A Hotel inspired by 'Hero'!!!

Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh has designed a 120 meter high hotel inspired by Charlotte Perrelli's microphone from 2008!

The 300 room Scandic hotel in Kista in northern Stockholm was inspired by Charlotte's performance at Melodifestivalen.

Wingårdh stated that 'The glittering is so wonderful you will probably get a sense of stars'

Is this the best hotel in the world?

Check out more pics here.

Thanks to Steve.

Chiara on a Sugar Rush!

Chiara would blow the arena down with this version!

Yes it is true!

The wonderful Fridrik Omar of Euroband fame will be singing backing vocals for Iceland's 2009 entry 'Is it True'.

What a great duo they were in 2008. Being such a big fan of the contest I am sure he will be back again very soon for another shot.

See ya in Moscow Fred!

SVT Schlager Panel!

SVT have announced the names of the panel who will preview this years songs.

The panel will be chaired by Christer Björkman who will be joined by Charlotte Perrelli, Tango Tango Petra Nielsen, Marie Serneholt, Christer 'After Dark' Lindarw and Thomas Lundin! Fantastic!

Don't forget the Ukeurovision schlager party is on tomorrow night.

Get yout tickets here.

Maybe the answer is just a simple song?

Hey All!
Well I am just about recovered from Stockholm and now all focus is on May and the build up to Eurovision 2009.
With the draw playing a big part in many countries I am hopeful that Sinead and Black Daisy take one of the places in the final just like Charlotte and Boaz did last year in that spot.
I have my favourites and am going to be passionately supporting them on here and elsewhere and hoping I see them come out of those famous envelopes on semi night.

This year seems so open with the big players Russia, Serbia and Ukraine not the power houses they have been in the past.
So far Norway, Turkey and Greece look like they could be the contenders along with the U.K. and Sweden but anything could happen and many opinions change when we get to rehearsal stage.

So today it's time for De Toppers the perfect anti-recession song!

Melodifestivalen 2009 It's My Time!!

I am back from one of the most amazing experiences of my life Melodifestivalen 2009!
It was a truly outstanding trip that every fan should enjoy.
Here are some highlights of our trip:

On Friday we arrived in snowy Stockholm and checked into our beautiful Hotel Rival which I would highly recommend. The hotel is owned by Benny from Abba and each room comes complete with an Abba CD to get you in the MF mood!
The staff was so helpful and even listened to my ramblings on MF whenever I got the chance!
On Friday night we made our way to Globen for the rehearsal. Coming out of that tunnel as you approach Globen was so exciting. Seeing the spherical building glowing with the MF logo emblazoned on it was an image I’ll never forget! It was beautiful.

Making our way inside to our seats it was thrilling to realise you were in the same venue where so many of my favourite stars have sung and strutted over the years.

As well as that, memories of Stockholm 2000 and that iconic opening were fresh in my mind.

The rehearsal impressed me. I was anxiously awaiting my favourites Mans, Alcazar and Malena but was also impressed by Agnes but thought Sofia was not as powerful as she could have been.
E.M.D. got a great reaction mainly by the little girls who would crush you to death to get near them!

After the rehearsal we made our way to Paradise in Slussen. To be in a nightclub that played predominately schlager and have such a diverse mix of Melodifestivalen and Eurovision hits was fucking fantastic!

It was so much fun to dance to and we met some great guys from Dublin who were so much fun to party with all weekend.

We bumped into Donal Skehan, Jonathan Fagerlund, Lisette Vares and hundreds of other Euro fans and bloggers.
Everybody was speculating on what would happen on Saturday night.
We did our best to get Ireland’s entry played but the DJ was having none of it!
A fabulous drag act then performed and got us all going with performances from the likes of Verka, Charlotte, Anna Book and BWO classic!

Then Queen Velvet arrived on stage and I nearly cried!
She opened with her wonderful 2009 entry The Queen and spoke a lot to the audience about her upcoming releases and that dress from this year. She ended with Déjà vu and I almost passed out!
I even got to touch her hand lol!

On Saturday we spent our time checking out Stockholm and trying to stalk as many Melodifestivalen stars as we could!

I could have spent hours wandering around the music stores finding so many CDs!
I was hoping to find some Nordman or Caroline of Ugglas in the bargain basement bin!
We then enjoyed a long leisurely dinner in preparation for the night ahead. I had reindeer!
We got to Globen and met our friends who we had arranged to meet including the famous melodiman!

Even though our seats were only purchased a few days previously we were thrilled with our seats as we were up high at the side of the stage and we were able to take in the whole atmosphere of the Globen watching everyone go crazy!

Plus we were able to get a very good view of the green room area and the reactions of the artists coming on and off stage. (Plus there was good access to the bar as well!)
The stage manager told us there was one minute to go and as we did our Mexican wave, my heart was pumping. I was so hoping it would be a good result and that Caroline would not win.
The contest was wide open and I could see 9 out of the 11 songs winning with Sofia and Emilia being the exception.

Mans kicked it off and was brilliant as always. Caroline still did nothing for me, ok maybe her wellington boots were growing on me!
E.M.D. had shown some improvement since they performed in their heat. Their routine was a bit slicker and tighter but I still though the outfits didn’t fit.
Agnes was a bit off in parts. Heat rocked the place. Alcazar nearly blew the roof off and the audience loved them.
Emilia and Sofia were good, still loving the drums. Does anyone else thinks she looks like Becky from Coronation Street?
Molly was beautiful and she impressed me a lot which is why I was so surprised she was totally forgotton about when it came to voting time.
Sarah Dawn Finer wasn’t lifted up as much as before probably because it looked quite shaky and uneasy on Friday night!
Then came to the deal breaker, the glorious Malena!

I love everything about this entry and loved hearing it in Globen.
Before voting I was still hoping it was Malena, Alcazar or Mans.
I would have been happy with Agnes and others.

As Moto Boy sang ‘Hero’ I couldn’t believe when Charlotte arrived on stage. A dream come true. What s star!

Then Bruno and Marija came on to give the International Jury vote who had clearly favoured SDF all the time.
Mans was out in front with 96 but Malena was way down at 38. The jury votes were really mixed which made it clear that it would all come down to the televote.
As the televotes came in we lost Mans followed closely by Alcazar….and then there were 2 Caroline vs Malena. I was trying to come to terms with the fact that Caroline was gonna do it and suddenly Petra announced that Caroline got 120 so Malena got the 144!!!!!
I cannot describe that feeling of euphoria that exploded in me!! I couldn’t stop jumping up and down.
A truly magical moment! Just what I had wanted a tension filled voting that produced an ideal winner.
Thanks Sweden!
The only surprise for me was that Molly came last. I really thought it was going to be Sofia.
We floated our way back to Paradise with our friends and met more there to celebrate this great night. I danced so much the bones in my legs ached!!

On Sunday we did a lot of sightseeing and took to the boat to the Vasa museum which was magnificent. We had so much fun strolling around this beautiful city eating gorgeous food and drinking nice wine!!
The people are so kind and helpful and the city itself is beautiful and very efficient.
After two heavy nights of partying we could have been sensible and have an early night before out Monday morning flight but knowing Magnus Carlsson was singing on ‘Patricia’ it would have been criminal not to go!
I got to meet him twice and got a photo. I told him to come back to Melodifestivalen next year!
He certainly got a great reaction when he sang ‘Live Forever’ Go Magnus!
I could live forever after that weekend.
We partied the night away stopping every now and again to realise that we are dancing to Melodifestivalen songs on a boat in Stockholm!!

The following morning the ‘Irish Delegation’ arrived at Arlanda for our flight after not very sleep but with smiles on our faces!

I had the time of my life. Thanks to everyone we met you were all fabulous and you made the trip magical. Big thanks to Tim, Mark, Rob, Greg, Ciaran and Dave!
Thanks especially to Mick for understanding my madness!

X

I'm Back from Stockholm!

Full report coming soon!!

Schlagerqueen has gone direkt til Globen!!
Alcazar, Malena or Mans have got to win!
Back Monday with all the gossip....
x

Offical Video of 'Et Cetera'!!

NO NO NO NO!

Ladbrokes have now made Caroline favourite at 2/1!!

Although Markoolio was also a favourite on this site a few months back and see what happened him!

I feel sick at the thought of 'Snalla Snalla' winning over the fantastic 'Stay the Night', 'La Voix' and 'Hope and Glory'!!

Don't let me down Sweden! It was bad enough she has a final place over the likes of the sisters and little Amy but the buzz around this song worries me.

Only 2 days to go before I make my 1st trip to Stockholm and I am unbelievably excited!

Who will sing 'Hero' on Saturday Night? Maybe these guys..

Check this out!

A pregnant Linda Bengtzing and Markoolio sing 'Varsta Schlagern' at a party in Norkopping last night while dolphins swim in the background!
What a great night!

Laura to win!!

Who is going to Globen?

This Saturday we will have our complete line up for Melodifestivalen 2009!

Andra Chansen takes place this weekend in Norrkoping with a great head to head competition that is always exciting and often surprising.

Will there be a Nanne 2007 and Androla 2008 shocker?!

Will one of them do a DQ 'Drama Queen' ?

So here are my thoughts:

BWO vs Lili+Susie

This will be close as both have a big fan base and I would love to see them both in Globen. I would pick the Finnish sisters for pure fun and that 'Gimme gimme gimme'! But who will the Swedes choose

Sarah Dawn Finer vs The Scotts

Despite The Scotts popularity due to their recent stint on Swedish t.v. I think Sarah is a definate winner of this duel and I think she deserves it over The Scotts as their song is pleasant but dull!

L+S vs SDF= Sarah Dawn Finer to Globen

I think SDF has this half of the duels sorted and will win the place in Globen but then again I had thought she would qualify direct from Malmo so who knows what could happen!

Caroline vs Rigo and the Topaz Sound

I wasn't happy that either of these got through to AC but if i had to choose one to move on it would be Rigo! 'Snalla Snalla' leaves me cold and I feel it is overrated but i think it will get more votes than Rigo and move on.

Amy Diamond vs Star Pilots

Now we are talking! What a great duel! I am happy with with either making it through as I love both songs but I think Amy will do it.

Caroline vs Amy= Caroline

Aas much as I would not want Caroline to get the place in the final I think she may do it but I will be rooting for Amy or Star Pilots from this half of the draw.

International Jury Vote

The only act that is not in Andra Chansen is Sofia with 'Alla' which could possibly give her an advantage? I was impressed with Sofia's performance and her Greek lyrics could help her with the jury.

What I think is that SDF and Caroline are popular with the jury but if they were to qualify through AC then maybe this will be a battle between Amy and Sofia!!

By the way who else is on this jury except for Bruno?!

What do you want to happen on Saturday?

Malena to Moscow!

What an unforgettable end to the Melodifestivalen heats!
Saturday nights' Melodifestivalen was a stomper and it provided us with plety of fantastic songs and a good schlager boost!

The stand out performance for me was Malena!
‘La Voix’ was a powerful performance of an enchanting, engaging and strong song. Everything worked for me. Her cheeky smiles to the camers, the choreography, the use of the masks, her elegant dress. I was cheering for her all night and was thrilled when she made it into the duels and a little shokced when she beat Sarah Dawn Finer to a place in Globen!

She is a real contender for winning and I think this song and performance would have a lot of appeal at Eurovision.

Agnes had a ropey start but pulled it together. The first line of the song is strange it seems like she is speaking the line instead of singing? Her song is catchy and a real radio hit and I was happy she will be in the final complete with gold outfit!

It was Andra Chansen for Sarah Dawn Finer which I don’t think anyone was expecting. Although after Shirley in heat 1 anything is possible!
Her vocals were strong and the lift was impressive with a beautiful shot of the audience.
Not as blow away as some had prepared us for but with a 2nd chance and the jury backing her it is almost certain we will see her in the final

Star Pilots ‘Higher’ got the 2nd spot! I really like this song and though the staging was unusual with Johan to the side and the remaining ‘pilots’ effectively functioning as dancers! Great song in the same vain as ‘In the Heat of the night’/’Eye of the Tiger’!
I didn’t expect them to make it and I thought Thorleifs would have taken their place but I’m delighted!

Speaking of the Thorleifs.. You gotta love their danceband schalgerness! The song wouldn’t have made any impact on a Eurovision platform or in Globen for that matter but it was nice to sing along to!

Anna+ Maria who had both been to Eurovision before 2002 and 2008 sang ‘Killing me Tenderly’ which was a lovely song. Both are big fan favourites in the Eurovision world and like many I met Maria in La Scala at the preview party and she was one of the nicest people to chat to.

I always knew they would be risking when it came to voting and sadly we won’t be seeing the girls in Globen.

Susanne and Next 3 were very boring for me. Susanne looked like someone’s aunt who would carrying around a bad of boiled sweets and would drink a small sherry!
Well done to the lads from Next 3 for making it this far but I knew the song would fall flat as it is the token ‘alternative’ song that appears in nearly every heat but doesn’t win over the Swedish public.

So that makes it 8 in the final with 2 more to come from Andra Chansen and 1 jury selection. It is 11 days to the final!!!!