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Sandie Shaw and Katrina
United Kingdom: What can bring the UK back to the top? (Part 2)
Sandie Shaw did not want to enter Eurovision in the first place, only managed to start liking Puppet on a string lately but nevertheless went on to become the first artist to win the contest for the United Kingdom. What she did love back then, though, was her her frilly, shiny outfit which she lent and never got back: "I loved my Eurovision frock. I designed it myself and it was made by some fantastic seamstresses in Covent Garden. I still have the black and white frilly cover. Unfortunately I lent the dress to Danny La Rue so he could copy it for his take-off of me in his drag act - and he never returned it. So it is out there in there somewhere." Sandie says.
How can the United Kingdom be saved from embarrassment and fly up to the top of the Eurovision scoreboard now, LGF asked Sandie: " Stop living in the past." she says "Stop being so stuck up about Europe. Present the songs to be chosen in a more contemporary format with someone fresher than our lovely Terry. Take a leaf out of the Saturday night TV wannabe shows. Ask me to be on the production team!"
And what does Sandie do with her time now that the popular singer has reached the age of sixty? "Oh, I am designing a house to build, living in France, studying regional wine, and doing forestry. Developing download facilities on my website. Creating marketing ideas for my recording back catalogue. Working with my old school to develop an award for making a difference in the community. Teaching Nichiren Buddhism every first Wednesday in the month. Traveling around Europe with my husband in our little plane, painting furniture and boxes and playing with my grandchildren. Supporting my younger friends in their endeavours to get the life they desire together. Encouraging my older friends to pass on their expertise to their younger friends, and to listen to their ideas and dreams. Telling everyone that the purpose of being alive is to be truly happy and to fulfil all your potential as a human being."
Sandie Shaw's news and rare videos can be found on her official website here.
American born, Katrina Leskanich won the Eurovision Song Contest thirty years after Sandie and she has an interesting story to tell of how this all came about to happen: "I had a call from Jonathan King who was trying to turn the contest around, he'd brought Gina G to the contest the year before with Oooh aah just a little bit which I still think is the best song ever entered into Eurovision. He asked us if we had a song that we could put forward and we did have this song which was originally going to be used by the Salvation Army as their anthem. We thought it was just too cheesy to release ourselves but it was perfect for Eurovision!
Everyone loved it and I fully expected them to take the song and get some blonde little tweetie bird to sing it but a big Eurovision fan at Warner Brothers said: 'Look, you guys have a name, all you need is a hit song and if you do it we'll give you a record deal.' So we couldn't say no as we hadn't had a hit record in 12 years. It was such a feel-good song, It had 'I am a winner' written all over it and by that time Ireland were winning every year and they really couldn't afford to host the contest anymore so it would have been embarrassing for it not to win!"
Love shine a light took the contest by a storm, receiving a record of 227 points. So what will it take to repeat the triumph? :"Last year both Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker expressed an interest in Eurovision- in the end nothing came of it - but I think they would have had a great impact on the UK's choice of performer and song. There were also established performers in the line up but in the end the public choose a nostalgic Eurovision track which wasn't really a song that could compete with the event that Eurovision is in the 21st century." Katrina says.
Katrina’s recently released They don’t know together with the Sleazesisters featured last week in the New Music Week Charts’ Pop Chart this week at No.21, and also at No.4 in the Club Chart Breakers. 19th May will see six new remixes of the song available for download from iTunes and other digital stores worldwide.
Katrina- Love shine a light (xenomania remix)
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GET RID OF TERRY???!!!???
you must be joking he makes the night! for the love of jove!
how dare they
and John
Because of many reasons:
1) he was actually half way right about the contest then
2) he didn't have some sort of weird cult status figure thing going on at least with the first one.
3) because we didn't have particularly unfair voting then
4) because the entire system of voting and the format of the contest has changed since then
5) because the standard of music from the OTHER countries has caught up with the UK and the West's entries and over taken us!
Danny
I agree
I dont think even the Sugababes could make us win or even do particularly well but us sending good, contempory, serious songs gives a leg to stand on in the EBU when we complain about unfair voting!
I just read some people's posts about Mr Wogan and blame him for UK bad positions!
Let me tell you: how come UK has 2 wins (1981 and 1997) with him commentating?!
@ Michael UK
Why do you want UK to be Sweden? UK is UK and always will be!
I agree with Rob Dell. No one cares if we had a Swedish style NF with 4 semis and one 2nd chance round to select a c***p ESC song. 
The BBC will not steal an idea form another broadcaster!
Also do you think rest of Europe will start to follow Sweden and have a big NFs to select thier Eurosong?
So stop compairing UK NF to Sweden's NF and be greatful that you have a NF and not let the BBC chose a song for you!
@ BURR
Daz Sampson got points from about 10 or so countries.. just not that many points 
I still think the UK hasn't a bleedin' chance to win Eurovision. Owen Williams said that the Serebro were like a Russian Sugababes, but I doubt if the UK sent the actual Sugababes they would struggle to make top 15. Some countries just won't vote for the UK no matter what they send, especially when they have to spread their votes around their neighbours and diaspora before they get to other nations
@ Benjamin
I 2nd that!
Imagine:
UK's 8 points goes to France, 10 will go to Germany and 12 goes to Spain!!
France's 8 points goes to UK, 10 to Spain and 12 goes to Germany!!
...and so on!
Its about time the 'Big 4' should form a bloc!
@ burr
i think u need to read my comments again. i never blamed the east for the results of scooch and daz sampson. i said that russia has neighbour votes , which is undeniable.and this yr again i predict all ur friends will vote for you again. how cosy!
@ Jonny K
tatu's singing that ninght was awful and they didn't deserve to win
This doesnt explain , however, or justify the ban
@Michael UK
just two counries voted for the UK enriy last year and only one the before! Just TWO!!!
what are you talking about? Why blame east when even West does not vote foe the UK
@ rob dell
i disagree, im sure the appetite for voting week after week is more to do with the actually excitement of getting involved and having the ability to interract, i dont think it matters that the songs and performers are different every week. all it takes is for the bbc to get behind it and make an effort
Personally i think the only problem the UK has for choosing its song is the fact we let the public have to much say, there should be a jury of about 20 people, all either music experts, performance experts, eurovision experts and or fans that have at LEAST 50% of the over all vote!
and we need some better quality songs, the problem with letting the UK public decide is that the majority of them have a very warped idea of what ESC songs and winners have to include! Hence Scooch and hence Daz Sampson (even though the was probably the best out of the 6 that year), they are obvious ESC songs, they are just obvious ESC songs from the 80's and 90's when the contest WASN'T one that truely represented the majority of European music tastes. ESC has changed so much since 2004, and the UK is one of the countries that hasnt' moved with the times! our songs lack the popular appeal of songs sent by countries like Greece and Russia (I mean Serebro was effectively a Russian version of Sugababes, in musical style AND performance!) the UK has this idea that there is such a thing as an "ESC song", and that is not true, almost ALL forms of popular music are represented in Eurovision now, many of which could stand up next to non-ESC counterparts in the charts.
The UK NEEDS to stop looking for the big names, we simply aren't gonna get them and it just means we end up with some has beens that really aren't that talented, and we need to get better songs, enlist the help of a really good song writer to write all our songs if we must. Its not really the format of the selection show that needs changing its the appeal of the songs, and the fact Terry Wogan and the BBC have been saying that ESC is somthing it now isn't for about 20 years to a population which now sees the contest through their tinted glasses, and then Wogan and the BBC is some how suprised that the UK chose Scooch last year!
@ Jonny K
I agree!
Imagine if they had won?!
To Michael UK
Re: Sweden MF idea for UK
Sorry - I'm another that doesn't think it will work in UK.
There are some major differences between the 'Joseph' and 'Maria' searches and X-Factor shows and 4 Sweden MF style semi finals
1) Joseph/Maria and the X-Factor finals - have the same people singing for survival week after week - people get behind someone and have favourites. Your 4 semi finals wouldn't get that continuity or involvement
2) In the talent shows - they are singing well known songs or auditioning for a particular role. The suggested ESC shows would be unknown songs - and possibly rather bad ones at that
3) The prize. ESC. Not a great prize in UK's eyes - not like a £1m contract with Mr Cowell or a leading West End Role.
There simply isn't the appetite for Eurovision in the UK like Sweden. Yes, people love to watch Eurovision - but (I'm sorry) - it's for a laugh - not because of musical quality. They enjoy a one off show - have ESC parties etc.
The people on here are not typical of how most UK people see ESC.
dont forget to check out the charity performance of west end eurovision starring the casts of les miserables , buddy, grease, phantom of the opera, wicked, avenue q and mamma mia all performing their favourite eurovision songs, also appearing are scooch, a panel which includes previous uk entrants, and many more surprises theatremad.org.uk all the artists are appearing free of charge to help theatremad raise funds
- BURR
If you're talking about 2003, then the reason why Ireland didn't use televoting was because there was problems, not deliberatley. And even if Ireland had used televoting, tAtU would have still lost.
And people in the UK just didn't want to vote for tAtU! On the BBC after eurovision show, tAtU got slated so much because their vocals were so awful!
garry chelsea! [
YES! if uk and Irekad so democratically not bannened the votes
Here here!
Russia has got the best and unfiar advantage!
@ burr
the uk doesnt have the same advantage as russia , of nieghbours voting for their former occupier
@ burr did you really want to win with 2 pretend lesbians (tatu) now thats sad when you have to pretend to be interesting to try to win, maybe dima will come out this year, thought of course that wouldnt be pretending hes IS as gay as i am
Now honest! Did you really wanted to win Eurovision with Javine, Daz or Scooch???
Don't make me laugh!!!
lol )))))
I don't know how much a melodi-festival type show would cost- I would not need big arenas, just venues the usual size- but whatever format, it is all about the wuality of songs- not the sway it is chosen.
This year we had an interesting format- but I don't know whay Barrowman and Grant got to eliminate two songs by themselves- surly a waste of about six minutes- the show was called 'Your Desision' not 'partly two peoples descisions'
Looking forward to it... and for a good course, cahrity...excellent
marc thanx for ordering tickets, the reason it is on at 11.30 is because its taking place at the piccadilly theatre, and grease the musical which is on at the piccadilly are doing a show that evening before the charity show, and the casts of the other participants are also doing their own shows that evening and then coming to perform for the charity,but it also means that lots of people that work on the other shows can come too after they finish work, there will be some really amazing surprises on the night, and keeep your eye on the website as they are also planning a late night matinee of hairspray and the seats are usually half the price the shows normally charge, all the performers are appearing free of charge to help theatremad, you will have a great time,
Garry, I ordered two tickets, really looking forward to it. But why is it only at 11.30 pm ???? I do need to start working at 7 in the morning.... With A night of... don't bother my friends, it's a child.
so many recepies//
the cient must be really sick!!!!
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