Credits
News
© virgin.net
Finalists announced on February 28th
UK: It's not Morrissey (or Billie Piper)!
Morrissey, who's name spread around the world as a potential songwriter for the United Kingdom's Eurovision Song Contest entry this year, will not be playing a part in Making Your Mind Up. News spread from The Sun to CNN and was a regular spot on the BBC News 24 channel when it was announced that he had been contacted but esctoday.com has been officially told by the BBC that "Morrissey will not be involved this year". The BBC confirmed it has spoken to Morrissey as it had done a number of other artists as is always the case when looking for artists to take part
he BBC confirmed it has spoken to Morrissey as it had done a number of other artists as is always the case when looking for artists to take part
Other claims that Billie Piper would participate were also dismissed as laughable. The former pop star has been keen to promote her growing reputation as an actress after winning several awards for her role in the new Doctor Who series and has made it clear on many occasions that she sees acting as her career focus for the foreseeable future.
As a member of the 'Big Four' countries, the United Kingdom automatically qualifies for the Eurovision Song Contest final on 12th May in Helsinki.
Related polls
- The United Kingdom decided: How much do you like That sounds good to me?
- esctoday.com National Final Awards 2010: Best PERFORMANCE not to qualify in the UNITED KINGDOM?
Go directly to the reactions
Recent news about United Kingdom
UK: Mike Stock speaks of change 180
The United Kingdom sends Josh to the Eurovision Song Contest 445
Live: National final in the United Kingdom 87
United Kingdom: Final rehearsals before showtime 44
Tonight: National final in the United Kingdom 97
Reactions
When reacting to a news item, please stick to the topic. Inappropriate messages (swearing, racism, hate, etc.), messages in other languages than English and spam (which includes URL advertising) will be deleted and you risk your account being removed. Reacting on newsitems is only possible when logged in as a member. Still don't have member account?
Click here to react Click here to become a member (free!)
or perhaps someone from that maria show. my imagination's really playing up tonight.
hmmm....perhaps Leona Lewis might participate 
she wants to get big after all, and Simon Cowell said he'd do ANYTHING to get her well-known... 
a lot of people in the UK don't watch esc because they remember the cheesey europop days, they stopped watching it in the 80's and realise it has actually moved on.
If you think our biggest stars would do it, why won't Lisa Andreas do it? because in Cyprus she would make a better career out of it, as in the UK if she didn't win, she would remain unknown. It is the same for any young stars, should they risk losing their fame before it has really begun?
Instead we get arrogant washed up stars like Anthony Costa who think that they could just do it with a bad song just because they are known, i would rather see a nobody with some heart then someone like Javine who thinks she can walk into it and win.
Thats why i think the solution should be an x-factor style competition. Get the British public back into ESC and then find undiscovered talent, someone young and eager to do well!
I think the BBC have got something up their sleeves...........I think it is great that they are making us wait a tad longer.
I know who I would like to represent the UK but I think that the following maybe in line
Peter and Katie Andre
Lisa Scott Lee
Tony Hadley
Belinda Carlisle - yes i know she isnt British
Any of those names would do well I think if they represented UK.
Good Luck to whoever represents UK and I will be there in Helsinki cheering you on
Who wants that old trout anyway? I feel that a really good singer with a half decent song would do the business for the UK. Performance is such a big factor that someone with real talent would have more mass appeal. Beverly Knight, or an opera singer of some sort, someone with a big voice and charisma. And please don't lump us vegetarians with depressives like they are the same thing. Cheek.
Actually Potatoe i'm a Lefty and I never wanted Morrisey to do Eurovision!! Eurovision is suppost to be light hearted, fun and most of all interesting, even lordi last year had all three even if it wasn't your average light heartedness. Morrisey would bring the entire british camp and Europe down to an all time low. Pychologically is someone really going to vote for an act that is so depressive that you feel like thorwing yourself out of the higest window you can find?
Thank goodness Morrissey is not taking place, he's a useless middle -aged old has - been who's career is over. I guess the BBC are looking at the usual collection of people desperately trying the resurect their careers, like old Daz, as well.
The BBC are only doing MYMU because they have to, there is no interest from their part except to laugh at the event. I love Eurovision, its a great event, but also recognise its total irrelevance in the UK. The worst thing about this all is the BBC, who take this haughty attitude over everything they do, whilst every person with a tv licence in the UK is compelled to pay a huge annual fee for the privilege...
Michael Williams, don't forget that the depressives and vegetarians of Europe would love to see Morrissey! And the politically aware!! Lefties, the list goes on!
This is really disappointing - Morrissey is probably Britain's greatest living lyricist, apart from Paul Heaton. However I'm glad Billie is not going, as she can't sing for toffee!!!
Melina my point was more that it is USUALLY Eastern people who want big British singers to take part, they they dont seem to understand that big in FYR Macedonia would be at the very lowest end of fame in the UK. The whole dynamic of the music industry in the west (especially the UK, being probably the second biggest exporter of pop music and celebrity in the world). ESC is seen as a big thing in the UK but it is by no mean what artists here would say was the pinical of their careers. THATS why we send less well known people becasue ESC only acts as a boost to failing careers or a sping board for new ones. Acts like the Sugababes, Robbie Williams and Girls Aloud just don't NEED to do it!
It just annoys me when people say that the UK should send better, more established singers, becasue its a hell of a lot more complicated than that. One other major factor is the poor results of the UK in past contests and what makes it worse is our neighbours aren't doing well either! If it had just been 2 years of poor showings and it was only a British thing acts in the west would be a lot more open to the ideaof takeing part in ESC.
I'm afraid i dont by this cultural similarities thing!becasue even when we send something eastern sounding (Javine 2005 for instance) we still do badly, we can't win! If we send somthing we like (even if it is someone minor) we do badly but if we try and conform to what the bulk of the continent likes we do badly too becasue people see us as trying to win to much! The point is that if the UK and France ect. REALLY try this year and still do badly, there are going to be a lot of mutterings (louder mutterings, becasue there probably already are mutterings) the this contest is a waste of resources, time and effort and the contests biggest funders will withdraw!! and then there won't BE a contest to even talk about! I'm not saying the East should vote for teh UK just becasue its rich and gives a lot of money to the contest i'm jsut saying that people should be a lot more open minded about what countries they give points to! If the only way to make sure people do that is to not declare which country the song comes from untill after voting then so be it!
@ Own Williams, Well said!
wisenheimer
@ Owen williams: "I hate it when people say "come on UK send some big stars" I agree with them at some level but its not that simple!!! British stars just dont want to take part in ES, its too risky!! Its all very well people from ex-yougoslavia and the East telling us to send songs but to be honest untill they stop voitng politically and give the West an equal chance it is very unlikely for the UK to get much interest from big names!!"
Well, it's not really a question of "political voting" but more a shared language & music scene... Like ex-yu countries, or Greece & Cyprus, for example. It's not that strange really for them to like each other's music!! What possible political advantage could be gained by voting in ESC..? That's quite a far-fetched explanation, but of course the big Western countries have to explain their recent non-success somehow, I guess.
So this really seems to be a vicious circle / catch 22 situation: unless the "Big West" sends good acts & good songs others are not going to vote for them, but when they don't get votes, thus no success, the big acts in these countries won't be interested in participating, just like Owen said...
we have some of the worlds best singers in our musicals on the london stage. i hope that again we choose one of them to perform, i personally would love to see alison jiaer, check her on you tube singing i just wanna fu**ing wanna dance from jerry springer the opera, she has an amazing powerhouse of a voice
It's a song AND performance competition. This means that many studio artists who have a habit of lipsynching on concerts are unsuitable for the Eurovision. People would only be dissapointed in how the sounded.
You make me feel, uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh! xD
Lol! Like Billie Piper was EVER going to even consider Eurovision! She has said on countless occasions that she never wants to go back to performing music and she is definitely an actress now.
I'm not bothered about Morrisey's non-participation. I'd like to see some new, proper talent!
morriseys style of music would never be suitable for eurovision anyway, far too depressing and political
its a song contest, period! it doesnt need to be a celebrity or a huge star, in past years many winners or eurovision have been unknowns, it is the song that is important , as long as the person performing can sing it shouldnt make a difference who they are. we in the u.k are the worst for knocking ourselves, ive never seen such hysteria and conspiracy theories, even when the bbc tells people the date for the announcment people still whinge,thank god some of the people on here arent on a court jury,they would have someone hanged before the evidence is even given
Jessica Garlick again?!
I LOVED her " Come back " ...
I hate it when people say "come on UK send some big stars" I agree with them at some level but its not that simple!!! British stars just dont want to take part in ES, its too risky!! Its all very well people from ex-yougoslavia and the East telling us to send songs but to be honest untill they stop voitng politically and give the West an equal chance it is very unlikely for the UK to get much interest from big names!! Most of Britain's really big stars just dont NEED to do ESC, they are big globally anyway! If they got a poor result in ESC (which under the current circumstances if very likely) their careers would be destroyed. And it isnt even as if if they do well its a good career move, look at Jessica Garlick, joint 3rd place and not a single record released since 2002! The British and even to some extent the Spanis, German and French music industries are simply too big, profitable and international for ESC to really register on the interest scale!
and its not as if having a big name is going to mean getting a great song either! (or indeed a good result) two examples i can think of is Sakis 2003 (not a great song in my opinion) and Kate Ryan last year!!! Its just not AS important as some people here make out!!
its no good slagging off the bbc, the fact of the matter is that no decent singers in the uk want to do eurovision, its still seen as something a bit desperate to do. The only way a top tallent would do it would be either because they absolutely love the contest and are happy to risk their reputation for it , or if they had a massive fee which i dont think the bbc would cough up for what really mounts up to nothing more than one night of tv in the schedule. I am quite sure the bbc does knock on the door of all the agents and record companies - there is no reason why they wouldnt.
I think the way forward would be for a pop idle style contest but for actual song writers not singers. i am sure there are hundreds of budding writers out there who perhaps dont get heard simply because they do not have the finances to cut a demo.
The BBC must be finding it very hard to find acts...
What a shame... in many countries, good performers are queuing up to enter Eurovision!
This is getting rather silly... BBC is playing games and is aiming to create a hype... and most probably will disappoint a lot of people when they announce their real list next week. I'm counting on the usual B-list performers with a bunch of mediocre songs where you eventually end up wondering which one isn't the most aweful to send to the contest...
But hey, if they do live up to it, then we might be in for a surprise!
Oh, thank HEAVENS it's not the dreadful Morrissey - if they really want someone who was 'reasonably' famous 20 years ago they should get Marc Almond or Jimmy Sommerville to do it (or BOTH!). But, if the UK wants to do well this year, get Susanne Manning!
oh for god sake... morrisey was our last hope
Why BBC? Why?
We want Daz! We want Daz! We want Daz!!!
Get it?
Good!
The list of 55 reactions is divided into 3 pages. Choose a page:
1 | 2 | 3
React yourself
This news article is older than one week. Reacting to articles is only possible in the first week after publication.
