Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Last week Ebu and ORF shared the news we have hosts for the 70th Eurovision song contest 2026 in Vienna. Earlier hotly speculated Conchita Wurst announced she won't be part of Eurovision anymore in any form.  Victoria Swarovski (32) sparkles with her surname and yes, she an heir to that crystal empire. But she's not been waiting for the family money but created her own empire as tv-presenter, entrepreneur, model, designer and singer as Victoria S. Her musical started already at the age of 16 and later took her to Los Angeles where she worked with likes of Diane Warren. Later she went on to win Austrian Let's dance and later become a long running judge while hosting other nig shows. She has her own beauty brand ORIMEI, as a model she has been in covers of ELLE, Glamour, L'Officiel, Gala style and Forbes. And just like Finnish hopeful Linda Lampenius she's also a rally driver! Michael Ostrowski (53) is an actor and presenter. But also comedian, screenwriter, director....

Senhit's #freakytriptoRotterdam continues also this month, this time with a homage to late Freddie Mercury in form of Conchita Wurst's winning entry in 2014, Rise like a Phoenix . Moustache and all.  Check out the previous ones below: Congratulations Ding-a-dong Everyway that I can Cheesecake

It's finally here, Conchita Wurst's second album, or rather WURST's debut album following that of self titled Conchita in 2015 including the Euroviison song contest winner Rise like phoenix , and the cover album From Vienna with love  released last year with Wiener Symphoniker. Or is this Conchita's third album? How do you count Tom's various projects and alter egos? Anyways. From the new one, already four videos have been released:

Here it is finally, eagerly waited follow up to Duncan Laurence's Eurovision song contest winner Arcade . It seems the midtempo Love don't hate it has surprised many who thought he'd release another ballad and has met with general praise. And indeed, it's a good one. The wait for the follow up has raised also a lot of talk in the Eurovision bubble why the winners take so long to release a follow up.  Duncan's five months is in line with the others, or even a bit faster than average. On the other hand it is only the second song he has released so we can talk about a real debutant. The 2018 winner Netta released her follow up Bassa sababa only in February the year after and has released a total of three singles so far. Salvador Sobral, the 2017 winner, for obvious reasons, released his follow up a year later. Mano a mano was followed by his second studio album and two more singles. After Eurovision he released a live album of his debut album based tou...

Here are some sounds to fight PED. Enjoy! Jalisse covers another Eurovision veteran, Matia Bazar

Whoever got the idea of that backdrop is a genius! L-o-v-e! Last night's interval act included 1979 winner Gali Atari singing her entry Hallelujah joined by other Eurovision winners Conchita Wurst and Måns Zelmerlöw and runner ups Eleni Foureira and Verka Serduchka. (From 8mins 45) That was already third time the song has featured in the Eurovision final as also last time Israel hosted the show back in 1999 it was there, and even closing the show - the only time the show has ended with some other song than the winner btw - when then winner Charlotte Perrelli then Nilsson was joined on stage by all the toher artists to sing it for the memory of Balcan war victims (on video from 3h 10mins onwards) And of course it was also sun in 1979 contest when it won at home soil in Jerusalem. The song is a true classic with many meanings. 

Eliot woke up and went to Dead Sea after defeat. Slavko's in town, too. Sovjet muscle beach. Don't be like Jurij. Use sunscreen! The wannabe and the Real Thing. National day in between rehearsals. I'm buying whatever he sells..... Chingiz Vs. Victor Victor Vs. Zena Vs. Bilal Tamta prepairing to go home... ... while Sarah rides to the sunset.....

Once again some new sounds from Eurovision's finest over the years.... Consider is already third single off Douwe Bob 's The Shape I'm in album, and also a main theme of a short film Singel 39 . And it's again a nice song from Douwe. I like it. KAAN feat. Snoop Dogg and Eleni Foureira 's Sirens is nothing but a rather unnecessary remake of Eurythmics's classic Sweet dreams . I only wonder.... why? Conchita Wurst keeps dropping videos from the future album and See me now takes the incarnation even further. And back again. Very suggestive video and beautiful atmospheric song, best so far. Violinist Anton Ragoza has left the trio but Sunstroke Project is back with Boomerang . The trademark saxophone is there though. Will it be enough in the long run?

Thomas Neuwirth, Eurovision song contest 2014 winner has been flirting with the idea of getting rid of his alter ego Conchita Wurst already for years and it seems the time has come.  A week ago he released a video Trash all the glam where he was potrayed in a latex jumpsuit like a crisalide to be born and heading to the new direction, Wurst.  And here he is now, without glamour, wigs and evening gowns as a bearded man and and not a lady, in Hit me . Wurst is reborn.

  The third night of 68th Sanremo festival ws the most watched one since 1999: with 51,60% share and 10.825.000 average viewers throughtout the long night. And RAI seems to be happy with the two co-hosts Michelle Humziker and Pierfrancesco Favino and has apparently voiced their wish to work more with them. And this blogger repeats: Should Italy host Eurovision song contest anytime soon, look no further: the perfect hosting couple is right here in Teatro Ariston these days! The night was very much Baglioni Show as he popped up everywhere singing alone or with others in evry giveen opportunity. Being a non fan of his music it was a bit too much at times really... A minor scandal was caused by Favino's act a la Steve Jobs, where at one point he said something like things are bad in Sanremo but they could be worse, referring to Eurovision while Conchita Wurst photo was displayed in the backgroud. Nothing offensive really, but some people have no sense of humor and irony, and i...

And while we are at rumors here's another one. Austria is going internal this time (last time was with Conchita, btw). They have given us weird stuff from Alf Poier to Träckshittaz and Global Kryner, not forgetting some rather challenging stagings over the decades. Now it seems they want to challenge us again after the beauty and elegance of Conchita and Zoe with something else. So what would be more effective than sending a Russian Turbo Polka metal band to Ukraine? It's been awhie we had some crazy ska in Eurovision anyways....  The band is often featured in the ORF late night entertainment shows as party band and therefor their selection would make more than sense - keep it in the family! - and here are their efforts with the one and only Conchita Wurst for example:

Rockart design may not ring a bell but if I say they have taken care of the stagings for Conchita Wurst (winner 2014), The Common Linnets (runner up 2014) and Aminata (6th 2015) we are into something special. All those three acts are remembered for the outstanding but simple staging that lifted the song to unexpected heights and then for success. Italy may have suffered from non exisiting (read: Sanremo based) stagings since their return - except for experimenting with Emma and we all remember how that ended... Maybe we are in for a change this year? Nicoline Lindeborg Refsing, a Dane is in charge for Michielin. The staging will be apparently green, maybe both in color and idea as in trees and other green stuff. Francesca will be on stage alone, but she will have two backing singers hiding somewhere in the bushes out of sight. Sounds good.... Italy just got serious! Oh, and btw, Nessun grado di separazione has sold platinum in Italy after topping both sales and radio play charts...

Australia has chosen, in a live stream that no one saw as it was broadcasted - instead of their Facebook event page they promoted - on SBS normal page. Well done. Anyways, they were promising even a bigger name than Guy Sebastian. And we get ... Dami Im. Dami who? Basicly a South Korean one hit wonder. After winning The X Factor Australia her debut single and album hit the number one. Three years ago. Since then she has released a second album that was pretty much a flop it seems, and a few singles that didn't set the charts on fire. Well, hopefully her entry is good. After all that's all that matters in the end. As they didn't even manage to premiere it now..... sigh.

Jaana Pelkonen returns to the Eurovision stage when she will co-host the #UMK16 final next Saturday with Krista Siegfrids and Roope Salminen. She's done it many times before, she's been the Finnish commentator for years and when Lordi won in 2006 she was the unquestionable choice for the female host of Helsinki 2007 Eurovision song contest. Her being Eurovision fan started back in 1998 when Dana International won.... That was nine years ago, and last time she was involved in Eurovision was five years ago. Since then she's got into politics being a member of parliament - and in the last elections the most voted female politician in Finland. Not bad! Jaana found her ESC dresses in YLE's wardobe after 9 years She believes Eurovision and politics mix nicely together. They always have and always will. This year surely the refugee crisis will have its effect on the songs by some, and it's not a bad thing. Eurovision is a platform of 200 million people so wh...

Andi Knoll and Eurovision 2015 hostess Alice Tumler will host the Austrian national final tonight from Vienna. There will be 50-50 televote-expert jury, including Conchita Wurst and Julie Frost.  For once this is easy: I have a favorite! Zoe's song is fantastic and I don't even care it's in French that as far as I know isn't very much spoken in Austria. But her voice, the melody, the sound, the arrangements all melts in into a fantastic act that could have been Vanessa Paradis hit back in the 1980's which is a good thing. The others worth mentioning are Orry, Sankil, Vincent and Elly. Watch here from 20.15 AzraH - The one Bella Wagner - Weapons down Céline Roscheck & Farina Miss - Sky is the limit Elly - I'll be around (Bounce) Lia Weller - Runaway Lizza - Psycho Orry Jackson - Pieces in a puzzle Sankil Jones - One more sound Vincent Bueno - All we need is that love Zoe - Loin d'ici Update: Zoe won. That's all that ma...

Conchita Wurst keeps busy even if her reign is well over and passed on to Måns Zelmerlöw. Where have all the good men gone aka #WHATGMG is already fifth single release from her self titled debut album. This follows the double A-sided Firestorm/ Colors of your love . 

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet published yesterday as nearly a sure thing the rumor that has been going on since May that Måns Zelmerlöw, Eurovison song contest 2015 winner with Heroes, will be the contest's presenter or host in 2016. The other tabloid, Expresssen promptly responded with comments from both SVT and Måns, entourage that nothing of that sort has been confirmed and all is out in the open.  The fact is Måns would be a popular and professional host (unlike a string of previous Eurovision winners who have done the job as well) with a lot of experience in big events and live shows. I suppose the question is he also knows his value and following Conchita Wurst's example wants to have a proper slot to perform also his music to the Europe in the show(s). Yet, he won't accept being reduced a greenroom host or a side kick only and that's where the problem is: How to combine hosting the shows as the (ony) main star AND have time to give a huge show number, too, wi...

As soon as the Vienna 2015 edition of Eurovision song contest was over the new reigning country Sweden started the preparations for the 2016 contest. The venue, most likely Tele2 Arena in Stockholm (but then, SVT surprised us with Malmö on 2013) will be chosen and announced by August. But the namedropping has started for the possible presenters. Last time it was Petra Mede, who did a marvellous job even if some in Europe didn't apparently like her style. I loved it. At least I remember her, I can't say the same about the three ladies this year.... Errr... who were they? What did they do? All I remember is Conchita! Anyways, Petra Mede was dropped by Christer Björkman the day after, along with Sanna Nielsen and Gina Dirawi , both names from Melodifestivalen where they did a good job.  Another professional host, or the reigning Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw has been put in the list immediately, too. And we can't forget Sarah Dawn Finer , that all of Eurovision Eur...

The votes were taken by a very few countries this year and Italy's Il Volo managed only third even if almost in any other year they would have won just like Russian Polina. Indeed, they scored the same monstruous points as Lordi did when they broke the records back in 2006 and won. Basicly they would have won every year but 2015, 2012 or 2009. Here's the all time top-10 what comes to amount of points gathered: 1. Norway - Alexander Rybak - Fairytale - Winner 2009 (387) 2. Sweden - Loreen - Euphoria - Winner 2012 (372) 3. Sweden - Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes - Winner 2015 (365) 4. Russia - Polina Gagarina - A million voices - 2nd in 2015 (303) 5. Italy - Il Volo - Grande amore - 3rd in 2014 (292 - 9 x 12 points) 6. Finland - Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah - Winner 2006 (292 - 6 x 12 points) 7. Austria - Conchita Wurst - Rise like a Phoenix - Winner 2014 (290) 8. Denmark - Emmelie De Forest- Only teardrops - Winner 2013 (281) 9. Russia - Dima Bilan - Believ...

News from Russia tell in the Finnish media that Russia pretty much censored Conchita Wurst from the screen in the Eurovision final! Not an easy task as she was hosting the green room, performing several times and interviewing people and even flying in the show. She was everywhere (and I am not complaining! I want a Conchita Show on TV asap!)  How to do it? Easy, you switch on to Andrei Malahov's talk show when she sings, put on adds when she interviews people including their own Polina Gagarina and if nothing else helps you can always show the audience in the talk show studio instead..... Now, EBU, what are you going to do for that? Isn't it the rule one must broascast the show as it is (Itay got a special permission for doing it their way when they returned in 2011) Let's wait and see....