Time-Warp Tuesday: JESC edition
Every Tuesday for me is a chance to go back in time and relive both the greatest and most horrifying moments in Eurovision history. In Junior Eurovision, there is an equal amount of good and bad, and today, I’ve chosen songs that could be either…depending on your taste. This Time-Warp is a celebration of JESC Firsts, beginning with:
The first ever performance
Who: Greece, with Nicolas Ganopoulos and Fili Gia Panta
When and where: 2003, Copenhagen, Denmark
Result: 8th place, 53 points
Is it just me, or is there something very Ping Pong about this performance? Some would argue that this is a better song with a better singer than Israel put up in Eurovision 2000, but to me they are eerily similar – a dreadfully cheesy song with a lackluster performance. Still, this is a primary-school age kid opening a live television contest being broadcast continent-wide…what’s your excuse for the mediocrity, Ping Pong?
The first-ever winner
Who: Croatia, with Dino Jelusić and Ti Si Moja Prva Ljubav
When and where: 2003, Copenhagen, Denmark
Result: 1st place (obviously), 134 points
This is the second time Dino’s cropped up in my JESC month (so far), but how could I celebrate firsts without inviting JESC’s inaugural champion to the party? It’s possible he won simply by following up the above performance; then again, it may have been the catchiness and actual ability to sing that did it. Europe’s under-16s sure have got talent!
The first country to win…again
Who: Belarus, with Alexey Zhigalkovich and S Druzyami
When and where: 2007, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Result: 1st place (again, do I need to mention this?), 137 points
In 2005, Ksenia Sitnik won the contest by three points with My Vmeste. Not having had the best luck in Eurovision at that point (and continuing to lack it today), I bet Belarus were mighty pleased with the victory. Fast-forward two years to Rotterdam, and lo and behold, Belarus triumph again – this time by ONE point. Perhaps the rather exercise-ready costumes are the key to the country’s success, and if this year’s representative Lidiya were to take to the stage in leg warmers and a leotard she would have a good chance of making it trophy number three?
What are your favourite JESC ‘firsts’? Let me know with a comment =)
THIS WEEK: More challenge, and Part 2 of my 2011 reviews!
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