Categories
Misc News

Sanoma into ticket sales

In Finland, the company’s Finnkino cinema ticket services merged with the event ticket sales services of Lippupalvelu in 2003. Its R-Kioski outlets serve as pick up points for tickets booked via Lippupalvelu.

Besides Finnkino cinemas and R-kioski corner shops, SanonomaWSOY also runs, among others, Finnish newspapers (a.o. Helsingin Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat, Metro and Uutislehti 100), TV stations (Nelonen and JIM tv), radiostations (Radio Helsinki, Radio Rock and Radio Aalto), cable and internet provider Welho, book publishing companies like WSOY, bookstores including Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, as well as many of Finland’s leading magazines. 

The SanomaWSOY media empire operates in 20 countries.

Categories
Articles Misc

Acting out and about

When I tell people what I do for a living they
are filled with suspicion. A person who acts and writes is to be handled with
care. They can never be quite sure when I’m acting or playing a part. Or
perhaps I’m observing them for material? I probably carry a raw onion in my
handbag should I wish to shed a tear. And the sincere sounding laughter is
possibly nothing but a breath taken to the correct corner of my abdominals as
taught at drama school. Anybody who lies for living should not be trusted, I’m
told. But I defend myself by saying that acting is all about being truthful. 

I can’t lie
to save my life but sometimes I do get tempted to use my acting abilities
outside the stage, often in most dubious circumstances. Like once when I was
chilling out in a London park with a friend. I saw these twins enter through
the iron gates and the urge to act came upon me. They wore identical dark suits
that had seen better days, and, as proper English gentlemen should, sported oak
walking sticks. The choice of the colour purple for both their hair and their
socks suggested an eccentricity I’m hopelessly weak for. With rhythmical steps
they headed towards a park bench and sat down. 

I was
mesmerised. I had no other option but to talk to them. I grabbed my friend’s
camera and walked up to them. I put on my most innocent face and rolled my r’s a bit to create the air of a
foreigner not used to the social code of the British Isles. I told them I was a
photography student from Finland making a project about twins and I asked if I
could take a photo of them. Without hesitation they posed for me in a way that
immediately betrayed a background in show business. 

An hour
later when kissing the twins goodbye I had heard stories from the set of Wizard
of Oz and from singing for the troops in the World War II. They showed me the
steps of the musicals they’d performed in and reminisced about the good old
days with Lawrence Olivier. Before hugging me the very last time they told me
I’d make a lovely actress but advised me to stay well clear of the show
business. ‘It’s a rotten business, it is.’, they said in perfect harmony. 

I did feel
guilty for my deceit. But then again we all enjoyed the little encounter and no
one was harmed during the scene. I think these delightful gentlemen had
pleasure posing for the photographer played by me and I have the photos to
prove that I once acted with these kings of show business, even if the stage
was grass fringe.

Categories
Misc News

Film director Ingmar Bergman dies at 89

Categories
Books Features

Discover Helsinki

This summer two new books about Helsinki were published. They are not the usual tourist guide. The Vice Guide to Helsinki and You Should Be Here! show a cheerful and modern city and discover its untold secrets. Timo Kühn, long time contributor of Vice Magazine, explains to FREE! how the Vice Guide was created.

“You can’t tell what’s amazing when you live there every day

Timo K&uuml

Admittedly, Helsinki is tucked away in a dark, cloistered corner of Europe, emanating a
certain inaccessibility to the garden variety traveler. That is, if it gets any notice at all. Enter Vice Magazine, their Finnish contact, decade long Helsinki inhabitant, Timo Kühn, along with a handful of talented natives, and funding from the Helsinki city Tourist & Convention Bureau,
only after forewarning that the publication must have a free hand.  As to be expected of the notoriously
controversial publication, Helsinki, illuminated through the trademark humor of Vice Magazine, has created some dispute. As Kühn replies though, “when somebody gets stoked or somebody gets
upset, you’re doing something right.”

We wanted to have a different angle on the city,” Kühn expounds.  Indeed. 
The opening article, From a Distance, is written by Helsinki’s adopted children, Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry from the band the Handsome Furs. What does a foreigner see or think about Finland? Hackneyed, preconceived images of ice hockey and Alvar Aalto?  Fortunately no, rather something more along the lines of good people, art, music, and despite what some in those Mediterranean countries might think, the food is good too. Kühn says, “they fell in love with Helsinki so that’s what we could understand, why the city is amazing. You can’t tell what’s amazing when you live there every day.”

Vice Guide to Helsinki

So rather than the run of the mill tours and landmarks found in a traditional Fodor’s or Lonely Planet book, Vice dishes the dirt on homegrown bands and local favorites. “We thought it would be better than telling more than one story,” Kühn says, “a guideline for finding your own fun. It depends on what kind of interests you have.” Drinking culture, as to be expected, is integral to Finnish life. Even still, “the Kallio piece tells a lot about Finnish mentality,” Kühn explains. There’s a lot more to it than “the harshness of Helsinki or nice bars, cool people.” 

The work that went into the project highlights a lot of the surging talent in these parts that, due to
the generation gap, Kühn laments “never gets utilized.” The intricate map of Helsinki, illustrated by Vilunki 3000, known for his long standing in the music scene and talent for
album cover design, was put together in a shockingly tight six days. Photos from Pekka Niittyvirta, Oskari Nolla, Riku Pihlanto, Miika Saksi, Jan Konsin, Sanna Charles, Joe Yarmush, and Mikko Matias Ryhänen capture Helsinki’s varied landscapes, alternately industrial and beautiful, but mostly the young people driving it forward. As Kühn says, “you cannot underestimate the value of young people’s ideas. There’s a certain group who are talented, but no one gathering everything together to market outward, which is what I tried to do with the guide. Something is starting to bubble.

You Should Be Here!

To cater to Eurovision madness back in May, Bulgaria Magazine put out a comprehensive, sometimes tongue in cheek, guide to Helsinki, You Should Be Here! Though sadly not on as prominent display around town now as then despite the influx of tourists (i.e. people with money who almost guaranteed do not speak Finnish) in the summer time, You Should Be Here! remains a helpful resource even for those who live here year round.

You should be here!

Even if Helsinki appears to be a small city, cracking open this guide unlocks a wealth of places yet untapped and amusing cultural tidbits.  Perhaps you’ve been too lazy to explore your own neighborhood yourself, spending your time in the over-crowded, tourist attractions. 

Maybe you’re the last person in town to not know Kallio is packed with bars, or you’ve been too overwhelmed by the choices to hit any of them up.  Or you want to deck yourself out in Finnish
fashion, but are bored of Marimekko. You Should Be Here! paints a new urban portrait for the city, or at least one from the perspective of what the talented youth of the city are making, breaking, and of course, drinking.  I, for one, was previously ignorant of the refreshing properties of fisu.

While Vice Magazine has put out on even more recently a pocket-sized guide to Helsinki, the Bulgaria book has the practical advantage of depth: more neighborhoods covered, shops, the karaoke taxi, even local history.  By virtue of being put out by Finland’s most offbeat design team, You Should Be Here! looks great as a coffee table book, completing your collection of Taschen, Rizzoli, and even color coordinates with the Phaidon Design Classic three volume set. Most importantly, You Should Be Here! serves as a reminder of why, indeed, we are here.

Categories
Albums Music

Maija Vilkkumaa – Ilta Savoyssa

After her big success with the last studio albums Ei and Se Ei Olekaan Niin, now Maija offers a special present to the fans with this
double album, Ilta Savoyssa (and not Ilta Savoyassa as appeared funnily
in some Internet music shop services) that registers her live performance in
Savoy Theater, Helsinki, during last March gigs.

The album starts with a funny intro, where with good sense of humour
we listen how the managers are looking for somebody to replace Maija since she
does not show up for the concert, and go to ask to…Maija faking being other
person who sings awfully.

Musically, the album consists of 22 tracks where Maija sings one after
another her greatest hits. The atmosphere for singing in Savoy is slightly
different from a summer festival, and Maija takes advantage to explode her most
intimate side in tracks like Mun Elämä or Ei. In general the tone
of the album sounds more pop oriented than usual, with a bit excessive orchestral
flourish accompanying Maija’s voice.

I must admit that I prefer
Maija when singing for wild audiences in student parties or festivals, and she
shows her rock and roll side, usually linked with a wilder behaviour on stage
that makes her connect deeply with her audience. Songs like Kristiina does not sound as powerful in this live album as they should be, but
nevertheless, Maija’s singing skills, with her soulful voice,
work well enough to delight our ears and it is exciting to hear once more
performing Satumaa Tango as a big end to the album.

A slightly different album that shows new features in Maija’s
repertoire. Recommended for those who are already fans. For the new ones, try to
approach the older albums first.

Categories
Misc News

Bloodpit on “comprehensive break”, cancels all gigs

‘Last Friday's gig at Sunset Beach Party, which lasted only two songs,
proved that the mental health of the members of the group is no longer
in condition required for touring,’ the band writes.

The decision for the long break was taken more precisely because of singer Matthau Mikojan’s substance abuse and mental problems.

'First and foremost everyone must be in control of their own lives, and
at the moment the band's vocalist's personal problems and his need to
mess or clear his mind with whatever substance happens to be at hand
both affect the actions of the entire group to excess,' the frank statement continues on Bloodpit's MySpace page.

Earlier during the week, Bloodpit had already cancelled all the rest of the week’s gigs in Finland ‘due to sudden illness’, announcing that more information would follow.

The band from Tampere had scheduled a European tour for late autumn, with dates in Germany, Russia, Switzerland and Austria, all of which now won’t take place.

The members of the group are unsure about Bloodpit‘s future. ‘We [will] return to the stage as a band once we, as a whole, are in a condition worthy of our audience. Should this never happen, we reckon that for us, this was it,’ says the statement.

Bloodpit have so far released two albums: Mental Circus (2005) and Off The Hook (2007). Last month (7 July) the group opened for Mötley Crüe at Helsinki’s Jäähalli (Ice Stadium).

 

Links:

Bloodpit’s official website

Bloodpit on MySpace

The group members last year in a TV interview on American music channel IMF (YouTube)

Videos of some of Bloodpit’s la(te)st live performances (YouTube)

 

Categories
Misc News

Espoo Ciné programme made public, ticket sales have started

The programme features about 90 films in total. Other highlights include Mika Kaurismäki’s latest music documentary Sonic Mirror, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 28 Weeks Later, and the premier of the long awaited drama Colorado Avenue by Finnish director Claes Olsson.

The festival will also see the first screening in Finland of Destino, the unique collaboration between Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney.

Espoo Ciné XVIII International Film Festival
21-26 August
Espoo Cultural Centre, Tapiola, Espoo

Website: www.espoocine.fi
 

Categories
Concerts Music

Metal veterans look back

{mosimage}Metallica, the elder statesmen of trash metal, misters Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett
and Trujillo, put up a solid show at
Helsinki Olympic Stadium, the second to last gig of their Sick of the Studio
'07 tour. Once again the middle-aged metal gods proved their mastery of
machine-gun-riffs and face-melting licks in the face of a worshipping crowd of
metalheads. Hard core fans and casual enthusiasts each got their fill from a
set which combined the best parts of Metallica's long career: the early days'
trash metal genius of staccato riffs and breakneck transitions, and the more
mainstream metal from 1991's Black Album

onwards.

The band seemed to be in good spirits and appeared happy to
be playing older songs. Fan favourites from the past dominated the setlist,
only a few post-Black Album songs were played, and none from 2003's St. Anger. Instead, the first  three albums were well represented. Rob
Trujillo, who wasn't around when most of the songs were first composed, seemes
to have reclaimed his place in the ranks of the Metal Militia. Following Trujillo's
bass solo the band payed homage to deceased original bassist Cliff Burton by
launching into Orion, a meandering
instrumental bash-a-thon written by Burton. The main portion of the set finished
off with the crowd chanting to a thunderous Master
of Puppets, followed by a raging Whiplash.
The band  returned to deliver the
necessary crowd-pleasers from Sad But
True to One
, this time with added
fireworks and pyrotechnics to boot. Cheap tricks, sure, but who cares, they
worked. With Enter Sandman out of the
way, the band came back once more to play Am
I Evil?
and finally obliterated the venue for good with Seek and Destroy.

It's good to see Metallica at ease with their past and
performing with such energy. With a set leaning towards their early career,
they sounded – in a good way – like they might as well have performed in a
dingy basement club. Still, mr. Hetfield is a enough of a showman to grab
an  audience, and he has the skill to
bring out the dramatic arc in a byzantine metal-oddyssey. While the concert
offered nothing really new, it was an entertaining and well executed
cross-section of the career of one of the most important metal bands ever.

On a side note, certain Finnish tabloids have been following
HIM's ordeals as Metallica's
warm-up act, and apparently for a reason. They were just all wrong for the
situation. Sandwiched between first opener Diablo's
aggressive piledriver metal and the colossal main act, HIM's synth-heavy and
melodic rock seemed completely out of place. The band's poor performance didn't
help either, or the fact that a large portion of the audience was still queuing
to the stadium during the opening acts. Then again, it was hardly a total
disaster: at least people applauded politely after every song.

 This show and all the shows of the tour are available for purchase and download at:
 http://www.livemetallica.com 

 

SETLIST

15 July 2007 – Olympic Stadium, Helsinki 

Creeping Death
The Four Horsemen
Kirk Doodle #1
Ride The Lightning
Disposable Heroes
Kirk Doodle #2
The Unforgiven
And Justice for All
The Memory Remains
No Leaf Clover
Rob Doodle
Orion
Fade to Black
Master Of Puppets
Kirk Doodle #3
Whiplash
Sad But True
Kirk Doodle #4
Nothing Else Matters
One
Enter Sandman
Am I Evil?
Seek and Destroy

Categories
Cinema DVD

Friends in love

{mosimage}Based on Zoe Heller's book, one of
the most exciting female acting duels that you could imagine has arrived on DVD:
Barbara vs. Sheba,
or what is the same, Judi Dench vs. Cate Blanchett, both winners
of the Academy Award in previous years. Notes on a Scandal, directed by Richard Eyre,
introduce us into a normal English school scenario where two different
professors will become close friends, linked in their destinies in a fatal way:
The old and grumpy Barbara trying to guide the young and beauty Sheba.

 

 

{sidebar id=9}Cate Blanchett really looks astonishing in
the film (not a surprise for many since more than one fell in love with her
ambiguous Galadriel during Lord of the Rings, even rejecting Arwen’s
charms). The friendship relation will became vicious when Barbara discovers
that Sheba, who is married and with a daughter of 16 and a son with Down’s syndrome,
is having sex relations with a 15 years old pupil from her school. But more
than judging the morality of the actions by the professor, the plotline is
aimed at showing how dangerous can be to share secrets with the wrong friends. Both
actresses are superb in their roles, but I was expecting a bit more of “punch”
for the last third of the film.

The role of the young boy is pretty much
obliterated in many parts of the movie, and the shared scenes between Dench and
Blanchett turn to be a bit boring at the end. The best moments usually happen
when there is a third guest between the two main characters, as when Barbara is
sharing dinner with the family (mention apart for the great job of the betrayed
husband Bill Nighy), or in the erotic scenes with Blanchett and the
young Andrew Simpson (who made his debut here while having to assist to
his own normal lessons at school).

There was quite a polemic when the film was
about to be released about the sex scenes in the British media, but from my
point of view, that part has been treated with extreme delicacy. In any case,
if you want to find the “leitmotiv” that leads to the female characters in the
film, think more about loneliness and boredom than about lust.

 

Categories
Concerts Music

Where is Sly?

{mosimage}One of the
big days at Pori Jazz 2007 was marked by the performance of the reunited Sly
and The Family Stone
. In 2006, the reclusive Sly Stone decided to come back and
hit the road again. After years of retirement, drug abuse and erratic behaviour,
there was a big expectation (and doubts) of what the seminal soul, funk and
rock combo could offer.
 

 

A jam,
which served as a sound check, and the hit Dance to the Music opened the show on Friday night.
No sign of Sly Stone on stage yet. Perhaps several people at that time wondered
if the artist was even in Finland. But soon, he is introduced and Sly appears
on stage in an oversized hoody, a baseball cap and dark glasses. He joins the
band playing keyboards, he sings a little bit with an old and worn out voice
and after a couple of songs he leaves the stage promising that he would be back
after a while.

That while
was a bit long and meanwhile the band played most of the Family Stone hits. To
make things more complicated, showers started and the audience rushed to put
the raincoat on. Ironically the band was playing Hot Fun in the Summertime at
that moment. This is Finland, indeed!

The Family
Stone delivered the classic funk sound that made it between 1969 and 1972 be
one of the most of exciting live acts in America. But those days are long gone
and without several original members (specially missed is the presence of
bassist Larry Graham) the band plays a correct and safe show supported by one
of the most impressive repertoires a band can have.

Little sister
Vet Stone and Rose Stone’s daughter Lisa Stone, who showcased the most powerful
and beautiful voice of the night, took lead vocals during the most part of the
night with Skyler Jett doing Sly’s part when the old man was not around. In the
group’s family tradition, Sly’s daughter also made a brief appearance for a
short rap that will not be the most memorable moment of the festival.

The band
leader came back to the stage and sang a touching Family Affair, which was a
highlight the show. He also stayed for I Want to Take You Higher, but half way
the song, he left the stage once again with the promise of coming back,
although he never did. The total time of Sly on stage in Pori did not exceed 15
minutes.

The show
finished with an extended Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) that was a
crowd pleaser, although a large part of the audience already had already left
because of the rain. There was no encore and the final result of the show was a
bit under par. With no rain, a smaller place and above all, a more inspired and
motivated Sly Stone, the performance could have been legendary. But it wasn’t.

Front page photo by Maarit Nissinen / Pori Jazz

Categories
At the cinema Cinema

D’OH!


{mosimage} The yellow
universe of The Simpsons finally hits the big screen. An environmental
disaster, provoked by the one and only Homer Simpson (with a bit of help from
his new close friend, Spider-Pig) threatens to cause Springfield’s apocalypse. The
much-anticipated big-screen adventure of the most dysfunctional family opens
worldwide today.

 

{sidebar id=1}T

he idea of
a Simpsons film was rumored for many years and it also took many years to
complete. The big day is here and as Homer exclaims at the beginning of the
film: “I can't believe we're paying for something we
get for free on TV!”

After
creating such universal pop icons, sure Matt Groening and the crew of writers
felt a lot of pressure to avoid disappointing the millions of fans. Watching
the film is easy to notice that they tried very hard, even too hard.

The movie,
especially in its first half, is a tour around Springfield and it contains most
of the best gags in the movie, including the naked skate ride by Bart,
including a moment of full frontal. Almost every character has some seconds on
screen. But many of them appear too briefly as the film focuses exclusively in the
Simpsons.

It seems
that the writer made a conscious effort to separate the feature film from the
series and usual locations, like Moe’s bar, the school or the nuclear plant,
are hardly seen. The animation has been improved with detailed backgrounds and
shiny computer effects.

There are
some good gags and well written dialogues, but the film ends up suffering from
the same flaws the series has suffered in the last seasons. Homer has become a silly
caricature of himself instead of the absurd genius that he used to be. There is
also a futile effort in keeping the series contemporary and transmitting political
message instead of being satirical and unconventional. But the main problem
with the film is a weak plot and the lack of remarkable jokes. One wonders how
come a large team of writers didn’t come up with a better story.

In spite of
all the defects The Simpsons is still entertaining, but it is just a bit
disappointing that it is nothing better than an extended episode, done when the
glory days of the series are gone. In a way, this film leaves the same feeling
as the latest Rolling Stones’ album: it’s not bad, but not great and, above
all, was it necessary?

A dubbed version in Finnish will be released in theaters across Finland. It is the first time that The Simpsons will speak Finnish.

Categories
Cinema DVD

Mr. Bean goes on holiday

{mosimage}
Run for your
lives, Mr. Bean is back! After the first film released in 1997, and having had uneven
fortune with his appearances in Johnny English (2003) and Keeping Mum
(2005), Rowan Atkinson is back with the character that has driven him into
fame during the last 2 decades with the second (and rumours say that maybe last
one) long feature film that narrates the adventures of Mr. Bean in his way to
holidays in the south of France.

 

 

{sidebar id=6}
B
ut of
course Mr. Bean, a man with the soul of a child, has the ability to turn every situation
into a small disaster. With his “French” language skills reduce to a simply
“gracias”, he will live once more the more amazing adventures in company of
Stepan (Max Baldry) a child that is accidentally separated by Bean from the
company of his father while heading to the Cannes festival.

Rowan Atkinson's
mastery for provoking laugh is undeniable, and he shows a total dominium of his
body, pushing the expressions of his face to paroxysm. The storyline is well
worked and looks plausible, but Bean’s reactions do not look as fresh as in his
beginnings. Fortunately, he is superbly supported by Willem Dafoe in the
role of an egocentric American director assisting to Cannes to release his last “masterpiece”, and
Emma de Caunes as a sweet young actress who will help Mr. Bean to get
rid of the problems he gets immersed into.

Maybe, to
“kill” Bean after this second movie is a wise decision from Atkinson, who
should try to reinvent himself in new roles, and although the film do not
suppose a breakthrough in the comedy genre, there are a couple of interesting
new features as the use of a video camera by Bean all along the film, as well
as good moments like the impressively beautiful 
last sequence when he walks to the beach stepping on trucks to reach the
other side of the road. Not being anything extraordinary, the film makes you
have a good time during the approximately hour and half when Bean almost
literally turns half France
into chaos.

Categories
At the cinema Cinema

Independence Day with robots

{mosimage}
For me and many of my close friends, Transformers
was much more than just another science fiction movie project.  We belong to a generation that grew up sitting
on the sofa since early hours in the morning, in front of the TV set, devouring
one animation series after another, totally flabbergasted by the huge amount of
new and exciting shows coming from America and Japan. And Transformers was
for most of us, the cherry on top of the cake. It was a happy time with no much
worries; our glass of milk in one hand, the biscuits in the other, and the eyes
was totally hypnotized in front of the screen, watching the battles of Autobots
and Deserticons.

For many of you, the story is well known.
Two robotic clans with amazing skills and powers, coming from a destroyed
planet, that find the Earth their second home. One of them is evil and wants to
destroy human beings: The Decepticons. The others are friendly with
humans: The Autobots. Both clans have charismatic leaders whose names
are an evocation of power: Optimus Prime, the red and blue truck, leader
of the Autobots that fights against Megatron, the sneaky and nasty boss of the
Deserticons.

Many were the fans of the original animation
series that was released in 1984 and the success was so huge that countless
series, comics and adaptations were made in following years. The product got
followers in Japan,
America
and Europe, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. I
have read many blogs where every Transformer´s character is deeply
analyzed to the last chapter and verse, and even some freaks fans had an
enormous pleasure in theorizing about twisted love relations between human
characters and robots.

And here we are in 2007, where finally the project
is taken by Hollywood
and put under the hands of Michael
Bay
(director among
others of The Island or Pearl Harbor).
Well, I was a bit afraid before watching the final product about what kind of
angle would be used for the adaptation. I suppose, as many other fans, you
always try to preserve the original spirit as much as possible. After watching
it, I think that the title of this article speaks by itself. Michael Bay
has created a film that is totally directed to hail the American way of life,
and the power and sophistication of their weapons and arsenal. This is really a
pity, because the original idea could have been developed into a really much
more wonderful result.

The robots, that should be basically the “main course” of
the film, are poorly depicted. You can hardly make any difference about who is
who, or what are the special features that every robot has. And the extremely
fast rhythm of the action and battles does not help at all to solve the
problem. Michael Bay continues stamping the “video clip
tempo” in his action movies, and the spectator continues praying for an
explanation to understand what is happening on the screen.

{mosimage}
About the human
characters, Shia LaBeouf
looks like a clown all along the film, and it is difficult to concentrate on Megan
Fox
’s acting skills, since every shot where she appears is treated as if
taken from a Playboy sketch. The girl is really hot… and not much more to add.
I don’t know what is about with such a huge polemic about Iranian videogames promoting
actions against western countries, when products so unnecessarily pro-America
like this slap on our face month after month. I have nothing against USA. I am a
citizen of the world and I think that it should be easier if people just would
appreciate what is good from every culture. But I hate to feel betrayed as a
fan. I hate when such a nice original idea as Transformer was is just
turned into a political propaganda movie. I have no other option that just jumping
back in time and use my memory to remember again the good moments sitting on my
sofa with my glass of milk in one hand, and the Transformer's catchy
intro music announcing that another great episode was just going to be
broadcasted! 

The Best

When Optimus Prime cries: Autobots, transform
and roll out!

The couple of times
when the robot leaders really “mean business” and destroy an enemy.

The Worst

The Americanization of the concept that destroys the original spirit of the
movie.

The Detail

When the Autobots first crash to Earth in meteor form, a man with a
video camera exclaims, "This is so much better than Armageddon"; in
allusion to director Michael Bay's
earlier film Armageddon.

The poker deck with Saddam Hussein.

Participate in our Transformers competition and win good prizies. Click here

Categories
Concerts Music

Rock dreams on

{mosimage}If you live for rock and you weren’t in Hartwall Areena last Saturday you missed out a lot: Aerosmith rocked! Aerosmith is one of the most remarkable rock bands in the world and their 140 million sold albums make sure that everybody knows their songs. On Saturday 7 July they played hard rock and ballads non-stop for 2 hours for 10000 Aerosmith fans. People in audience were standing up or dancing during the whole concert. Especially when they played Cryin’ people went crazy!

It’s amazing (same than the title of another of their greatest hit), how after all of these 37 years on top, and yet first half of them spent on drugs, they all are still fit, good looking and rocking like there is no tomorrow. Especially Steven Tyler is very charismatic and entertaining singer. He definitely got that certain something! 

Because the date was 07.07.07 and the most wanted day to get married, for obvious reason, Steven noticed the married couple in audience, all dressed up and having the time of their lives, and congratulated them. In addition to the most popular day to get married, there were several Live Earth concerts arranged around the globe on the same day. Just before the song Livin’ on the Edge Tyler reminded all of us to really think about what’s going on in the world. And then he sang: “There is something wrong with the world today…” 

It has been a decade since these rock stars were in Finland, few years after they released the massive hit album called Get a Grip, which was the soundtrack of every teenager’s life in the nineties. We Aerosmith fans just hope it won’t be that long for the next time!

Walk This Way The same day it was released the Finnish translation of the band's autobiography Walk This Way. The book is very honest talk about the history of Aerosmith; including lot of sex, drugs & rock n roll, but also a great biography of the members of the band.

More information:  http://www.like.fi/kirja.php?detail_id=4072 

 

SETLIST

7 July 2007 – Hartwall Areena, Helsinki 

Love In An Elevator
Same Old Song and Dance
Cryin'
Eat The Rich
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
Jaded
What It Takes
Back In The Saddle
Baby Please Don't Go
Hangman Jury/Seasons Of Wither
Dream On
S.O.S. (Too Bad)
Livin' On The Edge
Think About It
Stop Messin' Around
Sweet Emotion
Draw The Line

Encore
Walk This Way 

Categories
Misc News

Bloodhound Gang coming to Finland

Bloodhound Gang’s mix of (comedy) rock, hip-hop, metal, punk and other
music styles with humorous, often controversial lyrics (which they
themselves refer to as ‘Christian Rap’ on their MySpace page) have been
good for many entertaining videos and live performances and world wide
record sales of over 4 million copies.

The band’s other hits include “The Bad
Touch”, “The Ballad of Chasey Lain” and “Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo”. 

Bloodhound Gang’s last performance in Finland in 2005 was said to be so
wild at times, that age limits have been set this time: 18 for the show
at Himos Areena and 15 for Nosturi.

Bloodhound Gang’s official website
Bloodhound Gang on MySpace