Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Katri Helena, the legendary "blue and white voice" and Finnish Icon and legend turns 80 tomorrow and will retire from music business after 62 years with a mega concert in Helsinki Olympic stadium. YLE will film the show and broadcast it on Finland's Independence day on December 6. She's got under her belt some 500 recorded songs, 50+ albums, countless hits, two Eurovision song contests (1979 and 1993) and various other international festivals. Her hometown Tohmajärvi has named a street after her. She has top-10 album in six decades.  She has sold almost two million records and earned 19 gold discs, four platinum albums and one multi platinum. And she does it with the biggest possible way: the before mentioned last performance at Helsinki Olympic stadium! Besides the stadium mega concert she releases also a double greatest hits featuring the following hits, among them several Eurovision covers and obviously her own Eurovision entries: 1 Elämän tie 2025 (Her last record...

While waiting for the entries for UMK2023 aka Finland's national selection for Eurovision song contest let's look back at some of the best non winning ones from yesteryear. Tamara Lund placed only third in the 1963 Euroviisut, the Finnish selection for the Eurovision song contest as the lyrics of Olen mikä olen (I am what I am) were considered too raunchy and the whole performance a bit dubious. The song however outlived easily the winner Muistojeni laulu , that scored a flat zero sung by Laila Halme instead of Marjatta Leppänen or Irmeli Mäkelä who had sung the song in the contest....

Congratulations to Laila Halme who turns 83 today! She sung for Finland in the Eurovision song contest 1963 Muistojeni laulu and scored ...  well, zero points....

Teddy Scholten, the 1959 Eurovision song contest winner with Een beetje for the Netherlands has died at the age of 83.  She's the fifth Eurovision winner to pass away after Grethe Ingman (1963), Jean Claude Pascal (1961), Frida Boccara (1969) and André Claveau (1958).

Maria Lund will be participating in the Euroviisut 2010 as planned despite the sudden death of her father, Romanian opera singer Alexandru Ionitza (61). Maria will also keep on peforming in Sound of Music as planned. Maria spent the Christmas time in Germany with her father but he died on January 2. She lost her mother Tamara Lund in 2005. Tamara Lund participated in Euroviisut 1963 with Olen mikä olen (3rd) and also in 1965 and 1966. Maria will participate instead in the third semifinal on January 22 with Sydän ymmärtää .

The 8th Eurovision was held on March 23, 1963 in London - in two different studios: in one were the presenter, scoreboard and the audience, in the other the artists and the orchestra. It is rumoured some of the material was recorded beforehand and/or even playback. Also the voting was rather suspicious. Switzerland's Israeli born Ester Ofarim was leading when the presenter recontacted Norway to give its votes again - after there had been too much confusion in their vote giving the first time - and they gave rather different votes than understood beforehand and Denmark's Dansevise by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann took lead and won. All the other Nordic countries were left with flat zero points. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRFDYbb3vek