Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Lithuania is back with their joyful, somewhat silly celebration of love and that kiss. Apparently in rehearsal Monika was so taken by Vaidas' kiss she forgot to continue singing. Can you blame her? Anyways, minor changes in outfits, major changes in the backdrop that has been tuned down a little in its explosion of colors. Now they are also holding hands and there are more close ups it seems. For the "one kiss" moment the backing singers switch places forming all female and all male couples but instead of kissing high five each other - could they pull a Krista in the semi and actually kiss? Now that would be a stunt to use.... Do it! All in all very nice in every way and should sail to the final without major problems.

YLE might keep tightlipped about the songs and artists but has revealed the production team for the shows and it looks very, very promising. This time there won't be judges but YLE has hired some major names for the show. And two of them come from Krista Siegfrid's winning team, Elias Koskimies and Reija Wäre. Artistic producer Elias Koskimies, where to start? He's a director, script writer, author. He has been behind some major TV success stories over the years from satire series to movies and hit productions like Dancing with stars, Robinson, Queer eye for a straight guy, Popstars . Päivät kuin unta film got Prix Europa nomination. His shortfilm I've only just begun got the attention of Madonna besides winning several awards in the US, Finland and Serbia in film festivals being a major Youtube sensation. He was also voted Homo of the year in 2014 QX Gay Gala. For Eurovision people he's best known for directing the Krista Siegfrids videos Marry me , Amen a...

Conchita Wurst, the chosen one for Austria has created some media fuss beforehand. Mostly in Belarus where there's a petition against her and her Eurovision participation. Really? How ridiculous is that? According to the petition, "The popular competition fills our kids with liberal European ideas, and it is becoming a hotbed of sodomy." Sounds very Russian. Or rather equally idiotic. All we can hope now is that they really won't show her and then get kicked out from ESC for breaking the rules for good. Or at least until they learn how to behave, respect the rules and people, and send which éver song wins the national final, whether the Dictator himself likes it or not.  But this is not the first time an Eurovision artist gets in trouble. In 1998 Israeli transsexual Dana International was tried to stop going, but that was mostly inside her own country by some religious extremist or something. Abroad we just adored her and voted her to win the whole thing just li...

It was big news a few days ago when eurovision.tv announced the the Eurovision song contest 2013 would be broadcasted in China by CCTV for all those billions of people on October 5,6 and 7. All fine here, but the Chinese fans were outraged to see that Finland's Krista Siegfrids and Marry me were censored, or rather the final of the song when she has that infamous "lesbian kiss". Read the full story on CHINAESCFANS . krista commented the incident on her Twitter: "The world keeps on censoring the "lesbian kiss" in ESC. Can't believe how much this world is living in denial" Ding dong, wake up world!

These post-Eurovision weeks are always busy by fans into charts and stuff like that. And proves some real success - which songs people are willing to buy/download in various countries besides maybe voting them in the final? And Krista Siegfrids and Finland may have resulted in somewhat disappointing 24th place in the final after the high votes in the semifinal vanished somewhere (maybe to same place the Azeri votes for Russia went?). Despite that she's among the about 10 songs making the various national charts across Europe and elsewhere in the world like Australia post-ESC 2013... Anyways, if she managed to create the biggest media fuss ever for a Finnish artist in Eurovision, matching and maybe even beating Lordi, she's also proven to have chart success, also matched by no other act but Lordi before her.  So far she has charted with Marry me as #6 in the official Finnish download charts (there has been no physical release) as well as in radio charts. She was #29 in I...

That is how she commented her disappointing placement in last night's final if we think of the predictions and polls. "I'm happy I managed to help the equal marraige rights campaign and sexual equality in general. It is much more important than winning Eurovision. We made history!  The lesbian kiss may have cost us some votes but I don't regret it! I know some countries are much more conservative than we are" she said. "The world has already changed. In 2003 EBU denied the Russian t.A.T.u's kiss and said they would be disqualified if they do it. No one said anything to us this year!" She admits being a little disappointed to the outcome (24th place out of 26) but "more for the fact Europe wasn't ready for this" referring to the protest from Turkey, Georgia and Greece for the kiss. Strangely she did get votes from countries like Azerbaijan (in semifinal) and Israel though.... And maybe to sing as number 4 wasn't so good after...

We all know about Krista Siegfrids "lesbian kiss" and reactions to it in worldwide media, and especially in some more conservative countries like Turkey, Georgia and Greece (this blogger is still waiting for reactions from Azerbaijan and Russia). But that's not all, SVT is also featuring a gay kiss in their interval act. Martin Österdahl, the executive producer says they are expecting hard critic for it but think it's important finally to show some attention to the gay community in the show. It hsn't been easy for the gay fans and journalists in some present Eurovision contests in Belgrade and Moscow, not to even mention Baku!  But... one question pops into my mind: when did they come up with this idea? Hmm... As we know, the interval and script's jokes and lines are worked until the last minute and for example Björn Gustafsson's part/lines have been cut after dress rehearsasl them being too provocative and causing protests from the commentators. ...

Krista Siegfrids has been spying on him undercover, drinking coffee with his mother, skipping dinner to get thinner but still no proposal from her boyfriend Janne Grönroos who has arrived to support her in Malmö 2013 Eurovision. Krista has been promising another possible surprise after the lesbian kiss that has made the headlines all over the world in her sleeve for the final. Could she propose HIM during the live show infront of 120 million viewers? Could he say no? Her hen party has been going wild for two weeks now, is it time for a conclusion? In theory she'd have time to shout the words out... it's live, who could stop her? Another better opportunity would be in Green room if and when Petra will have a chat with her after the lines have closed...  Wait and see!

In the Georgian capital Tbilisi, thousands of people are gathered together to defend the rights of sexual minorities. Yle News reporter Liisa Lehnus says on site that the demonstration h as brought to the scene also plenty of gay opponents. "The atmosphere is quite tight. The Orthodox Church has appealed to the entire demonstration ban" she  says. Gay demonstration opponents consider homosexuality as an illness. The Orthodox Church has said that 99 percent of the Georgian population is "normal" and this is just one percent minority propaganda. In Georgia LGBT discrimination is prohibited by law, but the conservative orthodox culture clearly condemns gay sexuality and violence against sexual minorities is common and they think Finland's representation is not suitable for children's eyes. " Georgians are a traditional people . Orthodox believers will never accept that homosexuals roam the streets. They do not have rights and they should...

Turkish national broadcaster TRT that is staying home this year - for some ridiculous reasons known only to themselves really - has announced today that it won't be showing the final either. That might also give them a ban to return next year if they had a change of heart and wanted to.  Speculations arise immediately if it has something to do with Finland's entry Marry me that ends with a sweet little kiss by two girls? That is what the Turkish gay organisation claims: TRT is institutionalized homofobia, the visibility of LGBT people is blocked by a controlling institution called Radio and Television Hig Commission in Turkish TV channels. Warnings and punishments discourage TV stations to cover LGBT issues. TRT's official reason is "the viewing figures are too low". Really? In 2012 one Turkish out of 4 watched the show... UPDATE 17.5.2013: Jan Ola Sand  stated Turkey made this decision already in November. Shame. It was a good story, ha ha ha. Ding d...

Finland's Krista Soegfrids is covering from her voice problems. She was ordered in silence for two days. She's not having a flu but her neck muscles are sore for too much talking ding dong! "She was very sorry she had to cancel interviews and performances" says YLE's HoP Aila. "But we have priorities and we don't want to risk the performance and her voice. But keeping her still and silent is so hard!" Her boyfriend Janne Grönroos, the very same who won't propose her, has arrived to Malmö to support her as well. Let's see if the proposal will come eventually.... Krista has also revealed that the dress for the semifinal is the same she used in UMK final, even if she has been changing her wedding dress daily in Malmö. It's designed by Joona Matias Huotari. And she thinks her worst competitor is Norway. "I like the song and the artist is awesome " she says. A lot of fuss has been about the kiss in the end of the performa...

This blogger hasn't been this excited about the Finnish entry since Lordi back in 2006 and we all know how that ended! Anyways, Krista Siegfrids is fantastic and with her Team Ding Dong doing eveything right. No more Finnish wall flowers and songs no one noticed. Like it or not, no one can avoid Marry me and everyone has an opinion! Which is all it is about in a game like this!  She said in the press conference according eurovision.tv: : About the "surprise" kiss with one of her female backing singers at the end of their performance in the rehearsals she said that "the kiss is not a surprise anymore; it's 2013, and I can kiss anyone I want". There's no stopping us in the live shows". I think way too much attention is given to that kiss, but as long as people talk, it's good. Ding dong! Watch the show here .