Belgium chose their

Junior Eurovision The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (often shortened to JESC, Junior Eurovision or Junior EuroSong) is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. It is held in a dif ...

entry for 2008 through Junior Eurosong, a national final consisting of 10 songs split into two quarter-finals, a semi-final and a grand final. The winner of Junior Eurosong was

Oliver Symons Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver, ...

, with the song "Shut Up!".

Before Eurovision

Junior Eurosong 2008

Junior Eurosong was the national final for Belgium at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008, organised by Belgian broadcaster

Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep The VRT (), is the national public-service broadcaster for the Flemish Community of Belgium. History VRT is the successor to a succession of organisations. The Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting was known as the Nationaal Insti ...

(VRT).

Format

The format of the competition consisted of four shows: two quarter-finals, one semi-final and a final. All shows were hosted by Ben Roelants. Results during the heats and the semi-final shows were determined by the three-member jury panel and votes from the public. In the quarter-finals the songs first faced a public televote where the top two entries qualified. The jury then selected an additional qualifier from the remaining entries to proceed in the competition. In the semi-finals the songs first faced a public televote where the top three entries qualified. The jury then selected an additional qualifier from the remaining entries to proceed in the competition. In the final, public televoting exclusively determined the winner. The jury participated in each show by providing feedback to the competing artists and selecting entries to advance in the competition. The panel consists of: * Stijn Kolacny * Pascale Platel * Andre Vermeulen

Competing entries

A total of 548 songs were received by VRT for the contest, with only 10 (nine in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

and one in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) being chosen to compete in the national final.

Quarter-final 1

The first quarter-final took place on 6 September 2008. Three entries qualified to the final. The five competing entries first faced a public televote where the top two songs advanced: "Waarom?" performed by The Pinsons and "Vergeet-mij-liedje" performed by Mathilde. An additional qualifier was selected from the remaining three entries by the jury: "Shut Up!" performed by Oliver.

Quarter-final 2

The second quarter-final took place on 13 September 2008. Three entries qualified to the final. The five competing entries first faced a public televote where the top two songs advanced: "Samen" performed by Didier & Charlotte and "Ik hou van muziek" performed by Guust. An additional qualifier was selected from the remaining three entries by the jury: "Un nouveau rêve" performed by Chloé.

Semi-final

The semi-final took place on 20 September 2008. Four entries qualified to the final. The six competing entries first faced a public televote where the top three songs advanced: "Un nouveau rêve" performed by Chloé, "Ik hou van muziek" performed by Guust and "Samen" performed by Didier & Charlotte. An additional qualifier was selected from the remaining six entries by the jury: "Shut Up!" performed by Oliver.

Final

The final took place on 27 September 2008. "Shut Up!" performed by Oliver was selected as the winner after accumulating the highest number of televotes.

At Junior Eurovision

At Junior Eurovision, Belgium performed in seventh position, before Bulgaria and after Georgia. The presentation of the Belgian song was changed. Three female dancers and a drummer were introduced to the performance. Belgium placed in 11th position with 45 points; the highest of which was 10 points, which came from the Netherlands.

Voting

After Junior Eurovision

After the Belgian national final, Junior Eurosong, "Shut Up!" was released into the Flemish charts. Its peak in the charts was at #19.

Notes

References

External links

Official Belgian JESC Site

Official Oliver's page at broadcaster's website
{{Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Junior Eurovision Song Contest The Junior Eurovision Song Contest (often shortened to JESC, Junior Eurovision or Junior EuroSong) is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003. It is held in a diff ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...