After keeping mum for most of the National Final season, the BBC dropped a bombshell on Eurovision fans by announcing that veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck would be representing the United Kingdom in Baku this May.  Once the shockwaves subsided, people started to wonder about the song he’d bring to the audience on the Caspian Sea.  We weren’t even thrown a bone as to the title of the entry; all we knew was that it was to be composed by the team of Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek, who have individually worked with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Train, Adele, and Jason Mraz.

This morning, as participating countries convened in Baku for the Head of Delegations Meeting, we finally got our answer.

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As we approach the end of the Eurovision Preseason, the BBC had been eerily silent on their process for Baku.  As other countries held national finals, made internal picks, or at the very least announced plans, the United Kingdom put itself on complete informational lockdown.  Rumors floated about, ranging from Adele to Right Said Fred to the Spice Girls, and just about everyone in between.  Jaws dropped today, however, when it was announced that veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck would be taking the stage in Baku. Read the rest of this entry →

After months of waiting, the United Kingdom’s entry “I Can”, performed by veteran boy band Blue, was revealed tonight after a performance on the BBC’s “Graham Norton Show”.  Graham is not only an avid Eurovision fan, but he’s also been the network’s commentator on the ESC finals since Terry Wogan’s departure after the 2008 event.  The song’s studio version was leaked yesterday, but it wasn’t until tonight that we saw Blue perform their entry live:

I normally am not a huge fan of boy bands…I grew up surrounded by screaming hordes of Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC fans, and I generally just rolled my eyes and put on my Dave Matthews Band or La Ley CDs.  Plus, while Blue was huge in the UK, Ireland, and parts of continental Europe, they never really made much of an impact on the charts here in the US.  So, when people started flipping out over Blue’s reunion and the fact that they’d been chosen to represent the UK in the ESC, I was interested, but skeptical.  Frankly, I had been unimpressed by many similar acts in Eurovision over the years.  When I saw Lena Meyer-Landrut’s adorable reaction to Blue’s participation (which has unfortunately been removed from Youtube…bummer!), I was intrigued.  But after seeing “I Can” performed live, I’m completely convinced.  This might be the UK’s best hope for a Eurovision win since Katrina and the Waves.  It’s instantly memorable and performed well by a group with a decade of experience under their belts (displaying strong harmonies, and Lee Ryan’s high notes are golden).  Also, the fact that they already have an established fan base all over the continent gives them a major leg up, even over nations in a larger voting bloc.  I have a very difficult time imagining this not hitting the Top Five, and may very well bring the UK their first victory since 1997.

I might not go running out and tattooing Duncan James’s face on my right bicep, but if “I Can” wins the whole thing this May, I won’t feel the need to hide under my bed in a fetal position with my Ben Folds Five albums and Foo Fighters t-shirt, rocking back and forth and whimpering.  And for a staunch former hater of boy bands, that says a lot.  Very well done, UK!

And the news from the Big Five is coming fast and furious this week (well, except for Italy…but they’ve been out of the game for fourteen years, so I suppose we can forgive them for being a bit slow on the uptake, right?).

After months of teasing and rumors from the United Kingdom, with names as varied as Mika, Charlotte Church, Pixie Lott, and Katherine Jenkins being tossed around as possible representatives, the BBC just threw Eurofans a massive curveball by announcing that the recently-reunited boy-band Blue would be the British flag bearers for Düsseldorf!  Not only that, but the BBC has taken all of the fun out of the Preselection process…by completely eliminating the Preselection in the first place!  This is the first time since 1994 that the UK has gone for an internal selection, and the first time since…well…ever…that the British public will have no say over either the singer or the song!  It’s hard to tell if this is to cut down on costs, or if Blue’s selected song “I Can” is just too good to pass up.  (The song has yet to be released, so it’s still a bit of a mystery for the time being.)

Blue first formed back in 2001, broke up in 2005, and reformed in 2009.  They’ve had a string of hits that charted not only in the UK, but also all over Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.  They’ve even released some of their songs in Italian to a positive reception.  They’re not as well-known in the United States, but one of their first major hits was a remake of R&B group Next’s “Too Close“.  They’ve also had some fantastic collaborations, with artists from Lil’ Kim to Stevie Wonder, Angie Stone, and Sir Elton John.

This might be Blue’s first trip to Eurovision, but some of the individual members of the group have toyed with the ESC in the past.  Member Lee Ryan wrote a song that was submitted to the 2005 Preselection (Andy Scott Lee’s “Guardian Angel”), Antony Costa performed in the Preselection the following year (“It’s a Beautiful Thing”), and Duncan James was a member of the panel that helped select Jade Ewan in 2009. 

For me, though, as soon as I heard that Blue would be the British representative this year, my mind automatically went to a scene from one of my favorite movies, “Love Actually”.  Sadly, I can’t embed the clip in this post, but here’s a link!  Enjoy (I hope the members of Blue, at least, have had a good laugh about it…if not…::awkward!::)!