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Recently in Junior Eurovision Song Contest Category

BookCover_2011.jpg

Over the past three months I've been working on a wee project for all you loyal Boom Bang a Bloggers to get your first shufty at on Christmas Eve Eve. And somebody else who has been turning their hand to online publishing is our ald mucker Ewan Spence (he used to review albums for us, remember?) who has just published the account of his trip to this month's Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, earlier this month. Called It's Cold and There are Children Singing, the title reflects the below-freezing temperatures Armenia experiences at this time of year as well as the fact that children sing at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Ewan's stuff is always worth a read, so if you're interested in his trip, have a click here to find out more.


Either the song is called Candy Music and the group is called Candy or it's the other way round. Whichever way it goes, this song won Junior Eurovision 2011 for Georgia last night

I cannot pretend I have watched more than one minute of this song because the Junior Eurovision Song Contest has never been appointment television for me. However, for the sake of putting things on record, here is the winner from last night's competition which was held in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. The Netherlands finished in second place, good going for one of the few Western countries represented in this Eastern European-dominated spin-off from the grown-up counterpart.

Georgia also took the Ickle Song Contest title in 2008 with something about the noise that bees make. This time it's with a song about sweets. I'm sorry, but I just find the entire concept behind this event mildly disturbing...

junior_eurovision.jpg Now, here's a reet wizard wheeze. You will, of course, remember Boom Bang a Guest Blogger Ewan Spence (if I were Richard Madeley on This Morning, I'd introduce him as 'a good friend of the show'). Well, Ewan has now launched his own Contest-related blog to sit alongside this already successful one. Unlike, BBaB, Ewan has a real soft-spot for the end-of-year Junior version of the Song Contest (i've tried with it, I really have, honest...) and has been gearing up for all the action which takes place in Minsk, the Belarussian capital next Saturday (November 20).

It's only right that Belarus is playing host as this is the country that has won the Junior version on two previous occasions, although the Netherlands took the trophy in the 2009 edition. The host country is usually decided 18 months in advance so as not to put the kids taking part under any pressure to win the hosting rights of a gala event for their national broadcaster.

So, here's the wheeze that's wizardy. As the Junior Contest has an age bracket of 10 to 15 years for its participants, Ewan has approached people who are within that year group themselves to give their opinions in one of his regular podcasts. You'll find the first such podcast right here. Happy listening!

I wasn't actually in to watch the Junior Eurovision Song Contest last night - I was at a cult telly thing in Birmingham - so I am very pleased to report this morning that the winner was the Netherlands. Hurrah! That's the first Eurovisiony thing they've won in my lifetime, their last victory being 1975 in the main event with Teach-In and Ding Dinge Dong.


Ralf wins Junior Eurovision 2009 for the Netherlands with Click Clack.

Just like the Grown Up Contest, the JESC uses both a jury score and the televotes from the public to determine the winner and that seems to have broken the stranglehold Eastern Europe has had on this event in particular - Russia and Armenia tied for second place and Belgium came fourth.

This bodes well for Proper Eurovision, if a country that hasn't had a whiff of the trophy engraver's apron for more then three decades can come out on top again.

jesclogo2009.PNGYou can be forgiven for not knowing that there's another Eurovision going on this weekend - because not many countries seem to want to enter it. The seventh edition of the Junior version of our favourite Contest takes place in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday night but despite the high hopes the EBU had for the event when it began in 2003, just 13 nations will be lining up in Kyiv's Palace of Sports (the same place that Proper Eurovision was staged in 2005) to have a go at winning the trophy, with the majority of entrants coming from Eastern Europe.

...except in Georgia, as three kids in yellow and black striped outfits (with a collective age that is less than this current blogger's) have just taken the 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest title in Cyprus. The song is called Bzzz...

For some reason, the show was presented by a pair of Londoners, but despite all the dreadful, dreadful music - even by Eurovision standards - there was a very poignant moment when the girl reading out the Russian scores gave the 12 to Georgia with a genuinely cheery smile. Sometimes, dagnammit, those kids can teach us a thing or two. The Georgians didn't return the favour.

Georgia has pulled out of the 2009 Contest in Moscow due to the political events earlier this year.

Some cynics are already suggesting this pint-sized victory is a rather convenient, sugar-coated way of enticing them back...

Tomorrow is the sixth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest - and just when you thought the adults had the sole stake on rehearsal week drama and strops, wait until you hear about the kids.

In what could be a worrying too-much-lemonade-and-ice-cream scenario, the entrant for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (and on of the favourites to win) was taken to hospital on Wednesday and could only manage two of his four alloted rehearsal slots.

You can have a shufty at his song in this blogbit, along with the remaining two songs in the 15-strong line-up, beginning with:

SONG THIRTEEN
Lithuania

Laiminga Diena performed by Egle Jurgaityte

Bless you for your loyalty in the run up to Fun-Sized Eurovision on Saturday. The first of today's four entries is from Serbia, this year's hosts of the other singing contest.

SONG 9
Serbia

Uvek Kad U Nebo Pogledam performed by Maja Mazic

There's more this way.

Boom Bang a Blog has been absolutely inundated with no requests to see more previews of the songs taking part in this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Cyprus on Saturday.

So, we'll keep going with the song from the host country's friendliest neighbour.

SONG FIVE
Greece

Kapoia Nychta performed by Niki Yiannouchu

There's three more to experience if you click on the bit marked 'Continue Reading'. I know, I know... we're just too kind to you.

Saturday sees the sixth running of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, live from Lemesos, Cyprus.

There is minimal interest in this Minipops version of the main event in Western Europe, although the host nation, Belgium, The Netherlands and Malta are doing their bit in Cyprus to stem the tide of Eastern European bloc voting on behalf of the Eurovision old school. We don't fancy their chances.

Over the next four days, we'll preview the 15 acts clamouring (but not running with scissors) towards the prize. Of course, one day, there will be one act who winds up winning both Junior and Grown-Up Eurovisions. A bit like Roger Federer winning the Australian and French Open five years apart.

If you can bear it, have a click to preview the entries from Romania, Armenia, Belarus and Russia.

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Jamie McLoughlin

Jamie McLoughlin - The news editor of Southport Visiter reveals all about his musical hobby that more people should admit to having.

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