Eurovision; whether you think it's a zoo of stage-performing hyenas or a glamorous tribute to the best of Europop, the annual show is hard to ignore - in Latvia, especially.
After the song competition was held in Riga two years ago, thanks to Marija Naumova's first place win with "I wonna" in 2002, locals are just waiting for the next circus to hit town. And it came pretty close last week when Latvia's baby-faced duo Valters and Kaza took fifth place overall with their song "The War is not Over." With lyrics as poignant as "The war is not over, everyone knows it. It's just a reason to make us believe that someone's the loser someone's the winner," who could be surprised? Estonia's Vanilla Ninja, representing Switzerland, also gave the Baltics something to talk about, placing eighth. But it was Greek singer Helena who stole the contest for her seductive performance of "My Number One," a mid-tempo tune peppered with Balkan flavorings. The Greek siren may have seduced the whole of Europe, but Valters and Kaza have won over the Baltics. And when it comes to Latvia and Eurovision, the war is not over, as the heroes say.
