News - PBS wins court case in Malta | Eurovision Song Contest News - 2010 Oslo, Norway 

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Written by

Barry Viniker

Published

18/Nov 2009 at 18:58

Source(s)

Times of Malta, esctoday.com

News

PBS logo - © PBS
© PBS

Grace Borg loses battle for rule change

PBS wins court case in Malta

A court in Malta has ruled that PBS can prohibit foreign composers and songwriters from participating in the Maltese selection process to choose the country's Eurovision Song Contest entry. Grace Borg, who represents Maltese singers and also owns a record label had applied for a court injuction to allow foreign composers from entering.

The court today ruled in favour of PBS and the Ministry of Culture who can now proceed with the selection process to find the country's next Eurovision Song Contest representative.

Grace Borg, Chairperson of the Malta Eurosong Board until 2005, has for several years been against many of the decisions taken in the Maltese selection process since losing her position. She had attempted to change the rules to allow foreign composers and songwriters to enter the competition.

In January 2008, Ms. Borg made accusations of possible corruption and the way in which the 16 finalists for Eurosong 2008 were selected. You can read more about the story here.

In 2007, a war of words with her successor Robert Abela as Chairperson for MaltaSong broke out over the sale of Malta's Eurovision Song Contest single, Vertigo by Olivia Lewis and in 2006, a lawsuit was filed against Ms. Borg by Mr. Abela over comments she made regarding the Maltese delegation's treatment of Keith Camilleri who was representing Switzerland as part of Six4One at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. Read more about the story here.


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Great Potential [60795]
Wed 25 Nov 2009 10:09:48

Me too!!! I also hope that Lawrence Gray will represent Malta. He is Malta's most talented singer. He has such a beautiful voice!! Many people get shivers down their spine whenever they hear Lawrence sing. It is amazing how he has not yet ever been chosen to represent Malta!


Just Me [23203]
Sun 22 Nov 2009 13:12:04

I really hope that Lawrence Gray will represent malta this year. He has such an amazing voice!!!!!


Kenan Ö. - Loves Angelic B ;) [60068]
Fri 20 Nov 2009 13:36:34

@Daniel Muscat

Good luck! ;)


ALIBI x [52480]
Fri 20 Nov 2009 09:41:19

good luck daniel


Daniel Muscat [38215]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 22:06:02

i hope that there will be new singers in the competition this year. I submitted my song for this year and have been eagerly waiting for this to be over and done with. Hope i will have my audition very soon cos im very eager for my first experience in maltasong :D wish me luck


ALIBI x [52480]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 13:52:09

i dont think chiara will return to eurovision. if she does the possibility is that she will win televoting in malta again. people adore her here. we dont simply love her voice, but we love her as chiara the person. her character/ her honesty and her humanity is what make chiara so much loved in malta.

honestly speaking i dont wish her to return in the esc stage.

2009 was indeed a setback for her, but life goes on and we move on. from day one we believed that her song did not make justice to her amazing voice, and she was not even comfortable singing it. why she agreed is a mystery.




Axel Kearns [47152]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 13:27:27

Ho ALIBI X

Mate I so agree with you, why dud Chiara agree to a horrible, dull song like that .... Was that really the best on offer ? Sad really, Chiara (being the big singer and personality) went through based on her name and quality... but in the final it just wasn't good enough (the song I mean). And I think it did her more bad than good. I can not see her return a fourth time... a real shame


ALIBI x [52480]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 13:01:18

wintermoods/pamela/tribali/scar/claudia/eleonor/raquela/

if only one of these can go to oslo with a fantastic song.!!

who knows maybe kevin borg too. sweden would support him. heheheh


ALIBI x [52480]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 11:54:18

as far as iam concerned grace borg can go to hell. she wont be supporting any issue if this does not mean she wont make money out of it. she wont take all the hassle for nothing. you can rest assure.

the belgian composers simply killed chiara's hopes of doing so well again in esc.

i still cannot understand why chiara had to accept their song this year....


Axel Kearns [47152]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 11:15:20

Had there being a ban for foreign composers last year, than we did not have to endure that horrible song those Belgians wrote for Chiara. I still feel very sorry for her, such a great singer, such a great personality and such a horrible song,... she deserved so much better


Cristina Giuntini [30618]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 09:37:46

Right decision! First of all, it makes no sense to see a Country represented by a foreign singer/author/composer. Anyway, Malta, despite its being so small, has so many own singers, authors and composers that it certainly does not need foreign ones!


Petri Kaivanto [19926]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 02:55:06

Let's be honest:

1. Malta had for long the advantage of having English as official language, when there was the language rule.
2. Malta can never organize Olympic Games or other sports event which would achieve the same attention as ESC

So, I would love to see Malta choosing a song that could win. Despite being a tiny country they have great singers and songwriters, but maybe the Maltese taste, I mean the taste of the juries and televoters, has been often too outdated and conservative for the rest of Europe.


Ayka F [23816]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 00:54:43

That's right! The EBU says that every country can decide the rules for its own selection...!


Mathieu Kroon [17544]
Thu 19 Nov 2009 00:03:47

I wonder what the European Court would say, should the case be taken there, since Malta is member of the EU ???


Thorazin Corazon [59011]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 22:27:56

"But Jonny, this is tradition. What would a eurovision season be without Grace Borg causing hammock."

LOL well that is a very good point :P


Kenan Ö. - Loves Angelic B ;) [60068]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 22:15:34

@Dino Mil

Why overdoing? :O


Dino Mil [58964]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 19:55:28

Malta is overdoing with ESC......................


Lina !!! [56410]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 19:53:16

i wondering why countries must send foreigner composers or singers to ESC , its silly to see the flag and the name of each countrey on tv but they r singer to be from other countrey. Also that is against of local composers and singers, for exable in case of Malta if allowed foreigners singers and composers maybe we will not see for 30 years Maltese singer and composer to represent Malta beacuse foreigners they will "eat" them , i thing each countrey has enough good singers and composers to reprecent they r countrey in ESC .


w s [29210]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 19:32:46

But Jonny, this is tradition. What would a eurovision season be without Grace Borg causing hammock.


Thorazin Corazon [59011]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 19:26:21

A court case ... for Eurovision!? :O OK I know some countries take Eurovision seriously but this is completely beyond me! :P

As for the whole foreign composer debate, we were talking about it in another article and I definitely support allowing foreign composers and singers, so i'm not a fan of the ruling of this case anyway.


Willox Willox [32746]
Wed 18 Nov 2009 19:06:33

hope claudia faniello or kevin borg represents malta in 2010


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