Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Tension is high. Sanremo festival has taken over the Italian media and for one week politics, immigrants and all the problems are forgotten and it's all about music and gossip because Sanremo è Sanremo!  Carlo Conti will be hosting from Teatro Ariston in Sanremo number 66 with Madalina Ghenea, Virginia Raffaele and Gabriel Garko. This festival Sanremo is going to be the most LGBTQ friendly ever with the ongoing discussion in Italy for equal rights. Laura Pausini has been fronting the argument for 20 years, and do we need to mention Elton John? On top of that there's an initiative to have all artists wearing soemthing Rainbow, let's see how that will work. It seems Arisa and Patty Pravo have already engaged into the project. As long as we won't see a dress like Lydia all is fine.... On top of that there's a rumour one of the artists is pregnant. Could it be Arisa? That would explain her sudden chance of heart concersing Eurovision perfectly..... Ten Big s...

Congolese born French rapper Maître Gims joins Sir Elton John and Ellio Goulding as Sanremo 2016 festival's foreign guest stars. He follows Stromae to the Italian charts with songs in French, something that doesn't happen too often in the closeted Italian domestic market for songs in any other language but Italian and English. Est-ce que tu m'aimes? he asks and Italians say Oui, oui, oui . Sanremo gig will surely boost his sales with the album  Mon cœur avait raison , the single is already a hit. This blogger likes :-)

More guest have been announced for the coming 66th Sanemo festival. Sanremo winner 2001 Elisa will be there to present her new work and return to singing in English, No hero . Ellie Goulding will be bringing her worldwide success to Teatro Ariston as well, and Sir Elton John will grace the event his present. Let's see if he uses it to promote the ongoing demostrtions in Italy for equal rights #Svegliatitalia. .....

Ivana Spagna. She's ageless. She has so many careers it's hard to keep track. First steps with Mamy Blue in 1971 ( remix 2012 as Kika le Pen) and a band with her brother and then boyfriend touring Italy with minor success. In the mid 80's a change to disco and soon she was the Queen of Eurodisco all over Europe with Easy Lady , Call me , Every girl and boy , I wanna be your wife ..... albums made in the USA, being guest star in Sanremo.... In 1994 Elton John chose her over many (including Laura Pausini) to sing the Italian version of Circle of life from Lion King . The year after she debuts in Sanremo with Gente come noi , finishing third beating Andrea Bocelli with Con te partirò , 4th. She's back in 1996 with E io penso a te (4th) and an album that sells over 400.000 in Italy alone. She returns to Sanremo a few times (including epic  Con il tuo nome in 2000 that deserved so much more....), last time being 2008 with Loredana Berté in Musica e parole , that was ...

While Conchita Wurst tells he's getting dead threats and hate mail, is condamned by some Russian and even Finnish politician (sigh) she's also getting congratulations and praise from world stars like Cher, Lady Gaga, Robbie Williams, Jean Paul Gaultier and Boy George among others, and she received flowers from Elton John with congratulations. Meanwhile Rise like a Phoenix is charting iTunes in over 50 countries from Kyrgyzstan to Mauritius, from Australia to Colombia, New Zealand, South Africa and Mexico. And from Canada to USA, Taiwan and Indonesia. Love conquers hate in the end. "Congratulations, we love you. Elton & David" "With unstoppable love, Jean Paul Gaultier"

Pet Shop Boys continue their Eurovision talk. Neil Tennant said in a BBC interview: "British artists - Elton John or David Bowie - have not traditionally wanted to do it because they think it looks too crass. But now reality television is possibly even more crass than Eurovision. So I think the winner of X Factor should represent Britain. The timing is perfect. And you will get the A&R input, either good or bad, that goes with that. The BBC have asked us a couple of times if we'd be interested in writing a song for Britain's entry. Our feeling about it was that if we had the right song then we wouldn't be embarrassed in giving it to them." Read the whole thing here . Well, their new album is coming out and all publicity is good but words like Eurovision, crass and embarrassment don't go very nicely together in a fan's vocabulary...   Despite that, if you wish to have a prelisten to their new album   Elysium you can do so here tonight a...

Today it's been 15 years since the most famous woman on globe died in a tunnel in Paris. You all know of course who I am talking about. Not being exactly a fan but when I heard the news, sitting at work that morning in central Rome it was a weird feeling, an awkward moment. One of those "you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard" moments. I felt like I've lost someone I really knew. And closest I ever had with her was in November 1989 when I was in Hong Kong and so was she, and I saw her - and the man that later married the rottweiler, like she used to call her - walking by just meters away upon their arrival. She was already in an unhappy mood. You could see it even if it wasn't public yet. The funeral followed with Elton John  making some publicity for himself before he took as his purpose in life to mock Madonna... Her faith was such a shame. I think she looked prettier and happier than ever in her last summer. The sum...

NRK has released the song titles and the writers, and it looks pretty much like the artists list I published before here is pretty much real. Maybe. The rumours about Take That's Gary Parlow writing the British entry are still well alive, with added bonus that Blue's Duncan James would perform it. I like the idea. Another possibility for the writer is still Elton John - both would follow nicely Andrew Lloyd Webber's footsteps. Albania apparently doesn't care much for Christmas, their selection will run from December 24 to 27, and previous Eurovision entrants Anjeza Shahini and Kejsi Tola are taking part. Also Belarus has kicked off its selection with 25 songs and the Polish four are online as well. Finland will announce its titles and writers next Monday, when they will be also online in YLE's website. News also from Croatia and Portugal amongst others. Looks like the national selection season is slowly getting to a full swing. More about all this next week when I...

Some rumours are moving in UK as well. Apparently James Fox is willing for another go in Eurovision. He already did the honors in 2004 with Hold on to our lobe that reached 16th place. Another rumour, once again this year as it was circulating already last year, is that Gary Barlow of Take That fame would write the song. Elton John has been also approached to follow Sir Andrew Lloud Webber's footsteps, or should I say notes but Elton has a price tag a bit too high for BBC they claim. I would be happy with Gary Barlow is he brings us something like Patience , Pray   or A million love songs .

Surprisingly only ABBA is included in the 100 all time greatest, gayest albums by OUT magazine. Or maybe not. ABBA's Gold is the only Eurovision related album on it filled with the usual Madonnas, David Bowies and Elton Johns. Hey wait a minute: Elton John is Eurovision related artist, isn't he? He did participate once. But where is Kylie?? My record collection includes albums number 8, 9, 14, 27, 29, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 51, 52, 59, 73 ,82, 83, 84, 86, 87 and 90, that's 22% and I would mind having numbers 26, 35, 37, 60, 74, 75, 77, 81, 85, 91 and 93, another 11% summing up to 33%. How gay that makes me??!! Full list here: http://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=24081 Nothing is though gayer than this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REElUors1pQ (check the second comment by Robert ;-) )