Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The British judges of The X Factor finally found the full package , so to speak. LOL Imagine something like this happened in Eurovision one day....

Greece is apparently going for multi artist national final in 2010 again and I have a name for it: Giorgos Sampanis. I have no idea if he is very famous and succesful in Greece but I like his music I have heard, just listen to Ti na mas kani i nihta or Haramata. Before going into music he was into sports (just like Sakis) and has 14 gold medals in Greece as a sprinter. He also had a very important role in the opening ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympics.Wouldn't he be just perfect if we can't get Kostas Martakis!

Tarja Turunen and Jari Sillanpää are amongst the performers in tonight's gala concert in Stockholm to commemorate the happenings of 1809 when Finland was separated from Sweden and became an autonomic Grand Dutchy under the Russian czar. This period in Finnish history lasted in some form ur another until 1917's independence. Other guests include Birgitta Ulfsson, Stina Ekblad, Michael Weinius and Swedish radio's symphony orchestra and the gala is broadcasted live on both SVT1 and YLE1 from 20 CET.

As it often happens the minor festivals are strongly influenced by the one and only Eurovision song contest. The troubled Golden Stag or Cerbul de Aur seems to be back for another year. Started back in 1968 it lived only 4 years (with winners coming from Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands and Sweden) before being relaunched in 1992 (with winners from Indonesia, Lithuania, USA, Russia and Romania) before hitting another break until 2001 when Romania won it again as it did in 2002. China, Malta and Italy won the next editions. In 2008 the festival was relaunched again with a Romanian win and so this 2009 is the 16th edition. And the list of singers is mainly very familiar reading from national selections or Eurovision itself: Sergey for Armenia, Raffaele for Belgium, Orlin "Kaffe" Pavlov for Bulgaria, Marios Tofi for Cyprus, Rolf Jr for Estonia, Laura Voutilainen for Finland, Antonino and Massimo Bertacci for Italy, Roberto Meloni for Latvia, Claudia Faniello and Glen ...

Kikka would have been 45 this year if she lived. She way ahead of time in 1992 when she presented Parhaat puoleni (The best (sides) of me) in Euroviisut but Finns still had no glue what to do with Eurovision and chose Pave Maijanen instead and we all know how that ended! She participated twice in the other song contest, Syksyn Sävel , before that ending up third both times with Sukkula Veenukseen (Shuttle to Venus) and Kierrätä, pyöritä mua (Recycle, roll me around). As you may notice her image and lyrics were rather daring and tongue in cheek, like her breakthrough hit Mä haluun viihdyttää (I want to entertain) where she sung "I want to entertain you, make you hot ". In a period of five years (1989-1994) she scored countless hits, 3 platinum discs and 5 gold discs and her record sales go over the 300.000 mark making her one of the best selling Finnish female artists ever. Check out also Tartu tiukasti hanuriin that would have been a perfect Eurovision entry , Osassa t...

Patricia Kaas is taking part in a campaign against violance towards women in Russia. And here's Patricia singing Et si'il fallait la faire with Quentin in Star Academy!

Maldives joins in as the next country here and picks up the number 148! I'm losing tracks who are still missing but soon we will hit 150! Should I make a bet that I will travel to the country #150 next year?!

Matti Ruohonen (60) has expressed his wish to compose the Finnish Eurovision entry. He and his brother Teppo have been the most succesful Finnish duo for the last 3 decades with over 1,5 million sold albums, 26 gold records, 7 platinum records and even 2 platinum records, countless hits and even Iskelmä-Finlandia award won - yet they have never participated as artists nor writers! But they have written songs for Eurovision artists like Päivi Paunu, Kim Floor and Vicky Rosti.... As YLE has invited every year some "old dinosaur" like Jukka Kuoppamäki, Tapani Kansa or kari Tapio, will it be finally their turn? Here is a rare cover version by them of Sound of silence of Art & Garfunker and here's one of their biggest hits from 1982!

Kylie Minogue is the latest addition to the list of singers performing in the ABBA tribute along with Benny Andersson in London's Hyde Park on September 13, 2009. She will be united by fellow soap opera star and ex-PWL artist Jason Donovan. Eurovision winner Lulu (1969) will be reunited with Marti Pellow (fantastic duet in With you I'm born again from Lulu's duets album), ex-Wet Wet Wet and one of the finest male singers around (where has he been all this time???). Chaka Khan, Elaine Page, Jamie Cullum with the London cast of Mamma mia! will be there as well.... This is not the first time Kylie is performing ABBA as you can see here . And here's one of the best Wet Wet Wet songs, Angel eyes

And right in Macao's footsteps comes Sir Lanka bringing the amount of countries, colonies and such regions with an own flag to 147! After all this is a flag counter....

Laura Voutilainen is putting  finishing touches to her new album Sydänjää that will be released on September 30. The album follows the style of two previous and highly succesful Kosketa mua and Palaa , and kind of end to a trilogy. Maki Kolehmainen is once again heavily involved in it. The first single is already out and called Kuulta kyselen (I ask the moon) and you can hear it here

It's been awhile I have had a new country visiting but now we have Macao! Welcome! This old Portuguese colony that I have had a pleasure visiting joins in as country number 146!

It's still some weeks before YLE will announce the 11 artists who will join Amadeus Lundberg and the three artists selected by the open internet selection but this is as good time as any to start guessing who they could be... One possibility is Poets of the Fall. They have had a lot success a couple of years ago in Finland and abraod but it's been a bit quiet for some time. They will be releasing a new album next spring and I guess Eurovision would fit in nicely for its promotion! Here's their award winning video and biggest hit so far, Carnival of rust .

Tarkan surprised fellow Turkish superstar and Eurovision veteran Ajda Pekkan in her open air concert last week in Harbiye. Apparently the great diva was herself unaware of the surprise while Tarkan's voice was first heard off stage to accompany her singing before he stormed to stage to wild cheer from the crowds. They then ended up singing three songs together.... Watch them here along with Ajda's supermegafabulous Pet'r oil from 1980: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e5DAuZYqvg , http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WHpgaG_DnY

Signmark & Brandon, his voice, were performing tonight in Helsinki as part of the Helsinki Festival and the Night of the arts. Fresh from signing an international record deal with Warner they did a few new songs from the forthcoming album before closing in with Speakerbox . And I can tell the new material sounds great! And mind you, I don't like rap generally. Can't wait for the album that will come out in February in the formula already tested with the debut album: it will also include the DVD with a video for each song with sign language.

As reported here before Mr Lordi's debut art exhibition is in Helsinki right now in Kulmagalleria and some works have been already sold. Here above you can see some of the works and if in Helsinki do visit it as everything looks better than here on screen in a small print.... My favourites are the lizard on top and the heart.... See them all here: http:// www.kulmagalleria.fi/frame_kktait.htm (click on numbered kuva to see them all)

Ok, here we go again. TRT had denied. Tarkan's manager had strongly denied while apparently Tarkan himself has said he will do it. Well, isn't it the same story every year? Just remember the cat and mouse game we had with Patricia Kaas this year? So, at this point my bet is he will do it. His latest album wasn't such a mega success was it? And his album in English didn't do that well either so I guess he needs some extra promotion and hysteria and what can provide that better and faster than Eurovision? http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJWjBLb7x8U http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=dslb-YdEHJI http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtJGJP50zNw http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew2o0DnXpCI

Signmark who was the runner up in Euroviisut 2009 with Speakerbox has signed an international recording contract with Warner. He is the first deaf artist in the world to do so! This means also that he will definitely change the sign language used from the Finnish to the US English one. The new and his second album will be released in February 2010 but the first single will be out already in September. Tomorrow he will be performing in Helsinki as a part of the annual Night of the Arts. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8YzAo2haKI

Today's rumor in all websites is Tarkan has (finally) agreed to do Eurovision and go for Turkey in Oslo 2010. He is one of those artists who seem like made for Eurovision and has been rumored, hoped and wished for most every year since forever so it would be nice if this was true and happening! He would also be the very first confirmed artist for 2010 then, next year's Sakis Rouvas who was confirmed in early summer of 2008 for 2009. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga8G4xbhPW0 http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OKqRpRNSf0 http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1BLfVDCVo www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOw0obywNf0 http://

Back in 1985 the Finnish delegation was seriously thinking of performing Eläköön elämä in Swedish in Gothenburg but went for the original Finnish version instead. All these years the Swedish version Lita på livet has remained unheard but here it is now. Finland was one of the hot favorites that year and a very respectable 9th place was a minor disappointment - was it the curse of singing at number 2 slot? http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJkAeaW1kxQ http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpI0DIvq8cQ And what is Sonja up to these days? She has her own gardening program on TV!

Namely to a TV-program Elämä pelissä (Life on the line) that seems to show her as "lonely and overweight". "They describe me as lonely and overweight like these two things were linked to each other. Besides a person doesn't need so many friends. I enjoy my solitude! " she tells while admitting the process of making the program has done good to her. Recently she has almost managed to get rid of the sleeping pill addiction she has been suffering for a long time. This reminds me a bit of the controversy she ended up with OGAE Finland back in 1989 when someone from the club wrote in OGAE News (or somewhere, my memory fails me....) that she is too fat and ugly to represent Finland and she sued him. And went on to conquer 7th place in Lausanne with evergreen La dolce vita , the best showing before Lordi's win 17 years later along with Marion's 6th place 16 years before her... Meanwhile she is celebrating 2009 as her 60th birthday, 40th year as an artist and ...

Waldo's People's Lose control , the Finnish entry in the Eurovision 2009 has sold a rare gold single in Finland (over 5.000 copies). As we all know physical singles don't sell anymore so this is a very rare event. The song has spent in the top-15 a total of 28 weeks staying at number one for 2 weeks, as number 2 for seven weeks in several occasions a total of 16 weeks in top-5. Their follow up single New vibration is currently at number 5 after 5 weeks and reached number 2 earlier. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffuuVhCk14c http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhE14kVnoUU

Alexander Rybak is the international guest in the annual charity event that collects money for children hospitals in Finland. The rest of the line up is as usual the cream of the Idols and other hot names amongst the younger audiences: The 69Eyes, Sunrise Avenue, Lauri Tähkä & Elonkerjuu, Pete Parkkonen, Haloo Helsinki!, Antti Tuisku, Anna Abreu, Deep Insight, Signmark, Smak, Juha Tapio, Princessa Avenue and Hevisaurus. Signmark we remember of course from this year's Euroviisut and Princessa Avenue from the Russian final. Let's see how many if any of these artists will be seen in Euroviisut 2010? I would welcome with open arms Lauri & co, Anna and Antti, and why not Sunrise Avenue? http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7DXzUk1E-0 http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq5qLHS76nk http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuR_LU6T5So http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIZYtjRV7Jw http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITEyNwcCwdI http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQPAxZcAUYk

Arvingarna has a double-CD compilation out called All included and almost all is included: their Eurovision 1993 entry Eloise and also the Lena Philipsson penned Det svär jag på from Melodifestivalen 1999 that came 3rd. Also Bo Didley from 1995 is in it but Ingenting är större än vi from 2002 did not make the cut of 42 songs! http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLtGZVZs32s http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=swzMO9j7V4U http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA7UeZaAY28

It looks like Liechtenstein has joined EBU and is rumored to be ready and willing to participate in Eurovision 2010 in Oslo. Local TV has announced they will do a show based on German Deutschland sucht den Superstar formula and the winner will go to Oslo under the tiny flag. Now let's see what happens when the summer rumors settle down and the time for doing it for real comes... Another possibility is Alexander Walser-Rothschild Aka Al Walser , a Grammy voting and nominating member, singer and songwriter from Liechtenstein. He is rumored to be interested in Eurovision 2010 as well. As the second family name suggests he's not sort of cash either. He's also a radio personality, proudly smiling next to people like Michael Jackson, Barak Obama, Paula Abdul and Mariah Carey, just to name a few, in photos. Ex-member of group Fun Factory and Liechtenstein's first biracial citizen ! http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALfocbPRBxM

How would you feel if you were interrogated for your simple vote in a song contest and accused of putting in danger the national security? Absurd as it seems it has happened in Azerbaijan! Some folks seem to forget its just a simple song contest and politics should be left out (even if Putin did go and meet the Azeri artists in Moscow as pictured above) . Even Turkey, Greece and Cyprus vote each other these days but further east things aren't so simple with the new comers it seems. Armenia debuted in 2006 and Azerbaijan 2008. "Rovshan Nasirli, a young Eurovision fan living in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, says he was summoned this week to the country's National Security Ministry -- to explain why he had voted for Armenia during this year's competition in May. "They wanted an explanation for why I voted for Armenia. They said it was a matter of national security,” Nasirli said. “They were trying to put psychological pressure on me, saying things like, 'You have...

Amadeus Lundberg, the reigning Tango King and the first announced artist in Euroviisut 2010 has proven more popular in his gigs than even the most popular Tango King to date Jari Sillanpää back in his reigning era! Jari released his debut album after his victory and it is still the most sold album in Finland with sales of 273.000. Amadeus is set to release in December his debut album that will also include his song for Eurovision. Will he also break Jari's record in album sales...? One thing is for sure: his popularity will surely mean a tight fight in Euroviisut 2010 and hopefully YLE will come up with some big artists to balance the matters or Amadeus might win with any song... Meanwhile he has also caused some headlines with speed driving and losing his driving license, stories about his poor childhood - that may not be true at all - and wearing the crown even when going to rent a video.... http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUSpKru6YjE http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifobwYe74M4

Buon Ferragosto a tutti i miei lettori italiani! Spero che passate tutti una giornata bellissima di sole e di caldo - entrambe sembrano di mancare in Finlandia oggi dove Ferragosto non esiste - anzi sono cominciate le scuole questa settimana! What is the better way to spend Ferragosto at the beach and gossiping about Sanremo, the usual past time for Italians this time of the year for some weird reason as it is still 6 months away! Not so much about the singers yet - even if some rumors about them are floating around as well - but the all important presenters. Anyone who has watched Sanremo knows the presenters spent much more time on screen that all the singers put together. Anyways, while waiting for the official announcement it looks like Antonella Clerici is a sure thing for the 2010 edition. She should have by her side Luca Argentero and three actors one for each evening: Christian De Sica, Gigi Proietti and Lando Buzzanca. Oh well, could be worse I guess! Antonella rulez!

Alexandr Panaiotov of Russian Idols fame, who has participated in both Russian (in 2005 with Balalaika with Alexey Chumakov and again 2008 Crescent and cross ) and Ukrainian (with Superhero in 2009) national selections already seems to be aiming for Eurovision 2010 in Oslo as well. At least if you believe his MySpace. Will he be third time solo lucky? And for which country? Watch his previous entries here: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yswjp-8RlY , http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwINgOKQo6M http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSM_a9_hQ4g&feature=PlayList&p=12B3EBCA8C8EF31B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=24

Madonna's visit to Finland was a success in every way. The biggest concert on entire Sticky & Sweet tour 2008/2009 and all sold out. Organization was perfect, weather was perfect, people happy and city survived with no harm. And apparently even Madonna herself had a good time looking extremely happy all through the concert and doing a lot of things in Helsinki and around; shopping, visiting sights, spending a day in countryside by the sea with kids... And now she have more to be happy with: Celebration hits the number one in the Finnish charts but not only: Give it 2 me enters at number 4, 4 minutes is at number 10, Miles away at number 11, Like a prayer at number 12, Beat goes on at number 15 and finally La isla bonita at number 18. She surely beats Michael Jackson's recent chart success. In albums Hard candy climbs to number 2 while Confessions on a dance floor re-enters at 31. What else is going on? Waldo's People's New vibration is at number 5 in sin...

Jari Sillanpää has been recording his new album Kuin elokuvissa (Like in the movies) in London's legendary Abbey Road studios with London Symphony Orchestra this month. As the title suggest there will be songs from movie soundtracks. The album will be released in October when he also starts to a new megatour with the same title. November 28 he will start his Christmas tour from Fuengirola, Spain. Meanwhile you can read a review of his previous album Al ritmo latino in English here: http:// www.vinilemania.net/reviewjarisillanpaaGFG.htm . He even enjoyed some success in Italy with the song Yolanda .

Sammarinese newspaper Tribuna wrote about Eurovision on August 5 revealing they had already chosen Little Tony to follow Miodio's footsteps. Little Tony was the chairman of the committee that chose Miodio to be the country's first represent in Eurovision in 2008 in Belgrade. Despite the lack of success in contest itself Miodio has managed to keep going and become rather popular. The government of San Marino was happy for the visibility ESC gave them. So, they were to be in Moscow initially and government decided to skip the selection process (apparently around 30 acts did apply to represent San Marino in 2008, amongst them Jalisse and L'Aura) and send Little Tony - who is not so little anymore at the tender age of 68 - instead of giving a chance to some new talent. Change of government and lack of funds put end to this little farsa italiana and San Marino did not return to the contest in Moscow 2009. Maybe it was a good thing.... Little Tony's hits include Cuore matt...

Better late than never: Here's finally the music video for Alexander Rybak's winning Fairytale. Watch it here: http:// www.emi.fi/jukebox/play/1278/fairytale

I have downloaded the photos from Tallinn concert on my photoblog here: www.fotoilkar.blogspot.com or click the icon on the right hand side.

The stage is miles away, miles away.... so far away..... this was the situation 5 hours before the start of the show. First gate and the only way to get to the island.... And below devoted Madonna stalker (three sightings yesterday and today by the hotel) and where's the party. After party that is.... Apparently this is not only the biggest concert ever organized in Finland and Scandinavia, but also the biggest concert in whole Sticky & Sweet tour 2008/2009! Biggest audiences (75.000) have been so far in Athens and Lissabon but this beats them by good 10.000. Madonna has gathered in this tour the biggest crowds in Buenos Aires, 264.000, but that's divided in four concerts.

Well, I was joking yesterday I would go hunting Madonna today but once I got out of work at 3pm I was curious enough to walk two blocks to see what's going on around her hotel. And a lot of was going on: thousands of people were around the hotel and and Esplanadi park lining the street her car would eventually drive by.... And I didn't have to wait long when the street was filled by policemen and security of all kind and two cars passed by, thousands of flashlights went off and it was a real paparazzi heaven. Her cars were met by police cars in the street corner and speed away towards the concert venue by the sea where 85.000 people were gathering later, and some 20-30.000 other people around the venue on islands in front of Helsinki and parks and seashore everywhere near. Yesterday she went to a seaside villa near Perniö where her kids had a swim in the sea. Later she went shopping at Marimekko.... The weather for the concert tonight is better than a dream: not a cloud in sigh...

Here's a little teaser of photos I took. I will post more in coming days once I get myself organized again and done stalking her around Helsinki tomorrow :-) The show was fantastic! Absolutely pure enjoyment from the beginning to the end. I thought beforehand You must love me would be the ballad show stopped but Devil wouldn't recognize you took the price. And Like a prayer 's new technomix á la Celebration really blew the house down starting the final climax with Frozen (mixing in Open your heart ), Ray of light and Give it 2 me . Only Hung up was strangely missing from the set. She was in fabulous form and all worked perfectly: otherwise how can you get in in 2 minutes at the gates when 70.000+ people are attending? Madonna, Jesus & family are resting in Hotel Kämp in downtown Helsinki and I will go and do just the same: rest.... (PS. You can search Madonna live in Tallinn in Youtube and there are already the videos...)

Here we are. The last and 74th Madonna single. Nearly 27 years of which I have followed her 26. She has provided a soundtrack to my life. Many of the songs have been suitable for the stories I have been living at the moment. Some have hit me later. And tomorrow I will see her for real for the first time - something I never thought would happen but here she is in Tallinn and in Helsinki. Over 70.000 people expected in Tallinn and 85.000 in Helsinki; the biggest ever concert held in Scandinavia or Finland with payment (Lordi still beats that with 90.000 gathered together in Senate's Square in May 2006 after they Eurovision win but that was free!). So, I'm quite excited. Finland is getting ready, too. TV is making most of it by different Madonna documentaries and movies, and even the TV-version of Sticky & Sweet tour filmed in Buenos Aires last year will be aired before Thursday. But here are two more great tracks from her: Miles away***** was the third (in Japan the second)...

Amadeus Lundberg is, as we know, one of the 12 invited artists to take part in Euroviisut 2010. If he wins he will be the first gypsy male singer to represent Finland while Jasmine was the first and so far only female gypsy singer to do so back in 1996 with Niin kaunis on taivas , one of the most underrated Finnish entries in Finland. But it could have been Anneli Sar i already 20 years before her. And guess what? Anneli Sari is Amadeus's aunt! Anneli Sari is maybe the most known female gypsy artist in Finland. Her first published recording was the Finnish version of Gigliola Cinquetti's Eurovision 1964 winner Non ho l'etá . She was the same age as Gigliola and the version is very well done. Later she made a career singing tangos, gypsy music and some pop as well, also participating in Euroviisut in 1974 with Jäähyväiset (5th) and in 1976 with Mustalaiskaravaan i (2nd). Later she concentrated in chancons and moved to Paris and performs there, making occasional concert t...

Three more singles before the final two: one charity and free download one and then off to the latest album Hard candy and its singles! Hey you! ** was recorded for Live Earth event only once performed live by her and a children choir. The song was free to download for seven days and then made available as normal iTunes etc. It "charted" in UK as number 187, and around 50-60 in handful of other countries like Sweden and Switzerland. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLn1obaPABc 4 minutes**** is a duet with Justin Timberlake and first single off Hard candy. It made number 3 in the US, number one in UK and many other countries like Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain and Switzerland to name "a few"... Give it to me**** made only number 57 in the US and number 7 in UK, messing with the sales of the physical singles and digital download (who can anymore compare the charts as they used to be an...

Valentina Giovagnini was killed in a car accident last winter. She was only 28 and recording her second album that was meant to make it for her. The album L'amore non ha fine is finally released with the permission of her family who have also founded an award in her name to be given to new artists. This video for the title track was filmed before her death and now available to all of us to remember this talented artist with a great voice and beautiful music... http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNqJTp_8W94

The countdown is nearing the end with three more singles from the Confessions on a dancefloor album.... Sorry***** became Madonnas 12th number one in UK (and number one hit in several other countries) while the Americans didn't once again go wild for it making it only to 58. Fans in America started talking about Madonna radioplay boycott in the US that should be stopped... Pet Shop Boys were involved in the remix released. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSyJfPkORTw Get together**** was again a flop in the US (number 106) but at the same time yet another number one in Billboard's Club/Dance charts. Number one in Spain, top-20 most everywhere else and number 7 in UK. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awe7VaTeLHk Jump**** did the same in the US (number 105 and number one in Club/Dance charts). Number one in Italy and top-20 everywhere else. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKInZXBiVSo