Results tagged “Your Country Needs You” from Boom Bang a Blog

UPDATE: Sorry, everyone. The BBC won't be revealing any news until 'early on Friday morning' now. I do hope the composer isn't getting cold feet...


First Andy Murray gets through to the final of the Australian Open and then someone on BBC Eurovision's twittering team announces that today's the day we learn the details of the UK selection for the 2010 Contest. What a sterling morning's work for Le Royaume Uni.

Past experience has led Boom Bang a Blog never to get all that excited about these announcements. Don't forget, the year we could have had Morrissey, we ended up with Scooch. However, with Your Country Needs You looking a certainty for this year's selection process once more - it's likely the identity of a well-known composer who's agreed to take on Mission Oslo will be the thrust of the imminent press release.

BBaB has its fingers crossed for Gary Barlow or Cathy Dennis. BBaB is also hoping and praying that the job hasn't gone to a former Big Brother contestant who knows how to hum quite well, or someone who last had a hit before Britain went decimal.

As soon as it's announced, we'll bring you full details and a personal reaction. Time's a ticking down...

It has been reported in at least one British tabloid today that Take Thatter Gary Barlow (secret husband of Deidre) will write (or co-write) the UK entry for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo.

Mind you, the same report suggests he's writing it for former Blue member Duncan James, but since he'll be in a West End musical on the same dates that Eurovision is taking place and a casting company has already been inviting people to audition for Your Country Needs You II, there are no guarantees that this particular piece of speculation will realise itself in reality.

But if it is true, and Gary is reading this - something like Shine would be brilliant Gary, something like Love Ain't Here Anymore less so...

A company by the name of Jayne Collins Casting has been putting out tweets asking for people to come forward and audition for the 2010 edition of Your Country Needs You, the show where a talented unknown will be paired up with a song by a proven tunesmith then sent forth to do battle at Eurovision.

What is practically a definite is that Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber won't be behind the British entry for 2010 as he has his own recent health issues and Phantom of the Opera sequel to occupy his thoughts.

The only hint we have to an identity of the songwriter for Oslo is that it will be "exciting news" for pop fans. It has already been suggested that Cathy Dennis is lined up for the job, while others have mentioned Elton John or even Gary Barlow. Boom Bang a Blog would be happy with the team who wrote The Promise for Girls Aloud or The Feeling.

And after that, we can now present to you...

IT'S not long now before we'll know who is going to represent the UK in Moscow with Lord Andy and Diane Warren's composition My Time.

And just to make sure the British public are in no doubt as to who is the best candidate for Moscow, Mark, Jade and (shudder) The Twins will each give a rendition of the song in tomorrow evening's grand final of Your Country Needs You.

Finger crossed it's the right choice (we're predicting Mark and Jade to do ballad-y versions, with The Twins' rendition getting a Girls Aloud-style makeover).

But is all this effort going to get the UK out of the Euro doldrums?

This 'performance' - plus a shaky version of The Everly Brothers' All I Have to Do is Dream - were enough to put this pair through to next week's Your Country Needs You final.

It's time to start worrying. There is a very real possibility that this shaky twosome will wind up as our entry in Moscow - and there's no guarantee they can last 10 minutes without bursting into tears about "their dream" or handle it out on stage in front of 20,000 people.

This could be Jemini Mark II, even with the added ammo of a song penned by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren (the song is going to be called 'My Time' by the way. It took the Andy and Di just two hours to write once they hit the right formula and we'll be hearing it at Saturdays final).

Charlotte's off. One of the two acts least likely to fall back on their inner mettle on a Eurovision stage was sent toddling home by Lord Andy on Saturday night's Your Country Needs You, just one week after he saved her from elimination because she had so much to learn from her 'journey'. Pretty short trip, then.

Now, is it just us, or are we getting worrying signs that The Twins are the Lord's preferred act for Moscow?

Please. No. That would be just terrible.

This is Jade, performing last on Your Country Needs You this evening. The BBC has a long history of giving the act they want to go through to the Contest the last slot in the national final running order, but as this was the first show of four, let's not be too analytical.

Jade is safely though to next week. Damien, whom Boom Bang a Blog thought was a good, albeit static, singer, was sent home first, with Lord Andrew choosing 17-year-old nerves-of-balsa Charlotte to be saved when the pair of them wound up at the bottom of the public vote.

WHAT do you think? The right man for the job? Someone who knows enough about what has worked well in the past to come up with an equally viewer-friendly variation on a theme for the 21st Century?

But enough about Matt Smith Being chosen as the eleventh Doctor Who. It's Andrew Lloyd Webber and Your Country Needs You that Boom Bang a Blog is here to chatter about.

These are the six acts through to the live knockout stages to find the UK entry for Moscow.

One of them will take a Lloyd Webber-penned tune to the yowge Olimpiskiy stadium in the Russian capital in late May and hopefully scoop some silverware for Royaume Uni while they're at it.

Did you see the show? What did you think? Well, the Boom Bang a Blog verdict on our six hopefuls is just this way...

...the BBC begins its Saturday night search for the artist who will represent the UK at Eurovision 2009 in Moscow.

According to media reports, Andrew Lord Webber has already found the six acts he wants on the shortlist for the Your Country Needs You competition, with the winner going forward to represent GB in Russia.

It should all get going on Saturday, January 3 (unless the schedules change) - and the first episode is set to include a film about Lord Andy's trip to the Russian capital to meet Vladimir Putin himself.

Goodness blimey.

Lord Andrew Sir Lloyd Webber (LASLW) has been chatting to those trendy types at Radio 1 about the Eurovision challenge which lies ahed of him in the coming months.

LASLW has some interesting things to say about the Your Country Needs You process - including some rather surprising info about the type of song he has in mind.

In addition to the news of Lord Lloyd Webber's national songwriting duty, Oswald Moseley's paper of choice, the Daily Mail, has announced that the Lord may join forces with lyrical powerhouse, Sir Tim Rice, to write next year's UK entry.

They haven't worked together since finishing Evita in 1976. If the reports are true, then Eurovision really is living up to its raison d'etre of unifying warring factions via the gift of song.

Sigh...

Rowetta, Charlotte Church, Beverley Knight and Heather Small... please make a note of the website address this man is about to give out.

Chanelle off Big Brother, Jordan, John Barrowman and anyone with zero experience of singing live in front of a huge crowd... under no circumstances watch this video and promise that you will never watch it, or follow the instructions given within it by this musical Lord of the realm, ever.

Ever, ever. Swear down, no lie.

And don't cross your fingers behind your back.