Justin Hawkins: 'I'm Open To Eurovision Ridicule'.... Former The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins accepts he is exposing himself to ridicule in front of a TV audience of 300 million by entering the Eurovision Song Contest.Hawkins, who quit the band last year (06), will join ex-East 17 singer Brian Harvey and ex-Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon in a televised sing-off next month (Apr07), in which TV viewers will choose which act will go onto perform at the critically-ridiculed contest.The falsetto-voiced rocker is favourite to win the support of UK voters and go on to represent the nation in the final in Helsinki, Finland, in May (07).But Hawkins claims he has not entered the contest in a bid to revive his flagging career and is not out to earn the respect of other musicians.He says, "I don't anticipate gleaning any respect or anything."What on earth could I possibly hope to achieve by being the object of ridicule for millions of people? Everything I do is almost trying to hammer home the point that I don't care."The rocker, who will perform with fellow singer Beverlei Brown, is even considering resurrecting his trademark lycra catsuit if the pair make it through to the finals: "It will give me another couple of months to try and shed my puppy fat - more like middle-aged man fat."

Meanwhile a Eurovision Song Contest official is attempting to block Israel's entry to this year's (07) competition - because he feels the song is inappropriate.

Israeli pop band Teapacks has recorded Push The Button in Hebrew, English and French, and hope to wow Eurovision panellists in May (07).

But one of the contest's Finnish organisers, Kjell Ekholm, fears the song will be interpreted as a jab at Iran's hard-line president and his nuclear ambitions - and the official feels that sentiment isn't one Eurovision bosses will want to embrace.

In the song, Teapacks poke fun at "crazy rulers" who "hide and try to fool us with demonic technological willingness to harm".

Ekholm says, "It's absolutely clear that this kind of message is not appropriate for the competition."

It isn't the first time that Israel's Eurovision entry has sparked controversy - the country was represented by transsexual pop star Dana International in 1998. The singer won that year's competition with Diva.

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