial article, ERT categorically denies the article in question.

We never discussed or considered withdrawing from the competition for any reason. The publication is inadequate at least when it comes to Greece.

Additionally, they made it clear to us that ERT receives significant financial support each year from Greek citizens for both Greece’s exclusive television rights and participation in the Eurovision Contest. As a result, they would be unable to manage our nation’s participation in the contest with the same carelessness and frivolity, just moments before the show.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Marina Satti for Israel: “I did not intend to offend anyone”!

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Just a few hours before the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024, Marina Satti made a statement on the video that has stormed up the Internet, displaying her yawning during Eden Golan’s press conference.

Via an Instagram story she uploaded on her personal account, Marina Satti emphasized that she did not intend to insult anyone, considering the fact the Greek delegation as a whole has been spreading only positivity in any event it attends.

Hello. Regarding this whole issue that has arisen today, at first I didn’t know that it has gotten that big, because we were in the arena all day and I had my cell phone turned off. What I want to make clear is that I did not intend to offend anyone. I think that all these days that we have been here, and I, but also the entire Greek delegation, has only brought positive energy to the community and joy, wherever we went. 

Then she added:

We are here for the music and we have reached our ultimate goal. Tomorrow we are in the final. We will do our best, we will do our best. Thank you very much for all the journey, support and love until today.

Assume that Marina Satti’s statement is completely consistent with everything you read first on Eurovisionfun, including the response from ERT and the Greek Delegation.

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Eurovision 2024: Which rehearsal has the most views on TikTok?

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Two days ago, the first rehearsals for all 37 entries officially concluded, and today the second rehearsals are expected to be completed, with the Big 5 and the host country Sweden taking the stage at the Malmö Arena for the second time! This means that we are getting closer to the Eurovision week, with the Dress and Jury Rehearsals for the first semi-final starting on Monday.

However, as we know on TikTok, all the first rehearsals are uploaded. Apart from their performances, we’ll also get a sneak peek backstage before they take the stage for the first time in a video of about one minute.

One of the many features of TikTok is the ability to add songs to each user’s video creation. However, the TikTok algorithm is usually able to detect the song used in the video, assign it to the correct track, and then include it in the total number of videos where that sound has been used. Based on this capability, the most popular songs before rehearsals were from the Netherlands and Italy. Will they receive the same promotion as before?

The ranking with all the entries (in brackets will be the day of the rehearsal) based on the increasing number of views after one week from the start of the first rehearsals on TikTok is as follows:

  1. Netherlands: Joost (fourth day) – Europapa – 3.2 milion views
  2. Greece: Marina Satti (third day) – ZARI – 2.7 million views
  3. Poland: LUNA (first day)– The Tower –1.5 million views
  4. Switzerland: Nemo (third day) – The Code – 1.2 million views
  5. Serbia: Teya Dora (first day) – Ramonda – 980.1 thousand views
  6. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil (first day) – Teressa & Maria – 971.2 thousand views
  7. Croatia: Baby Lasagna (first day) – Rim Tim Tagi Dim – 812.3 thousand views
  8. Georgia: Nutsa (fourth day) – FireFighter – 637.4 thousand views
  9. Israel: Eden Golan (fourth day) – Hurricane – 607.1 thousand views
  10. Belgium: Mustii (fourth day) – Before The Party Is Over – 585.7 thousand views
  11. United Kingdom: Olly Alexander (sixth day) – Dizzy – 567.4 thousand views
  12. Armenia: LADANIVA (third day)  – Jako – 528.6 thousand views
  13. Sweden: Marcus & Martinus (sixth day) – Unforgettable – 515.6 thousand views
  14. Spain: Nebulossa (sixth day)– Zorra – 448.5 thousand views
  15. Albania: Besa (third day) – TiTan – 413.5 thousand views
  16. France: Slimane (sixth day) – Mon Amour – 412.5 thousand views
  17. Ireland: Bambie Thug (first day) – Doomsday Blue – 388.2 thousand views
  18. Latvia: Dons (fourth day) – Hollow – 383.2 thousand viewsc
  19. Austria: Kaleen (third day)  – We Will Rave – 366.2 thousand views
  20. Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov (second day) – Özünlə Apar – 363.5 thousand views
  21. Cyrpus: Silia Kapsis (first day) – Liar – 324.8 thousand views
  22. Lithuania: Silvester Belt (first day) – Luktelk – 306.2 thousand views
  23. Luxembourg: TALI (second day) – Fighter – 304.3 thousand views
  24. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup (fourth day) – (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi – 292.0 thousand views
  25. Malta: Sarah Bonnici (third day) – Loop –  291.7 thousand views
  26. Czechia: Aiko (third day) – Pedestal – 284.9 thousand views
  27. Denmark: SABA (third day) – SAND – 262.0 thousand views
  28. Norway: Gåte (fourth day) – Ulveham – 255.4 thousand views
  29. San Marino: Megara (fourth day) – 11:11 – 238.2 thousand views
  30. Australia: Electric Fields (sexond day) – One Milkali (One Blood) – 229.9 thousand views
  31. Moldova: Natalia Barbu (second day) – In The Middle – 211.0 thousand views
  32. Germany: Isaak (sixth day) – Always On The Run – 210.2 thousand views
  33. Portugal: iolanda (second day) – Grito – 192.3 thousand views
  34. Italy: Angelina Mango (sixth day)– La Noia – 186.0 thousand views
  35. Iceland: Hera Bjork (second day) – Scared of Heights –  180.3 thousand views
  36. Finland: Windows95man (second day) – No Rules – 172.2 thousand views
  37. Slovenia: Raiven (second day) – Veronika – 162.4 thousand views

The views were counted at 17:45 CET.

Based on the views from the first semi-final, the following countries will qualify (in ascending order): Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Cyprus (seventh), Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Australia.

Similarly, from the second semi-final, the following countries will qualify: Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Georgia, Israel, Belgium, Armenia, Albania, Latvia, and Austria.

TikTok has played a significant role in the success of Eurovision songs in recent years. For example, Duncan Laurence’s winning entry “Arcade” became a global hit a year after winning the competition when it was used in over a million videos on TikTok. One of the earliest TikTok successes from Eurovision was Getter Jaani’s “Rockefeller Street”, which went viral on the platform in 2018 and has since been used in over two million videos. Let’s not forget that Armenia’s entry in 2022 by Rosa Linn with “Snap” gained over a billion views on the platform. Finally, Norway’s entry last year gained significant worldwide publicity months before the competition week, where it secured fifth place.

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