Welcome to CARTAGENA, SPAIN, for the 119th edition of the Forum Song Contest, and the first edition of 2019!
We are here in Spain after the landslide victory in FSC 118 by Blas Cantó performing Él no soy yo.
Let us revisit that captivating performance:
Our host city for this FSC- edition is Cartagena, a port city and naval base in the region of Murcia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
The city was founded around 227 BC by the Carthaginian Hasdrubal the Fair as Qart Hadasht (Phoenician, meaning 'New Town') the same name as the original city of Carthage. The city had its heyday during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova (the New Carthage) and Carthago Spartaria, capital of the province of Carthaginensis. It was one of the important cities during the Umayyad invasion of Hispania, under its Arabic name of Qartayannat al-Halfa.
Much of the historical weight of Cartagena in the past goes to its coveted defensive port, one of the most important in the western Mediterranean. Cartagena has been the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean since the arrival of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. As far back as the 16th century it was one of the most important naval ports in Spain, together with Ferrol in the North. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and is home to a large naval shipyard.
Even today, the city still boast the most important port in Southern Spain.
The confluence of civilizations as well as its strategic harbour, together with the rise of the local mining industry is manifested by a unique artistic heritage, with a number of landmarks such as the Roman Theatre, the second largest of the Iberian Peninsula after the one in Mérida, an abundance of Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and Moorish remains, and a plethora of Art Nouveau buildings, a result of the bourgeoisie from the early 20th century. Cartagena is now established as a major cruise ship destination in the Mediterranean and an emerging cultural focus.
Cartagena is home to numerous Art Nouveau buildings from the early 20th century, when the Bourgeoisie settled down in the city due to the growth of the local mining industry. These buildings include the City Hall, the Grand Hotel, the Casino (all of them among the city's landmarks).
The Railway Station has some outstanding iron doors and columns on the façade, and inside can still be seen the original ticket office, doorframe, ceiling and the lamps. Other modernist or eclectic houses include the Clares House, the Aguirre Palace (which houses the Regional Museum of Modern Art), the Cervantes House (relatively big in comparison with other modernist buildings), the Llagostera House, the Pedreño Palace, the Dorda House, the Zapata House and the Urban Expansion Company House.
Several charming lively streets cover this area, such as Calle Mayor (the High Street), the major pedestrian and commercial street of the city, full of boutiques and bars with typical "tapas", Carmen Street, the Puertas de Murcia street and many more.
Tourism represented an increasingly important sector in the local economy in the 21st century, as evidenced by the expansion of cultural institutions such as ARQUA (the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology) and the excavation and restoration of Roman ruins. The nearby Mar Menor (coastal lagoon) has swimming beaches and recreational areas.
Although the city itself is only a port, within the city limits lies part of La Manga del Mar Menor (the other part belonging to the municipality of San Javier) which encompasses the Mar Menor. Cartagena also includes part of the Murcian Mediterranean Coast. Cartagena holds the distinction of being the Spanish city with the most beaches (10) certified "Q for Quality" by the ICTE (Instituto para la Calidad Turística Española).
The venue for tonight's proceedings is the El Batel Auditorium and Convention Center.
This state-of-the-art building is based on the marine traditions of the city. Its location next to the port and sea influence the design. The exterior is dominated by straight lines, similar to the containers of the boats stacked in the docks, the straightness of the edge of the port and the calm of the surrounding sea. The innovative materials used, native to the area have been used for the first time in the façade of a building, and have allowed us to create luminous areas which provide great brightness to the interior.
The complex structure, characterised by the absence of pillars, creates an interior with large open areas and bright effect, reminiscent of the weightlessness of the deep sea.
The main auditorium hosts up to 1,401 spectator over three floors. It is a unique space due to its unusual location: below sea level.
Hall A is divided into 3 many parts: the parterre, closest to the stage, with a capacity for 565 spectators; the amphitheatre 1, with a capacity for 498 spectators; and the highest, the amphitheatre 2, which can hold 332 spectators.
Thanks to the dimensions of the stage area and the large surface of the stage itself, 224 m2, even the largest shows can be put on here. It boasts the most modern infrastructure and technology. It has screens, projection and sound equipment, microphones, lighting bridge and all of the resources required to carry out a congress or cultural activity in the programming of shows. This hall is fully accessible and has 6 places reserved for wheel chairs.
Time now, to entertained and dazzled by our gracious hosts:
The trio of Ruth Lorenzo, Roberto Leal and Cristina Pedroche will keep us company tonight.
Ruth Lorenzo Pascual , (born 10 November 1982), is a Spanish singer and composer, best known for coming fifth in the fifth series of the British TV talent show The X Factor in 2008. She represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Dancing In The Rain", which entered the Spanish Singles Chart at number 5.Her debut single "Burn" entered the Spanish Singles Charts and reached number 16 when she released the single on 27 June 2011. She released her first UK single "The Night" on 15 June 2013, featuring a club remix by Almighty. Her debut album Planeta Azul was released on 27 October 2014. In November 2017 "Good Girls Don't Lie" was released as the first single of her second album Loveaholic (9 March 2018). The song made it to number one iTunes Spain on the first 24 hours. She achieved a Guinness World Records in 2016 for performing in eight different Spanish cities in 12 hours, in a breast cancer awareness charity event.
Roberto José Leal Guillén (born 28 June 1979) is a Spanish television presenter, reporter and journalist. Leal graduated in Journalism at the University of Seville. He began his television career at 21 working for Telecinco's news department. After working in Canal Sur and as a news reporter with María Teresa Campos in Antena 3, from 2005 to 2010 Leal was a reporter in the infotainment show España directo, on La 1. In 2010 he co-hosted the short-lived infotainment show 3D alongside Gloria Serra on Antena 3. In the following four years Leal continued in Antena 3 co-hosting the morning television show Espejo público alongside Susanna Griso. Since 2017, Leal hosts the talent show Operación Triunfo on its ninth and tenth seasons. In 2018, Leal hosted Bailando con las estrellas, the Spanish adaptation of Dancing with the Stars, alongside Rocío Muñoz Morales. On 31 December 2018, Leal presented the annual New Year's Eve celebration broadcast for TVE live from Madrid's Puerta del Sol, alongside Anne Igartiburu.
Cristina Pedroche Navas (born 30 October 1988) is a Spanish actress, presenter, comedian, TV reporter and model. She rose to fame in 2010 when she joined the daily comedy show Sé lo que hicisteis... on La Sexta as a TV reporter until 2011. From August 2011 to June 2012 she worked as a reporter in the daily comedy show Otra movida. In September 2012 she joined radio program Yu, no te pierdas nada as a collaborator, on Los 40 principales. In December 2013 she joined the daily TV comedy show Zapeando, hosted by Frank Blanco in La Sexta. In December 2014 it was announced that she signed a golden parachute with media group Atresmedia[4] She also hosted the 2014-2015 New Year's Eve's Twelve Grapes broadcast for La Sexta alongside Frank Blanco. In 2015, she presented the fifth Spanish season of reality television game show Pekín Express, her first work as a solo host. From January, 2017 she hosts the talent show Tú sí que sí, in La Sexta in 2017.
Before we start with the show tonight, it is time for our openinc act, so let's enjoy this lively performance by Kazaky, all the way from Ukraine, to perform their hit song 'Your Style':
And finally, here are the first half of our contestants for this edition. Good luck to all contestants!
We have now heard half of the performances tonight, so let's sit back and relax, while we enjoy our interval acts by two Spanish singers:
First up is Rosalía performing 'Bagdad':
And our next performer is David Bisbal performing 'Fiebre':
And so, we have come to the end of tonight's performances. As a final encore, we have one more surprise for everyone. As our closing act, all the way from Australia, we have The Veronicas to perform 'On Your Side':
Evaluation Period
We will now observe the 7-day evaluation period. If, during this time, you find any entries which you believe are in contravention of FSC-rules, please contact a member of the mod team.
The voting deadline and vote collector will be announced in due time.
Have fun guys!
For January 2019 Norway goes for melodic Electronic Dance Music (EDM)! 
Great show Aardvark.
