Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Yle has disqualified One Morning Left and their Puppy from UMk 2025 final due to violation of contract. They won't be replaced so UMK 2025 will have only six songs.  Mika Lahti is accused of messaging or grooming in IRC gallery in 2007-2010 with underage in unappropriated way as anonymously is now made known. That has come as a surprise to other members, Yle and band's collaborators and the other members have  left the band immediately so the One Morning Left is no more.  Mika Lahti denies all accusations and is ready to press charged against rumors. 

The past 24 hours in the Eurovision bubble have been the wildest ever and I think I have never waited for the final to start this much in all decades I have been watching! I try to collect all pieces in random order - making it chronological at this point would be impossible already when checking news from social media and official news lets.   Joost Klein and the Netherlands have been disqualified from tonight's final. EBU stated: "We have zero tolerance policy against inappropriate behaviour at our events and work to have a safe working environment for all employees." He already was absent in both yesterdays dress rehearsals. AVROTROS stated: "We have taken not of the disqualification by the EBU. AVROTROS finds the disqualification disproportionate and is shocked by the decision. We deeply regret this and will come back to this later. " The broadcaster is fully backing Joost so this won't end here. Also, what if the police comes to conclusion there was no ...

OMG. What is going on? I was planning to do my usual day after post after day at work and write something about the bad behavior and bullism towards Eden Golan in the press conference by Greek Marina Satti and most of all Dutch Joost Klein. I mean, grown up people, is this an example you want to give? No wonder kids get bullied at school and social medias are so toxic. I get it when fans do it, as I have already lost hope on them and the youth, but you, adults act like that with your equal in a same table. Shame on you. You should at least try to behave in public and in arena. Keep your thought outside and after contest. I was also planning to write about the Italian televote. 40% of them all versus Netherlands 7% in second place. It is actually exactly what I have been thinking all along. You can't vote against so if and when all pro-Israel people make sure to vote while anti-Israeli people boycott and protest also by NOT voting this happens. It's very simple. This could be ha...

The ridiculous Belarusian affair came to a closure today when EBU announced they failed to produce a new entry that wasn't just another propaganda nonsense. Always sad to see a country go, but this time all I can say is....da pabačennia!

There's apparently a small plane flying above and around Globen with the banner "Karabach love Iveta". Does this count as waving the forbidden flag? Who's behind it?

Eurovision reference group has condemned Armenia's contestant Iveta Mukuchyan  for brandishing the flag of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the Green room last night during the first semifinal live broadcast. The separatist region is officially part of Azerbaijan but currently is under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces. EBU on Wednesday called the incident a "serious breach" of its ban on political messages. It said Armenia's public broadcaster would face yet-to-be-determined sanctions and that "any further breach of the rules of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest could lead to disqualification from this year's event or any successive editions." So, people of Armenian delegation: make sure those flags are taken away from Iveta!  Both Armenia and Azerbaijan qualified for the Eurovision final on Saturday. When the Eurovision song contest took place in Baku, Azerbaijan 2012 Armenia skipped that year.... Update:  Armenia will be ...

A lot of memories and emotions today. Today is exactly two years when the San Marino miracle happened and Valentina Monetta qualified for the final with Maybe . I'm so happy I was part of it, and that night remains the most euphoric one ever. From the area to that totally fabulous press confeence after over to the EuroClub. There was a lot of love in the air that night! Can't wait to meet up with the legendary team again in Stockholm next week!

The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16 million. Romania will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. TVR will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News Exchanges, the right to broadcast specific sporting events, legal, technical and research expertise and lobbying services. And of course with that also this signal to broadcast Eurovision song contest 2016. Not broadcasting it should, at least in theory, mean that TVR won't be able to participate also in 2017 contest.... EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said: "It is regrettable that we are forced to take this action. We are disappointed that all our attempts to resolve this matter have received no response from the Romanian government. In recent weeks the EBU has taken note of the Ministry of Finance’s suggestion that TVR m...

Freddy Kalas has found himself in a trouble soon after his participation with Happy rush was published. It seems the chorus is a bit too similar to a song five years ago he was involved in. Fredrik Auke aka Freddy Kalas was close to being disqualified but then the emergency meeting by NRK MGP team allowed him to participate but he must find another song. More details are expected tomorrow. At the same time MGP boss Jan Fredik Karlsen denied this was a promotion move to attract more attention..... 

It's almost 2016. Still someone thinks she can get away by submitting a song released a couple of years ago by only shortening it and translating it into another language. Not even bothering to change the title really,  Pourquoi tu m'regardes comme ça became Perchè mi guardi cosi . Not very innotative. And very stupid indeed. Shame on you..... So, she is replaced by Kaceo and Disque D'or . 

YLE has been investigating the leak and the blame is on the record label. "It was record label's mistake" says YLE's Anssi Autio. "All is automatic these days, even the digital releases. Aso many different parts have access to manipulate the data, includig date of release. It's very sad the artists names and song titles were leaked this way. But we still have a lot to reveal next Tuesday so all is not out there, including the songs itself." Only one of the songs, Siru's Mustelmat has been online and now YLE is investigating how that has happened. "If it's intentional, she will be disqualified and may be replaced with another song and artist". UPDATE: It seems with the latest comments by Autio the leak has been intentional. Stay tuned for updates.

Sanremo 2014 gets another surprise. One of the songs, sadly one of my favorites. Riccardo Sinigallia 's Prima di andare via , the very song he qualified for the final has been disqualified. Apparently he has performed the song live already last year in some gig somewhere so a handful of people did hear it before Sanremo in public. Rules are rules, but...  Tonight he is on stage anyways. He and his record company have 24 hours to prove the matter wrong (in theory) and tonight he will sing a cover and there's no voting. Before going away, or prima di andare via have a look at his video.

Martynas Kavaliauskas made it this far in the endless Lithuanian selection. Now he has been eliminated/disqualified by the broadcaster  LRT. More than half of his televotes were declared invalid after LRT took closer look at them and this also postboned the announcement of the result of the last Saturday's elimination round. Martynas is out, originally he came 2nd in the televotes it seems.... This selection has been going on since December 1, 2013 and this blogger has really lost the track of what's going on and also the interestes to find out really but Lithuanians seem to love the show, even so much it has been extended for their viewing pleasure.... So, after a closer look these aetists and songs are still in the running (maybe): Mia: It's not too late / It's all about a boy Vilija Matacinaute: Blowing out cobwebs / Dying Vaidas Baumila: Attention / Is this the way Monika Linkyte: You found me / Let's share that love tonight Out: Martynas Kava...

The biography in Luca Barbarossa's official website writes that in 1988 he participated in the Eurovision song contest in Dublin with Ti scrivo , that was actually Vivo , a song released too early for the contest. Because of that he was disqualified two months after Eurovision with a letter.   Now, that Ti scrivo wasn't a new song is no secret or news but that he has been disqualified is. Have anyone of you heard of this before? Vivo was originally the B-side of his Sanremo single L'Amore rubato . To discover this bit in his biography is Federico Stufi of OGAE Italy. The other Eurovision experts in Italy seem equally uninformed of this fact (if it is a fact, of course!). Emanuele Lombardini of EurofestivalNew s says he has been trying to interview Barbarossa for months but the man has always refused with "I have no time". Let's wait for further developments and clarification.... Italy came 12th in Eurovision 1988 with 52 points. Btw, is this also t...