‘My Number One’ aiming for top spot at Eurovision 2005
Euro fever – and next stop Kiev. Greece’s candidate is the song «My Number One.» Since the return to democratic rule in 1974, Greece has taken part in the Eurovision song contest almost every year. Last year, Greek pop idol Sakis Rouvas won third prize with his signature take on the song «Shake It.» First prize went to the Ukrainian singer Ruslana with «Wild Dances,» taking the next competition to her homeland. In 2002, Estonia won first prize and the Greek group Antique, of which Elena Paparizou was a member, came in third place with «Die for You.» In 2002, Greece fell to 17th place. This year, in the 50th Eurovision song contest, covered live by NET, Elena Paparizou will try again, singing «My Number One,» to music by Christos Dantis and lyrics by Natalia Germanou, with dancers, as in the photo taken on March 2 when the song was selected. Three songs up for selection were performed at the Fever club, organized by Greek Radio and Television (ERT) and sponsored by the TIM telecommunications firm. State TV channel NET is supporting the Greek effort by broadcasting «Euromania» every Friday at 10 p.m., with Alexandra Pascalidou, who came here from Sweden to promote her books and stayed on as a television presenter for the Eurovision song contest. From Monday to Thursday, after the 6 p.m. news, NET shows «Euromania News.» Euro fever will mount till May 21, when the contest will be broadcast live from Kiev. The Eurovision song contest is harmless fun, though rather costly, and Greece would like to host it one day, though first it has to win. And why shouldn’t Greece aim for that when it did such a splendid job of organizing the Olympic Games and has produced songwriters like Hadjidakis and Theodorakis, whose music knows no borders?
