Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  ORF and EBU have decided: the 70th Eurovision song contest will be held in Vienna for the third time and the contest returns to Wiener Stadthalle. The final takes place on May 16 after the semi-finals on May 12 and 14. Yesterday Ebu also launched the new logo and fonts for the Eurovision song contest brand and one can say mildly that it wasn't well received..... After Austria's win in Basel with JJ's Wasted love the excitement in Austria was high and as usual most every town wanted the hosting job for 2026 until the reality kicked in and in the end there were only Vienna and Innsbruck with valid submissions. Lack of suitable venues, airports or money made cities and towns drop their intentions before even submitting a proposal from Klagenfurt to Salzburg, from Ebreichsdorf to Graz, Oberwart, Sankt Pölten and Weis & Linz.  Innsbruck run with Olympiahalle, used for Winter Olympics 1964 and 1976 for ice-hockey and figure skating as well as 2012 Youth Olympic games.  Ad...

Another song from 1982 Azimut album, actually Messaggio single's B-side. A very atmospheric song written by Alice herself. The song would reappear in a new version in 1987's Elisir album. This has always been a favorite of mine that I tend to sing to myself quite often. And as often it switches at some point to Arisa's Sanremo 2012  runner La notte .... Così la notte mi prende per mano Mi fa compagnia la notte Con un sorriso, un'idea Una bianca follia Con anima È una necessità So the night takes me by the hand The night keeps me company With a smile, an idea A white madness With soul It's a necessity Käännöstulokset Käännöstulos

Tonight's the night: the 70th Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo kicks off its five nights marathon of music, guests, comic and everything in between. Come Saturday we have a winner and most likely the Italian entry for the 65th Eurovision song contest in May in Rotterdam, too.  Amadeus is this year's host and artistic director and by his side he will have every night also singer Tiziano Ferro and comic Fiorello. And a string of ladies that keep changing every night. Tonight they are Rula Jebreal, is an Israeli Arab foreign policy analyst, journalist, novelist and screenwriter with dual Israeli and Italian citizenship, and Diletta Leotta. a (sports) television presenter.  Tonight's guests include Eurovision veteran Emma and the cast of film Gli anni piú belli , a film directed by Gabriele Muccino where also Emma makes her acting debut in a feature film. We will also have Eurovision veterans Albano e Romina Power and Jessica Notaro with Antonio Maggio....

La dolce vita, life has been so sweet and wonderful. ... so she sung in Lausanne 1989 Eurovision and scored 7th place, one of Finland's rare successes against all odds and changed her career. "It was a jackpot" she tells to Helsingin Sanomat in an interview this May.  "I was so nervous, I felt I am about to die" she recalls. "There's a photo taken just before going on stage ans I look like a standing mummy. In a post-performance photo I look like a 8-year-old schoolgirl who managed to sing pretty and gets praise from her mom" she laughs.  Anneli Saaristo was no stranger to great public in Finland before La Dolce Vita , but Eurovision and doing well opened her new doors and major success. Her album sold gold and she got gigs as many as she could do, she was all over the press. It was a question of faith she says now. Had she failed and done bad her career might have been over, like so many other artists back in the day. She looks back Eu...