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Good Charlotte coming to Helsinki

Other foreign bands that have announced gigs in Finland include
Low (5.4 Helsinki), Down (21.3 Tampere, 22.3 Helsinki), No Use for a Name (27.4  Helsinki) and Neverstore (11.3 Helsinki, 12.3 Turku, 13.3 Tampere, 14.3 Joensuu and 15.3 Seinäjoki).

For more info, check Coming to Finland

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Misc News

No Oscar for Miehen Työ


 
Miehen Työ (Man’s Job) tells about family father Juha (Tommi Korpela) who, after being fired from his job at a concrete factory, ends up secretly working as a prostitute.

Last year, leading actor Korpela won the Best Actor award at the Marrakech International Film Festival. Director Aleksi Salmenperä was nominated for the Golden Saint George at the International Moscow Film Festival. Miehen Työ was also nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize and submitted as Finland’s entry for the European Film Awards.

On Tuesday (22.1) the Academy Awards selection committee will announce the final five nominees for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. The winners will be announced during the live televised awards ceremony on the 24th of February.

 



UPDATE: The final shortlist of nominees was announced on the 22nd of January. The five films that are nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film are: Beaufort (Israel), The Counterfeiters (Austria), Katyń (Poland), Mongol (Kazakhstan) and 12 (Russia).



Miehen Työ
– official site (in Finnish)
Miehen Työ / Man's Job – Blind Spot Pictures
Trailer (with English subtitles)

The Oscars

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days – official site

Persepolis – official US site

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Misc News

Rufus Wainwright in Helsinki in April


Rufus Wainwright:
official site | MySpace

Kulttuuritalo

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The Simpsons Movie Finnish box office hit of 2007

In all, the number of people going to the cinema in Finland was 2 per
cent lower than in 2006. Finnish films attracted 1.3 million visitors,
20 per cent of the total number of cinema visits.

This year, at least
eleven Finnish films are expected to premiere.


The Simpsons Movie

Joulutarina (Christmas Story)

Trailer (with Englsih subtitles)

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Misc News

Avril Lavigne and Backstreet Boys coming to Helsinki

Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne will perform at the
capital's Hartwall Areena on the 30th of June as part of her Best Damn
Tour. Tickets will go on sale in January. The Backstreet Boys
bring their more mature new sound to Finnish fans at the same venue on
the 16th of April. Both Avril Lavigne and the Backstreet Boys last
performed in Finland in 2005.


UPDATE: On January 21, concert promoter Welldone announced that the Avril Lavigne gig will take place at Helsinki's Jäähalli, in spite of what it said on Lavigne's official website.


Also check Coming to Finland >>

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Misc News

Finns on skates 5000 years ago

 

Dashing Finns were first to get their skates on 5,000 years ago – The Times Online

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Misc News

Domestic films attract over 1 million people to Finnish cinemas

Number 2 on the list is Joulutarina (Christmas Story) directed by Juha Wuolijoki,
which premiered on the 16th of November and may well end up being the
most popular Finnish film of 2007. Last weekend it again topped the box
office list with 20,826 viewers. So far (17.12) it has drawn a total of
172,254 people to Finnish cinemas.

V2: Dead Angel (V2: Jäätynyt enkeli) | trailer (with English subtitles)

Christmas Story (Joulutarina) | trailer (with English subtitles)

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Misc News

Fire interrupts Nightwish gig

The fire started at another wing of congress centre Jyväskylä Paviljonki, where the gig took place. Because of heavy smoke development and the possibility of the fire spreading, the Nightwish fans were told to leave the hall and wait outside the building.

After about half an hour Nightwish were allowed to continue playing, when the fire department had begun extinguishing the fire and the risk of the fire spreading to the concert hall had been ruled out.

Not all fans were immediately aware of the resumption of the gig. Some had reportedly even gone home. The smoke machine used by Nightwish during the performance is also said to have caused some confusion.

The fire broke out when a shield covering a wall during construction works had been blown against a lamp by the wind and caught fire. The flames then spread to the roof of the building.

Related:

Nightwish Nummer Eins in Germany
Top metal musicians form new band
Nightwish album leaked
Nightwish announce first tour with Anette

Review: Nightwish – Dark Passion Play

Interview: Tarja strikes back


Nightwish:
Official site | MySpace

Jyväskylä Palviljonki

Categories
Misc News

Russian painting sold for € 600,000

The painting was auctioned at auction house Bukowski. The final bid was twice as high as the starting price.

The work, painted by Bogolyubov in 1870, was sold to a Russian bidder.

Less than two weeks ago another auction house in Helsinki, Hagelstam, also did good business, when a painting by Finnish realist painter Eero Järnefelt (1863-1937) changed owners for 630,000 euros.

Related:

Near-record price for Finnish masterpiece at auction

Photo of the auctioned painting by A.P. Bogolyubov

Biography of Bogolyubov and more of his work – ArtFact.com

Auction house Bukowskis (Helsinki)

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Misc News

Céline Dion and Carlos Santana coming to Finland next summer

Tickets costing between 109 and 199 euros will go on sale next Monday (17.12) at 9 a.m. via Lippupalvelu.

Céline Dion has sold over 180 million records worldwide, of which some 500,000 in Finland (not counting the soundtrack album of Titanic). Her upcoming Taking Chances world tour (named after her recently released new album) will be her first tour in nine years. During the past five years Dion starred in her own hugely successful show A New Day at the Caesars Palace Colosseum in Las Vegas.

The Taking Chances world tour 2008-2009 will start in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 14th of February and will span five continents, 25 countries and over 100 cities.

Carlos Santana
Also Carlos Santana has been contracted to play in Finland next summer. The legendary guitarist will take the stage at the Kirjurinluoto Arena in Pori on the 18th of July as part of Pori Jazz 2008.

Mexican-born Santana has sold over 100 million albums and won 14 Grammy Awards. He has performed in Finland several times. He also played at Pori Jazz before, nearly 20 years ago, in 1988.

Ticket sales for the concert in July will also already start next Monday (17.12) at 9 a.m. Tickets cost 66 euros, but can be purchased at a reduced price of 60 euros before the 31st of December. Most other performers at the 43rd edition of Pori Jazz will be announced in March.

Céline Dion – official site

Carlos Santana – official website

Pori Jazz

Categories
Misc News

HIM nominated for Grammy

The special limited edition of Venus Doom consists of a 60-page book with a leather look embossed cover, containing personal drawings, photos and journal entries by HIM frontman Ville Valo, the full-length CD and a bonus-CD with 3 tracks in parchment envelopes, plus polaroid photos. Responsible for the design were art director Matt Taylor and Valo.

Last year, Taylor won the Grammy in the same category for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Stadium Arcadium.

The winners of this year´s awards will be announced on the 10th of February, 2008 during the live televised 50th Grammy Awards ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Related:
HIM sets Finnish record in the U.S.
Venus Doom – HIM – review

The 3 editions of Venus Doom – Heartagram.com

HIM: Official website | MySpace

All this year's Grammy Awards nominees
Grammy Awards

Categories
Misc News

Special film screenings of new war film

Tali-Ihantala 1944 is based on the Battle of Tali-Ihantala
during the Continuation War (1941-1944) against the Soviet Union, which
ended in a decisive victory for Finland.

The film was directed by Åke Lindman and Sakari Kirjavainen and written by Stefan Forss, Benedict Zilliacus and Esko Salervo.


Tali-Ihantala 1944
is now also playing at cinemas across Finland.

Tali-Ihantala 1944 film website with trailer (in Finnish)

Tali-Ihantala 1944 – Wikipedia

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Misc News

Firework celebrations in Helsinki

The colourful light show, offered by the City of Helsinki as
part of the independence celebrations, started a little after 6 p.m.
and lasted six minutes.

Video of the fireworks – Helsingin Sanomat

Categories
Misc News

The most beautiful Finnish word

The
runners-up in the vote were: 2. rakkaus (love), 3. rakas (dear) and 4. kiitos (thank you).

Agricola, the clergy man who
translated the New Testament into Finnish and became the de facto
founder of written Finnish, died 450 years ago this year.

Categories
Misc News

90 Years of Finnish independence


Special film screenings of new war film

{sidebar id=33}On the Eve of Independence Day (5.12.2007), war veterans and invited high school students in 40 places all around Finland attended special first screenings of  the new Finnish war film Tali-Ihantala 1944. President Tarja Halonen and her husband Pentti Arajärvi joined the invited veterans at Helsinki’s Tennispalatsi cinema. Tali-Ihantala 1944 is based on the Battle of Tali-Ihantala during the Continuation War (1941-1944) against the Soviet Union, which ended in a decisive victory for Finland. The film was directed by Åke Lindman and Sakari Kirjavainen and written by Stefan Forss, Benedict Zilliacus and Esko Salervo. The official cinema premiere is on December 7th.


> Tali-Ihantala 1944 film website with trailer (in Finnish)
> Tali-Ihantala 1944 – Wikipedia

Firework celebrations in Helsinki
Also on Wednesday night, thousands of people watched a special fireworks display above Töölö Bay in the centre of Helsinki. The colourful light show, offered by the City of Helsinki as part of the independence celebrations, started a little after 6 p.m. and lasted 6 minutes.

> Video of the fireworks – Helsingin Sanomat


The most beautiful Finnish word
The Finnish language played an essential role in the struggle for Finnish independence. On Wednesday morning YLE television announced that the word äiti (mother) had been voted the most beautiful word in the Finnish language. The word was chosen by 367 of the nearly 4000 people who participated in a vote organized as part of the Mikael Agricola Jubilee Year. Agricola, the clergy man who translated the New Testament into Finnish and became the de facto founder of written Finnish, died 450 years ago this year. The runners-up in the vote were: 2. rakkaus (love), 3. rakas (dear) and 4. kiitos (thank you)

Independence Day events
Some of the many free Independence Day events taking place in the capital region today:

Free entrance to Ateneum
The exhibition of the permanent collections of the Ateneum Art Museum has been changed and moved to the third floor. Free entrance.
11:00 – 17:00 – Ateneum, Helsinki

Multicultural Independence Day Celebration
An alternative Independence Day programme in Tikkurila, Vantaa. On offer multicultural delicacies , music by a.o. Lois de Medeiros, Archibong Eyo and Aladin Abbas, Indian and Russian dance, hip-hop dance and much more. Also veterans and many multicultural organizations will take part in the event. Free admission
13:30 – 16:30 – Aikuisopisto, Lummetie 5, Vantaa

Independence Day Concert, Espoo
A large concert for the whole family, organized by the city of Espoo, with among others former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen, Samuli Edelmann, the Tapiola Sinfonietta and the Espoo War Veterans' Choir. All seats for the free concert at the LänsiAuto Arena have unfortunately been booked. Luckily there's a live tv broadcast on Finnish public TV.
15:45 – 16:40 – YLE TV2

Students' Torch Procession
The annual Independence Day torch-lit procession by students, starting from the Hietaniemi Cemetary chapel (Hietaniemenkatu 20) at 16:45 and ending at Senate Square at 17:45. At the Senate Square Mayor Jussi Pajunen of Helsinki will give his Independence Day speech and there will be performances by student choirs.
From 16:45 (Hietaniemi) until after 17:45 (Senate Square), Helsinki

Kallio's Independence Day reception @ Kuudes linja
An Independence Day celebration for the bold and the beautiful, with nice music thrown in. With DJs Vilunki 3000 and Tixa. Free admission, and a free drink before midnight.
21:00 – 03:00 – Kuudes linja, Hämeentie 13 (entrance via inner yard, Kaikukatu 4), Helsinki


Independence Anniversary Year – 90 Years of independent Finland
– Virtual Finland