ESC 2016 FINLAND: #UMK16 SEMIFINAL THREE

ESC 2016 FINLAND: #UMK16 SEMIFINAL THREE - LIVE BLOGGING

The third and last #UMK16 semifinal takes place in YLE's studios in Helsinki. Roope Salminen and Krista Siegfrids - fresh from Melodifestivalen - will be hosting the show, and Raakel Liekki is in charge in the Post-Modulation scene. Chisu will be doing the interval show and one can only wish one day YLE would just skip all UMK and send her off to Eurovision....

----------- Join me at 8pm for live blogging-----------------

Here we go again! Roope's got Krista back and is all kisses and hugs :-) No wonder, she's dressed in pink minidress and long silver boots looking very ding if not even dong! After chat with post-modulators and voting instructions it's party time.....

Lieminen - Pehmeiden arvojen vaalijat

Starts with a human pyramid and he has his helmet headed dancers and robot musicians and a lot of neon and all that we already know from the video. Visually very entertaining and smooth, vocally a bit less - but then he's been in silence all week thanks to severe throat and voice problems.... Could this be a surprise qualifier? Hmmm....

Tuuli Okkonen - Don't wake me up

She's has Agnetha F make up and hair, rather shaky vocals at some parts, blue dress and the backdrops plays with shadows, then comes rain, and even fire rain. Eurovision cliché at full blast.

Gušani Brothers - Poom poom

Introduction video, fireworks, disco on stage, girls..... it starts off with a bang but then.... the singer loses it completely and just wandrs around with shaky vocals. Such a shame. I expected a lot more. But I still go poom poom poom....

After that we have yet another look back at the Finnish Eurovision history. They are so funny. For Finnish speakers, for the others.... I don't know. Are they?

Barbe-Q-Barbies - Let me out

Solid rock performance with fireworks - and heavily pregnant lead singer but you don't really see that. Catchy and simple and this one should qualify easily. Finns love rock after all.

Krista changed outfit......

Pietarin Spektaakkeli - Liian kuuma

1950's colors and dancing girls, and band. Even more monotonous vocals than in the record. yawn. I sincerely hope Finns won't go for this.....

Sandhja - Sing it away

Simple but colorful and a bit ethnic look and staging for this one. Good vocals, groovy song. This swings it all the way to final easily. She also nailed the presentation video coming across very humble and likable :-)

#umk16 is the number one hashtag in Finland at the moment :-)

The internet prevotes (from Monday to Thursday) would have these qualifiers: Tuuli Okkonen, Barbe-Q-barbies and Sandhja.....
Let's see if there will be any changes tonight. In the first semi Eini managed to qualify ahead of ClemSo but in the second the result was the same......

And if you wonder the Finnish 49 previous Eurovision choices before..... this explains it all. Live with it. Get over it.

Last week Robin did Huilumies, now Chisu brings Tipitii to the 2010's

Before moving on to her own Tähdet, tähdet

The finalists are:

Barbe-Q-Barbies

Tuuli Okkonen and.....

Sandhja!

Already qualified for the final:

Saara Aalto - No fear

Stella Christine - Ain't got time for boys

Eini - Draamaa

Cristal Snow - Love is blind

Annica Milán & Kimmo Blom - Good enough

Mikael Saari - On it goes

Comments

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further? No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

Blogilkar exclusive: PASHA PARFENI INTERVIEW

My flying reporter Robert managed to get hold on Pasha Parfeni from Moldova today who has become during this week pretty big favorite to do well. How did he end up in Eurovision, what his goals are and is his granny better than the ones from Buranovo? And will we get a cover album full of Eurovision later on? Find it out here: Why do you want to participate in Eurovision? That's a very difficult question... I want to be a star! A worldstar, ha ha! But I know it's not easy even in Eurovision, only Celine Dion and ABBA have made it. But I can make myself a bit more known, it's good for promotion. After Eurovision I will finish my album and my promo-CD already has nine songs. We will recod maybe 4-5 more and it will make a good album. With what result will you be happy here? Happy? … Top-10! Then I'll be absolutely happy! So if you don't get to the final you will be totally depressed? Yes, maybe... Yes, it would be hard. For me and my team. What are y

GOODBYE, FAREWELL...

The time has come. After all these years, 5,7 million visits, 12.000 articles I guess the time has come. As much as I love and care for Eurovision it just doesn't feel the same. The Corona years took their toll and the past two years and certain decisions have helped me to mature the idea that next year I will hear the songs for the first time in semi-final just like any so called local. The bubble has burst. Add the toxicity in social medias and fandom. The arrogant teenagers who saw their first contest somewhere 2017 or even 2021 who think they know it all and only their opinion matters. Did I mention the toxic atmosphere on social medias? I'm too old for that sh*t. It's been a long ride that took me to various Eurovision on spot as a fan and tourist, as a journalist, as a delegation member. I met some great people, made memories of lifetime. In stressful, sad periods of my life this blog has been my safe place, a place to escape and forget everything else for an hour o

Summer songs: Kylie Minogue - On a night like this

This is one of the songs that make me think of sweaty summer nights, humid air and being slightly drunk... I wonder where that all comes from? Anyways. Kylie Minogue recorded On a night like this, maybe not first but better than Pandora or Anna Vissi . And Lord which is actually great!

FINLAND: CONGRATS HANNA PAKARINEN - BABY IS COMING!

No more leave me alones as Eurovision 2007 veteran Hanna Pakarinen has published in her Youtube channel a video unboxing the Finnish state's maternity box aka layette set thus announcing she's due to have a baby later this spring. Congratulations!

CAROLA'S BOOBS STEAL THE SHOW, SVT APOLOGIES

Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam

BLOGILKAR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: HANNAH MANCINI

Straight into interview with my Bycycling reporter Robert goes American born Slovenian represent Hannah Mancini. The chatty lady tells us how she ended up from LA to Slovenia and how it is. She does also some serious name dropping. Talks about Slovenian music business. And has her husband turned into an Eurovision maniac?! And how Slovenian does she feel actually? And who would she like to grace the Eurovision stage for Slovenia again? Read it all here: Thank you Hannah for this interview. You're an American woman singing for Slovenia. How on earth did you end up there? I married a Slovenian man! Actually he lived in the States when I met him. I always loved the idea of living in Europe and it was kinda perfect as I met an European man! And he always wanted to come to Europe, his parents emigrated when he was a small child so eventually when the opportunity came, he had a good business thing happening there and also I had some music contacts in Amsterdam and in the UK an

GREECE: HELENA PAPARIZOU HITS AGAIN WITH HAIDE

Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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