Andy - the man holding our Eurovision dreams (Eurovision Song Contest)

Name: bonsibabe

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Product:	Eurovision Song Contest
Date:	02/05/08 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Andy is a brilliant singer and he has a real chance

Disadvantages: The political voting from some countries

The Eurovision Song Contest first started back in 1956 as a show that could be broadcast to all members of the European Broadcasting Union at the same time. After all those years, the contest is now broadcast worldwide, even in countries that do not participate. So if you live in Alaska or Hong Kong, you can still watch the cringe parade that is Eurovision.

Come on folks, lets face it. A lot of these entrants are one-hit wonders! Can anyone remember the Norwegian entry in 1985 by Bobbysocks. Did they have another hit in the UK? I have never heard about them since then! But it can be the starting point for a fantastic career. Back in 1969 Lulu sang "Boom Bang-a-Bang" - she has topped the charts on and off for about 40 years now and still has a firm fan base.

The contest does have its own controversial issues as well. Back in 1998 (yes only 10 years ago) Israel won the contest with a song by Dana International aptly called "Diva". It later emerged that their entrant was a trans-sexual man who had become a woman. I can still remember the look on my dad's face when he realised that he had been practically drooling over a man!

Another name that is so well known is that of Johnny Logan (and yes I drooled over him as a young girl!). He first won the contest for Ireland in 1980with "What's Another Year?" and came back in 1987 to win again with "Hold Me Now". He has also been involved in at least one of Ireland's subsequent winning songs.

So who have been our winners here in the UK? Since its inception in the 1950s, we have had 5 winners, these being:

1967 - Sandie Shaw - "Puppet on a string"
1969 - Lulu - "Boom Bang-a-Bang"
1976 - Brotherhood of Man - "Save Your Kisses For Me"
1981 - Bucks Fizz - "Making Your Mind Up"
1997 - Katrina & The Waves - "Love Shine A Light"

So what about this year? Do we have a chance or are we going to end up with "nil points"?

This year our entry is Andy Abrahams with "Even If". If your watch television you will have seen Andy on ITV's "X Factor" with the dreaded Simon Cowell. Andy came second to Shayne Ward in the 2005 series and has never stopped since! Since the X Factor, Andy has released 2 albums and is working on his third, and also has his own record label as well!

Do we have a chance?

Well, personally, I think we have a blooming good chance of winning with Andy. I find him to be a fantastic singer, who really puts all of himself into his performance. He really enjoys what he does and it shows. He is always smiling and cheerful and just watching him sing on the television will go a long way to brightening up my day. I will admit to owning his albums without shame and they are regularly played in my house. My kids love to listen to him. He appeals to all age groups and that's the big thing for me.

If the voting is fair this year then I think we have a real shot at winning. We know Andy is not going to be a one-hit-wonder. He is going to be around for a long time. But with the voting, I have found that the Eastern Bloc countries tend to vote for each other, and there is always some sympathetic voting for the host country as well, no matter how bad their entry is!

We all know Terry Wogan has a great aversion to political voting but we also know that it is rife within Eurovision. It has gone from being just a bit of harmless fun, to being a political tool in some countries.

If the judges have any sense about them, they will see that Andy has a great talent. They will see that it is a good song, sung by a man who loves what he does, and they will vote accordingly.

Yes I will be watching the contest on 24 May, and I will be cheering on Andy. After last year's embarrassment, I swore I would not watch but when Andy got through and it was confirmed that he will be representing us, I admit that I quickly changed my mind and said I would definintely watch.

My final word - will we win? I do not know! Unfortunately I don't own a crystal ball and I can't see into the future. But what I do know (in my own honest opinion) is that we have a blooming good entry and just as much chance as anyone else.

I hope we win, I think we have a good chance to win. What do you think? I know this isn't the longest review I have written, but it sums up my opinions in my own way!

And all I can really now say is - GOOD LUCK ANDY!

Thanks for taking the time to read! Di x

Summary: We love to watch and cringe!