Evridiki to Helsinki for Cyprus January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife, VideoClips Music & Travel.add a comment
Evridiki will represent Cyprus for the third time at the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki. The news was published on the website of the company charged with managing the official Eurovision and Junior Eurovision pages for the Cypriot broadcaster, CyBC. Although the news is not yet published on the CyBC website, the team in charge of maintanence and content of the CyBC Eurovision Song Contest site has confirmed the news on their own website pages.
This year, the team behind Cyprus’ Eurovision Song Contest selection has been particularly quiet about speaking to any other websites. We spoke to them before Christmas to ask if the Evridiki contract had been signed, but were told only that “the news will be published on the internet when it is ready to be announced, it is still to be confirmed by the Board”. It remains to be seen when the news will be published on the official CyBC site or when CyBC will announce their decision to other Eurovision Song Contest media concerns.
Evridiki was born in Limasol in 1968. She studied music at the national conservatory in Cyprus and later continued her studies in France and USA. She represented Cyprus twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, once in 1992 with “Teriazoume” (ending 11th with 57 points) and once in 1994 with “Ime anthropos ki ego” (ending 11th with 51 points). She will need a top ten finish for a first time just to qualify Cyprus for the final in Helsinki. If she fails, it will be the second year in a row that Cyprus will not feature in the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.
Evidriki has participated also as backing vocalist at the same Contest in 1983 (16th, 26 points), in 1986 (20th, 4 points) and in 1987 (7th, 80 points). She has released 13 personal albums and currently is preparing a new one which is expected to be released next February.
Watch a video clip by Evridiki > “Ola Dika Sou” (”Everything is yours”)
Michalis Hatzigiannis author of the Greek entry January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife Greek, VideoClips Music & Travel.add a comment
No performer announced
Cypriot pop star Michalis Hatzigiannis will be the author of the Greek entry at the Eurovision Song Contest this year in Finland. For the second year running the Hellenic broadcaster has once again asked a Cypriot artist to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest. However, Hatzigiannis won’t be the Greek performer, only the song writer. Hatzigiannis confirmed the news on mad.tv tonight.
Michalis Hatzigiannis, the Cypriot performer of his own composition Genesis at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, partially accepted the proposal from the Hellenic Broadcaster ERT to represent Greece at this year’s Contest. Hatzigiannis won’ t perform the song himself but he’s interested to be the author of the Greek entry. In an interview at the popular Greek music channel MAD TV Hatzigiannis announced that he accepted the proposal and stated that he’d like his song to start like a ballad and end as a dance track.
At the same interview he revealed that soon an album of his will be released in US and UK. More details of his interview at the music channel MAD TV will be published soon.
Michalis Hatzigiannis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1979. At a very young age he started his career in Cyprus with three records that all went platinum. In May 1998 he represented Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest, where “Genesis” finished 11th. Later in Athens, Greece he collaborated with the composer Yiorgos Hadjinassios. He has released four solo albums in Greece, all of which went platinum.
Visit his personal website > http://www.michalishatzigiannis.gr
Watch a video clip by Mixalis Xatzigiannis > “Ola I Tipota” (”All or Nothing”)
Hatzigiannis to write Greek Eurovision song January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife Greek.add a comment
Cypriot pop star Michalis Hatzigiannis will write the next Greek entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
ESC Today reports that the news was confirmed by Hatzigiannis in an interview broadcast by Greek music channel Mad TV. He added that he would not be performing at the contest. He explained that ERT contacted him and asked him to consider entering both as songwriter and performer. He felt though that with plans afoot to launch an album in the UK and US, the stigma of performing at Eurovision might not do him any favours. He did confirm that the song will be in English.
Michalis Hatzigiannis previously entered Eurovision in 1998, when he represented his home country, Cyprus. His song ‘Genesis’ ended in 11th place. Despite this, he has gone on to carve out a successful career in Greece and Cyprus with best-selling albums.
ERT hopes to announce details of their performer before the end of January, giving certain sites a good few weeks to suggest every imaginable performer known to man, before eventually claiming they got it right in the first place.
In the lap of the Greek Gods January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greece.add a comment
Whether it’s visiting magnificent ruins in Corfu or chilling out on Zakynthos, Greece is a favourite destination for holiday makers.
Direct Greece has been selling tailormade holidays to the country for 16 years. Their Summer 2007 brochure features secluded, scenic villages of Svoronata in Kefalonia and Amoudi in Zakynthos. Prices average at just under £500, with bargains available from as little as £186.
With a customer satisfaction rating of 96 per cent, Direct Greece limit their number of holidays to 12,000 each year, which means they have time to research locations, visit accommodation and discover exactly what each person wants from a holiday.
Rhodes is the hot favourite for 2007. It is currently the top selling destination with almost 50 per cent of the programme already sold. Other hot spots include the mainland resort of Parga and the island of Kefalonia.
The new brochure offers seven and 14-night holidays to eight of the most unspoiled areas of Greece, with weekly flights from seven UK airports heading to Corfu, Kefalonia, Lesvos, Parga, Zakynthos, Lefkada, the Peloponnese and Halki.
Book before January 31 and enjoy free child places, single parent offers and up to an extra £50 off per booking. For a new brochure call 0870 191 9091 or visit www.directgreece.co.uk
ba.com offers Cyprus tickets for only CYP 10 January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in News Flights.add a comment
British Airways is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its website www.ba.com and is offering economy class travellers who log on to the site next Wednesday, January 10 a one-way ticket from Larnaca to London for a mere CYP 10 (EUR 17), plus airport taxes, charges and other fees.
Customers booking this price online will need to travel by March 31, while a return-leg ticket can be bought for the same price. The offer will be available on the site only for one day.
According to an announcement ba.com is convenient, secure, and easy to use, giving travellers the chance to book British Airways flights online, check-in online and even print their boarding pass online from the comfort of their own home or office.
“This is a great offer giving travellers another reason to further familiarise themselves with ba.com and see how much the website has to offer, from excellent prices, flight network details, travel information and much much more”, said British Airways Manager Cyprus, Marianna Trokoudes. She added that “British Airways will continue to develop its website in order to make journeys to and from London as smooth and enjoyable as possible”.
Athens – London for only EUR 10
A similar offer was launched by British Airways to passengers booking economy class tickets as of January 10 to London from Athens and Thessaloniki, with the single-leg fare selling for EUR 10 plus all taxes and charges.
Foreign pros to hold workshops at Fajr International Theater Festival January 6, 2007
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A group of foreign instructors and scholars is to hold workshops on the sidelines of the upcoming theater festival in Tehran.
The 25th Fajr International Theater Festival, scheduled to be held from January 8 to 17, will play host to scholars from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Russia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Poland.
Peter Chelkowski (the U.S.), Joseph Raikhel (Russia), and Evdokimos Tsolakidis (Greece) are to focus on “Dramatic Aspects of Ta’zieh”, “Stanislavski System and Its Function in Modern Theater”, and “Improvising, an Approach to Directing and Acting” respectively.
Other theater experts, including Nil van der Linden (the Netherlands), Nelson Fernandez and Roger McCann (Britain) as well as Michael Olenick and Tina Kokovic (Germany) are to contribute to the program.
Greece celebrates Epiphany with traditional ‘blessing of the waters’ ceremonies January 6, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Culture, Religion.add a comment
Greece celebrated the religious holiday of Epiphany on Saturday with the traditional “blessing of the waters” ceremony at the country’s countless ports, harbours, lakes and reservoirs, with the Nation’s political leadership also on hand at Church masses and at the water’s side.
The most prominent service was again celebrated at the port of Piraeus’ Metropolitan Cathedral and seafront, with Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos officiating at the service, attended by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis, who represented the Government, main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, former premier Costas Simitis and dozens of other government officials, MPs and local government office-holders. Most political leaders on hand expressed their best wishes for 2007.
On his part, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis attended Epiphany services near his home in the east Attica coastal town of Rafina, where he expressed his best seasons for the New Year, while emphasising the need for close ties between parents and children.
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos officiated at a similar service in Istanbul, the venerable Patriarchate’s seat.
grhomeboy
