Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The Netherlands - Anouk - Birds The Netherlands was very first one to announce their artist for Eurovision 2013, yet it was one of the last ones to unveil the song, and the only one not having yet any proper live performance available of the song. All we know it's going to be simple, most likely Anouk alone on stage. The song was met with huge relief and applause and praise to surprise some Dutch that they actually might have a chance this year. Anouk can deliver, and is about as big in NL as Mengoni is in Italy and she has some fame to claim to her name also in Scandinavia and somewhere else, too. Will it help her? The song is a tender simple waltz like thing, very pleasant but... Will it work? I have some doubts even if I like it. Unless her performance is stunning she might struggle to reach the top-10 in the final. But then, what do I know? United Kingdom - Bonnie Tyler - Believe in me Bonnie needs no presentation. She's still a Name in the UK, Germany, Scandinavia...

United Kingdom starts the second round of rehearsals for the Big5+1. Dark stage for Engelbert Humperdinck and his dancer and the guitar player with some white and red images in the backdrop. Much better vocally today than yesterday so it's all becoming together well for the UK. And if he hits that last note come Saturday... he will surely hit the right cords with the older viewers who also tend to vote, so... Definitely one of the winning candidates this year. More here . 

Last but not least, United Kingdom . The backdrop and stage is beautiful, he has the guitarist and a dancing couple with him just like in the video and the song is well penned beautiful song. Engelbert Humperdinck has also the fame and fanbase to lift him very high on the scoreboard and even, perhaps, win this all. I wouldn't be surprised. The main problem is his voice - if he sings like in this rehearsal video it will be painful to watch and listen. People can be really cruel. On the other hand if he nails it and gives a stunning vocal performance he will gain many extra points. Being 76 is tricky. The Russian grannies are a group, he's all alone in this. I like the song and I keep fingers crossed he nails it and raises the standard for all the other 25 acts that will follow him in the final! More here .

Two May born men, two classy ballads. United Kingdom is the most successful Eurovision nation overall with 5 wins and 15 runner ups, but it's been already 14 years since they got one of those. Estonia has a string of great success in 1999-2002 but has been less fortunate since, with the exception of 2009 . Now these two countries go to Baku with pretty much the same recipe. While Estonia's Ott (25 in May) is still a quite a newcomer with a couple of years adult fame to his credit, United Kingdom's Engelbert (76 in May) has over 45 years of career and worldwide success behind him. This is 5-4 for Estonia. United Kingdom - Engelbert Humperdinck - Love will set you free ****1/2 Is this the right card to turn the UK's Eurovision bad record in recent years? If you can overcome Engelbert's age - as it is clear many Eurovision fans are age racist but then, the hardcore fans have no power in the final result whatsoever, even if some seem to...

Engelbert Humperdinck's entry for the UK is Love will set you free . Hmmm, a pleasant surprise I would say. Rather classy song. Graceful and pure I'd say. And all considered this could even be a winner....

The 2012 season just got a bit weirder when BBC announced the nearly 76-year-old Engelbert Humperdinck will be their entrant in Baku 2012. Martin Terefe who has worked with Mary J. Blige has written the song with Sasha Skarbek who has worked with Adele, Lana Del Rey and James Blunt amongst others. Engelbert himself has a career going on for 45 years now, has sold over 150 million records, has received 63 gold and 24 platinum records, has won a Golden Globe and has stars on both Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame. Now beat that! Who knows, maybe it's a goodie? And shame Lys Assia isn't going for Switzerland - they would have had a nostalgic small talk together!

Forget Spice Girls and John Barrowman. And also Geri Halliwell solo and Will Young, the latest name rumoured is Right said Fred, or RSF these days. Those muscle guys that were too sexy for everything back in 1991. Then asked us to kiss, not to talk before going deeply dippy . Next they asked us to stick it out and get bumbed and so the story goes. I must say I'm stuck in those early 1990's but they have been releasing music ever since and their 8th album Stop the world was released in 2011. Wouldn't it be nice to have these Mr Propers hunting down the Jedwards in Baku?

While we are at the rumour mill here's another: John Barrowman for the UK! This Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer, writer and media personality of Torchwood fame would be a great choice, his 2008 single What about us? is a hidden classic. And he has been flirting with Eurovision for years and with his musical + pop experience would fit in just nicely. And did you know he launched his own skin care line, HIM, last year? How gay is that?

Love City Groove that represanted United Kingdom in the 1995 Eurovision with self titled song are trying a come back and what's better than doing with the beforementioned self titled song . They scored 10th place that was concidered low for the UK back then but looking at it now was pretty good... Time will tell if the second time around will go better in the charts....

News from Planet Jedward. The twins have had to reschedule their coming Carnival tour that kicks off now in the end of July. Meanwhile their follow up single to Lipstick , Bad behaviour has been released and on top of that they have been apparently offered one million pounds to participate in the next season's Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. If that happens that will be a show I would like to see, just to see if their ADHD-like energy never stops and what they come up with!

If you thought the video we have seen so far with the guys on a rooftop over London was the official video you were wrong. The guys have made a new video and it's simple and effective with a wet ending - is that a hint for Eric Saade? They charmed the fans i Amsterdam and the gay audience with their Attitude photo shoot and are amongst the favourites to win according the bettings odds. I think UK is closer to the sixth win since 1997. BBC may have gotten it all right this time. Wouldn't it be nice if another Big5 country would win right after Germany? My bet is on UK, not France this year.

It's 34 days to go for the Eurovision 2011 final and fans are doing their lists, the betting odds are flying but all this will turn around once the rehearsals kick in - who will shine and who will ruin it all with some insane staging? Anyways, my current top-10 is as follows. Meaning the songs I like the most and listen the most, not the songs I predict to make it to the top-10.... Some of them will stay in my list for sure but some will propably drop out and be replaced by something else in the next four weeks... 1. Hungary - Kati Wolf - What about my dreams? 2. United KIngdom - Blue - I can 3. Bosnia-Herzegovina - Dino Merlin - Love in rewind 4. Israel - Dana International - Ding dong 5. Finland - Paradise Oskar - Da da dam 6. Latvia - Musiqq - Angel in disguise 7. Italy - Raphael Gualazzi - Madness of love 8. Sweden - Eric Saade - Popular 9. Azerbaijan -Eldar & Nigar - Running scared 10. San Marino - Senit - Stand by

The boys of Blue have posed nude again. This time for the Attitude magazine's annual Naked issue and they are also in the cover. Watch the video of the shooting here . Band member Duncan, who is bi-sexual, recently told The Daily Star : “We are getting our kit off for Attitude magazine like the McFly boys did. I’m up for showing everything off. I’m happy enough about the size of my manhood. ” Extra media attention won't hurt their changes in Germany to win it for the UK for the first time since 1997... They will and they can!

Yet some more. United Kingdom - Blue - I can ***** I wouldn't be surprised if they won the whole thing. And it might do Eurovision good. Some label them has-beens but Blue has still fans all over Europe and this can be a start of a beautiful come back. The recorded version is filled with all sort of voices but I like even more the stripped live version . They won't go for some over blown choreography which is a relief. If they win I won't be sad at all! Ukraine - Mika Newton - Angel * This song gives me nothing. Total indifference which is the worst I think. She's a good singer I guess but the song is dead boring and forgettable. This should not make the final if there's any justice and sense left to this Eurovision world. Qualifier: No. Slovakia - Twiins - I'm still alive ** This is another boring one. Not bad, just nice. Boring and nice. And Swedish. Compared to Azerbaijan this is totally uninteresting and I don't look forward so much to the vocals c...

Just 3 days left to pick up the songs before the EBU meeting in Germany next Monday-Tuesday. The only remaining national final is Sweden tomorrow but tonight San Marino will present its song. So will UK but their I can leaked already yesterday. Tomorrow should be Russia's turn officially present Get you . Meanwhile the Netherlands have presented its English version Never alone as well as Croatia it's Celebrate . Spain has released the final version and the video of their entry today. As have Ireland , Belgium , Turkey , Greece , Estonia and Slovakia . Belarus will present its new song, this time called I love Belarus after Born in Bielorussia and I am Belarussian or something. This time they should have though a completely new music to the text.... Sigh.... Azerbaijan is also pulling it to the last possible moment. The rumour is the song will be in Azeri instead of English which is very refreshing! But one more night to Melodifestivalen final. The superfavourites Danny a...

The UK entry for the Eurovision 2011 that will be presented officially tomorrow night by BBC was leaked today and you can listen to it here . It's the very first UK entry in history where the British have had no say whatsoever about the song nor the artists. And yes, it's a typical Blue track. After the fantastic Hungarian entry revealed yesterday this feels a bit of a let down but ... it's just about the best British entry since... since... 1997 in my books (yes, I've never been a big fan of UK entries).

If you see something funny going on in the photo, please read here . Eurovision has every year major and minor scandals but one like this I can't remember.... No further comment...

How does Eurovision 2012 in Cardiff sound to you? That's what BBC is aiming for after last year's (and many others) disaster according the gossip. London will be out of question for the summer Olympics and Scotland already have had its Eurovision so it's Wales time. Meanwhile, the battle plan is being finalized. Blue is getting their video ready and then they will go on tour with I can, in European cities and TVs hoping to win over the old fans and gain some new ones ready to vote for them come May 14. After all 12 million records sold, someone must still remember and like them? I sure do: One love   starts playing in my head time to time (well, I have to admit I forgot its a Blue track!) and who can forget All rise , Breath easy and what about the strings in Curtain falls ?  Now that sounds familiar, don't you think? Hopefully I can stands the comparison! Europe get ready to be painted blue!

This 2011 edition is turning Italian. Not is only both Italy and San Marino returning but France is sending a fake-Italian tenor , and UK is sending Blue who are/were so big in Italy they even recorded in Italian especially for their local fans, like A chi mi dice .  Strangely Romania doesn't send a song in Italian this year, or Latvia. And Finland didn't even have a song in Italian in our selection. What a relief! As we have now the real thing, why bother?

UK may have picked way wiser than France choosing the boyband Blue for Eurovision 2011. They were together from 2001 to 2005 releasing three albums and scoring 11 top-10 hits. They reunited in 2009 and in 2006 also Antony Costa of the band tried his luck in Eurovision already with It's a beautiful thing ending second behind Daz Sampson. Lee Ryan took part as composer in 2005 UK final with Andy Scott-Lee performed Guardian angel, and Duncan James gave the British votes in Eurovision 2009 so the band's been flirting with Eurovision all along. f the song Blue is going to perform is strong enough I'd say UK is back on track. The song's called I can. UPDATE: Apparently this is big enough news for Finnish tabloids to publish it, too. The last one might have been Patricia Kaas....