FINLAND: UMK 2024 FINAL TONIGHT - SARA SIIPOLA VS. THE OTHERS

There's pre-Käärijä and there's post-Käärijä and Finland is kinda having a post-Käärijä hangover now. Most everyone is complaining the songs aren't good. I always tell them go and check some other country's selection, Moldova for example and you see how great it is again. Seven songs, all good or very good in their own way. Maybe there isn't Cha cha cha in there but any song chosen will be better than quite a few others present in Malmö for sure. Then again, of course we want to find The One that would take us to final and do good. Only that we feel a bit spoiled right now. Still.

The show takes us away from Helsinki or Turku to Tampere and for the first time to a big arena (that sold out within minutes btw! The hype is real). Tampere, the Eurovision wannabe city. Had Käärijä won the Eurovision 2024 would take place there in Tampere in this arena instead of Malmö. But that's life.

The show will be broascasted besides Yle1 television on their streaming channel Areena globally, on three different radio channels in Finland, And not only! Also Estonian TV3, Spanish TenTV and Dutch OutTv (commented by none other than Krista Siegfrids and OutTv is visible in various countries). And there's a string of commentators in various languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, Ukrainian, Russian, Northern Sami and Inari Sami languages, and also both Finnish and Finland Swedish sign language.

The voting will be 75% televote and 25% international jury. sara Siipola seems to be the one to beat, read more here.

Exit poll run by various international fan sites gave this results: 1. Windows95man 123, 2. Sara Siipola 101, 3. Sexmane 71, 4. Cyan Kicks 43, 5. MGN 40, 6. Jesse Markin 18, 7. Sini Sabotage 15......

The opening number will be Kuumaa & Benjamin and the interval act by Käärijä & Erika Vikman. All of them previous UMK act who have got an amazing boost for their career from it.

The presenters are Benjamin, actress and comedian Pilvi Hämäläinen and ex-Miss Finland/tv-hostess Viivi Pumpanen.

Here's the running order:

1. Sini Sabotage - Kuori mua

2. Cyan Kicks - Dancing with demons

3. Jesse Markin - Glow

4. Mikael Gabriel feat. nublu - Vox populi

5. Sara Siipola - Paskana

6. Sexmane - Mania

7. Windows95man feat. Henri Piispanen - No rules

Comments

SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

Rumors, rumors, rumors....

While the national selections for Junior Eurovision are going on around Europe and Ani Lorak's been confirmed as host all sort of rumors about the real thing are beginning to be the order of the day. Austria returns - or then not. Andorra stays home - or then not. San Marino returns - well, most likely but not surely. Luxembourg should make a come back - or then maybe not. Liechtenstein is still in the running - or has it ever been for real? Has the local TV ever confirmed anything? Is it just wishful thinking by the fans? Poland on the other hand has confirmed they will be in Oslo. And Italy will be still out. And apparently there will be no ban or such for Azerbaijan nor Spain for the irregularities in and after the 2009 edition. EBU had to change the text in the rules to make it sure nothing like that what happened in Azerbaijan could happen again. Or if it will they have means and rules to back up a ban or sanction.... Katerina Avgoustakis has been rumored to be in Oslo...

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further? No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

JEDWARD GETS NAKED FOR THE FANS

Well, almost. The boys celebrated their 650.000th follower on Twitter by being photographed fresh from shower as promised. It's not the first time they drop their clothes as you see here . Meanwhile their second album is nearly here and the title track Young love is hitting the charts....

EUROVISION 2026 - SAN MARINO: SENHIT WINS SAN MARINO SONG CONTEST

San Marino. The tiny little thing that makes things big and never ever stops surprising us. This year after the usual very long selecting process that included several previous Eurovision entrants and wannabes from various countries, even with songs they competed in another country's selection, as the last twist of turns announced the qualified semi-finalists before they aired the shows..... Ok. Because why Not? Read more about all the zillion entrants here After all the submissions, castings through Dreaming San Marino song contest 20 semi-finalists were selected, among them previous Eurovision entrants Magdalena from Poland, Marayya from Slovenia and Star Guy (Norway), and from this years national final selections Elysa (Estonia), Sheila (Albania) and Xannova Xan (Greece) and even Edward Maya also running in Romania at the same time, with other singers from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Czechia, Netherlands and United States. Ten out of those 20 semi-finalist qualified ...

Regina Lund - naked and censored

Regina Lund's new video Jag är osynlig was censored by Youtube only minutes after it had been uploaded. In the video she was playing a female Jesus who gets crusified in the end. "I was shocked!" she says. "There's nothing more naked in it as in every church! It's ok to have naked man hanging on the wall but my nakedness is too much on internet? ". Oh well, no comment. She's prepairing a new album Dare Regina Lund and we of course remember her from her Melodifestivalen 2007 adventure with Rainbow star .

UK: Naked Blue

The boys of Blue have posed nude again. This time for the Attitude magazine's annual Naked issue and they are also in the cover. Watch the video of the shooting here . Band member Duncan, who is bi-sexual, recently told The Daily Star : “We are getting our kit off for Attitude magazine like the McFly boys did. I’m up for showing everything off. I’m happy enough about the size of my manhood. ” Extra media attention won't hurt their changes in Germany to win it for the UK for the first time since 1997... They will and they can!

FRANCE: LINH - J'AVOUE

As I'm off to France for some well deserved holidays and will get back to this blog afterwards I will feature a song a day. From France as my travelling tradition goes. By my favorite French singers bien sur. Enjoy!

EUROVISION 2026 - PORTUGAL: BANDIDOS DO CANTE WINS FESTIVAL DA CANCAO

Portugal's 60th Festival da Canção came to an end tonight and the winner is Bandidos do Cante. Portugal's national selection for Eurovision song contest 2026 has been quite critical to the participation with most artists and/or songwriters declaring they won't go to Vienna should they win. In the end there are apparently only two artists who have declared they will go to Vienna, and one uncertain if they win. Let's see who eventually will go to Eurovision in the end.... Apparently Bandidos do Cante is one of those who have said yes. Read more here . Bandidos de Cante was formed almost by accident by childhood friends singing Alentejo folk songs at dinner parties and such. The quintet is composed of Miguel Costa, Duarte Farias, Francisco Raposo, Luís Aleixo and Francisco Pestana, all natives of the municipality of Beja, except for Francisco Pestana, who is from Monte Trigo. After tone of those dinner gatherings they were invited to record vocals to D.A.M.A.'s Casa ...

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Search This Blog