Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Once upon a time we had Eric Saade and Danny Saucedo competing against each, kissing it good  and also shared girlfriend Molly Sanden - separate times thankfully!  These days we have younger version of them in Benjamin Ingrosso and Felix Sandman. Also they scored the top-2 in Melodifestivalen, became kissing good friends and are now touring Sweden together. No Molly in between them but a lot of bromance. They even released a song together, Tror du att han bryr sig . Now they both have a new song out....  Meanwhile Danny is out with a Latin flavored number Undantag that fits his Bolivian roots,  while Eric's latest offering is from last summer, Another week . 

The Swedish boyband is aiming on Latin American market with the Spanish version of My girl , with the help of Danny Saucedo. One of the guys is Venezuelan born, and Danny is half Bolivian so why not? It's not the first time for him singing in Spanish, even if he has changed lately from English to Swedish . Remember Todo el mundo (Dancing in the streets) ?

Ambra Succi, the Finnish choreographer who helped Loreen to victory is this year behind Bulgaria's Poli Genova's act, togeher with Bulgarian Milen Dankov. Over the years she has worked with many other Eurovision and Melodifestivalen acts from Robin Stjernberg to Danny Saucedo.  Last year she did Azerbaijan's Elnur's choreography. She has lived in Finland, Italy and New York before settling in Stockholm. Finlandswede mom, Italian father, dance schooling in Finland, New York and Stockholm, performances from the Royal family's events to Nobel Prize ceremonies, teaching in Finland and in Japan she's pne of the top names in the industry. She even has her own dance school in Stockholm. Will she help Bulgaria to qualify? She says she liked to take risks, and doesn't go for the most obvious and simple. 

Oh, I already forgot this. It's just what I thought they would do when it was said months ago Tele2 Arena will be somehow involved with the show this year. While the next door Globen is sold out and the Eurovision song contest 2016 final is on air Tele2 will be filled with fans watching it on 300 m2 screen, with live feed from the backstage with Sanna Nielsen who will be also in the greenroom. Likes of Eurovision winners Carola and Loreen will entertain the people before the show, and the after show will surely feature many a contestant. Even the Swedish jury votes will be delivered from the Tele2. The only kick up: One must be 20 years old to attend.... Tickets go on sale this Friday at axs.com. More info here . Free for all public viewing will be available at Eurovision Village, while accredited can also watch it at EuroClub 18.00 Doors open 19.30 Show on stage with Carola, Loreen, Danny Saucedo, Panetoz etc 21.00 Live show on megascreen 00.30 Afterparty 04.00 Pa...

Italian Eurovision 2011 runner up Raphael Gualazzi goes on strong with his international career in his specific genre and he has released another very nice song indeed, Don't call my name . Summer groove! And on top of that a nice display of lamp shades, something this blogger used to design in the past.... Spanish Bebe will be performing this summer in Helsinki and she's perfect music for summer nights, Mi guapo for example. Can we get her for Eurovision 2014, please? Cheek , the Finnish rapper continues with his megasuccess by covering Taikapeili 's superhit Jossu and featuring another one who has delivered a few summer hits, Jukka Poika . How could they go wrong? They didn't, this is the summer hit 2014 in Finland! Swedish Danny Saucedo has found a new video to show some skin and a rather plasticky summer hit wannabe, Todo el mundo . Love the retro coloring though!

This year's Melodifestivalen may have been musically rather boring and average but has turned out to be rather entertaining if you like some male bonding. And we are not talking here simple hugs after qualification or such, but kissing! Even with some tongue action at times it seems. The culmination must have been (so far) the on stage kiss in dress rehearsals when Mattias Andréasson was playing the part of Tone Damli who was absent from her duet with Erik Segerstedt. The song Hello, goodbye nicely deals with a one night stand.... (If Erik and Tone ever kissed, I must have missed that.....) Sean Banan was kissing literaly everyone after his qualification but for example Anton Ewald, Christer Björkman himself and Måns Zelmerlöf shared some spit with him on camera.... Anton also fell victim of overjoyed Robin Stjernberg's kisses (and tongue) when they both qualified from the second chance round. Another couple doing some tongue action were Army of Lover's Alex...

Army of Lovers is out. And I'm not surprised. As much I like them the song just was 3 minutes of nonsense, lacking all the melody and the rest, too. Having la Camilla looking royal (wink wink) and sporting a cross in her crotch and Jean-Pierre in underwear just wasn't enough, especially when Robin Stjernberg had much more crotch action going on stage. In all the quality was once again rather low, or maybe the right word would be repetitive. Too many repetitive songs without much of an idea to last for 3 minutes. One of them being Ulrik's song that went to the final. I was pretty sure Ralf would make it to the final already today and well deserved so, despite blowing out more pyros that Lordi in a full concert. behrang came across trés sympa, as the French would say, Therese was pretty and boring, Sylvia managed to me classy and cheap at the same time and Lucia was very Adele-like somehow.  Ulrik Munther - Tell the world I'm here -> final Ralf Gyllenhammer - Be...

As we all remember Eric Saade and Molly Sandén were the lovebirds and the Swedish sweethearts for like an eternity before things turned sour. Now it has been revealed Danny Saucedo (who came second in Melodifestivalen behind Eric Saade in 2011) is Molly's new boyfriend. Apparently Danny has been pretending to be Eric's friend but seducing his girlfriend behind his back, at least if you believe Eric. Next Eric is calling "mediawhores" the ones in question in Twitter and saying things like "Yeye Stop talk about that now. He's the regular number 2! As usual" And yet later he wrote an open letter on Facebook explaining he ment the media is the whores and Molly is an important part of his life and if she's happy, he's happy. They both have moved on... And then he wrote that his sick and tired of it all and leaves the country this Thursday....And what day is next Thursday? February 14th , hmmm..... The drama continues.....

Great show in Sweden, I have to say. The interval act and opening numbers with Gina Dirawi, Danny Saucedo, Kristian Look and ever wonderful Lena Philipsson were great, and the songs were as always well staged. And I'm not surprised Michael Feiner & Caijsa were out and finished 6th as it was rather horrible on stage. Jay-Jay Johanson's last place was no surprise, and even if I liked Anna Järvinen's song this is maybe not the place for it so it's 7th place was not a surprise either. But I was hoping for a miracle that didn't materialize. And I predicted the finalists Yohio and David Lindgren right so in the end it was all good and as expected. I think YOHIO will give a good run for Army of Lovers in final :-) YOHIO - Heartbreak Hotel - > final David Lindgren - Skyline - > final Cookies and Beanz - Burning flags -> 2nd chance Eric Gadd - Vi kommer aldrid att förlora -> 2nd chance 5.  Mary N'diaye - Gosa  6.  Michael Feiner & Cais...

Freshly officially divorced Lena Philipsson and late runner in the Eurovision 2013 presenter run (as we know now the job went to Petra Mede instead) are the guest stars in Karlskrona. Both have previous experience as MF-hosts and Lena of course also as an artist and the winner. They will provide the interval act number together with the hosts Gina Dirawi and Danny Saucedo. Maybe it will include some acting as Danny has recently announced he will step away from music and concentrare on acting instead. (Good luck on that direction then!) A lot of humor and new sides of both Gina and Danny promised by SVT...

Both Eric Saade and Danny Saucedo have released videos in Sweden. It's starting to be difficult to tell them apart so similar they are getting, and even in their videos they both like to show off their muscled upper bodies... Here's Danny's Delirious and here's Eric's Marching in the name of love . Who do you prefer?

Or so it seems the yellow press in Sweden is trying to make it look like. Both have apologized the past few days trying convince there's nothing more to it but maybe thoughtlessness. What's the story? Gina Dirawi has a blog and she recommended for "bedtime reading" Lasse Wilhelmsson's book Är världen upp och ner? (Is world upside down?). The thing is he's a well known antisemitist. In her apology she explained the book was given to her in some happening a couple of year's ago and she thought it looked so boring she wouldn't read it at all. Well then, this blogger can only wonder why she'd post it in her blog then....?! But this is not the first for Gina. About a year ago she was heavily criticized for comparing Israel's government to Hitler... Danny boy on the other hand is found on a online video doing her training and when his trainer asks him to do harder and better he uses the word "svartingar", that maybe best translates ...

The new Swedish mega arena in Solna, just outside Stockholm has been opened. The venue seats 65.000 (but only 45.000 were there for the opening) and will be hosting Melodifestivalen final next March. Also an option for Eurovision 2013 but now seeing the pics I'm really happy it isn't. Looks like the Olympics closing ceremony on a stadium. What do you actually see there in the spot but the screens? Surely works fine on TV-screen but in my books there's no reason to go see something only to watch it on TV or DVD later to see what really was happening.... And my guess the artists even feel a bit lonely among all those people as they can hardly see anyone of them.... Anyways Loreen was there.... ...So was Danny Saucedo with Tommy Körberg..... And of course crown princess Victoria! See more pics here  and here

No surprise here. As expected and speculated Gina Dirawi returns after the success of 2012 edition. But unlike last year when no one knew her now everybody knows her. She will be packed by Danny Saucedo who this way has no fear he's become second in the competition again. Well, maybe to Gina, but that's another story... :-) Gina & Danny will be doing all the six shows.... The circus starts from Karlskrona on February 2, 2013 and moves on to Gothenburg, then Skellefteå and Malmö on February 23, 2013. Karlstad hosts the Andra chancen round and the grand final will be in Stockholm on March 9, 2013 in the brand new and huge Friends Arena. 

While we are at these Swedish rumors, it is given rather secure that Danny Saucedo will be back after his two years in a row as the runner up (and now also runner up in the OGAE Second chance contest ;-) ). But hold your horses, he's going to be one of the presenters! As they say, when a door closes a window opens! Apparently he was going to be present as a songwriter for someone else this time but as a presenter can't also have a song in the running he has withdrawn all his collaborations. Or so they say.  Let's wait and see. The names of the 2-3 presenters should be revealed by the end of October, says Christer Björkman. Another name circulating as sure is Gina Dirawi, but he says she could be also considered for Eurovision 2013 instead.... 

Pastora Soler beated eternal runner up Danny Saucedo with one point only to the second place and wins OGAE Second chance contest for Spain. And this blogger is just very happy! Sweden has won this contest already 13 times out of 26 so the fan adoration for the Melodifestivalen entries is getting beyond ridiculous. This is also Sweden's 7th second place. 20/26... C'mon! They are not that good, are they?  Anyways, Spain took its 3rd win with Tu vida es tu vida . Norway came third.  Here are the full results. 

Eurovision veteran (and most likely Melodifestivalen 2013 entrant) Tommy Körberg has joined Melodifestivalen two time runner up Danny Saucedo in a song I can see myself in you penned by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus. The song will be performed live on October 27, 2012 at the Friends Arenas opening concert.  Let's see if this one will bring Danny boy some success after the singles Shake that ass and All in my head that both can be considered flops.....

Anywhere else 2.549 songs sent to the national final would be a huge amount but in Sweden it's actually the lowest since 2002! And a drop of 936 since last year. But maybe it only means those unlucky ones that have sent their songs year after year, again and again have finally decided to give up? Or did simply Thomas G:son give up after winning, too, and didn't send in his usual about a zillion songs? :-) Seriously, all that matters here of course is the quality, not the quantity like in many other things in life, too.  Now the SVT jury will pick up 16 songs for the semifinals, one of them at least must come from the so called amateur selection (647 songs in total). Svensktoppen selection winner Terese Fredenwal has already her place secured and the remaining 15 places will be filled by SVT as they please; among the songs sent in or by inviting artists and songwriters directly to make the usual 32 semifinalists. The song titles and their writers will be publis...

The new Friends Arena will be officially opened on October 27, 2012 with a huge concert before being the host for the Melodifestivalen 2013 for example - but not the Eurovision song contest 2013 as we know. The list of the artists is long from The Hives to Tommy Körberg, from Roxette to Agnes and Norrköpings symfoniorkester but the most interesting names might be Loreen and Danny Saucedo. Will the arena be its name worth? :-) Shall there be a cat fight in front of 67.500 people?

Danny Saucedo, who lost to Eric Saade last year with In the club , and to Loreen with Amazing this year caused a stir the night Melodifestivalen 2012 final was held by leaving the arena and not showing up at the after party giving statements like "I would have done better. Loreen will not work in Europe" and similar in the same line. After Loreen won his Facebook and Twitter was flooded by nasty comments that he had to answer something like "C'mon people give me a break! I'm happy for her win!" One would have thought that was it but no. Danny boy is at it again in Aftonbladet: "No one could have done better now that Loreen has won. But I'm still convinced I would have won, too. I think any Swedish entry would have won this year. It was Sweden's turn. But I'm happy for Loreen. And very sad for those comments and threats online." Next month both Loreen and Danny will be singing to crown princess Victoria's birthday party so let...