Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Yet another cover of Lordi's Hard rock hallelujah has been made. Check the Swedish Log Lady Train's jolly happy lil' version of it here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=101578867 Does Mr Lordi know??!!

... the Eurovision shows I mean. The semifinal becomes two ones (hooray!) and it seems the jury vote will be counted, too (hooray!). Only top-9 of each semifinal will get to the final and will be joined by the country with highest jury vote that didn't make the televoting top-9. But... will it really make a difference? Why not 6+4 or something?

Hanna Pakarinen sings the title track of a new Finnish movie Musta jää (Black ice) written by Apocalyptica's Eicca Toppinen. The video has been shot this week and the soundtrack and the movie will be released in October. Meanwhile Hanna has been busy touring and planning the next album. She also describes 2007 the best year she has had so far and confesses she would think twice if she was asked to do Eurovision again, "It's a kinda once in a life time thing" (from MTV3) See the trailer and hear a bit of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSTF2HtWlaM

Katri Helena wore the microshorts again! She said earlier show would not wear it again after her summer gig when she dusted off her micros from late 60's, but she apparently decided the gay boys in Helsinki deversed to see it, too, when she performed in DTM for the first time last night! And indeed the crowd went wild! (photo: Iltalehti)

Sonja Lumme has released a new album after a long break, Meri ja tuuli or Sea and wind. All the songs are about sea and wind as the title suggests including old classics and some new stuff. One song is written and dedicated for her brother who died at 16 when his boat sunk. The song that gave inspiration to whole album is a cover of Lasse Mårtensson's Myrskyluodon Maija.

Pihasoittajat may be the less known of the all Finnish Eurovision artists despite their excellent 7th place in the ESC. Also, it is one of those many artists/groups whose story sadly ended more or less right after Eurovision.... The group formed from Irish folk music lovers after a trip to Kaustinen folk music festival in Finland 1969. Two years later they did a musical theater together with Ryhmäteatteri based on Irish folk music that became so popular it was later remade for TV, too, followed by a Swedish version later on. In 1972 their first album Kivinen tie Dubliniin - rocky road to Dublin was released featuring Irish folk music both in Finnish and English. The second album Hattukauppiaan aamu was all in Finnish and the band performed now also Finnish folk songs and their own songs. Next came the Finnish Euroviisut with Viulu-ukko , performed in English as Old man fiddle in the ESC, their last album Kontaten kotiin , entirely written by Kim Kuusi, before the band broke up. The...

dog design's designs may not be so doggy after all as they have won the annual award by the Finnish graphics association and industrial designers. Not only for the Eurovision image but the past 15 years they have been working together....

My household has discovered Ramón Del Castillo a bit late, but better late than never, right? He shook his hips to Para llenarme de ti in Istanbul 2004 with respectable results for Spain but I paid attention to him only now when his second album is out and discovered also his debut. Nice latin music indeed. Is he aiming to become the new Luis Miguel or Marc Anthony?

... and now she is the face for the L'Oreal's Garnier black hair color in Finland. "I have been coloring my hair black since I was 12" she says "so this is very me!"

Hanna Pakarinen has been the face for Lapponia jewelry since this spring and most of you who were in town for the Eurovision surely saw her looking gorgeous in the ads...

Katri Helena (1979 and 1993) and Jari Sillanpää (2004) are touring together again. After their highly succesful tour last year they will do a Christmas show this time around....

Fredi who Pump pumped the Europe in 1976 and played with drama with Varjoon suojaan in 1967 and wrote the 1979 entry, has released his first album with new material in 12 years and seems to be scoring big with it. Radios chose it the album of the month, it is charting and the critics say his tenor voice is in top condition, like when he was 25... that is 40 years ago.... Is he going to return to Euroviisut, too?

If we only limited himself of saying things like this world would be a better place...

Finland has won the first ever Eurovision Dance Contest leaving Ukraine second (again)... How funny it is: first we win nothing for 40 years and now after Eurovision Song Contest 2006 we win also the Dance Contest 2007. Should we participate in the Junior 2008? :-) I know nothing about dance but it was rather entertaining show. Graham Norton is always Graham Norton even if he wasn't being dirrty this time, much, and the Finnish pair Katja Koukkula and Jussi Väänänen did a great job amongst all circus numbers and Dance with the stars woodlegged amateurs (Sweden anyone?). Irish couple was cute, and Russia's first number was beautiful. Also Ukraine and Portugal are worth mentioning... Full ranking: 1. Finland 132, 2. Ukraine 121, 3. Ireland 95, 4. Poland 84, 5. Austria 74, 6. Portugal 74, 7. Russia 72, 8. Germany 59, 9. Denmark 38, 10. Spain 38, 11. Lithuania 35, 12. Netherlands 34, 13. Greece 31, 14. Sweden 35, 15. United Kingdom 18 and 16. Switzerland 0