Have you ever thought what the stars of Eurovision have to go through on the big night? Apart from the pressure of representing their country that is. Well, just spare a thought if you’re the last to sing in the Grand Final.
If you’re first on, you get the full range of the free bar. But if you’re last on, you have to wait through all those performers, watching them do their thing for what seems like days. In 1995, last on was today’s birthday girl Maria-Elpida ‘Elina’ Konstantopoulou. Apparently a chain smoker – an odd thing to smoke if you ask me – she sat through 22 performances, probably in the knowledge that the winner was among that first 22 songs. So, what would she do? Smoke perhaps? Maybe allow herself a little tipple, but not get drunk like the first act on probably was when she performed. Elina came twelfth, getting one maximum and one 10-point score. And someone out there could correct me, but Ancient Greek has never featured in any song before or since.
Elina is 52 today.
Ευτυχισμένα γενέθλια, Ελίνα!