Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Telegraph writes lenghty about the Russian reactions to be beaten by Ukraine.  While Ukrainians basked in their Eurovision win on Sunday, Russian officials and Kremlin-friendly media offered up a string of conspiracy theories to explain the win of Crimean Tatar singer Jamala, whose song “1944” was largely seen as a jab at the Kremlin. And some officials said Russia should boycott the song contest next year, if it is set to be held in Ukraine. The song contest took on major political overtones this year, as Ukraine's Jamala squared off against Russian singer Sergei Lazarev in a showdown that many Eurovision fans saw as a continuation of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. When Ukraine beat Russia 531 points versus 491, Russia's state-run media seemed to have a hard time coming to terms with it. Interviewing Lazarev after he came in third, Russia's state-run television channels presented him as the “champion,” apparently hinting that the official results d...

Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst and her Rise like a phoenix has hit #1 in the Russian iTunes! How about that? It was also rankad third in the Russian televote but the jury vote (11th) dropped it to 6th in points. So much for the Putin's ideas. Armenia is #3 in Russia, followed by Sweden , Germany and Russia also in top-10.  Conchita is also in top-20 in the UK but the Dutch runner up is doing better in the UK, at #4. UK's very own Molly is at #15 and both Sweden and Denmark also are in the top-30

Pussy Riot has been sentenced in Russia two years in Russia for this and there has been an international outrage. Many artists have showed their support, among them Rambo Amadeus and Madonna:  “What we need now is a creative sentence solution! ” says Rambo Amadeus after hearing the guilty verdict in Pussy Riot case. ”Obvious punishment would be a 100 Euro fine, but as we all know, there are no Euros in Russia. So I suggest Putin to order Pussy Riot to hold a concert together with Buranovskie Babushki. Maybe even a nation-wide tour .”  Also Madonna commented :  "I protest the conviction and sentencing of Pussy Riot to a penal colony for two years for a 40 second performance extolling their political opinions. Even if one disagrees with the location or how they chose to express themselves, the sentence is too harsh and in fact is inhumane. I call on all those who love freedom to condemn this unjust punishment. I urge artists around the world to speak...

The Russian president Putin doesn't miss any good publicity stunt and now he's got his eye on the Russian grannies. His office has sent this message to the press and he plans to visit Buranovo soon, also to check out if it true they have only one TV in that village of 650 souls, at the rural council's office!  “I sincerely congratulate Buranovskiye Babushki who came second at the Eurovision contest.  I am amazed by the talent and enthusiasm, with which Buranovskiye Babushki performed their song. Performing songs, including in Udmurt, is a wonderful popularization of our multicultural country. Hopefully soon many people in Russia and  Moscow will be able to listen their live performances.  I will make a trip to Udmurtia in the very near future and personally meet the grannies,  visit their village, see how its occupants live."  

Kuunkuiskaajat will perform tomorrow in St.Petersburg in the opening ceremony of a new ferry line from St.Petersburg to Helsinki and on its maiden voyage. Prime minister Vladimir Putin will also have a chance to admire the girls in the occasion. On Thursday they will perform on the other end of the line, in Helsinki. The girls have been keeping very busy and their main concern at the moment seems to be wheter they will be able to attent the Eurovision in concert in the Netherlands on Saturday!

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...

Azerbaijan surpassed Norway in the OGAE's precontest poll yesterday and truly shines on stage. As I have written before the song comes alive on stage and AySel and Arash make a good job with it and they seem to genuinly like performing this song. I thought previously this might be too bland and unoriginal to hit it big but it's a contender even for victory now. Especially after Saint Vladimir's blessing today. We all know were the 12s from the ex-USSR countries will go now. And I guess they deserve them. http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1BxW1Q-BPQ

Prime minister Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Arena and followed the Azerbaijan rehearsal. Later he got up on stage with Svante and greeted the singers AySel and Arash before making an exit. I suspect we will be seeing more of him in coming days...

The Georgian choice for their song in Moscow has made headlines all over the world. In Finland the story was picked up by TV-news and most newspapers. Today's Ilta-Sanomat has a comment by Dima Bilan's producer Jana Rudkovskaja who in an interview with Eho Moskvy radiostation demanded the song's disqualification " It is immoral and insult to our country. The song casts a shadow over the whole contest and it is not acceptable!" Even harder critic in Nashe Vremja newspaper: "Let's cancel the whole contest". In Iltalehti Georgian TV's producer Kakha Tsiskaridze admits the song does have a double meaning that most everyone in Europe surely understands: "As we decided to take part after all, we had to send a message to Europe and most of all, to Russia." As we remember Georgia already withdraw from the contest originally but was then brought back by EBU. Official Russia has not yet reacted to the song. Meanwhile online poll shows Finns ...