EUROvisual – One week to go!

Hello there! Welcome to the weekend and to your latest update from EUROvisual! The 2011 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany on 10, 12 and 14 May. EUROvisual will be at the Eurovision final to bring you all the news from the big event. In the meantime, this is what’s been happening over the last week.

Rehearsals begin at Esprit Arena

Each year, Eurovision fans know the contest is imminent when the rehearsals for the semi-finals begin. All semi-finalists have now rehearsed at least once so we have a clearer idea of who may stand out enough to gain a ticket to the grand final on Saturday 14 May. We here at EUROvisual feel that Estonia, Sweden and Slovenia are sure-fire qualifiers. The first semi-final is this Tuesday, followed by semi-final two on Thursday. We will then know who is joining the ‘Big Five’ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) in the final. In the meantime, check out Sweden’s Eric Saade rehearsing his entry ‘Popular’ for the first time this week.

Blue set to enter UK Top Ten with ‘I Can’

British representatives for 2011, Blue, released their Eurovision entry ‘I Can’ last Sunday. The midweek charts, released on Wednesday, revealed that the song was on track to debut in the Top Ten (#7) which would be the best chart position for a UK Eurovision entry since Scooch in 2007. This despite Blue member Simon Webbe’s complaint earlier in the week that BBC radio stations were largely ignoring the song by not adding it to their playlists. Despite this, ‘I Can’ looks set to become Blue’s first Top Ten hit since ‘Get Down On It’ in 2004. The official video for the song is below for those of you who have not seen it before.

Country profile – Denmark

This week our country-specific focus takes us to Denmark. The Nordic nation is a regular at Eurovision, having participated for the first time in 1957 before winning the contest with the song ‘Dansevise’ by Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann in 1963. The Danes steered clear of the Eurovision Song Contest from 1966 to 1977 before returning for a run of high-ranking entries in the 1980s. Danish fortunes reversed somewhat over the subsequent decade and the nation found itself relegated from the contest on three occasions. Finally though, Danish pride was restored in 2000 when the Olsen Brothers won the contest with ‘Fly On The Wings Of Love’. It was a surprise success and later even remixed into a popular dance track. This year, Denmark are represented by A Friend In London, performing ‘New Tomorrow’. You can check it out below.

Time for a blast from the past

Okay, we’ve had examples of the weird and wonderful and everything in between on EUROvisual. This week, we’re bringing you a slice of Euro-nostalgia which is actually a classic. 1981 saw the UK secure its fourth victory in the Eurovision Song Contest with a highly memorable routine performed by four blond lovelies, two male and two female, one being Cheryl Baker. The song was, of course, ‘Making Your Mind Up’. It went on to be a huge hit all over Europe and Bucks Fizz continue to perform the song at various events and shows and have remained firm favourites among Eurovision fans. Here it is, skirt rip and all! Enjoy!