Bits and pieces across Europe - the latest

NRK has released the song titles and the writers, and it looks pretty much like the artists list I published before here is pretty much real. Maybe. The rumours about Take That's Gary Parlow writing the British entry are still well alive, with added bonus that Blue's Duncan James would perform it. I like the idea. Another possibility for the writer is still Elton John - both would follow nicely Andrew Lloyd Webber's footsteps. Albania apparently doesn't care much for Christmas, their selection will run from December 24 to 27, and previous Eurovision entrants Anjeza Shahini and Kejsi Tola are taking part. Also Belarus has kicked off its selection with 25 songs and the Polish four are online as well. Finland will announce its titles and writers next Monday, when they will be also online in YLE's website. News also from Croatia and Portugal amongst others. Looks like the national selection season is slowly getting to a full swing. More about all this next week when I'm back home and hopefully get my PV back. Meanwhile sunny greetings from the beach!

Tom Dice for Belgium

It looks like Belgium took all by surprise by announcing Tom Dice, a 20-year-old X-Factor runner up will go for Belgium in Oslo 2010. He becomes the second artist known for Eurovisin 2010.

The Netherlands wins JESC 2009!!!!

Fantastic news!!! Belgium and the Netherlands took the lead early on and Armenia was leading at some point, too and Russia was climbing but when the last jury from FYR Macedonia gave Armenia only 1 point (thank you!) it was clear Belgium or the Netherlands would win. Great!Watch Ralf here.

Junior Eurovision live from Kyiv

I will try to blog about the event webcast permitting...

1. SWEDEN Mimmi looks a bit to grown up and sexy for JUNIOR Eurovision. With this song and looks she might have done the real thing as well. But it's an interesting song but maybe in a wrong place?

2. RUSSIA looks more her age and so does the rest of the group. She sings well and the song is catchy and much more JUnior than the adult version even if songs like this regularly still are in the national selections here and there most every year.

3. ARMENIA is rather annoying mixture of Ricky Martin and Ruslana that I don't care to listen ever again. So, propably it will win then...

4. ROMANIA is like Sweden very adult and a bit too sexy for my liking for Junior Eurovision. I mean if it was anywhere else it would be just a normal girlband performance but this is Junior Eurovision and that reminds me why I can't make myself like this JESC more, the line between adult and kid performances is so shaky. Not helped this year with Ani Lorak presenting with her boobs in the air...

5. SERBIA Ok, this is a kiddy song and she surely has a voice you can't easily forget... but is it good or original? No.

6. GEORGIA Those princesses come out sweet and cute and talented and not sexy, which is the point here I would like to suppose. The song's a children's song, happy and sweet. I'd rather see this winning than Armenia or something like that for sure...

7. THE NETHERLANDS is clearly the best so far in every criteria. He sings and performs a song that suits his age, and that the kids of his age will like. This song could be a hit like Belguim last year. And this is also a song I could listen to also after tonight.

8. CYPRUS also falls to the category "too old looking and sounding". Straight from the real thing, and not even very good one, neither the song or her. Unfortunately.

9. MALTA I'm soon gonna start worrying about the Maltese image; after 3 times Chiara we have Double Trouble. The song is very annoying but they perform well, make a very weird couple and do have voices....

10. UKRAINE I'm allergic to this kind of wonderkids. He has a voice no doubt but I cannot stop thinking pushing parents and lost childhood and all that stuff.... Besides the song's like a Russian horror soap theme.

11. BELGIUM this is what this contest is about: kids looking and acting their age singing songs that fit them, are a bit childish and funny. I vote this a million times over Ukraine and Romania for example. The yoddling even fits in nicely. Go Belgium!

12. BELARUS. Read Ukraine. Just worse.

13. FYR MACEDONIA is also way too old sounding and looking for this contest. I guess that's why this contest won't really ever make it as the idea just won't work when it's so in between. The song's kinda nice though and she's kinda good, too but nothing original in any way.

Well, while waiting for the results I can say I usually hate the winning songs and get it all wrong here. Except last year when I was kinda happy for the winner but that's all. If the Netherlands, Belgium win, or even Russia or Georgia I'm ok I guess. If Ukraine or Belarus I might skip next edition all together... I now fully understand why the Nordic coutries have withdrawn - with the exception of Sweden that returned this year (only) - as when you compare to this to the Nordic MGP it's very evident which one is made for kids with kid's terms and which one is not. Nordic MGP 2010 is next week by the way in Stockholm....

No wonder half the girls are in sexy miniskirts, auntie Ani shows example with I'm alive and Shady Lady :-) Oh no, now she has an army of minisluts on stage!!!

In the midway of voting it looks like justice is taking place here, too, and west is taking over again when it deserves it. Just like in the real thing...

Portugal makes it big

Portugal seems to be making a serious effor this year and Festival da Canção 2010 will be hosted in the biggest venue ever in Portugal, in Campo Pegueno in Lisbon that can host up to 10.000 (hey YLE, when will you bring Euroviisut final to Hartwall Areena?) and the format is copied from the Eurovision itself: two semifinal on Tuesday and Thursday leading to Saturday March 6th's grand final. making that Saturday  already a hot spot in ESC 2010 season calendar with finals in Portugal, Estonia and Croatia , and 2nd chance round in Sweden. This ex-bull fighting arena was built in 1890-1892 and was reopened in 2006 as a multi-event venue and shopping center. Now we can only hope Portugal will come up with some good songs like this, this, this or this and bring the Eurovision 2011 to Lisbon! After Greece and Finland won this is the one I am waiting for....

Six times six for Malta

Malta has cleared up its mess with lawsuits and such, and finally can start its own selection. Out of 123 received songs - only by Maltese writers -  international jury will pick up in early December the 36 songs that will go on to the six semifinals, each with six songs. Twenty songs will make it to the final on February 20, 2010. Each singer was allowed to send in one song but when will they do the same for the composers?!

Malta has reached the top-3 in Eurovision 4 times: in 1992 and 1998 3rd, and in 2002 and 2005 2nd. Last four years Malta has made the bottom of the final list or haven't reached the final at all.

San Marino + Paola & Chiara = true?

Insisting rumours want that the dream of  San Marino sending Iezzi sisters Paola and Chiara is still in the books and could be happening. They have released six albums so far plus a greatest hits between 1997 and 2007 and both have also released solo material, Chiara Nothing at all and Paola Alone for example. Their biggest hits include European wide hit Vamos a bailar, Festival, A modo mio, Second life and Cambiare pagina. If they will eventually do Eurovision Oslo that is like an Eurovision wet dream to many. Or for me it is at least!

Welcome number 161: Cameroon

Yet another country visit s this blog and this time it's Cameroon, and get's the number 161. Welcome!

Technical problems

My new PC broke just after 3 months and I will be  more or less "out of order" while it's being fixed. I'm also off to holidays from  Sunday 22 to Sunday 29. Therefor there won't be many updates if any for the next week. Please do check in 3minutes for updates and the latest news. I'll be back asap!

Arja Koriseva fights again

Arja Koriseva releases a new album Minä taistelen (I fight) tomorrow. It's her 15th album. This year she is also celebrating her 20th anniversary in business being the Tango Queen 1989, and the most popular of them. She has been doing musicals and TV besides stage shows and recording albums ever since. She has taken part in Euroviisut four times (1991, 1992, 1993 and 2004) and represanted Finland abroad twice: in Golden Kite 1990 in Kuala Lumpur and Golden Stag in Romania in 1992 with her Euroviisut song Huomiseen. Both times she has reached the runner up position.

No Montenegro in Oslo 2010

Montenegro becomes yet another country to withdraw from Oslo 2010 for financial problems. They have participated three times as an independent state in 2007, 2008 and 2009, each time failing to reach the final. Also in 2005 the Serbia & Montenegro's entry was the Montenegrin one, plus the Yogoslavian entries back in 1983 when Daniel took Dzuli to 4th place, and in 1984.

JESC 2009 is here... or in Kyiv really

The 7th annual Junior Eurovision song contest rehearsals have started in Kyiv. 13 countries are taking part this year when Bulgaria, Greece and Lithuania decided to stay home but Sweden and Cyprus return. The contest has been struggling with withdrawals and failing to increase the number of countries taking part, unlike the good old Eurovision song contest itself. My favourites this year are Sweden, Romania, Netherlands and Belgium but none of them beats last year's entry from Belgium, Oliver's Shut up. Las year's winner was though Belarus with Bzikebi's Bzzz.... This year's final on next Saturday, November 21, 2009.

Magnus Carlsson's Christmas DeLuxe

Not only Carola is making Christmas albums every other Christmas (5 albums and eps todate), so is Magnus Carlsson. He has collected together his two previous Christmas albums En ny Jul and Spår i snön together with an EP with six newly recorded tracks in a box. Amongst the new recordings  Ave Maria and Little drummer boy. The box is released today. Next week he will start a Christmas tour that go on until and over Christmas and New Year's and ends in Borås on January 4, 2010.

250 fan favourites - how hard it is to choose!

The voting is on and when I sat down to pick up my top-10 I just realized it is very difficult! My mind was filled with songs, dozens of them and each and every should be in. But can't. So how to pick and choose? Should I try to avoid the obvious? Spread songs from all decades and different countries? Favour the quality over fun? Hard task! In the end I decided to pick up songs that mean something to me, songs that move me still every time I hear them - for one reason or another. And that gives me a string of Italian entries from Non ho l'etá to Era, from I treni di Tozeur to Rapsodia and Questo amore. And some Israeli goodies like Hi, Hasheket shenish'ar, Shara barchovot and The fire in your eyes. How could I forget L'oiseau et l'enfant?Love shine a light? Hard rock hallelujah? Molitva? Or oldies like Disco tango, Katson sineen taivaan or Io senza te? Samson? Amsterdam? Si tu aimes ma musique or Dschingis Khan that rocked my world back then? Or absolutely fabulous and under rated Macedomienne, I morgon är en annan dag or Deixa-me sonhar? Or succesful entries like To nie ja, Sveta ljubav, Never let you go, Let me try, It hurts, Stronger every minute, Si. Or Lane moje. Or... the list goes on. And what do with Dancing Lasha tumbai and L'amour á la Francaise that bring back so many good memories from Helsinki 2007? Or Leave me alone! Also because there's my brief moment in the Eurovision DVD history, right after Hanna's performance. Me and my dad's borrowed Finnish flag... And Hanna is goddess!

I will pick up my top-10 from these eventually. You do your list and join the fun. Let's make this voting the best ever.

MF Joker number 2: Salem Al Fakir

Melodifestivalen plays with exotic again. After Darin, of Kurdish origin here comes 28-year-old Sirian-Swedish Salem Al Fakir. he has released two albums so far plus one EP, and his singles are Astronaut, This is who I am, Dream girl, It's true and Good song. His latest single is Roxy. To me he is completely unknow until now. His entry is called Keep on walking.

Sanremo cuts down the songs - but may go dialectic and Thomas G:son & co. can participate, too!

Some news from the 60th Festival di Sanremo coming up next 16-20 February. The names of the 14 Big and 8 artists in newcomers category, this time called Sanremo nuova generazione will be announced December 18. The revolution in the rules is that songs are accepted not in pure Italian but also in dialects (but still not in foreign languages), meaning songs in napoletan, sardinian, sicilian or friulian for example could be heard for the very first time! And the real scoop: songs by foreign writers are also accepted!

Anyways, what strikes me the most that despite five long evenings less and less songs are heard. 14 + 8 makes 22 and there used to be more songs in one category alone before, and without many eliminations. Now there will be eliminations of some kind each and every evening so that Saturday night we have only three (3!!!) songs left. For a show that will last for hours.... Oh well, the endless bla bla bla of the hosts, advertising, foreign guests that come on stage for 5 minutes and earn a million euros for that are most likely more important. And then RAI has interest in Eurovision? Is it too much music and too little time wasting uselessness?

Priscilla covers Nina Åström

South Africans are real Eurovision fans and delivers covers after covers in steady rhythm. The latest one that comes to our attention is Priscilla Smith's cover Klein bietjie liefde of Nina Åström A little bit, the Finnish entry back in 2000. I'm a fan of the sound of Afrikaans, just love it!

Eros Ramazzotti photos online now

Check out my photos from Eros Ramazzotti's concert last night here.

Eros Ramazzotti: Absolutely fantastico!

I have always been thinkin Laura Pausini is the best italian live artist but after seeing Eros Ramazzotti's Ali e radici world tour 2009/2010 in Hartwall Areena in Helsinki I'm in doubt... He was absolutely fantastic: great choice of songs - even if he is promoting his latest album the set was filled with all the goodies, even Sta passando Novembre plus all the hits from Terra promessa to Adesso tu, from Cose della vita to Piú bella cosa, and Fuoco nel fuoco and L'Ombra del gigante that really rocked the house. He was wonderful vocally, even surprisingly good. The stage was fantastic (well done Cirque du soleil) and it was all just fantastic! I will upload some photos asap both on Facebook and my photoblog, stay tuned!

Tonight: Eros Ramazzotti!

Parla con me dance mix! Terra promessa remix!

Aspettando Eros - gg 1

Tomorrow, finally the concert in Helsinki! And here is Parla con me, his latest number one hit and fantastic version of Sta passando Novembre in Spanish with Amaia Montero.