So the decision has been made, and I am quite disappointed.

The results started off well, with Brian Harvey being eliminated first of all, followed swiftly by Liz McClarnon. That just left two acts to go through to the sing-off.

The remaining four acts where put into two groups, with one from each group going through. First of all Big Brovaz were eliminated meaning Cyndi went through and then Hawkins & Brown were eliminated leaving Scooch.

So, realising I had to make a new choice I re-evaluated the performances of both acts as follows:

Cyndi - I'll Leave My Heart
I like this song more than I did the first time round, and thought it to be more uplifting than I thought. Again the performance was almost flawless and I liked the introduction of the backing singers to the stage half way through the song to add more power. The music also fades out at the end leaving the last few notes to Cyndi. I did think that this song would work well for Ireland if it had tin whistles and fiddles.

Scooch - Flying the Flag (For You)
In contrast, although I still like this song I like it less than last time. I think it will get tiresome very quickly. There's no doubt though that until it does become tiresome it is a fun catchy and memorable song. I really don't like the airline theme though. The link between flying the flag and air travel is very weak.

With those reviews in mind, Cyndi became my favourite and got my second vote (although the BBC neglected to show the phone numbers for the two acts this time round and I had to find them on the ESCToday website).

And then came the result, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. There was a bit of confusion on stage when Terry Wogan announced the winner as Cyndi and Fearne Cotton announced the winner as Scooch. Terry's announcement came through a lot clearer and Scooch believed they had lost. But then everything was cleared up and Scooch were confirmed as the winners.

So the song that went through was not the worst of the 6, but it was far from the best. It was quite clear that there was a lot of support for Big Brovaz, Hawkins & Brown and, once those two had been eliminated, for Cyndi. Once again though, the general public have let everyone down.

I don't think this sort of decision should be left to the general public. I bet a lot of voters where children and teenagers who just went for Scooch because it's a pop song and the style of music that they like. Not what will win Eurovision. If the public is to vote, the show should be later to eliminate the vote of the 10 year old.

So the wait is on for the actual competition. The semi-final takes place on 10 May followed by the final on 12 May. I don't think we are going to win. We may, hopefully, do better than previous years but that will be it.

Oh well. There's always next year.

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Once again it's time to decide which of 6 possible songs will go through to perform at this years Eurovision Song Contest in Finland.

The main programme on BBC One has finished and I have now heard all six contenders and formed an opinion of them as follows:

Liz McClarnon - (Don't It Make You) Happy
There is one major problem with this song. The fact that it sounds very similar to Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield. It sounds so similar, that you can almost sing the lines of the older song over the top. Other than that, the song was performed well but let down by poor backing singing although maybe the technical setup could be to blame there.
My Rating: 2/5

Brian Harvey - I Can
This song is a typical boy band ballad that deserves to have been sung back in the 90s. That's not too suprising really though, considering Brian's roots in East 17. To be perfectly frank, I think the singing was bland and dull. At times he seemed to be almost shouting. Some notes sounded off key, where other points where just monotonous. The song and performance were not particularly memorable.
My Rating: 1/5

Big Brovaz - Big Bro Thang
I'll get straight to the point. I like this. It's a good strong song with an excellent performance by all 4 band members. The outfits where great, and on stage performance was great. The whole thing (both song and image) was very memorable. The combination of rap and song should keep everyone interested. I'd be very happy to see this go through.
My Rating: 4/5

Cyndi - I'll Leave My Heart
French singer Cyndi Almouzni is relatively unknown in the UK, but has a good background in music including professional training from the age of 14. This is certainly evident as she can sing fantastically and gave a very strong performance. The song is a ballad which can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes ballads do well in Eurovision, other times not so much. Personally I found it a little boring at least until the song stepped up a notch by introducing backing singers to add some power. There is a possibility we could do well with this song, so I won't be too disappointed if it goes through. It's not my favourite though.
My Rating: 3/5

Scooch - Flying The Flag (For You)
Scooch were a pop group back in 1999/2000 and since then have disappeared from the music scene. This is a bit of a come back for them and they are back with exactly the same sort of style as before. This song is fun, camp, cheesy pop. The lyrics are about Britain in Eurovision which doesn't do it for me. I don't think the whole airline setup works particularly well on stage, although it's sure to stick in peoples minds so maybe it's not that bad. I do like the song a lot, but think it comes 10-15 years to late. Eurovision of late seems a lot less about cheesy pop songs and more about memorable costumes, wacky performances and odd songs.
My Rating: 3/5

Hawkins & Brown - They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To
Hawkins is Justin Hawkins of The Darkness fame. Brown is Beverlei Brown, a friend of Justin's and a vocalist. This song is fun and novel. Justin's high pitched camp vocals make it stand out amongst the rest. The outfits were great and the performances from both were excellent. The only thing that lets this down is a slight lack of on stage flare although there is no doubt that there is good chemistry between the two. I also love the electric guitar in the middle which works well with brass instruments which feature throughout.
My Rating: 4.5/5

My initial vote this year went to Hawkins & Brown. I think the fact that it's a fun, lively song coupled with novel singing from Justin Hawkins and excellent performances from both could mean we actually do quite well.

Saying that, I will also be more than happy to see Big Brovaz go through. They are an established act and perform fabulously on stage. They have flare and a strong song. It's certainly a high scorer if not a winner.

The BBC are due to announce the two acts with the highest number of votes at 9:30 tonight. There will then be a "sing-off" between these two acts. I'll then get the chance to vote again. If neither Big Brovaz or Hawkins & Brown go through to this final round, I'll be very suprised.

And now, just for completeness, here are the contenders in order of personal preference:

1. Hawkins & Brown (4.5/5)

2. Big Brovaz (4/5)

3. Scooch (3/5)

4. Cyndi (3/5)

5. Liz McClarnon (2/5)

6. Brian Harvey (1/5)

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