Mikis Theodorakis

Michael "Mikis" Theodorakis (Greek: Μιχαήλ (Μίκης) Θεοδωράκης [ˈmicis θeoðoˈɾacis]; born 29 July 1925) is a Greek songwriter and composer who has written over 1000 songs. He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He composed the "Mauthausen Trilogy" also known as "The Ballad of Mauthausen", which has been described as the "most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust" and possibly his best work. He is viewed as Greece's best-known living composer. He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.

Politically, he is associated with the left because of his long-standing ties to the Communist Party of Greece. He was an MP for the KKE from 1981 to 1990. Nevertheless, in 1989 he ran as an independent candidate within the centre-right New Democracy party, in order for the country to emerge from the political crisis that had been created due to the numerous scandals of the government of Andreas Papandreou, and helped establish a large coalition between conservatives, socialists and leftists. In 1990 he was elected to the parliament (as in 1964 and 1981), became a government minister under Constantine Mitsotakis, and fought against drugs and terrorism and for culture, education and better relations between Greece and Turkey. He continues to speak out in favor of left-liberal causes, Greek–Turkish–Cypriot relations, and against the War in Iraq. He has consistently opposed oppressive regimes and was a key voice against the 1967–1974 Greek junta, which imprisoned him.

Kostas Kapetanidis

Konstantinos (Kostas) Kapetanidis, sometimes credited as Costas Kapetanidis, is a Greek music video director who is associated with the production company Anosi S.A. He is one of the most successful music video directors and has created music videos for some of Greece's most commercially successful artist and has received multiple awards.

Videography

Despina Vandi

Greek Idol

Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011. The show is broadcast simultaneously by Sigma TV in Cyprus.

The program, which also holds auditions in Cyprus, aims to discover the best singer with the winner determined by the viewers. Through telephone and SMS text voting, viewers choose Valanto Trifonos as the winner of season one.

The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original three judges were songwriter and record producer Dimitris Kontopoulos, music instructor Maro Theodoraki, and music video director Kostas Kapetanidis, with media proprietor Petros Kostopoulos being added as a fourth judge at the start of the first live show. As of the second season, the judging panel consists of Kostopoulos, Kapetanidis, and singer Elli Kokkinou. The show is hosted by Roula Koromila.

Greek Idol (season 2)

The second season of Greek Idol premiered on 19 February 2011 and concluded on 25 June 2011, on Alpha TV.

Changes

Judges

Following the end of season one, Dimitris Kontopoulos and Maro Theodoraki announced they would not reprise their roles as judges for the second season. Kontopoulos came to the decision to walk away from the show citing the need for more time to focus on his work and music. Maro Theodraki announced she would not return as well, citing scheduling issues with her work, while mentioning that the decision was mutual with Alpha TV.

Following Kontopoulos and Theodoraki's departures, Alpha TV began actively seeking replacements. In September 2010, singer Elena Paparizou confirmed that Alpha TV had asked her to be a judge for season two, although she declined the offer saying she is still too young to judge her peers. In October 2010, it was reported that singer Elli Kokkinou agreed to be a judge for the second season. Alpha TV later announced on October 26, 2010 that the judges for the second season would be three instead of four, and would consist of Elli Kokkinou, Petros Kostopoulos, and Kostas Kapetanidis.

Greek Idol (season 1)

The first season of Greek Idol premiered on 5 March 2010 on Alpha TV.

Judges and host

Hosts

A number of Greek entertainers had been rumored as potential hosts of the show, haven't gone through screen tests. On January 19, 2010, Alpha TV announced that actress Anta Livitsanou will host the show. Livitsanou had previously appeared as a guest on the season finale of rival singing competition The X Factor (Greece) where she sang "Think".

However, it was revealed on April 20, 2010 that Roula Koromila would be the new host of the show as of the April 26 when the "live shows" began. Anta Livitsanou was still present on the show, presenting backstage segments.

Judges

Shortly after announcing the show, Alpha TV started airing a new ad on December 22, 2009 announcing Nikos Karvelas as the head judge. On January 20, 2010, it was rumored that Karvelas will not be part of Greek Idol, and had left for unknown reasons. On January 21, 2010, one day before auditions begin, Alpha TV confirmed that Karvelas has left the show, and thanked him for his work up until that point. Although Alpha TV and Karvelas did not state the reason for his departure, various news outlets reported that it was due to comments made by host Anta Livitsanou after being picked, downplaying the judges roles, and stating that the judges have little say in the competition, as well as other potential jury picks Karvelas did not agree with. On the same day, it was announced that singer Giannis Kotsiras will be a judge on the show, but on January 23, 2010 Kotsiras reveled that he would not take part in the show and thanked Alpha for their enthusiasm with him.

Anta Livitsanou

Anta Livitsanou (born July 23, 1979 in Athens) is a Greek actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Lola in Lola, the Greek edition of the television series Lalola.

Anta Livitsanou is an actress who has starred in theatrical performances, TV serials and presented fashion shows. She also sings in two indie rock bands, one of them named "VOLT".

On January 30, 2009, Livitsanou appeared as a guest on the season finale of The X Factor (Greece) where she sang "Think".

On January 19, 2010, Alpha TV announced that Livitsanou would be the host of Greek Idol.

Filmography

External links

References

Dimitris Kontopoulos

Dimitris Kontopoulos (Greek: Δημήτρης Κοντόπουλος born November 9, 1971 in Athens, Greece) is one of the most famous Greek music composers known for his dance-pop music.

Personal life

Dimitris Kontopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on November 9, 1971. After graduating from the Ziridis school, he continued his studies in film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

Kontopoulos is married and has two children and avoids public appearances, does not talk to the media often, and dislikes being recognized stating that celebrity life kills privacy.

Career