UK entrants Blue's fury at Phillip Schofield.

BRITAIN’S Eurovision entrants Blue blasted back yesterday after Phillip Schofield branded their song “shocking” in a Twitter outburst.

The re-formed boyband called his remarks “upsetting” and “hurtful” – and accused him of seeking publicity because he had been overshadowed by judge Jason Gardiner while presenting Dancing on Ice.

Eurovision TV host Graham Norton also piled into the increasingly bitchy showbiz bust-up when he leaped to Blue’s defence.

Schofield’s rant came after they had exclusively unveiled their song, called I Can, on Norton’s BBC1 show last week.
He tweeted: “Well, that’s Eurovision screwed for another year.” He then added: “Sorry guys, I love you together and individually… but that’s a shocking song.”

The band members were left fuming by his comments and have now responded.

Duncan James, 32, said: “Maybe it’s because Jason Gardiner is taking all the headlines on Dancing on Ice so Phillip Schofield felt he had to jump on the Blue bashing bandwagon.

“He’s British so we’d have thought he’d be a bit more supportive. He’s clearly not patriotic – or he wouldn’t have gone on Twitter and been so objectionable. It’s pretty upsetting, to call the song shocking isn’t very nice at all. I thought he’d be a bigger man.” Antony Costa, 29, agreed, saying: “That was very hurtful. The negative comments really stick in your mind.”

Norton, 47, who will again be the UK TV host for the song contest in Germany on May 14, responded: “It’s easy to knock. Phillip needs to get behind the Blue song.

“I think it stands a good chance. It’s a boyband anthem, which is exactly what they said it was. They could win – stranger things have happened.”

Loose Women’s Denise Welch, 52, also joined in the sniping, accusing Schofield, 48, of hypocrisy. She tweeted: “I adore Phillip but I disagree that you should upset people. If they sang on his show, would he say after, ‘That was rubbish’?”

The UK has finished last in the much-criticised contest in two of the past three years, amid claims of anti-British bias.
And the day after he had a pop at James, Costa and their Blue bandmates Simon Webbe, 31, and Lee Ryan, 27, Schofield also took aim at the merits of Eurovision itself.

He tweeted: “In the middle of a mahoosive family party, just looked at twitter for two minutes to find a feed full of Eurovision outrage! Love it!”

He went on: “Love that after all these years there can be so much passion over such a wonderfully naff song contest.”
And he added: “Of course I want Blue to win. Of course I’m pro Britain, it’s just that I think you’ve got to be from Azerbaibaniastan to stand a chance.”

Source: Daily Mirror (article written by Nicola Methven) 19/03/2011