618 replies to this topic

[Elliott]

fruit bat, on 22 April 2011 - 01:13 AM, said:

I think Michael Ball is going to be brilliant in this production, his versatility never fails to amaze me.  I was laughing at a comment on our website at work about entering the Eurovision Song Contest being likely to ruin Blue's career.  I thought "Oh yeah, look how it ruined Michael Ball's, appearing as a guest with New York Opera at the Met, having his own Proms concert, filling theatres for 'Hairspray', his own TV show, etc... he must be a broken man!"   

I think  you've missed the point about the whole Blue thing. Michael Ball is one thing, but the point is that Blue are international superstars, whilst Michael Ball was not and is not, whatever fame he may have achieved. Blue are much bigger than the Eurovision Song Contest and the point is that if they can't win it they have ruined their reputation, and that will have a bad effect on their career. Michael Ball has done well since appearing in the contest, but he had nowhere to go but up, whilst Blue are already on top and have only got two options: to win and remain where they are already are, or to lose and be humiliated by not being able to win an amateur competition.

[Weez]

Blue are international superstars and on top? Since when? o_O

[Minsky]

Quote

Blue are international superstars and on top?

Eh?

[Weez]

As far as I can tell, Blue are a boyband who were popular for a time but haven't really seen as much success since they split as they might have hoped for (Duncan James and Simon Webbe have had some success in theatre, which is nice, but Lee Ryan has mostly been acting like an idiot and getting mocked in the public eye, and I can never even remember who the other member is). They have recently reformed, I understand, and are Britain's entry for Eurovision. But to hear Elliott tell it, you'd think they were the Beatles reborn! Maybe I just have higher expectations when I hear phrases like "international superstars" and "already on top"...

[Elliott]

Don't get me wrong, Blue are complete has-beens in my opinion, but when they split up they were at the top of their game, its only their solo careers that haven't been that successful. Blue as a group have never flopped. Right now with their comeback all they have to do is prove that they can remain at the level they were at before the split, and partaking in a direct competition with amateur or unknown performers would be humiliating if they didn't win, because they're the only act participating with a hugely successful career behind them.

And as somebody said, Eurovision was much more prestigious when Michael Ball took part. These days, most people seem to watch it just to laugh at the gimmick acts.