Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Happened earlier this summer: Jari Sillanpää turned 50 and invited his closest 40.000 friends to celebrate the event in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium along with Laura Voutilainen, Waltteri Torikka and Marita Taavitsainen. The 72 meters wide stage - as many meters as the height of the stadium's tower btw - was filled with grand orchestra, some 50 dancers and 850 people worked during the concert to make it all work out fine during the 35 songs he performed. And before the concert each and every one was served coffee and birthday cake in the stadium - the cake being of course the biggest ever made in Finland needing not one but two trucks to bring it in...... Besides turning 50, having this stadium concert he also made headlines in the press for his love affairs. First he said he has found a new love and trying for the first time a foreign affair or romance in distance. Thenin the concert he declared he's actually single - yet spent the rest of the night in a company a tall...

Marita Taavitsainen, Syksyn Sävel 1998 winner and Euroviisut veteran return singing about little things, Pieniä asioita , that a mother of little children can enjoy and surely will reach out to her audience. She tells: "Winning Syksyn Sävel is the high point of my career that gave me the opportunity to be a full time singer. When I was asked to take pat I accepted immediately. I bring a song that I can sing to my employers, the people in the dance halls. It would be useless to bring a radio pop song as it would be impossible to sing in my gigs, people want to dance and they have to able to dance to my songs. If some radio will pick it up anyways, that's great! I still do over 100 gigs a year so I need material I can sing there" And her song is just that. That genre isn't exactly my cup of tea but somehow I like this song. It's catchy and it sticks to your head and before you know you are humming along and beating your foot.... And I think this song will fit i...

MTV3 restarted Syksyn Sävel contest last year after a long break (1968-2001) and it was won by Jari Sillanpää . Now this old competitor of Euroviisut but with much more hit potential and commercial output returns again with several familiar and popular names. Among them Laura Voutilainen and Euroviisut veterans Aikakone and Marita Taavitsainen (also previous Syksyn Sävel winner ). Mariska is rather hot name in the business and charts right now and so is Jesse Kaikuranta who's had a string of radio hits after his The Voice of Finland participation (he finished in top-4). And Yö is one of the biggest bands in Finland ever so with their fan base it might be a safe bet to predict their victory? Tuuli is the female "teen sensation", a response to immensaly popular Robin ... The final will be held in Helsinki on November 17, 2012. Mariska: Kuolema on kalamies Yölintu: Appelsiinilehtoon Yö: Syyt syntyjen Tuuli: Enää ei oo kiire Topi Saha: Pappi, lukkari, talonpoik...

Latvia's entry What for? that came last in the first semifinal in Oslo 2010 has been covered in Finnish by ex-Tango queen and Euroviisut participant Marita Taavitsainen. Listen a bit here . One can only wonder what for?