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Making your mind up 2007
UK: It won't be long now
Last December it was announced by the BBC that "This is Eurovision's 52nd year and it's growing bigger all the time as rumours abound about who'll be representing the UK, with everyone from Morrissey to the Scissor Sisters apparently in the frame. The UK entry will be chosen in mid-March, in a primetime special". It can now be confirmed that the primetime special will be indeed the 4th edition of Making your mind up! Furthermore, in a communication with esctoday.com the rumors that have been spread concerning Billie Piper's participation have been denied as false.
No information on the participants or the exact date is available yet. Stay tuned for the latest and most reliable information on the British selection process.
Related polls
- POLAND: Your favourite song in the national final?
- ARMENIA: Your favourite song in the national final?
- The Netherlands decided: How much do you like Ik be verliefd (Sha la lie)?
- Cyprus decided: How much do you like Life looks better in spring?
- Iceland decided: How much do you like Je ne sais quoi?
- Denmark decided: How much do you like In a moment like this?
- Norway decided: How much do you like My heart is yours?
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@ thomas ferguson
Your suggestion:"One wee idea I have had to perhaps improve the voting is not to reveal which country is singing"
One problem with that! The internet! People will know the countries by site like ESCtoday etc..! You have to sort that problem first! 
I wish we would go to an X Factor type selection for Eurovision in the UK !!......it would get loads of interest and above all build profile....Oh !! and some great song writers offering a song to winning entrant to perform at eurovision....
I have read all these messages and what a pile of negativity from some of you. Bloody hell ! Lets wait and see. I actually do believe the BBC have something up their sleeve. I don't think it's the Scissor Sisters, but don't be surprised if Jake and Babbydaddy have been ASKED TO WRITE A SONG. They wrote Kylie's 'I Believe In You' as well as their own stuff. However I will be disappointed if they haven't learned from their mistakes from last year.
As for the voting. Whatever is discussed in Helsinki for 2008, we must bring back countries reading out their FULL scores and only finalists should get to vote. One wee idea I have had to perhaps improve the voting is not to reveal which country is singing. As most sing in English now, this would perhaps prevent cross country tactical voting. The CD would be released around Europe AFTER the Contest and there would be no marketing campaigns allowed around Europe PRIOR to the Contest. My idea does have holes in it, but it's either that or we have points decided by televotes AND a jury, like what they do on STRICTLY COME DANCING. And this jury will have no idea which country is singing and will only hear the song rather than see it, so that the performance can be judged by the viewers and the airplay aspect is judged (ie the song) by the jury. All these points are mashed together to become each country's official scores. Just a thought.
Let's hope there are some real changes.
A change from the BBC issuing too many tickets, in case not everyone turns up.
A change from making everyone wait in a queue outside the dreary surroundings of Sheperds Bush for 2 hours before they let you in.
A change from a studio set that looks like someone spent about 3 hours constructing it with a budget of about £150.
A change from some cheap stand up failed 'comedian' trying to 'warm up' the show, when he's all just embarrasingly naff.
A change from rather dreary songs that sound like they have been cobbled together in a couple of weeks
The only thing that must not be changed is Terry Wogan, otherwise no one except the most dufflecoat wearing trainspotterish ESC fan would watch!
I don't think anyone really big will go anywhere near it. I don't know why but acts that are currently popular don't touch it with a barge pole. Whereas other countries tend to select acts who are popular at home, we seem satisfied with has-beens or total non-entities. Scissor Sisters would be fantastic but I seriously doubt they're even in talks.
Sugababes would be fantastic! Imagine how a song like 'Push The Button' would do in Eurovision!
Ana my point was that even if that does happen at least they can't be voitng on country but on singer, song and performance. There is nothing wrong with Belarus giving Russia points, Ireland giving the UK points, Denmark giving Iceland points, Greece giving Cyprus points, Serbia giving Bosnia points ect. its WHY they are giveing them points, or at least WHY they are seen to be giving points to each other. It is 60% politics 40% song and it should be more like 10% policitics (there needs to be room to boycott countries you dont agree with like the UK in 2003) 90% song!!,
IT'S UNFAIR and the East can say as much as they want that it isnt' polictical, its what people SEE as teh truth not what actually is the Truth that matters!
Do you know what the scary thing is though? my friends that dont usually like ESC want a good song this year too!!! I think the BBC have BADLY underestimated public opinion about ESC in the past few years. It IS actually a national pride thing if you do well, and the BBC seem to have forgotten that. I think if they actually put the money in and got a good song to represent us they would benefit HUGELY from it!!
I know i have said it before but the only way i see to stop political voting is going to be if they acts perform without declaring thier nationality. I know its going to be harder to control in the smaller countries where television and radio signals cross boarders but to be honest i dont think that matters to much. I don't think it would have to be particularly tight for us to seem some effects. for example more artists will sing in thier national langage to declare where they are from legally. I just think as long as it isn't declared on the night there will be a shift of votes towards the better songs rather than the country! this will happen becasue the people who watch ESC but aren't a huge fan of it won't feel the need to find out which act is which country! and the fans aren't usually the ones that bloc vote anyway! (i say usually)
@ Drew: Its about time EBU did something to make the voting fair. I think also that only countries in the final should be allowed to vote to stop political voting!
Yes sure, but then again countries like FYROM, Croatia, Bosnia& Herzegovina are more or less guaranteed a slot in the final so neighbourly voting won't exactly be avoided!
Hey Adam, the Scissor Sisters would be great................... I hope that IS the case and they do something like Edsilia did. ie, write 3 of their own songs and present them to the public to choose which one they will sing! The Scissor Sisters would ROCK Europe to their foundations!!
Good Morning Europe!!!
Thanks Blue Alibi and Good Luck to Malta too!
I agree with you Lucio. Its about time EBU did something to make the voting fair. I think also that only countries in the final should be allowed to vote to stop political voting!
GOOD LUCK TO THE UK
the runours of scissor sister that lingered about 5 monthsa go have not been comented on,s o i think maybe a surprise act from them could bring UK back to where it deserves to be on the scoreboard
good luck to the united kingdom .......................from malta.
u have the power to rock euope every year....... go for it.
I agree, send Sugarbabes!
w g I agree with you, I'm sik of seeing horrible songs from FYROM in the final just because of the votes from their neightbours, I'd not allow more than 8 countries a direct access to the final: the big 4 and the best country of every geographical area. I'd split Europe in 4 areas and make 2 semifinals, then the best 4 countries of every area can reach the final. 4 + 4 + (4*4) = 24.
@ Drew Ford
I also support the UK entry regardless!!
Anyway least we got some 'neighbourly' points from our friends across the Irish sea last year!
@ drew
i understand what u mean , i always support the uk entry, its just very frustrating when you know the bbc could do so much more. well we shall all just wait and hope for something special
Hi Michael, sorry if my post was a bit much but I really do support the UK - I even supported Jemini coz i felt i had too!!!!! lol......... anyhow, off to bed now.......tired zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..Good Luck to everyone and sweet dreams xxxxxx
@ drew
we DO support the uk , thats why we so want a good national final
OMG!!!! Please please please can wre all stop making judgements about something we know nothing about yet!!! I wish for just once in eurovision that we brits can support the UK, no matter what happens, no matter what singer or what the bl**dy song is like!!! You dont see greeks, turks or others slagging off their country or song! We are our own worst enemy! Just stop it! Lets wave our union jacks and support the UK. If esc is going down the pan coz of neighbourly voting, lets not give everyone else who hates us the satisfaction of hating ourselves as well!!!!
I will say agin - I will support the UK whoever the singer and whatever the song is like.
GOOD LUCK TO THE UK! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
I'm sorry but H from steps?? Please no!
Although i agree with some of your points. Unfortunately athough there are popular shows by the BBC, they also fill up scheduling with numerous repeats. I personally had a 20 minute 'heated' discussion with the bbc complaints department as to why they wouldn't show the Congratulations show. This was due to already spending enough BBC hours on Eurovision, to which I felt was a very lame excuse.
I am sure the people just want quality songs. If we had 8 worthy songs to choose from then great. I don't se why we can't have 8 worthy songs. Look at the songwriters this country has produced over the years.
@ w g
i think i must point out that the only reason x factor and strictly come dancing get more viewing figures than eurovision is that these shows get weeks and weeks of publicity. the eurovision gets absolutley none , the bbc wont even show the previews! and also the presenters of x factor and come dancing dont constantly tell the viewers that their shows are rubbish! unlike our wonderful terry who wastes no opportunity to rubbish eurovision ( another reason why no one credible will represent the uk)
I don't think it's necessarily better to have more songs in a national final than less. In fact, I would rather the BBC picked three or four songs that would each stand a real chance at winning, rather than putting mediocre songs in there just for the sake of giving the viewers more 'choice'. It worked for Greece in 2005 - only three songs, and Helena would probably have won whatever the Greek televoters chose! Democracy is OK for government, but not for predicting what the voters of *other* countries will vote for in the ESC!
I also would point out that the BBC is very unlikely to withdraw from Eurovision (someone was talking about it). It gets high ratings every year and, just because the Brits enjoy it on our own terms, it doesn't mean we don't enjoy it.
The reason we don't have a show like Melodifestivalen is because talent shows like Strictly come Dancing and ITV's X Factor are more popular than Eurovision, and because the BBC is too busy spending its time and money on documentaries, comedies, films, contemporary and costume dramas, etc, that get sold and broadcast all around the world, win Emmy awards, and so on. Why divert money from this to a lengthy National Final? Especially when a marathon preselection is no guarantee whatsoever of a win at Eurovision, and when British viewers will still tune into the ESC regardless of what our song is or how it is chosen.
I suspect that this late announcement about MYMU after so much hype about 'big changes' is because the negotiations with Morrissey probably ended in nothing. The fact that the singers are expected to be announced as late as Feb 28th is probably because the Beeb are scrabbling around trying to find people to take part. I too would love to see the Scissor Sisters or Sugarbabes singing for the UK, but it ain't gonna happen. And Lisa Scott-Lee is busy Dancing on Ice on ITV. Maybe H from steps could do it after his stint on Celebrity Big Brother...
And, yes, once again the Big 4 debate. Well, the Big 4 aren't the only ones with an advantage. The Former Yugoslav countries are all practically guaranteed a place in the semi final, too, thanks to voting for each other every year. At least the Big 4 openly buy their way into the final! And come to mention it, why should a top ten place in 2006 guarantee a place in the 2007 final? Just because you have a good song one year doesn't mean you'll have a good one the following year ('Twist of Love' or 'Liubi liubi I love you', anyone?). Arguably, everyone should have to qualify every year... Even the hosts?
Well i guess Louise Redknapp is doing bugger all right now lol
expect...
a) ex member of girl group that no longer exists
b) ex member of boy band which split up years ago
c) failed rap group
the reason the BBC are leaving it so very late is obvious...they're desperate to fill the line up with another no hoper. Tragic
When have the BBC ever proved the British Eurovision Public wrong? I, like yourself, fear the worst.
I just hope there are decent singers and decent songwriters!
The format of UK's entry selection needs to change drastically before the BBC can entice any decent performers along..... I had hoped that no news about the UK entry this year was good news.
After hearing this I am dissapointed and exting the same old sh*t from us..... I wait for the BBC to prove me wrong, but my hopes are not high. 
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