You Decide................

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Well, it's the day we've all been waiting for... again.... in the UK! The artists that are attempting to represent the UK in Belgrade were announced today.

Even though we haven't got the calibre of last year's contest, we do have some well known names. However, you can't blame the bigger names from keeping away after the crap that won last year and did as expected in Helsinki.

So what's changed from last year?

1. The show, which was filmed in Maidstone last year, returns to the television centre in London.

2. The "Making Your Mind Up" name is dropped and we are now asked "You Decide".

3. Instead of all songs fighting against each other in a semi-final and then final sing off, we now have a round of two songs battling against each other in categories (solo artist, group and reality show rejects.) The three winners are joined in the final by a wildcard from the three losing songs, all winners and wildcard are chosen by a jury. The public get to vote for the four and the two with the lowest votes are lost, leaving two to battle it out - head to head.

So who are the artists?

Category 1 - Solo Artists.....

1. Michelle Gayle - Ex-Eastenders actress, had success in the charts a long time ago and then fell silent.
2. Andy Abraham - An ex-ITV pop idol contestant. A very good singer with an excellent voice.

Category 2 - Girl Groups......

1. Loveshy - Up-tempo pop singers, previous members of girl band Clea (WHO?! I hear you all shout.) Clea were formed by four singers who failed to win the Popstars contest on ITV in the UK. You can hear an extract of their entry at http://www.myspace.com/loveshyofficial

2. The Revelations - Will be singing an up-tempo modern motown song.

Category 3 - Joseph .v. Maria.....

Just a quick note for anyone outside of the UK that doesn't understand this category's title. The BBC has run two series to find a leading lady and leading man for two musical shows in London's theatreland - Joseph and his techincolour dreamcoat and the sound of music.

1. Rob McVeigh - A strong voiced singer, who should be able to use the acting skills he learned in Joseph to good use.

2. Simona Armstrong - A very strong contender for Maria, only being held back due to her strong Romanian accent. Always had very good feedback from the judges for her singing.


So will the change in selection bring any better fortune to the UK? Lets hope so!

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