Starmania is an Austrian casting show, a talent show for would-be pop stars. It is broadcast on the Austrian TV channel "ORF 1".
Despite striking similarities, Starmania is not a licensed version of the Idols format distributed by FremantleMedia. Attempts to export the format to Germany failed due to legal intervention from Fremantle. In 2004, ORF managed to sell the format rights to the Swiss channel SF, where the show is called MusicStar.
From 2003 to 2009, four seasons of Starmania have been aired in Austria.
To date, the winners have been Michael Tschuggnall, Verena Pötzl, Nadine Beiler and Oliver Wimmer. Christina Stürmer, who placed second in the first season, has become more famous than the other winners combined, with top charts positions in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
This sociocritical film series in 4 parts is a follow-up to the Alpensaga and depicts the economic and cultural development in Austria after the war. Individual films focus on the themes of individualization and the rise of consume culture as well as the political shift of the dominating social democratic forces from a blue-collar party to more market oriented policies.
In the spring of 1873, people from all over the world come to the tiny village of Göschenen in the canton of Uri, to work on the biggest and most spectacular construction site of modern times: the tunnel through the Gotthard.
In 2007 Hubert von Goisern started his biggest and boldest project to date: the Linz Europe Tour 2007-09. With a barge converted into a stage, complete with push boat and barge, band and crew, he sailed down the Danube to the Black Sea and back to Linz. On his journey east, the Goiserer docked in many places to play concerts on board with well-known local artists - concerts with free admission for an enthusiastic audience on land.