Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Lordi's career and the 10th anniversary of the 2006 Eurovision song contest win is collected together in a special exhibition in Helsinki's Jätkäsaari, at Weird Antiques , the coolest antique shop in town (more about them at the bottom of this post). Here you can see their Eurovision trophy and props used in Athens as well as their masks and outfits over the years, original paintings for record sleeves by Mr Lordi, more props and stuff used on their various tours and performances. It gives you a funny feeling to stare at his hats and the props, seen in action in Athens and painted in one's memory with an everlasting mark. Magic!  The Finland hat worn by Mr Lordi in Athens and Awa's mask in Athens  The Eurovision 2006 glass trophy! Broken by Finnair who refused to have it in the cabin and it had to be cargoed home. Shame shame on you! The Lappish four winds hat worn by Mr Lordi in Athens  Mr Lordi's wings for Hard rock hallelujah  The firewor...

Exactly ten years ago Finns had to find a new way of expression, "Hell will froze over before Finland wins Eurovision" just didn't sound right anymore. Lordi came. Lordi scored. 12 points from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Poland, United Kingdom, Iceland and Greece, 10 from Andorra, croatia, Ireland and Lithuania, 8 from Slovenia, Latvia, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, France, Germany and Spain, 7 from Serbia & Montenegro, Malta, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Israel and Turkey, 6 from Portugal, Moldova and Macedonia, 5 from Cyprus and Bulgaria, 4 from Romania and.... null from debutant Armenia, jury only Monaco and Albania of all places. Finns literally went nuts that night..... Just for the fun of it, do listen the Finnish commentary by future Eurovision 2007 hostess Jaana Pelkonen, Heikki Paasonen and Eurovision expert Asko Murtomäki. Even if you don't understand a work you can live the tension, joy, screams, disbelief a...

Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens by song Hard Rock Hallelujah on May 20, 2006 with 292 points, which was more than any artist had received so far then. Lordi is still the only Finnish Eurovision Song Contest winner. Helsingin Sanomat searched the news archives from that Eurovision spring. They run the videos and gave Tomi Putaansuu aka Mr Lordi the microphone and asked the man to remember the spring of 2006. Let's start with the maximum, the Market Square's Welcome home party. An estimated one hundred thousand Finns met in the Market Square to celebrate the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is said that from Lapland came busses filled with people and that part of them visited the capital for the first time. "It's funny, that this is the gig, which most Finns have seen from us, and it is one of the shittiest gigs, that we're ever had. Just because the preparation for it was zero" he says. ”The atmosphere was great of co...

May 18, 2006. Athens. The monster from Finland qualified for the Eurovision song contest final. Later we would learn they had won the semifinal with 292 points. beating second placed Bosnia & Herzegovina with 25 points, and third placed Russia with 75 points. The sad and unsuccesful Finnish Eurovision history was about to change in 48 hours.... In the semifinal six times 12, nine times 10 and eight times 8 points. Only Armenia, Monaco and Albania didn't fall for these creatures..... Check out on this video the Finnish commentators reaction. No need to translate......

Mrs Lordi (or Johanna Askola-Putaansuu) did love her monsterman. Maybe she still does but the couple has filed for divorce last November. According the law they can file for the second phase after six months, that is already passed but neither of them has signed the final papers yet.  Strangely the media got hint of that only this summer and this blogger, too. Johanna was in Athens and you can see her cheering along with the band in the greenroom for those douze points rolling in. The couple married in August 2006 in Rovaniemi. 

EBU has announced today that 36 countries are to take part in Eurovision 2014 in Copenhagen next May. The number could still rise to 37 if Slovenian TV finds a sponsor within January 17th. If not, 36 it is, the lowest since Istanbul 2004 (36) or Athens 2006 (37). Portugal and Poland make a welcome comeback while Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia and Serbia from last year decided to stay home this time. Greece debuts with its new broadcaster NERIT. Bosnia & Herzegovina and Turkey continue their absense. EBU also stated that many of these countries have already expressed their intention to return next year when Eurovision song contest celebrates its 60th anniversary. The participants are: Albania (RTSH) , Armenia ( AMPTV), Austria (ORF), Azerbaijan (Ictimai TV), Belarus (BTRC), Belgium (VRT), Denmark (DR), Estonia (ERR), Finland (YLE), France (France 3), Georgia (GPB), Germany (NDR), Greece (NERIT), Hungary (MTV), Iceland (RÚV), Ireland (RTÉ), Israel (IBA), Italy (RA...

Krista Siegfrids is just about ready to leave for Malmö 2013 and make whole of Europe go Ding dong! This blogger wonders how her big her luggage will be as she revealed in Radio Aalto's interview she will be wearing a different wedding dress every day! Also, a classic Eurovision wardrobe change will be featured in her show number! She also revealed it isn't all so nice and cozy and not everybody's one big family as it may seem outside: "Some artists are taking it so seriously. The Greek guys are cool and relaxed, we've got the same interests! We are friends already! But there are some who don't like Team Ding Dong that much" she tells and when the speaker insisted who's maybe not so nice  or is it the big Eurovision countries, or the countries from the East... she answered "Ehm, well, it depends on the artists, not the country really. If there's some big artists like... some big diva from Ukraine for example or something....." Hmm...