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The Eurovision Sue Contest: Grace Borg taking Thea's parents to court

Thea's Nightmare - The singer is at the heart of a number of court cases.

Thea's Nightmare - The singer is at the heart of a number of court cases.

Music manager Grace Borg has confirmed she will be suing the parents of Malta's Eurovision Song Contest representative Thea Garrett over comments they made in the media about her wanting to 'line her pockets'.

Last week she launched proceedings against PBS and the singer herself over management rights.

Ms Borg, a former Malta Eurosong chairman, told The Times that Thea signed an exclusive management contract with her before taking part in this year's local contest.

After she won, Thea signed another contract with Public Broadcasting Services, as is normal practice with Eurosong winners, prompting Ms Borg to file a law suit against the station over what she claims is a breach of her management rights.

Ms Borg also took court action against Thea's parents but since their daughter turned 18, the suit was transferred onto her and she was slapped with an €18,000 garnishee order, just before she flew to Oslo for her first rehearsals.

PBS has since filed a judicial protest accusing Ms Borg of trying to ruin Thea's chances.

"This has created a lot of problems for my business," Ms Borg said, pointing out that the whole affair had made other artistes afraid of working with her.

But Thea's father, Sergio Garrett stands by all the comments he made and says he has all the documentation and receipts to prove it. He accused Ms Borg of trying to "psychologically destroy" his daughter and making their lives "hell". Instead of making money for Thea, Ms Borg "took the little she had from her".

Asked if she was preparing to travel to Oslo to keep an eye on what was happening, as she had suggested recently, Ms Borg said she did not need to because she would know if PBS delivered or not through the result achieved.

She said she had made an offer to PBS to go up to Oslo to support the song through her contacts and expertise but was turned down.

"I'm convinced that when Thea won Eurosong somebody told her parents that they didn't need me anymore. One day I will find out who advised them. I already have a very strong idea."

She also accused the current team present with Thea in Oslo of not having the necessary expertise, adding that this angered her because it was in her interest for the song to do as well as possible.

"If she comes back a winner my contract will be worth more. I'm not sick in the mind. I'm just a businessperson."

Meanwhile, Ms Borg said that when she applied for the job of Eurovision coordinator, the recruitment agency told her that she would have to renounce her management rights.

"So first they acknowledged that it was a problem and now they are just ignoring it," she said.

She said that Thea's parents had only given her and her business partner Andrea Milana a cheque of €200 to support their daughter.

"And we gave thousands of euro worth of our time and energy to get her to perform in various places. We even spoke to agents of people like Gigi D'Alessio and Andrea Bocelli."

Ms Borg pointed out that when Chiara won the local contest in 2005 she had a management agreement with another company and, as Eurosong chairman, Ms Borg held a meeting with Chiara's management to amend the contract to please everyone.

"They came up with us and we worked together. That is how serious professionals deal with these things. And the results spoke for themselves."

Thea will perform the song My Dream during the first semi-final on Tuesday.

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steve roberts

May 22nd 2010, 00:23


Hold on Mr Mangion...I have a feeling that you misunderstood my comments. "crap" refers to the attitude of the artist and her family towards her management. “I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste. And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it.”

S. Calleja

May 21st 2010, 08:49

Because if you are concerned about what other people think about you and fussy about what they say, you shouldn't be a public figure in the first place. You either have got what it takes to succeed, or else grow old waiting for the world to change for you.

M.Weber

May 21st 2010, 10:23

Quite right Mrs.Sykes you tell them, unfortunitlay there are some jealousy people in this world who stops at nothing, but af far as this Mrs.Borg is it i don't know i am not Maltese, thats a different story altogether its up to the locals to sort it just as we do andofcourse the media reports don't seem to help either, they are having a field they as we say, right up their street correct? precisly the same as our latest politics in the UK. Malcolm Weber. Essex.

Norbert Farrugia

May 21st 2010, 13:57

I really wonder how come no one has ever heard about you ? since you are such as EXPERT ?!?!!

S. Calleja

May 21st 2010, 08:55

You are right, but I presume that "since their daughter turned 18, the suit was transferred onto her", the contract now involves Thea not with her parents. One has to check out the contract (none of our business of course), and this will be up to the courts to decide.

Mark Soler

May 20th 2010, 17:20

VERY GOOD MY FRIEND. WELL SAID

Joseph Vassallo

May 22nd 2010, 14:02

My apologies because I missed out a word; my question (1) should read

" Is the parents' contract binding on the ERSTWHILE minor, Thea?"

(Meaning now she is of age).

S. Calleja

May 20th 2010, 16:05

Read the article again. The contract was signed with her parents.

Loretta Gauchi Anglo/Maltese

May 20th 2010, 16:04

Believe me he is not the only one rewarding Nil Pois! The good times for Malta unfortunitly are over and its time for a new leaf. probably some unknown country somewhere we never heared of. I bet that this is the final for the eurovison for Malta i know i've got sixth sence, its more trouble then its worth.

david calleja-urry

May 20th 2010, 15:04

To all those who seem to think that this contest is the height of Malta's achievement for the year.... i've just had a look at the on-line vote on the Times vis-a-vis if Malta will do well or not...of the approx 2000 votes sent in so far aprox. 70% either think Malta won't go to next round, or simply don't care!!!
Like it or not, Grace Borg is a professional and made sure she had a contract protecting whatever investments she made, if Ms. Garrett was a minor, and her parents were not up to understanding what they were about to sign - well they should have engaged a lawyer.

Deo Catania

May 20th 2010, 15:46

what are €400,000 compared to €80,000,000 being wasted in City Gate Valletta?

Joseph Vassallo

May 20th 2010, 16:58

He didn't breach any contract. His daughter chose to go her own way because she is of age now and her career was going nowhere with Grace Borg. Good for her.

M.Gauci

May 20th 2010, 12:47

Bang on the head mate.
Well said,.
While we are at it cause a lot is being said here about business persons, I can imagine that a true business person would have weighed the pros and cons of this situation and not just listen to lawers cause it seems to me that Ms. Borg is going to do a lot more harm than good to herself and her business out of this mess, and not just from people from Tarxien but most of the Island.

RMangion

May 20th 2010, 13:09

Well I personally never bought and will surely never buy in the future from Exotique ( but thats another issueee).

Although if we get a bad result now, I am sure that Xarabank will be full of people throwing bad looks at Grace Borg.

Wilfred Camilleri

May 20th 2010, 13:11

She is bound by a legal contract and she is obliged to honour it. What is this nonsense about the taxman and audits? It has absolutely nothing to do with the dispute.

mary Pace

May 20th 2010, 16:43

I come from Tarxien so PLEASE speak for yourselve,but not for me PLEASE!!! I have nothing to forgive grace, because shes in the right, contract is contract & nobody can break it, because you don't like it!!!!

M.Camilleri

May 20th 2010, 13:02

Well said! This all boils down to the fact that we are still trying to educate a nation on base matters like manners and literacy, it is obvious that until we get these basics ironed out, there is no chance in hell that we could start competing on a cultural scale. Now some may ay we have valletta and mdina, hundreds of years of culture... In actual fact its borrowed culture from the the Knights, English and who ever we grew crops for over the years. So please stop wasting our funds until we 'THE MALTESE' actually grow.

A. Slater

May 20th 2010, 12:19

Although I agree with Grace Borg in this particular case, you should never have to buy from Exotique anyway when you can get things much, much cheaper from Play and Amazon anyway.

lgalea

May 20th 2010, 12:07

mary Pace I agree

Trevor Mallia

May 20th 2010, 13:54

I agree fully. It's a complete waste of time and money. However, once we are there anyway, Goog luck Thea

Wilfred Camilleri

May 20th 2010, 13:08

Nonsense! A contract is a contract and this has nothing to do with Grace and her family or whether she has a daughter the same age or not. When someone signs a contract they are obliged by law to honour it!

mary Pace

May 20th 2010, 11:19

I'm not an expert, but I don't think so, because otherwise, why take the chance & agreed to a contract, when the minor is , say 17! if i do a contract I think twice, that maybe the minor don't like it & say when she 18 tear the contract up!! ( hope you knpow what I meqan!)

Joe Fenech

May 20th 2010, 10:24

Had Thea had a big production company behind her, things would be worse.

Evelyn Curmi

May 20th 2010, 12:02

Minjaf kieku kont int li nvestejt f'Thea x'kont tghid??
Jekk hemm kuntratt ghandu jigi onorat. Allahares kienet xi production house kbira barranija!

marthese mussett

May 20th 2010, 10:14

tajba mark

mary Pace

May 20th 2010, 11:21

That's the most sensible comment ,there is WELL DONE!!!!

Mark Soler

May 20th 2010, 10:01

"This should have been a reply to @G.Pisani - Ms.Borg, please stop this as you might regret everything you are doing now. I know and understand a contract should be honored but you have to see if it is worth all the hassle and more time you are going to put out.

Remember you are fighting in your business's name and most Maltese love the eurovision!, if you ruin this for the Maltese your business will be remembered for this and that could cost you more money!"

Not to A.A. Caruana

J Farrugia

May 20th 2010, 09:53

Jghidu li jridu ghax ir-raguni ma tridx forza. U nghiduha kif inhi. Id-diska taghha mhux ser tkun success. Dan assigurat. Grace Borg f'dan il-kaz ghanda ragun biex tbiegh. Trid tidhol f'mohhna din li meta hemm kuntratt, il-kelma trid torbot u mhux nilghabu skond kif jaqbel lili.

Miguel Micallef

May 20th 2010, 10:03

Ma jinteressani xejn mil-eurovision ghax sincerament mhux ta kwalita u livell, pero' f dal-kaz naqbel mija fil-mija maghkom u Grace,ghalkemm nahsbe li l-ewel darba li qed insib ruhi naqbel ma' Grace! :) Kuntratt kuntratt u jekk ma kienux jafu x 'qed jiffrimaw mhux problema u tort ta' Grace.

MT Caruana

May 20th 2010, 10:13

@J Farrugia
Ma tistax tghid x ha jigri, personalmet ghandi grazzja ma Thea,tidher tifla simpatika, imma diska ma kinitx xi favorita tieghi, imma issa hi hemm, so nispera li tmur tajjeb. U nispera ukoll li tiranga kollox ma Grace ghax wara kollox dan kollu inkwiet zejjed ghal both parts.

Joseph Scerri

May 20th 2010, 10:45

It is better if people see the world through clear glasses than dark glasses!

A.Rapa

May 20th 2010, 10:48

To all those who say that this contest is a waste of money i say, you are talking crap. Whether we like it or not, most of us see it, and same thing happens around all europe. So whoever has an idea about how nation marketing works, will understand that the money spent is worth it, since you get millions watching the show and no matter who is singing or what song we have or were it places, we are getting publicity and in turn, tourism which is our blood in our veins.

Louise Cassar

May 20th 2010, 11:32

So you would rather spend millions just so you can watch a show on TV for one night, rather than invest those milions in local artists?

Nice, I can see the future in your - a very bleak one! A bunch of couch potatoes listening to music we've all heard before!

John Vassallo

May 20th 2010, 11:38

Tourism from the Eurovision Song Contest?? Are you serious?? I would much rather invest in proper marketing on other TV stations abroad rather than a Eurovision Song Contest, just in case a few people get interested after watching a ballad (once again!) from Malta! They must think we're really boring and watch soap operas all day!

When I used to live in the UK there used to be an advert about Malta, I'm sure it cost money however it was worth it, because that was a real advert for Malta and not some silly contest. This is what needs to be invested in for tourism!!

S. Calleja

May 20th 2010, 10:16

Then work hard, study hard, risk your money and start a business, live frugally or do whatever it takes to fatten your purse and be exactly in the same position. The opportunities are open for everybody, even to the ones who're complaining all the time.

A.Rapa

May 20th 2010, 10:39

That's because we had a relative good song and luck not because of Norman & Grace... N&G (Chairmanship) Promotions.

Keith Goodlip

May 20th 2010, 12:11

The Eurovision Song Contest is still worth it, winning it or not. The €400K spent on the ESC is a small price to pay for all the advertising Malta might gets during the whole event.

Sharon Camilleri

May 20th 2010, 13:59

that will be the day when we stop taking part in this useless euro... Better give money to bands who can write and produce much better songs and albums!

M Bugeja

May 20th 2010, 09:35

@ Ganni Ellul
I believe Thea's parents paid far more than the EUR200 she mentioned. Don't forget we have never heard the other part of the story so far

mary Pace

May 20th 2010, 11:12

If she does, she have a right! I bet you do the same ,if you were in her shoes!!!!

Mike Knight NZ

May 20th 2010, 17:01

What would you do if you were in Mrs.Borg's shoe? i would probably do the same, if one put a great deal of effort and hard work, why shouldn't one be rewarded, there is no such thing as a free meal no adays. and lets face it a contract is a contract otherwise its not worth the paper is written on right? i not bias but fair is fair i'm sure something will work out. Mike D Knight Otara/Auckland /NZ. (PS.Love your country)

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