People encouraged to vote for best song

Maltasong chairman Robert Abela is appealing to the public to keep in mind that Malta's choice for the Eurovision Song Contest will be "exported" and it was important to choose wisely.

Speaking in anticipation of tonight's semifinal of the Go Mobile Song for Europe Festival, Mr Abela stressed the need to vote for the song people believed in as opposed to ulterior interests.

In an attempt to weed out the best songs from all the submissions, Maltasong this year adopted a completely different approach. Foreign judges have gone through all the songs and come up with the 16 contestants who will be competing in tonight's show.

Tonight, these will be sifted further by a jury - made up of 50 per cent foreign judges and 50 per cent televoting - who will choose the six songs that will vie for the title during Saturday's final.

On the final night, the public will choose which contestant will represent Malta at May's Eurovision Song Festival, in Helsinki, Finland, by televoting.

Another change this year has been the shift of venue from the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, where it was traditionally held, to the 27,000-square-metre Malta Fairs and Convention Centre, in Ta' Qali. This move has allowed for better design and organisational possibilities, including more space, both on stage and for the audience.

MFCC representative Ruben Caruana said no detail was spared in the organisation of the festival and every effort had been made to recreate the feeling experienced at the actual festival.

The enthusiasm among the public has also been encouraging and Mr Caruana said that over 8,000 tickets had been sold for both nights. About 5,000 people are expected to watch the festival live on TV each night.

In line with the way the festival is organised abroad, the organisers have for the first time set up dressing rooms for each of the 16 contestants, a press room, and a special area for press conferences, among other ancillary services.

Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, who visited the venue yesterday, expressed satisfaction at the professional way the festival was being organised to "create a Eurovision atmosphere".

Tonight's show will include entertainment by Mihai Träistariu, the Romanian singer who rocked Europe with his song Tornerò, and a spectacle of local talent with a show by Yada dancers, with choreography by Felix Busuttil, and the local band Winter Moods.

A few tickets are still available for both nights from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Exotique, and online at www.maltaticket.com or on ticket hotline 7902 7373/7902 7474.