Slovenia 2002


Sestre - yes they are men in dragControversial result from Slovenia - Sestre (=Sisters, pictured left) will represent Slovenia performing Samo Ljubezen (Only love).

Sestre are three men in drag who perform under the names Miss Marlena (whose legal name is Tomaz Mihelic), Daphne (Sreco Blas), and Emperatrizz (Damjan Levec). Its reported they will sing it in Slovenian.

Here's the list taken from the Slovene EMA site for the contest on 15 & 16 February. A report & more pictures below.

Some familar faces including Regina, who represented Slovenia in 1996, and quite a few of these were in last year's excellent contest. Girl trio Katrinas won a televised contest in Ljubljana in the summer - maybe somebody can remind me of it's name!.
Karmen Stavec was beaten to the winning post last year by Nusa Derenda

 

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Title

Music

Lyrics

Arrangement

Artist

1

Ocean

Rok Golob

Marija Trampuž

Rok Golob

Katrinas

2

V Ritmu, Ki Me Lovi

Bor Zuljan

Leon Oblak

Bor Zuljan

Irena Vrckovnik

3

Plamen V Temi

Boštjan Groznik

Alenka Šmid

Boštjan Groznik

Alenka Šmid - Cena

4

Zdravilo Sveta

Bojan Logar

Branimir Korošec

Bojan Logar

Manca & Nordunk

5

Mi Paše

Danilo Kocjanèiè

Drago Mislej-Mef

Marino Legoviè

Monika Pucelj

6

Baby Blue

Gianni Rijavec

Gianni Rijavec

Sašo Fajon

Gianni Rijavec

7

Samo Ljubezen

Robert Pešut

Barbara Pešut

Robert Pešut

Sestre

8

Shangri-La

Sewer Nuhi

Deja Music

Sewer Nuhi

Deja Music

9

Oblaki

Marino Legovic

Damjana Kenda Hussu

Marino Legoviè

Polona

10

Ljubezen Daje Moè

Aleksander Kogoj

Aleksander Kogoj

Sašo Fajon

Regina

11

Angelina

Franci Zabukovec

Franci Zabukovec

Franci Zabukovec

Botri

12

Vsako Življenje Gre Svojo Pot

Karel Novak

Damjana Golavšek

Karel Novak, Damjana Golavšek

Damjana Golavšek

13

Pelji Me, Kjer Sem Doma

Patrik Greblo

Milan Dekleva

Patrik Greblo

Ana Dežman

14

Ce Ni Ljubezni

Matjaž Zupan

Matjaž Zupan

Matjaž Zupan

Anika

15

Še In Še

Martin Štibernik

Karmen Stavec

Martin Štibernik

Karmen Stavec

16

Moja Moja

Andraž Hribar

Milan Hribar

Patrik Greblo

Andraž Hribar

17

Slika Brez Pozdrava

Dare Petriè

Rok Ferengja, Mišo Radovancevic, Damjan Kuzmijak

Rok'n'band

Rok’n’ Band

18

Imej Me Vedno S Seboj

Enzo Hrovatin

Enzo Hrovatin

Enzo Hrovatin

Faraoni

Ines, who is a woman, was interval act singing her 2000 Estonian entry Once in a LifetimeThe first semi-final was held on February 15th presented by Nusa Derenda & Darja Svajger. As last year, this semi-final with all 18 songs proved to be the better of the two shows. Nice postcards between songs, and great little extras from Nusa & Darja made this unmissable - until telephone votes and expert juries chose 10 of the 18 for the Saturday 16 February show. A good many of the better songs went out including those by Regina and the Katrinas both of which were great.

Misa Molk presented the Saturday show which turned out to be a marathon. We had the 10 songs seperated with clips from performers in recent and future finals. We had words from Britain's Nicki French promising the winner the time of their lives, and from the 2002 Cypriot entrants One, as well as words from Lys Assia from Switzerland, Macedonian TV presenter Milanka Rashic, and Norway's (or is it Sweden's?) Elisabeth Andreasen. We also had the obligatory video welcome from the two Estonian presenters of the up-coming big final. This is the same tape for whichever country it is shown except for a clumsy insert of the country's name.

Misa Molk was puzzledThe songs were mostly excellent - I say mostly. I thought Manca & Nordunk was a bit uninteresting, but loved Polona's Oblaki (Clouds), and Karmen Stavec vowed everyone with pre-show favourite Še In Še (More and More) with a wind-machine blowing a gale. Her lively power song had much in common with last year's Energy. Andraž Hribar had a terrific blond dancer who made up for weaknesses in the song. The worst song? - undoubtedly the nonsense that is Samo Ljubezen from Sestre. Not really terrible, but not good enough here, but it had the novelty of the drag act. They were all dressed as air hostesses, with backing male pilots, but one of those was a woman. Novelty over - this was still trash. But this is where the voting came in to confound everything.

 

#

Title

Performers

Saturday's Picture

Televoters, experts, and the studio audience all voted with different weightings, and we then there was a delay, and another delay. Misa looked puzzled, and we had more banter between presenters, and more delay. The on-stage green room began chanting for Karmen, and results eventually came in some 20 minutes late.

Sestre had won, but the telephone vote had been massively for Karmen Stavec:

There was an off-camera fight between rival camps as Sestre sang the winning reprise. Meanwhile Karmen Stavec stormed out in tears.

Karmen in tears

The following night Slovene TV news had a feaure on the controversy, and put up this table of telephone votes.

However there were questions about the telephone voting - the lines had been open some 10 minutes longer than intended, so later in the week Slovene TV disqualified them.

This made Karmen Stavec's song not 2nd, but 3rd placed. Questions were raised in the Slovene parliament - meanwhile Sestre were glowing in the limelight.

However all is not rosy. Adria Airways have so far refused them loan of an aircraft for filming a video citing unavailability, and then a group of leading Slovenian singers, composers, record label owners, and songwriters wrote an open letter vowing to never again appear at TV Slovenia's Entertainment Program events.

Perhaps surprisingly the majority of Eurovision fans usually so vocal at some injustices seem to have let this travesty go almost un-noticed.

Basically Karmen Stavec won this contest and was robbed by a crooked system, and a now-discredited show.

Pity, otherwise it was great.

Make sure to get the CD of all the songs at

http://www.z-mocnik.si

Its in Slovene, but an e-mail to the guys running the shop will get you help.

If you have any news or updates on this country's National selection I'd like to hear about it. E-Mail me, Geoff Harrison, at my contact page

1

Zdravilo Sveta

Manca & Nordunk

2

Mi Paše

Monika Pucelj

3

Samo Ljubezen

Sestre

4

Oblaki

Polona

5

Angelina

Botri

6

Pelji Me, Kjer Sem Doma

Ana Dežman

7

Še In Še

Karmen Stavec

8

Moja Moja

Andraž Hribar

9

Slika Brez Pozdrava

Rok’n’ Band

10

Imej Me Vedno S Seboj

Faraoni