Updated news report with final scores, and commentary on the contest itself by your editor, Geoff Harrison.
Original list from Martinos Perdikis

Cyprus will be represented by sister and brother Hara, and Andros Constantinou (pictured here) singing Mana mou (Oh mother) in Dublin in May.
Hara Constantinou is the sister of Constantina who wrote the song, and represented Cyprus at the 1983 contest in Munich. Thanks to Martinos Peridkis for his help with my report. Martinos has also written a report for me with the song's lyrics, and you can get there on this page by clicking here.

Tuesday 18th February at MONTE CAPUTO NIGHT SPOT, LIMMASSOL (as ever) was the date and venue for the Final selection for Cyprus
The contest was watchable all over Europe as usual on RIK, Eutelsat at 7 degrees E from 1915 to 2115 British time.

Here are the scores and my (Geoff, that is) comments in running order:

Last year's winner, Constantinos, opened the show from the Monte Caputo night spot in Limassol, with last year's song, "Mono gia mas". Then our stunning presenter, Marina Maleni-Kyriazi, came on, and introduced the songs, and between them, clips of interval acts from from old Eurovision finals, including the dire crossbow man in 1989, and the appalling clown/magician in 1991, and 'Riverdance' in 1994. Then the songs...

1. Apopse..de me niazei (Tonight..I don't care) - Giorgos Polychroniades 91 Points
   Opening with a mouth organ sound, the gravelly-voiced bearded Giorgos built up the emotion in this old-fashioned piece, but it was unexceptional.
2. Ta trena - (The trains) - Dalida 71 Points
   With ringlet curls in her hair, Dalida gave us a melancholy dramatic song.
3. Mia Zografia (A picture) - Charalambos Prountzos106 Points
   The title was originally billed as 'Kypros'.
   Young male singer in a white shirt accompanied by pretty girl singer, and male electric guitarist on stage. Guitar mid section.
   Rather a tranditional mid-paced Eurovision song - traditional for Eurovision, that is. Catchy and less Greek than most.
4. I grammi tis ntropis - (The line of shame) - Stelios Constantas 145 Points
   Surprisingly cheerful-sounding, despite its political overtones.
5. Esy - (You) -Spyros Spyrakos 70 Points
   Faster than most tonight, and rather theatrically dramatic in style.
6. Mana mou - (Oh mother) - Hara and Andros Constantinou170 Points WINNER!
   Easily the best song. Hara Constantinou, sister of the veteran of the 1983 contest in Munich, came on in a short black dress, accompanied by brother Andros, and sang this superb catchy duet, with a pleasing medium-paced beat, and gypsy violin accompaniment. Manages somehow to sound Greek in all that. About two-thirds in they stand each on one side of the stage (each unlit - lighting director obviously only had one spotlight!) and speak nonsense lyrics at each other, which works really well. Maybe not rousing like 'Sti Fotia' in 1995, but very pleasing. Should do well.
7. Xehnas - (You forget) - Giorgos Stamataris 112 Points
   A slick-looking young man sings a song not unlike last year's winner, accompanied by girl cellist, and bass-player on stage.
8. Pote - (Never) - Christina Lazarou 54 Points
   Large woman with red frizzy hair who had trouble singing in key in this boring medium-paced song.

The interval acts were Constantinos, who sang several songs, sporting his new goatee beard, and thin moustache, followed by Kyriakos Zoumboulakis ('Mi Stamatas' 1993), and then Eleni Peta.
21 professional musical expert jurors voted secretly during this, and handed their votes to Marina, who read them out at breakneck speed.
Very soon, the winning song was ahead, and never faltered after that.
In the reprise Hara Constantinou smiled broadly, obviously very pleased to be going to Dublin.

I wish Hara Constantinou and Andros all the best in Dublin.

Why not revisit last year's Cypriot contest at my attic site.

Phew!! Well, as expected, Constantina, even without her own appearance on stage managed to win without any problems! Her sister Hara looks extremely like her, though her brother Andros is not that handsome and not the best of voices. Their performance on stage was quite good and you could feel their enthusiasm. The song MANA MOU was one of the 4 better songs of the night, but still needs work. As I know from the past, when we hear the studio version of the winning song it is always much better. It's a catchy fast tempo song which has all the characteristics of a Constantina song of late. Its melody sounded very familiar I'm afraid, but fortunately in Europe it might do well with its Mediterranean beat. I can now tell you that this song is in formal Greek and the Mother it is talking about is actually a bit abstract but I think it's about our homeland. A quite good tune for the final in Dublin to kickstart the contest.

The political one that Moschovakis and Papalambrianou wrote came a distant second. It basically mentioned the luck of someone being a Cypriot with the nice weather, the beautiful beaches etc apart from the fact that there is also the line of shame! It was a modern Greek folk/pop tune with a jura (a small version of a bouzouki) as its main instrument. The instrumentation was done by '93 winner Dimos Van Beke.

'Xehnas' for me was not that good to come third but the young singer Stamataris was OK. Maybe 'Mia Zografia' which finished 4th could be the one I would pick as second best! It was a happy pop/rock song with an optimistic lyric about the beautiful island of Cyprus. Could be a touristic advertisement song!! The veteran Greek singer Polyhroniadis who sung first with 'Apopse...Den Me Niazei', a ballad, gave his own unique way of singing some colour to the contest but such a strange voice was too riscque to go to Dublin. I personally liked it. The three songs which finished 6th, 7th and 8th got what they deserved! Very ordinary and unoriginal!

CyBC showed highlights from the interval acts of the contests of 1989 to 96 before each song, but the interval CyBC had for this one made us suffer twice or even more the time of the actual contest with songs by Constantinos, Kyriakos Zoumboulakis ('93) and the Greek singer Eleni Peta (took part in Greek preselection in '93) It looked like ages gone when we finally had the voting.

By tomorrow I hope I will have the words of MANA MOU plus maybe a sound sample of the song on my site!!!

MARTINOS
Thanks, Martinos. His site is listed under these lyrics, and at the top of the page.

And here are the lyrics:

Thanks so very much, Martinos.
We're all singing along. Visit Martinos's site devoted to Cyprus entries at
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/2972/CYMUSIC.HTM

Here is Martinos Perdikis's pre-contest report, giving background to the songs and singers. However there were changes on the night.

The draw for the running order and the names of the performers are now known (apart from one):

1. "APOPSE...DE ME NIAZEI" (Tonight...I Don't Care) Sung by Giorgos Polychroniades, written by Spyros Kyriakides.
   If I am right I thing Giorgos Polychroniades who sings first this year is also Greek and he has a very strange voice. He is around for many years particularly in the Greek rock scene!
2. "TA TRENA" (The Trains) Sung by Dalida Mitzi, written by Andreas Karanikolas.
   Dalida Mitzi takes part almost every year! Let's see what her looks like this year.
3. "KYPROS" (Cyprus) written by Adonis Aletras.
   ADONIS ALETRAS is known for his jazz music style and is a member of a jazz group called 'New Dimensions'.
   Therefore, no one can eliminate the possibility that that group will be the performers. (Not yet confirmed).
4. "I GRAMMI TIS NTROPIS" (The Line of Shame) Sung by Stelios Constantas, written by A.Moschvakis & R.Papalambrianou.
   This obviously political song is going to be performed by Stelios Constantas who recently signed a record contract in Greece after a successful start in Cyprus.
5. "ESY" (You) Sung by Spyros Spyrakos, written by Theos Kallias & M. Hadjimichael.
   THEOS KALLIAS who also had a song last year offers his song to another young very well known Greek singer Spyros Spyrakos!
6. "MANA MOU" (Oh Mother!) Sung by Constantina, Andros and Harisia, written by Constantina.
   The performers in the final will be Constantina with her siblings Andros and Harisia who are also professional singers. Constantina though said that she is not interested in singing at Eurovision and that she entered this song to help her siblings including Christina and Panikos who don't feature in the list for the final! If she qualifies she might not sing herself! What a shame! It seems stars avoid Eurovision as if it is some kind of a huge backwards step. No mention yet if it is in the Cypriot dialect and so I now very much doubt it.
7. "Xehnas" (You Forget) Sung by Giorgos Stamataris, written by Andreas Gerolemou.
   ANTREAS GEROLEMOU is a young songwriter who is now going to release an album with another young singer Andreas Stamataris who is the singer here as well.
8. "Pote" (Never) Sung by Christina Lazarou, written by Nevi Astreou.
   NEVI ASTREOU released her first album last year, but unknown singer Christina Lazarou will sing.

From first glance of the names I can see quite some big names out there!! First of all CONSTANTINA if it is her, is probably the second most famous Cypriot singer in Greece after Anna Vishi. It's the first time I see her writng a song herself! From the title I think it could be in the Cypriot dialecht! Well she must be the big favourite. Remember she took part back in 1983 before becoming so famous alongside Stavros Sideras in Munich.

Another very well known name is of course that of ARISTOS MOSCHOVAKIS and RODOULLA PAPALAMBRIANOU who wrote "Mi Stamatas" in 1993 together. Rodoulla of course also wrote the lyrics of last year's entry "Mono Yia Mas". It seems that the political problems in Cyprus which came to light again after last Summer's assassinations of 2 Greek Cypriots at a demonstration on the pseudoline which halves the Greeks with the Turks (most of them troops) influenced some of the songs! "I GRAMMI TIS NTROPIS" says it all. I still have to find out the singer. I personally disagree of doing such songs in Eurovision particularly this tear that Turkey sings just after Cyprus!!!

ANTREAS GEROLEMOU is a young songwriter who is now going to release an album with another young singer

It seems we are going to have a great contest!

Thanks, Martinos!

Why not revisit last year's Cypriot contest at my attic site.

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