The Singing Doctor, Gianluca Bezzina is the winner of the third edition of Mużika Mużika with his love song ‘Sabiħa’.

The song, written by Joe Julian Farrugia, and musical arrangements by Philip Vella received 122 points in total. It also was the song with the most votes from the judges and the public. Lisa Gauci and Drakard came in 2nd place with 99 points for their song ‘Jekk Mhux Int’.

The high-standard festival is organised by Festivals Malta. All songs are sung live in the Maltese language and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra accompanies the singers. This year, the festival was hosted by Keith Demicoli, Claire Aguis, and Moira Delia.

During the final show, last year’s winner Kurt Calleja sang his winning song ‘Bla Tarf’ as a duet with Ira Losco during televoting.

Gianluca Bezzina, a doctor by profession, represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 10 years ago.

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Malta's Got Talent 2022 - S02 E02

Welcome to Entertainment Malta’s breakdown of Malta’s Got Talent 2022. This is the second program of season two, and oh what a show! Just like the first episode this season, the show has so many OMG moments. And of course, let’s not forget another brilliant Golden Buzzer act! It’s no wonder that the show has a great following. Let’s dive straight into last night’s show!

Acts On Malta's Got Talent Episode 2

During this show we get to see a strongman, Rappers amongst other singers, dancers, a reverse speaking act, musicians, and of course the Golden Buzzer act! So from here, it’s on with tonight’s show! But before going on to the acts we get a short recap, showcasing the acts shown in the previous episode. 

Gianni, the show’s host, makes a grand entrance, driving himself into the show! Well sort of!

The Strongman

Untrained strongman, Tony Farrugia of Maltese displays his strength by bending steel, lifting two gas cylinders on his pinkies and hammers in nails on a piece of wood with his hands, breaking the wood in the process. The WOW moment comes at the end of his act where he invites the judges to go outside to see him pull a semi-truck. He does this with ease! The Judges’ four Yesses allow Tony to pass onto the next stage of the competition.

An Argentinian Singer

Alejandra, 48-year-old mother of two, from Argentina, goes on to sing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, unfortunately quite out of tune in English, but much better when she continues the song in Spanish. The judges were not so impressed, all of whom buzzed her to stop! Unfortunately with four No(s) she did not pass through to the next stage. 

The Reverse Speaker

Next on is 32-year-old Chris Reif who goes on to show an unusual talent! Chris is able to speak in reverse and quotes famous celebrity scenes in reverse.  Valentina Rossi challenges him with a random phrase, which he gets spot on! His ‘talent’ impresses the judges who all give him a Yes. 

A Rapper Violinist

Brady Frendo, a 14-year-old Vionalist, has played the violin since he was 2. But it is not just the violin that sets this competitor apart from others. Brady is also a rapper and combines both during his act. However, he does not make it through to the next act as the judges did not feel he was ready for the next stage and receives 4 No(s) from them.  

The Bubbly Singer

Yiwen Yin is a 30-year-old singer from Shangai, China, now living in Malta. Yiwen, with a bubbly character, gives a very energetic performance. The judges each award him with a Yes!

Not Such A Singer

Andrei Dobbin is 17 years old and is a singer. Unfortunately, he does not go too well and the judges all buzz him, stopping him from continuing with his act. They also give him four No(s).

Another Rapper

Next on is ‘Immunity’ (Renzson Mizzi ), an 18 -year-old Rapper. Ironically his personality on stage, while he is rapping, is the complete opposite of the shy personality he showed us when being spoken to. He expresses himself with a totally emotional, semi-aggressive Rap, somewhat reminding us of Eminem’s style. With a little advice from the judges, he manages to Rap his way onto the next stage with four well-deserved Yesses from our beloved judges. 

Dancers In Heels

‘Yada On Heels’ is back this time with two female dancers and a male dance, Rosario. In the last season, Yada On Heels, made up of three made dancers, could not go on due to one of the dancers being restricted by Covid. This year they get on to the next round with three Yesses and one No from judge Valentina Rossi. 

A Singer

Gabrielle Spaniolo a  23-Year-Old singer from Italy is on next with an interpretation of ‘Always’ by Bon Jovi. Judge Ray Attard is not convinced by the performance and is the first to give a red buzzer, followed by Valentina Rossi and then Sarah Zerafa. Unfortunately, he does not pass with four No(s) from the judges.

The Musician - Season's Second Golden Buzzer Moment

The show continues with 16-year-old Bettina Farrugia, a musician, and composer who plays four instruments. Tonight she plays her own composition on the piano, originally written for a short film. Her emotions are transmitted through her brilliant music and her performance is awarded a Golden Buzzer from Judge Gordon passing her straight through to the Semi-Finals!

A Energetic Dance Group

Last on stage is UP (which stands for United Performers), which together as a team is a dance group. The choreographer is  27-year-old Luke. Their energetic routine, a dance that was prepared in just two weeks, earns them four Yesses from the judges. 

What Do We Think Of Tonight's Show?

Once again we enjoyed the show but noticed that it lacked a little bit of variety. We hope to see different types of acts during the next episodes and more talents. We cannot fault any of the judges’ decisions and feel that they are very true to the way they are carrying out their work. Well done Judges.

The Golden Buzzer Act, is well deserved too and we look forward to what Bettina will bring to the semi-finals. Just in case you missed it, let’s take a look at Bettina’s Golden Buzzer moment delivered by Judge Gordon Bonello. 

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Malta’s Got Talent ( MGT ) returns to our television screens via TVM.

The previous MGT was back in 2020. It was also the first season of this popular TV show. That season’s presenter, Gordon Bonello, is now in one of the Judges’ chairs for this season. In his place, presenting the show, there is the one and only Gianni Zammit!

Gianni is renowned for his bubbly personality, and is very popular on radio and television and for his singing. He is also known to be a great fan of Kiss. We believe he will be a great host who knows how to make the show exciting throughout the programme.

The returning judges are; popular, actor director and presenter, Ray Attard and influencer and model Sarah Zerafa.  Whereas the new judges are; the popular presenter and actor Gordon Bonello and radio presenter, actor and model, Valentina Rossi. They make a very interesting team and fun programme.

Tonight’s Show

Todays acts include singers, dancers, a magician, a gymnast, an impersonator and a BMX act. There are quite a few surprises throughout the show, especially towards the end of the show. During the last season, in 2021, there was no audience present due to Covid restrictions. This season, however, the audience are back and are present in the theatre where the show is being held.

The BMX ACT

This started the show, 3 young men, known as the Malta BMX who gave an impressive BMX act with their bikes. They finsished walking off happy with four yeses given by the judges.

The Singer

First singer of the programme is 17 year old Aiden who sung perfectly to the likes of four yesses from the judges.

The Gymnast

Shesonelle is a 10 year old gymnast who impressed the judges with her talent. She too happily walked off with four deserved yesses for her talent.

The Dance Team

Here we get to see One Step Dancers, made up of a group of dancers coming from various countries across the world, come together to give our audience a Latino dance. Unfortunately they were not good enough for the likes of our judges with Ray and Sarah giving them a yes each and Gordon and Valentina giving them a no each. They did not pass onto the next stage with a total of two yeses and two nos.

The Rapper

18 year old rapper Alex is next up and impresses the judges and audience present with his excellent rap. He walks off with 4 well deserved yesses.

The Impersonator

An Adriano Celentano impersonator, together with his keyboardist do not impress the judges that much with all judges pressing the buzzer to stop the act. Gordon’s remark ‘Disastro Naturale’ is followed by other similar remarks from the judges and passing four Nos to the act.

The Masked Magician

Masked magician Dale Van Rein is next up using what judge Gordon describes as simple party tricks however pleasing the judges with his upbeat mime presentation. He earns four Yesses that allow him to pass on to the next stage.

The Timid Soprano

14 Year old Kieran Bonello timidly walks on stage. Soft speaking and shy acting, after the usual introduction, he goes on to give goose pimples to those watching surprising everyone with his amazing soprano heavenly voice.  Judge Sarah is so impressed that she goes on to give this amazing talent a well deserved Golden Buzzer. This puts him straight into the semi finals. Well done Kieran! See the video for yourself below.

Another Singer

Next on stage is Giacomo, a 15 year old singer. Unfortunately he does not make it through to the next round with all the judges agreeing that it is not yet his time and voting four Nos.

The Dancer

Michelle comes from Itally and has been living in Malta for over nine years. Michelle has a passion for dance and provides a beautiful emotional dance that earns her four yesses from the judges.

One last Singer

Joanne is a thirty year old mum and she impresses the audience present with a fantastic voice but most importantly a beautiful Maltese song. Not all the judges are impressed by her singing techniques, however they see a huge potential in her abilities and give her four yesses enabling her to pass on to the next stage.

Our verdict

Here at Entertainment Malta we enjoyed the show, found the acts that passed through the next stage deserving of their YES votes and agree with the judges where they said NO. Gianni delivered as expected and we totally agree with Sarah’s Golden Buzzer choice and look forward to the next show. But before we go, let’s take a look at that emotional Golden Buzzer Moment once again .

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Despite her great performance, Emma Muscat, representing Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, has not managed to qualify for the grand final on Saturday coming.  Emma gave a great performance this evening, with her song, ‘I Am What I Am’. However, it was not enough to qualify her. Emma Muscat sang in sixth place in tonight’s 2nd round of the semi-finals, live in Turin, Italy.

Ironically, Australia has managed to qualify for the Grand Final. We say ironically as Australia is not even in Europe! Although this is explained here, we still can not comprehend why Australia can compete in this contest.

Last year, @Destiny represented Malta. We threw in a few reports which you can check out here.

It is a shame that Malta will not be in the finals on Saturday but we are sure that Malta Eurovision fans will still be watching and enjoying the contest via their TV sets, or together with the live audience in Turin.

We @EntertainmentMalta wish @EmmaMuscat well and lots of luck in her musical future.

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Armenia has won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with a total of 224 points, Poland placing second place with 218 points and France placing third with 187 points. Malta’s representatives, Ike and Kaya, came in 12th place with their song ‘My Home’ which earned them 97 points.

This year, the JESC was held in Paris, France and it is calculated that votes took place from across 199 different countries.

Some of you may remember the duo, from last year’s television program ‘Malta’s Got Talent‘.

Despite the result, the Maltese duo provided a wonderful performance which you can relive by watching it below.

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On the 11th of December, popular Maltese magician Brian Role` received an international award from the International Assembly of the Society of American Magicians. Before the award ceremony, Brian Role` and Lola Palmer performed for an online audience during the International Assembly’s Gala Show on the same eve. This is the second time that Brian has performed during the end of the year main Gala Show of the same society. The audience consisted of people from all over the globe, who got together to watch the online magic spectacular.

This year, Brian and Lola joined a stellar cast of well known international magicians, including Jay Scott Berry (Oceana), Rod Chow (Canada), Dr. Micahel Likely (Canada), Mind Weak (USA), Kevin Peel (England), John O’Roirdan (Eire), Meadow Perry (USA), Sylvia Spectre (England) and Dr. Joel Zaritsky (USA). The host was no other than the President of the International Assembly of the S.A.M., Anthony Darkstone.

During the show, Brian and Lola performed their versions of two classics of magic including a famous illusion once performed by the legendary Houdini. Their act was well received by the audience present offering the right balance to the rest of the show.

After the show, an award ceremony took place conducted by Alan Fisher the assembly’s PR. During the ceremony, the Dean of the International Assembly Dr. Joel Zaitsky presented a number of internationally acclaimed awards. The awards were given to various members for their contributions, excellence, and dedication to the art of magic. Brian Role` was honored with the ‘Darkstone Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Art of Magic’. He is now amongst the first people in the world to receive such an award.

Brian Role` is also the official Assembly Envoy representing Malta for the International Assembly of the Society of American Magicians. He is also a member of  The Magic Circle, The International Brotherhood of Magicians, the International Magicians Society, and I.B.M. Ring 202 Malta. Brian has earned himself other international awards during his magical career including the most prestigious award in magic, the I.M.S. Merlin Award.

To hire Brian to perform for your live or online event please contact him here.

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Between November 16th to November 19th 2021, Malta welcomed thousands of people who flew in from several parts of the world for Malta’s largest international annual conference, SiGMA. This year, however, due to Covid, SiGMA is the first major conference in Malta since March 2020.

Thousands of people attended this conference, to be more precise about 13,500 attendees. According to many reports, things were not plain sailing for such an event. Here’s what we consider being the good, the bad, and the ugly!

EntertainmentMalta.com SiGMA 2021 Observations

The Good

It is great to see so many people come together in one huge venue all sharing the same ideas and networking. To be honest, we were expecting a scaled-down event, but this was not the case. As one can see from the photos, across social media, stands are as they usually are. Some displays are more elaborate than others and attract many more people. Smaller businesses opt for smaller stands by the sides, still managing to attract a good flow of people to their stand. Looking at the photos you can see that the flow of people is as regular as in other editions of the same event.

The exhibits consisted of companies, each offering various opportunities for people in the industry to do business. As usual, most stands gave away lots of goodies made up of promotional merchandise ranging from a simple pen to gift bags containing more elaborate stuff such as Bluetooth speakers and more.

“Stands opted for other sorts of entertainment.”

Those on show ranged from gaming operators, gaming platform providers, payment providers, companies dealing with affiliates, insurance brokers, property agencies and several other such companies all operating in the iGaming industry. To provide enough space to accommodate the number of stalls and attendees, this year a huge exhibiting area served those companies mostly operating in the Crypto world. New Tokens were launched such as the FUN token amongst other innovative initiatives spread across the festival.

Then there was the entertainment value that SiGMA always provides to the attendees. Several of the stalls serve free food and drinks, some with elaborative bars with proper barmen and even DJs attracting hundreds of people to their bar where they could approach the bar and grab a drink or more and dance to the music!
Other stands opted for other sorts of entertainment, like VR games, sports car simulations, pinball machines, and chances for players to try their luck in lotteries and other competitions.

The experience was as normal as one would expect it to be as it was during previous editions.

The Bad

There is always two sides to the coin! On this occasion, Malta, like the world over, is still under a pandemic. Here is where things get messy. The normality of the event angers other entities who are abiding to Covid regulations such as theatres. Those attending were asked to bring along their vaccination certificates to show upon entry. However, like most of the attendees, we were not asked to show it when registering and entering the venue the first time. There are many reports confirming this from other media outlets. Neither we nor others subject to any temperature checks upon entering the venue.

While hand sanitizers were handed out to all attendees, and face masks were available, either upon entering or even as giveaways on a certain number of stalls, we were amazed that almost everyone was not wearing a mask!

While there were a few stalls where there was staff wearing a facemask, the staff on the majority of the stalls were not wearing a face mask. One would think that it was necessary for people to wear a mask with thousands of attendees walking through, up and down the aisles, with many bumping into other people since their attention would be on their phone or looking at the stands, as normally is the case in such events.

“Maintaining a proper conversation when conducting business is not easy”

More effort could have been introduced to have the aisles utilising a one-way system. Of course, we understand that is easier to say than to do. However, attendees could have been obliged to walk through the stands in one direction according to the aisle. Then intersections between aisles could let attendees change directions. Having the conference exhibits already split into blocks one could have used a road network style of flow. Bars should not have been allowed in the halls. Neither should have loud music to avoid excessive mingling of people.

Obviously, there were no social distancing measures with most people acting like there is no pandemic to be cautious of.  It is not easy to have a proper conversation with loud music on several of the stalls and lots of people talking at the same time. People do need to get closer in those conditions to have a conversation to conduct business.  In such an ambient one tends to need to get closer to listen to intimate conversations.

The main bars serving alcohol amongst other drinks were always full of people.  People drinking by the bar that is. They obviously were not abiding to any Covid regulations with several people surrounding the bars.

“DJ stands also attracted groups of people”

The DJ stands also attracted groups of people, dancing to the great sounds with a drink in their hand. There were those offering ‘finger food’ on their stands or having hostesses distributing it across the exhibition floors. Most of the food on offer was there to take without any sort of packaging or covering. While you could also see hostesses wearing no masks, passing through the aisles, distributing food too.

There were also proper food stalls selling properly packaged food on the outside of the halls. However, at certain times, ques leading to the stalls were quite considerably large and overcrowded.

The Ugly

In reality, there are more than two sides to a coin. One side not normally seen as a side id the edge. But it is a very important part of a coin. It contains many important things that distinguish one coin from another. That side is the edge. And during this year’s edition of SiGMA some things stand right on that edge.

As a matter of fact, three particular events attracted bad publicity for SiGMA this year. One involved a stand that had persons dressed as sexy air hostesses, some dancing on podiums to attract people to their stand. Unfortunately, that particular stand shouted more ‘Gentleman’s Club’ than it did ‘Gaming’.

Viral Videos!

One involved the opposite sex, where a video went viral of a man who stripped down to his underwear, who then picked up a much shorter male and swung him in a, particularly suggestive manner between his legs on a particular stand. Most media networks do carry this news making headlines across Malta.

At least the organisers did release a statement banning these from exhibiting in future editions of SiGMA.

“SiGMA 2021 Akon Party – 500 bottles of the best champagne “

The other, being the after-party where icon rapper, Akon was to perform and promote his new Crypto in one of Malta’s popular nightclubs. During the party, 500 bottles of the best champagne were to be distributed to all the guests. However as reported, police intervened closing down the Akon party before the icon even got to perform. Apparently, reports that Covid regulations not being met brought this event to a halt.

There were other ugly things. Some that could have easily been avoided. Most of these things, mainly being the responsibility of the organisers to do so. Upon entering the venue, almost none of the staff registering people were wearing a mask. This already gave attendees the wrong idea.

Moreso how can you expect attendees to abide by regulations when photos emerge of the organisers alongside authoritative figures walking through the convention, none wearing a facemask? How can one expect the attendees to respect the regulations when the ones who should be setting an example, are not the first to do so?

Our Conclusive Idea About SiGMA 2021

What’s done is done. Could some things have been avoided? Yes sure. There is always room for improvement and to fix errors. But now it’s over one needs to use everything in a subjective manner. Perhaps that is what will happen? To us, it appears SiGMA 2021 in Malta can serve a number of purposes for opening up events in Malta. Apart from boosting up the tourism economy, we feel that it serves as a manner to analyze the effects it will have in terms of Covid. Malta, having a high rate of vaccination, should not be suffering much due to this event, unless the vaccinations do not work.

But we know the vaccines are working. Fewer people are ending up in hospitals in Malta, unlike other countries where vaccination rates are lower. We know that a majority of people took the second dose around June or May this year. This means they are nearing the 6-month time span since taking the last dose.  Perhaps this serves a manner to see if particular age groups can keep immunity at this stage?

“The Pandemic brought people together through technology”

To be sincere, we feel SiGMA was also a method of relief to many. Many are desperate to feel some sort of normality that is missing for the past months since March 2020. Such events create networking opportunities. While the pandemic has brought people together through technology, nothing beats meeting a person face to face to discuss opportunities. Like so many other people, we are not happy about how some of the things evolved. However, we still congratulate the organisers for making this event, despite the most of challenging times.

Let’s Hope For The Best

We truly hope that this conference doesn’t create any negative impact of Covid numbers in Malta. What will happen if there will be a rise in Covid numbers due to this event? Will the organisers and those allowing it to go forth be accountable for it? Will authorities stop or impose stricter conditions for entities organising smaller events? We hope not, especially if these are strictly abiding by the rules and regulations set out by the respective authorities.

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We are taking a closer look at these Cinemas – Now Showing In Malta and Gozo. 

Are you are searching for the closest cinema to watch the latest blockbuster?  Or maybe you’re looking to spend some family time watching enjoying an animated movie? How about booking a private screening for your friends or lounging on a sofa to watch your favorite actor? Maybe you prefer an art-house flick in an intimate setting. Do you know that you can take a step back in time with a historical audiovisual experience?

Cinemas are no longer traditionally as we know them, but have evolved to cater to a varied audience and their needs. If you are an avid cinema-goer some even offer club membership with great offers. Therefore we are looking at the main Cinemas offering this in Malta and Gozo!

Cinemas – Now Showing In Malta

1. Edens Cinemas St Julian’s, Malta

Located in the heart of the entertainment district, this cinema complex is the largest on the island with a spacious lobby and on-site parking facilities. Showing the latest blockbusters and art-house movies as well as cultural productions such as operas and ballets, broadcast live from world-renowned theatres.

2. Embassy Cinema Valletta, Malta

A boutique cinema experience in the heart of the capital city. Adjoining the newly renovated Embassy Hotel this chic venue offers premium seating, chaise longue sofas, and a private screening lounge offering beverages and tasty nibbles. Apart from the latest movies releases this cinema also shows Valletta Living History a docudrama depicting life through the ages, under the various conquests that occupied this historical city.

3. Gallaria Cinema  Fgura, Malta

A budget cinema located in the southeastern region of Malta. The Gallaria Cinema shows recent releases and family favorites in 2d and 3d.

4. Malta 5d  Valletta, Malta

Relive Malta’s history with this multilingual audiovisual 3d production with moving seats and other effects. Malta 5d is conveniently located in Malta’s capital city Valletta. This makes it an excellent venue where you can take an enjoyable break from sightseeing or shopping.

5. Spazzju Kreattiv Cinema Valletta, Malta

An intimate venue that you can find in the arts hub, Spazju Kreattiv at St. James Cavalier, showing culturescreenings. This cinema screens art-house movies both local and international. It also streams opera, theatre, and dance productions, from world-renowned companies such as the Met Opera, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the Royal Shakespeare Company to name a few.

Cinemas – Now Showing In Gozo

So what about Gozo? Perhaps one would not expect such a tiny island to have a cinema but Gozo has its very own cinema showing the latest blockbusters and other popular movies.

1. Citadel Cinema Victoria, Gozo

The only cinema on the island of Gozo is housed in a 19th-century townhouse. Located in the center and capital of the island, Victoria,  it is close to the Citadel fortress. Showing here, are the latest blockbuster movies, as well as a 30 min audiovisual experience of stunning photographs depicting Malta’s sister island – “Glorious Gozo”

Check out these things you can do in Malta

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The Swedish group Abba, will release their first album after forty years since their last album in 1981. They announced to be releasing the new album, containing ten songs, called ‘Voyage’ in November.

The album’s new songs will also be playing during a live virtual concert, next year in London.‎

ABBA was formed in in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha and Bjorn, and Benny and Anni-Fird. The legendary group’s name, ABBA, are actually the first letter of each of the singers’ names. ABBA eventually separated in 1982 after the couples divorcing.

‎In 1974 ABBA won the Eurovision with their iconic song ‘Waterloo’. In 2005 the song was chosen as the best song in the competition’s history as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. They sold more than 385 million albums worldwide. Topping the charts in many countries around the world, their most popular songs include; ‘Waterloo’, ‘The Winner Takes It All’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’.‎

In 2008 ABBA’s music made a global roar with the release of ‘Mamma Mia!’, a romantic musical comedy film. The film features a stellar cast including Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Julie Walters. It was followed by ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again‘, released in 2018 with most of the main cast returning and others including Andy Garcia and Cher.

‎ABBA’s last album came out in 1981. It included songs inspired by the couples’ divorce, which eventually tore the group apart.

The post ABBA – A Comeback After Almost 40 Years! appeared first on Entertainment in Malta.