[Amy]

A former Fame Academy student is hoping to bring Eurovision glory back to Britain after last year's "nil points" humiliation.

James Fox, 27, was selected ahead of five other acts as Britain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, which is being hosted by the 2003 winners Turkey.

The Welsh singer-songwriter is hoping to improve on Britain's disastrous performance last year, when the unknown band Jemini scored "nil points" for Cry Baby - the worst result for the UK in 47 years.

Terry Wogan, who hosted the show for the BBC, said at the time he thought the UK had suffered from a "post-Iraq backlash", although Popstars judge Louis Walsh said the song got no votes because it was "terrible".

Fox, who finished fifth on the second series of Fame Academy, beat competition from a girl band, a boy band and three other soloists with his song Hold On To Our Love to compete in the Euro contest.

During his Fame Academy run, Fox, who started playing the piano aged eight and was once in a band with Liberty X singer Kevin Simm, was likened to a "faded 1980s star".

The Billy Joel and Sting fan has said Britain needs to produce "a great winner that we remember for years to come", on a par with Abba, Bucks Fizz and Brotherhood of Man.

Since being selected as the UK entry, James has been signed by Sony Music, promoted Hold On To Our Love across Europe and toured the UK with 1969 Eurovision victor Lulu.

Ireland, regular winners of Eurovision, will also be hoping for success this year with a song penned by former Westlife singer Bryan McFadden and Jonathan Shorten.

If My World Stopped Turning will be sung by 24-year-old Chris Doran, who has dreamed of representing Ireland at Eurovision since he was a child.
Article from Ananova

Good luck to James, hope he does well tonight! I'm working till 8:30pm tonight so will miss a bit of the show, so any updates of the first 45 mins or so will be appreciated if anyone watches it!

[Sticks]

James fox will score

Nil Points

tonight

No UK entry could score anything because to award the UK any points is unthinkable while Britian has troops in Iraq.

The pictures of Americans and British troops torturing Iraqi prisoners will only add to the Nil points. No one in the Arab world believe the Mirror pictures are fakes. The fact the governmment have said they are fakes, by the rule, "Never believe anything until it has been officially denied", (From Yes Minister), means they must be genuine and will be treated as such.

James Fox had better see if he can get a job at a supermarket stacking shelves and give up any hope of a career in entertainment. The UK should have withdrawn until well after the British troops have been withdrawn. Jemini have disappered from the scene due to ridicule and James is set to follow them.

Don't Do it James

Pull out now and save yourself from humiliation

[James]

Eurovision voting is political and always has been. No reason not to take part though, logically we would never take part in it, not just this year.

[Amy]

He deserved better!!!! I think we should not even bother doing Eurovision anymore!

[Sticks]

He's lucky to get any points at all, given the political situation regarding Iraq and the abuse of prisoners.

[Janette]

He looked damn fine!!!!!!

[BusyBee]

This was the year of good looking young guys and girls not wearing a lot. Loved Terry Wogan's description of the girl who won 'Xena Warrior Princess'.

Problem is the voting is so political that for a non-Eastern country to win they would need something out of the ordinary. I felt sorry for James he really didnt stand a chance.

[kaphc]

I thought James gave a great performance, and was one of the few singers to actually get his dynamics right so that he could be heard in the quiet parts and the louder parts.

Having said that, the song did come across as really bland and fairly unoriginal. Maybe if he had had 4 scantily-clad women pawing him while he sang, he would have done better.

Still, it did better than the one that Brian McFadden wrote I think!!