Gerard Joling: "I am pulling the plug"

Gerard Joling came to his 'decision' after a conflict with Gordon (right), one of the other Toppers members, about the real-life soap that the public broadcaster TROS planned in the lead up to the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Joling also has a contract with commercial broadcaster SBS, which prevents him from taking part in the planned real-life soap. The 'crisis' escalated when Toppers manager Benno de Leeuw ended up in hospital due to heavy stress, earlier this week, and Gordon publically blamed Joling for their manager's bad physical condition.

"It's disappointment after disappointment, and I have had enough," Joling said in today's edition of newspaper De Telegraaf. 

Gerard Dielessen, director of Eurovision Song Contest responsible public broadcaster NOS, keeps his head cool: "We chose for the Toppers, and nothing less. We would not go to Moscow with any of the three individual singers," he said in a first reaction, adding that "the two gentlemen have proven to be good at making drama."

Showbizz critics already tried to de-bunk the crisis. A well-informed entertainment journalist from the Netherlands, who wishes to remain anonimous, said to Eurovision.tv: "Gordon and Gerard Joling have a long history of arguing publically, and it never stopped them from giving concerts together. If you cannot make a real-life soap to generate media buzz, you start doing different things to make headlines."

The biggest victims of this crisis would be third Toppers-member Rene Froger, as well as the hundreds of song writers who submitted songs for the national selection on the 1st of February. Most likely to be continued!