‘The lovely Lena’ stole the show
May 30, 2010
Alexander Rybak, Norway’s landslide winner from last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, demanded a kiss from this year’s winner, Lena Meyer-Landrut of Germany, before he handed over her trophy in Oslo Saturday night. Norway’s own candidate, meanwhile, ended in a lowly 20th place. The slender, elegantly dressed 19-year-old winner has been repeatedly referred to as “the [...]
Now it’s finally Didrik’s turn
May 28, 2010
After some surprising upsets in the second of two Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, Norwegian fans of the massive event were turning their attention back to their own candidate, Didrik Solli-Tangen. He’ll be among those singing in Saturday’s grand finale, after months of hype. Thursday night’s semi-final showed just how misguided that hype can be. Sweden’s [...]
Majority lacks interest in Eurovision
May 27, 2010
There weren’t very many people wandering around Oslo’s so-called “Eurovision Village,” set up in front of City Hall, even on the afternoon of Eurovision’s first semi-final. Perhaps it was the threatening storm clouds overhead, but a new public opinion poll may also offer the answer. The poll, conducted by research firm Norstat for Norwegian Broadcasting [...]
Few surprises in first Eurovision show
May 25, 2010
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) passed the first live test of its massive Eurovision Song Contest production in Oslo Tuesday night, with all the glitz and hype that audiences have come to expect. Performers from 10 countries were predictably ecstatic when they won the chance to move on to Saturday’s final. Performers from seven other countries participating [...]
NRK claims it’s ready with Eurovision
May 25, 2010
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) was finally poised for “lights, cameras and action” on Tuesday, with the first of two semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest due to air live at 9pm on NRK1. It’s the biggest TV spectacle to be produced in Norway since the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in 1994. That went well, and NRK [...]
Eurovision ‘too expensive’
May 21, 2010
The lavish Eurovision Song Contest now playing out in Oslo has become “too expensive,” according to more than 40 percent of Norwegians responding to a new survey. Residents of Trøndelag County and many in northern Norway were the most negative. While Oslo is in the midst of what promoters call a “giant folkefest (people’s party),” [...]
Eurovision circus underway in Oslo
May 19, 2010
With just 10 days to go before the annual Eurovision Song Contest finals take center stage, the massive event is already well underway in Oslo. Performers and journalists from all over Europe have been arriving, and rehearsals have begun, but now Iceland’s volcano threatens to cloud the event and its organizer’s finances. Norway was obligated [...]
Toddlers train for national day
May 12, 2010
As Norway’s national day on the 17th of May approached, schools and kindergartens were holding their own practice parades. Meanwhile, the long holiday weekend was packed with concerts and special events. Ascension Day on Thursday, known as Kristihimmelfartsdag, is a national holiday in Norway. Since schools also close on Friday, many Norwegians traditionally take a long [...]
Eurovision winner changes his tune
May 4, 2010
Alexander Rybak has been Norway’s darling after winning last year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the most points ever. Now, just weeks before Norway hosts Eurovision in Oslo, Rybak is sounding unhappy and decidedly different on his upcoming CD. The hype around Eurovision has been building for weeks, and Rybak is due to kick off the [...]
Alexander now ‘Artist of the Year’
March 7, 2010
Alexander Rybak, the young musician from Nesodden who won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, has now also won Norway’s highest award within the local recording industry. Rybak was named Årets Spellemann (Artist of the Year) on Saturday, while DonkeyBoy, a young band from Drammen, won two of the four prizes for which it was nominated. [...]
Eurovision final sells out quickly
February 9, 2010
Tickets went on sale Monday morning for the Eurovision Song Contest final, which Norway will host in May. Within 20 minutes, the 8,263 tickets allotted to the general public were all gone. The lavish Eurovision final will be held at the Telenor Arena at Fornebu, site of Oslo’s old airport, on May 29, when the [...]
Black metal loses stab at Eurovision
February 6, 2010
Norwegians clearly weren’t ready for black metal representation at the Eurovision Song Contest. The first black metal band to make it into Norway’s run-up to the gala international event lost out in the end to a clean-cut young man in a white dinner jacket. {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW3wU2fDc2o} They actually won one of four finalist spots at Norway’s [...]
Artists tune up for song contest final
February 5, 2010
Ticket sales hit a new record, organizers were expecting a packed arena and black metal fans were unusually jubilant as they all warmed up for the finals of Melodi Grand Prix, Norway’s version of the Eurovision Song Contest. The show was due to go on in Oslo Saturday evening. This weekend’s Melodi Grand Prix in [...]
Løvland song heads into the finals
January 16, 2010
He’s done it again. Another song by Norwegian musician Rolf Løvland, who’s already won two Eurovision Song Contests, gained enough points from viewers Saturday night to earn a spot in the finals of Norway’s version of the contest. That means Løvland has a chance for a third, historic victory after Maria Arredondo won over viewers [...]
Black metal act wins MGP semi-final
January 8, 2010
A small town in north-central Norway literally had military troops swinging into action this week, to help it mount the first of three semi-finals for the Norwegian version of the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s called Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) in Norway, and a black metal band stole the show. The band, called “Keep of Kalessin,” [...]
