Portugal Confirms Participation: Festival da Canção in March

/ eurovisiontimes

  Portugal – OGAE Portugal report on their website that a reliable source at the Portuguese national broadcaster RTP has told them that Portugal will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and will determine its candidate through a national final to be held in March. The Portuguese participation had been in doubt as the national broadcaster RTP is currently being privatized and it was unclear whether the broadcasting rights of the Eurovision Song Contest would be transferred to the new private channel.

The source told OGAE Portugal that changes to the regulations of the traditional Festival da Canção “will be published soon and applications will be accepted, as usual, until the middle of next January.” The national final will as usually be held in March and will thus coincide with RTP’s 55th anniversary.

Source= OGAEPortugal

67 thoughts on “Portugal Confirms Participation: Festival da Canção in March”

    • When it comes to FdC everything depends on the perspective imo. If you look at it from a Portuguese point of view, the last years have been pretty good. There were many good compositions and fine singers there. If you look at it from an international perspective, everything sounds rather parochial though, and that is the dilemma of Portugal in ESC too imo. Anyway, I love FdC for what it is, for being completely different from all other national finals. After all, I can listen to Anglo-American or globalized tunes on the radio every day. Moreover, I think that the Portuguese themselves should decide what they want FdC to look and sound like, but then they have to accept the results in ESC, which is an international contest, too.

      • I agree! I would rather have a “Senhora do mar” and see Portugal do not sooo great than to have yet another English disco or whatever song doing better… It just need to be good enough that Portugals stays with us (But in soo many participations they never reached the Top5 and still participate! I think that is quite impressive and for it they have all my respect!)

        • That is the reason too why Portugal is one of my favourite ESC countries. They have almost always just done their thing and remained true to their own musical taste and traditions. Portugal has never tried to chum up to the European juries or televoters. Kudos!
          Azerbaijan is the complete opposite to Portugal in ESC imo, perhaps excepting their first entry.

          • Yeah “Senora de mer” composed by Andrej Babic from Croatia..it wasn’t Portuguese at all..it can be Croatian as well (f.e)..only Portuguese language makes it sound Portuguese, but music is Mediterranean.. nothing new and fresh..but I liked it because I don’t like only so called fresh things in ESC…

            • I wouldn’t call ‘Senhora do mar’ a proper fado mainly because of the orchestration but there are fado elements there … some instruments, harmonies, lyrics. All in all I think that the song has a distinctively Portuguese Gschmäckle … :)

            • Replying to my own comment. LOL Feel free to call me Count Count …
              If have just realised that besides the orchestration (in fado you normally only have a normal guitar and a Portuguese guitar, sometimes a bass guitar too … although some contemporary fadistas like Cristina Branco or Mariza have widened the range of instruments and included strings, piano and drums too) there are two aspects of the performance that signal ‘no fado’:

              1. Fado is traditionally performed in a very static way, frequently even with closed eyes.
              2. I have never heard of a fado using backing vocals.

            • Hahahahhahaa do you know anything about music and about fado?? hahahahaha

              No, but obviously you know about Danny and Eric Saade kiss! hahahaha…so I suggest you to keep commenting and writing articles about smth like that…Gosh, if that is fado than I’m Lady GaGa! :D :D

  4. I never did pay much attention to the final results, because the voting patterns are very hard to break and I have no wish for a Portuguese victory with a song written by a couple of people who know nothing about our culture and history, performed in English. There are already plenty of Azerbaijans around. Anyway, I am convinced that if we had sent ‘Fairytale’, we would not have won and probably would not have reached the top 10, because that’s just the way it is in ESC. I guess that parochialism has its positive side after all.

    P.S.: as for FdC 12, I am waiting for the official confirmation.

    • YAY, a comment. :) I am at home all alone and not in a state to do anything useful … and thus I was waiting for one. LOL
      I don’t think that it all boils down to voting patterns and are pretty sure that Portugal would have won with ‘Fairytale’ or ‘Satellite’ too. After all, who had thought that Germany could win ESC ever again after the disappointing results we even got with really good efforts like 2006 and 2007? Of course Portugal finds it much harder to achieve a good result than many other countries, but then Germany or Belgium are in the same situation. The other half of the truth is that the Portuguese entries do not make it easy for people all around Europe to vote for them, except for those familiar / in love with Portuguese culture or fans of what is called world music.
      Anyway, winning ESC seems to have never been RTP’s priority. People aren’t stupid there and if they had wanted to win by all means in any year, they would have changed their strategy, even if that included betraying cultural traditions and buying a song abroad.

      • We’ve been over this matter before and I do not agree with you. Some countries will most probably never win ESC, such as Portugal, Cyprus and Albania. They are just too peripheral to be remembered by the televoters and the jurors. They get their usual diaspora votes and a few more from the more curious viewers and that’s it. I love ESC, but I am not delusional. Unfortunately, too much does boil down to where the song comes from.

        • Would you have said the same about Finland winning before 2007 or about a Big4 country winning again before Lena? I think anything is possible! If a country has an extremely good song it won’t matter where it comes from (see also Malta in 2004 – They don’t really have a diaspora or much neighbour voting)

          • You mean Malta 2005, I guess …
            And I think that language matters. Serbia could win with a song in their national language whereas countries like Iceland, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal etc. would not have won even if they had sent the best song ever composed. And I am pretty convinced that now with the juries back no country will ever win again in any other language than English. Perhaps there is a small chance for a song in French …

            • They can also fix victory for anybody, like they do…so everybody including Portugal can win if somebody think it’s necessary, no problem..

            • They won’t fix things in ESC, at least not as long as countries like the UK (who invented fair play), Germany, France, Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries etc. are in. We work differently here from countries like Ukraine or Azerbaijan!

            • Ha ha… how do you know? Maybe you have “real” points in front of you? :D

              How many times in the UK they pointed out that some reality show victory was fixed! Numerous… In the USA even more..Money Toggie, everything is about money, it’s sooo easy to fix ESC victory..

              You are naive or too rude (to claim openly that you are sure 100% for smth you can’t be sure)..there are only 2 options..I don’t want to believe in the second one! ;) :D

            • I know how my country works. Yes, private channels might fix things (that is one of the reasons why I never watch them) but with a public channel like ARD I am 100 % sure. We have had transparency here for more than 60 years. Or do you think that you know Germany better than I do?
              But let’s not argue. I just won’t accept unfounded insinuations and accusations!

            • Ajjj… conspiracy theories ^^… Love them… In Bulgaria they still believe they didn’t go to the final in the World Cup 1994 because the FIFA didn’t want a small country there… And Miro thinks that ESC is currupt because he didn’t qualify for the final… Sometimes these theories are quite helpful aren’t they?

            • If you will feel better than believe in it! :D :D But it’s really funny to believe in smth like that..I can even say ridiculous…well maybe not for group from this site but for 99,99999999 of World population it is! Sorry, dear.. :D :D

              P.S. I don’t argue…when i laugh so much I can’t argue.. maybe you can, but I can’t.. :D Or you know me better than I know myself? ROFL :D :D
              If you are arguing, good for you! ;) D

          • I think you meant to say Malta 05. Chiara is Chiara and ‘Angel’ is as bland and generic as a song can be (and in English).

            Finland’s win was a fluke. There are the occasional flukes, but they are very rare.

          • Perhaps; if RTP ever does send one of those, I hope it’s written by Portuguese composers and sung by a Portuguese citizen, otherwise it will not be representing Portugal.

            • I second that … but in a quite nostalgic way … because in the current crisis we all have to realise that the national states are coming to an end … and with globalisation devouring everything local, national cultures won’t get you anywhere anymore in the future. They will be little more that colourful decoration for the tourism industry. Come to Lisbon with its great history and fado culture … but give me German / English / US-American whatever breakfast too. And I insist that the staff speak my language too. It is a sad but irreversible process imho. The Disneyfication of cultures … :(

            • I can only say that I will stay for ever faithful to my usual breakfast: cereals with milk and fresh fruit. LOL

              Good night, everyone.

            • Cereals???!!! Gosh! I am a historian of American Literature but I don’t like them at all. LOL It is tea, orange juice, nutella, cheese, ham and a fruit salad for me.

              Boa noite. :)

  8. @ eurovisiontimes

    That comment with “99,9999 %” wasn’t even for you, it was for Toggie! Do you really think that I would waste so many characters on comment to YOU? :D

    @ Toggie

    Come on, continue even harder, I really enjoy when several ppl are against me.. :-****

    • ok I know I shouldn’t do this..but:

      Most of the post on this page were written by me… You comment on almost all of these posts… so you do use a heck of a lot of characters on me don’t you…

      “I really enjoy when several ppl are against me.. :-****” That explains quite a lot ^^

      • Hahahah so you think that truth is that eastern European make conspiracy theories because you agreed with him! Very nice! :D

        And Moderator of international ESC site writes that! No comment! @ eurovisiontimes at least try to cover just a bit your hate …maybe you will get more readers and writers..

          • And that quality is based on what? I suppose it’s based on hating eastern Europe and commenting bad about it like he has just did to Bulagria and humiliating me as the almost only one from Eastern Europe here (who comments)…all the time..
            I stay here only to fight against that..because I don’t wanna swallow it that easily… it’s really horrible

            • 1. Nobody hates Eastern Europe here. How do you get this idea? ET even lived in Bulgaria for a year, and if I understood correctly, he loves the country.
              2. Quality is of course based on objective criteria. It always is.
              3. Xello is from Serbia too and never felt offended or made a mess here. (Do you remember your mail?) Razvan from Romania was here last season too, and although I never agreed with him on anything when it came to ESC songs, we always respected each other. I hope that he will be back for the NF season.

            • Yeah because they swallow all the hate probably! I’m not like that, I did that for a long time in some sites and I quit because it started to be really unbearable!

              I wish there are more ppl from Eastern Europe in those sites so we can fight properly if we need, but i think if there were more of them you won’t dare to humiliate us all the time! :( :( :(

              Good night and ENJOY!!!!!!!

            • “Fight”, “hate”, “humiliate” … OMG You really ARE in a state tonight …
              Yes, It’s All about You …
              I love quoting ESC songs btw. I am still waiting for an adequate situation in my life to say ‘Diggi-loo Diggi-ley’ though … ;) :)

            • Did you read what I wrote about Eastern Europe?

              When did I ever say anything against Eastern Europe in general? Please show me on the site!

              I just used Bulgaria as an example because I know it so well (as I lived there!!!)… There are just as many conspiracy theorists in Germany and even more in America…

              Just to make one thing clear: I retort you because you are rude and use unfitted language… it has absolutely nothing AT ALL to do with your nationality. If you wrote ludacris things and you were from any other country I would write exactly the same things!

        • 1. I don’t think you understand what was going on!
          I was being ironic (I mean the opposite of what I say) when I talked about the consspiracy theories… Many bulgarians just use them to explain their failure in soccor or Eurovision and that’s what I was making fun of…
          2. I don’t hate anyone!

          I think most of this is just a problem of language… sometimes you may not understand completely what is being written here… And sometimes it seems like you don’t know which words are offensive in English (or you do and do it on purpose… )

            • Shame on you “moderator”!!

              When I don’t understand smth I openly say that and ask, Toggie knows that very well.. so how you dare to say I don’t undersytand smth you wrote in english!

              Maybe your Englsih is better than mine, but be sure it’s not brilliant so EDITED! :(

            • 1. Sorry seems to be the hardest word. :(
              2. Why did you ask me to tell you if you start making a mess if you simply don’t care? I thought that we were virtual buddies … :(
              3. At least it is pretty lively here.
              4. Why don’t we discuss the topic?
              5. Seems pretty narcissistic to me … :(
              6. Please, refrain from hate speech …

            • You didn’t understand the irony in my post about Bulgaria, that’s why I explained it! And out of this misunderstanding you got the idea that I hate all of Eastern Europe… (please read my posts on that!)

  9. …from that eastern Europe…or you don’t need them…it seem you don’t… than your blog is not about ESC, because like it or not eastern countries participate in IT and you can’t change it! So ENJOY!!!

    • what? You are not making any sense….

      I love Eastern Europe… I lived and travelled there for a year! (Best year of my life) I have Eastern heritage and I love Serbian, Bosnian , Bulgarian music (the first two also in ESC)…
      Half my friends on facebook are Bulgarians and I NEED them in ESC

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.