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Greece: National final on 12th March
This year the Greek preselection sees a number of changes compared to past years. First of all, the country returns to a rich format final with nine artists- ten originally, one withdrawn- instead of the internal selections or three artist finals of recent years.
The nine songs in the running will be presented to the Greek public just one week before the national final which will take place on 12th March. The presentation will take place on 5th March during a two hour televised show and not during the customary press conference. The recording of the show starts next week.
The Greek national final this year takes place on a Friday for a number of reasons. Mainly because Friday is a better day for television ratings, away from any Champion's League games. This is also made possible by the fact that it will not take place in a night club like previous years but in a large TV studio.
The winner will be decided by a five member jury, smaller than in the past years, and the viewers at a 50/50 split. The presenter(s) of the show and the final have not been decided yet.
Related polls
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Melodi Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Milli Seçim Turu
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the final of A Dal
- Iceland: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Songvakeppni Sjonvarpsins
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the second semifinal of A Dal
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the third semifinal of Melodi Grand Prix
- Sweden: Vote for your favourite act in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the semifinal of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Bulgaria: Vote for your favourite act in the Bulgarian national final 2012
- Latvia: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Eirodziesma 2012
- Belarus: Vote for your favourite act in the final of EuroFest 2012
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I know Lina ...i just wanted to say that all 9 acts at least they are known...and believe me that this year if record companies WERE NOT involved in the process, we would see even more known names and stars. because it is known that record labels and NOT willing to propose to ert their big stars but sometimes the stars are willing to risk by theirselves and propably many known names would submit an entry to Ert if the national final was more ''open''to everyone to send a song,to submit a song...
@Nikos, we speak about STARS not just beacuse some singers make 2 -3 songs and 1 -2 cds are famous and stars, from all that singers only Yiorgos Akaios was a star but in 90's not now 
@TROJAN LADY
Sorry for missunderstanding! But that's not true either! Famous singers here are hoping for a participation, so, I don't think they wouldn't want a NF!
HERE IS THE SONG OF YORGOS ALKAIOS WHICH BECAME HIT IN TURKEY:
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=b0YfidvjY1s
@ trojan lady:
ALL the 0 participants of the greek final are WELL KNOWN.
The group Emigre has 2 golden cd and many hits.
Giorgos Alkaios has numerous golden and platinum records and his song ''Sirmatoplegma''is the official song of the famous turkish team Beshiktas.
Yorgos Karadimos is also famous with 3-4 hits and some nice covers also. He has collaborated in a duet with dimitra Galani which is one of Greece's best voices and quality stuff.
Manos pirovolakis is also very known with major hits like ''TO XAMOGELO SOU'',''Stis ekklisias tin porta'', ''ti mas enonei'', ''sinialo'', ''an i agapi'' and others...
Katerine avgoustakis is well known in Belgium and poland with some hits there.
Eleftheria eleftheriou is the less known. We know it from the greek reality for singers X-factor.
Second skin(the group) is a 2-member group and its one member is a famous lyricist and composer with many hits. Also, she has 2-3 hits that she sang herself(despite the other hits she wrote for others)
Melisses is a new group and their first single ''Kryfa'' became IMMEDIATELY HUGE radio hit in Greece and it is played like crazy these days.
Last, Chistos Hatzinassios is a known singer (not a huge star) but he has released one full cd and some other singles and he had some hits like ''To fili tis Zohs'',''kakomathimeno'',''Simera (cover-remix to a 70's song)''.He is the son of the GREAT greek composer Yorgos Hatzinassios who wrote the song ''Mathima solfege'' in the 70's and represented Greece in eurovision, taking 5th Place.
SO LET'S BE FAIR. ALL 9 PARTICIPANTS have a respectable position in Greece and are known, and ALL OF THEM have AT LEAST one hit. But Greeks have the tendency to exaggerate if the participants are not the TOP superstars like sakis Rouvas.
All of them have something to offer and they belong to different music genres.( In fact Yorgos Alkaios was a huge star with smashing hits but he had dissappeared since 2001)
@Kenan , @Trojan means that famous singers in Turkey want internal selection,they dont want to pass from National final with other singers.
this year the best song is portugal with catarina
http://www.youtube.c(...)&feature=related
*Many
@TROJAN LADY
No, that's not true! Mayn popular singers here like Hande Yener, Burcu Günes, Murat Boz, ... wants to represent Turkey in ESC! 
@Trojan Lady all that Greek singers are uknown or no very famous singers exept Yiorgos Alkeos who was very famous in 90's but now dissapear from music industry , for sure if he was so famous and now like 90's he want accept to participate in National final with other singers. Famous singers like Anna Vissy, Despina Vandi, Sakis Rouvas etc will never accept to be in a National final with other singers, they want only internal reprecentacion. And i thing all famous singers around Europe want internal reprecentacion, did you saw any very famous singer to be in a National final with other singers? Exeption is Carola from Sweden , but the rules there is different and Melofestival is a huge music contest and a singer must past from melofestival to reprecent Sweden in ESC .
kenan, yes i mean famous turkish singers
@TROJAN LADY
Do u mean the Turkish singers?
it is very very nice that famous greek singers accept to compete in a national final, here they never accept it they find it underrated stuff and only no name singers want to be in a national final that is why trt decides it internally when we dont want to send a no name one, but in this way we dont have many choices 
it is really great that u will hear 9 songs and choose the best of all but probably the pop song with a good show will win again the national final , i am also excited to hear the greek songs this time
Oh no! This is a bad joke ... I can not think that 2009 was a good year in the history of Eurovision. Contrary, a worst year is 2009 for violation of the rules of the ESC.
No a Esc-country don't to prevent the vote for another Esc-country in the history of the Eurovision until 2009
yay i like very much the set of changes! i absolutely hated internal selections for so many years. now the show will be interesting and there will be some competition!! i can't wait to hear the songs :-) i'm sure everyone will be satisfied because of the variety of music genres.
@Botox_ reloaded
Happy birthday!
There is no comparison with poor Aysel, Sakis or Soraya. That is completely absurd. 
2009 was the most quality, popular and the most enjoyable year of eurovision history with patricia, weber, hadise, sakis,aysel & arash, chiara, soraya, alexander, yohanna..etc. but it seems like we will miss that energytic year so much because 2010 is still very silent.. even i am still not excited like last year...
good luck greece.. give us a strong song and start eurovision fight process pls 
lol 
If i got it right, the only thing known so far is the artist but not their songs. In that case it's too soon to say anything or make any predictions. I like the new concept of having many participants...i am really curious...
@nikos papadogkonas
Greece was in war with Bulgaria? Are u sure?
konstantinos believe me i wish it too with all my heart because Greek people love eurovision song contest.
Greek reporters went on streets and asked poor people if they want Greece to continue participating in ESC and almost all said ''yes we like the contest. we watch it every year with our families. if ert has financial problems, should reduce the amount of money that some journalists take. For instance the journalist popi tsapanidou takes 450.000 euros per year from ert and her tv ratings are not more than 10% while eurovision has ratings 80% in Greece''
nikos
You are right......I forgot these sayings....you are right!!!!
But I still hope that we can win.
@ ALL PEOPLE ASKING WHY WE DO NOT WANT VICTORY:
When the minister of Culture of Greece gives PUBLIC statement saying '' Eurovision harms ert's quality and we aim to STOP the big coverage of the event as it happenned the previous years'',
IS IT EASY FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND that the government does NOT want to hear about eurovision and does not want to organize it? These were THE EXACT words of the Greek minister of culture ,so it is obvious what Greece wants (unfortunately)
Greece HAS NOT BONDS WITH BOSNIA (unfortunately). Ask the people in Greece. Greece feels ONLY some bonds with serbia.
Greece almost NEVER votes for bosnia in eurovision.
Is it accidental that the last 10 years we have vote for Bosnia only in 2006 with 6 points? They had a great song then and despite this we gave very few points.
and even Bosnia never gives us more than 6-7 points.
Greece historically has no alliances because it is in the south,separated from the balcans. the only countries that we tend to vote like bulgaria and albania were enemies of Greece in the Greek history and we were in war with them.
The only balcan country thas Greece has some bonds is Serbia.
ALL the others that we vote is because they have immigrants here or we tend to like ethnic pop tunes.
@Lina !!!
How do u know that? I'm sure most of the countries wants a victory this year, even the West-European countries ( coz of France's and UK's good placings last year )!
@Ajdin Mehic
I absolutely agree with you. I just tried to explain the political relationships between Greece and Bosnia&Herzegovina, but that doesn't mean they would influence in Bosnian voters.
@ mer maid
A week before the NF
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