MaltaMedia.com

Die-hard Eurovision fans at the Telenor Arena in Oslo don’t think Malta will qualify to the final even if, apparently, the Google worm tells a different story, according to Eurovision observer Dr Toni Sant.

Writing in his blog, Dr Sant said Thea Garrett sang a duet with Marcin Mroziński , this year’s singer from Poland from The Phantom of the Opera at a party organized by the Polish delegation on Saturday night.

During a conversation at a party held by the Georgian delegation in the Oslo Opera House, Dr Sant was briefed by a member of staff of the European Broadcasting Unit on the amount of money some countries spend on their Eurovision entry.

Azerbaijan has clearly gone overboard this year, Sant wrote, spending millions of euros on promotional ideas indicating their intention to win this year’s contest. Apparently, Malta still thinks that winning Eurovision is about having a great 3 minutes on stage during the contest broadcast, Dr Sant added. Most countries are equally oblivious of actual return on investment when it comes to Eurovision spending, Sant claimed. Malta is spending just €400,000 on this year’s entry.

In his blog post, Dr Sant revealed the setting up of the Eurovision Research Network (ERN) which will be inaugurated during events in Oslo this week. The ERN is a new organization co-founded by Dr Sant with two other UK-based media performance scholars interested in taking a closer look at the Eurovision Song Contest.

ERN already has 40 members from 20 countries. The first event is a panel discussion at the Litteraturhuset in downtown Oslo on Eurovision and the “New” Europe on Thursday. On Friday an inaugural symposium at the University of Oslo will be held, around the theme Setting an Agenda for Eurovision Studies.

Latest details about Malta’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest are always available at EurovisionMalta.com.