Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her power ballad “Tattoo”, at a colourful, eclectic music competition clouded for a second year running by the war in Ukraine.
The diva from Stockholm beat acts from 25 other countries to take the continent’s pop crown at the final of the competition in Liverpool. Finnish singer Käärijä was second in a close-fought battle of the Nordic neighbors.
Loreen, 39, previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland’s Johnny Logan in the 1980s. It’s Sweden’s seventh Eurovision victory, matching Ireland’s record.
“I am seriously overwhelmed,” Loreen said. “This is so beautiful.”
Read More: Kate Middleton Plays Piano In Surprise Eurovision Appearance
She said returning to the contest that helped make her a star was “like coming back to a family. We’ve had an 11-year-long relationship.
The diva from Stockholm beat acts from 25 other countries to take the continent’s pop crown at the final of the competition in Liverpool. Finnish singer Käärijä was second in a close-fought battle of the Nordic neighbors.
Loreen, 39, previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland’s Johnny Logan in the 1980s. It’s Sweden’s seventh Eurovision victory, matching Ireland’s record.
“I am seriously overwhelmed,” Loreen said. “This is so beautiful.”
Read More: Kate Middleton Plays Piano In Surprise Eurovision Appearance
She said returning to the contest that helped make her a star was “like coming back to a family. We’ve had an 11-year-long relationship.
- 5/14/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
It’s two minutes into the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 and I already have chills. I’m watching something a lot of British people thought we’d never see: a Eurovision hosted in the U.K. After years of abysmal performances and frustration, the U.K. finally changed the narrative last year, finishing in second place behind Ukraine. Because of Russia’s invasion of their country, Ukraine is unable to host, so the northern English city of Liverpool has stepped up to host on their behalf. The show was opened by Kalush Orchestra,...
- 5/14/2023
- by Louis Staples
- Rollingstone.com
Commissions
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a documentary on Prince Andrew as part of its programming around the coronation of his brother, King Charles III. Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with then “Newsnight” anchor Emily Maitlis was widely mocked and condemned and proved to be the catalyst in Andrew’s banishment from public life. In the new two-part documentary “Andrew – The Problem Prince” (working title) from Channel 4 and A&e, Maitlis speaks in detail about the interview. The documentary uses archive footage, interviews with BBC producer Sam McAlister and exclusive access to palace insiders, to uncover the inside story of the interview and unravel the scandal that led to his fall from grace.
Among Channel 4’s other coronation programming, “Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy” airs in the build up to the event and will provide the comedian’s perspective on the history of the royal family and its modern-day goings on.
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a documentary on Prince Andrew as part of its programming around the coronation of his brother, King Charles III. Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with then “Newsnight” anchor Emily Maitlis was widely mocked and condemned and proved to be the catalyst in Andrew’s banishment from public life. In the new two-part documentary “Andrew – The Problem Prince” (working title) from Channel 4 and A&e, Maitlis speaks in detail about the interview. The documentary uses archive footage, interviews with BBC producer Sam McAlister and exclusive access to palace insiders, to uncover the inside story of the interview and unravel the scandal that led to his fall from grace.
Among Channel 4’s other coronation programming, “Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy” airs in the build up to the event and will provide the comedian’s perspective on the history of the royal family and its modern-day goings on.
- 4/17/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Update, Exclusive: Norway’s Nrk has become the third Scandinavian public broadcasting network to join Those Who Stayed as a co-producer.
Previously, Exclusive: A pair of Nordic networks have boarded Those Who Stayed, the Ukraine invasion anthology series we first told you about last year.
Public broadcasters Svt in Sweden and Yle in Finland have joined Film.UA and Red Arrow Studios International on the project as co-producers.
Shooting on the comedy-drama anthology is planned to begin in March. Three production crews are being readied to allow for a fast turnaround and delivery in autumn of 2023 or winter in early 2024.
The scripted series tells stories from the early days of Russia’s attack on neighbour Ukraine nearly a year ago. We first revealed details in August.
The anthology comedy/drama will focus on the immediate aftermath of the February 24 invasion, with each episode telling the story of a group of characters...
Previously, Exclusive: A pair of Nordic networks have boarded Those Who Stayed, the Ukraine invasion anthology series we first told you about last year.
Public broadcasters Svt in Sweden and Yle in Finland have joined Film.UA and Red Arrow Studios International on the project as co-producers.
Shooting on the comedy-drama anthology is planned to begin in March. Three production crews are being readied to allow for a fast turnaround and delivery in autumn of 2023 or winter in early 2024.
The scripted series tells stories from the early days of Russia’s attack on neighbour Ukraine nearly a year ago. We first revealed details in August.
The anthology comedy/drama will focus on the immediate aftermath of the February 24 invasion, with each episode telling the story of a group of characters...
- 2/2/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Max
Lauren Graham ("Parenthood," "Gilmore Girls") will join Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church and Jay Hernandez in Boaz Yakin's family adventure "Max" at MGM. Filming begins in May in North Carolina. Graham will play the lead boy's mother, a woman who lost her eldest son to war but now has to heal her youngest.
Yakin and Sheldon Lettich co-wrote the script about a military dog traumatized by his handler's death in Afghanistan and is adopted by the soldier's bereaved family. He bonds with the soldier's troubled 14-year-old brother (Wiggins), and together they begin to heal one another and discover a secret about the soldier's death. [Source: THR]
Scouts vs. Zombies
Sarah Dumont has scored the female lead in Christopher Landon's horror comedy "Scouts vs. Zombies" at Paramount Pictures. Dumont plays a high school dropout that has guys panting and who will ultimately teach the scouts to man up in their fight.
Lauren Graham ("Parenthood," "Gilmore Girls") will join Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church and Jay Hernandez in Boaz Yakin's family adventure "Max" at MGM. Filming begins in May in North Carolina. Graham will play the lead boy's mother, a woman who lost her eldest son to war but now has to heal her youngest.
Yakin and Sheldon Lettich co-wrote the script about a military dog traumatized by his handler's death in Afghanistan and is adopted by the soldier's bereaved family. He bonds with the soldier's troubled 14-year-old brother (Wiggins), and together they begin to heal one another and discover a secret about the soldier's death. [Source: THR]
Scouts vs. Zombies
Sarah Dumont has scored the female lead in Christopher Landon's horror comedy "Scouts vs. Zombies" at Paramount Pictures. Dumont plays a high school dropout that has guys panting and who will ultimately teach the scouts to man up in their fight.
- 5/4/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The cast for Paul Feig’s latest comedy collaboration with Melissa McCarthy, Spy, keeps on growing as the director swells the ranks in front of the camera with more and more reliably entertaining people. Allison Janney and Morena Baccarin are the latest names added to the roster.Baccarin – most recently seen in an espionage story of a different stripe for TV’s Homeland – is playing a character named Karen Walker, while Janney is set as CIA agent Elaine Crocker, who crosses paths with McCarthy’s secret operative, Susan Cooper. The pair join a large ensemble that already includes Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, Nia Long, 50 Cent, Peter Serafinowicz, Nargis Fakhri, Bjorn Gustafsson and Verka Serduchka.This also marks a reunion for Janney and McCarthy, who will be sharing screen time in this year’s road trip comedy Tammy, due here on July 4. As for Spy,...
- 5/1/2014
- EmpireOnline
Peter Serafinowicz has been cast in Paul Feig's Spy.
Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri, Swedish comedian Bjorn Gustafsson and transgender Ukrainian popstar Verka Serduchka have also joined the Melissa McCarthy-starring comedy, reports Deadline.
Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson and Miranda Hart will also feature in the movie.
The film centres around Susan Cooper (Melissa) - an unlikely spy - as she teams with a diverse group of her secret agent colleagues.
"There are so many actors worldwide that I've been dying to work with and Nargis, Peter and Bjorn have always been at the top of my list," said Feig.
"Peter and Bjorn are comic geniuses and Nargis is cool, funny and drop-dead gorgeous, which ironically are three adjectives that have been used to describe me. So, I feel a special kinship with her."
Serafinowicz will next be seen in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri, Swedish comedian Bjorn Gustafsson and transgender Ukrainian popstar Verka Serduchka have also joined the Melissa McCarthy-starring comedy, reports Deadline.
Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson and Miranda Hart will also feature in the movie.
The film centres around Susan Cooper (Melissa) - an unlikely spy - as she teams with a diverse group of her secret agent colleagues.
"There are so many actors worldwide that I've been dying to work with and Nargis, Peter and Bjorn have always been at the top of my list," said Feig.
"Peter and Bjorn are comic geniuses and Nargis is cool, funny and drop-dead gorgeous, which ironically are three adjectives that have been used to describe me. So, I feel a special kinship with her."
Serafinowicz will next be seen in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.
- 4/25/2014
- Digital Spy
British actor/comedian Peter Serafinowicz, Bollywood regular Nargis Fakhri, Swedish comedian Bjorn Gustafsson and Ukrainian drag queen pop star Verka Serduchka have all joined the cast of the Melissa McCarthy-led comedy "Spy".
Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids," "The Heat") helms the film about the unlikely espionage abilities of McCarthy's character as she deals with threats to the world. Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, Nia Long and 50 Cent have already been cast.
Serduchka, a character creation of Andriy Danylko, memorably represented Ukraine in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest and came in second place. That famously wacky performance of 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai', which you can see below, will reportedly be recreated for the film which is currently shooting in Budapest.
The comedy is currently slated to open next May.
Source: Deadline...
Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids," "The Heat") helms the film about the unlikely espionage abilities of McCarthy's character as she deals with threats to the world. Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, Nia Long and 50 Cent have already been cast.
Serduchka, a character creation of Andriy Danylko, memorably represented Ukraine in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest and came in second place. That famously wacky performance of 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai', which you can see below, will reportedly be recreated for the film which is currently shooting in Budapest.
The comedy is currently slated to open next May.
Source: Deadline...
- 4/25/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
• True Detective’s Erin Moriarty will star opposite Mel Gibson (The Expendables 3) in the upcoming thriller Blood Father. Penned by The Town’s Peter Craig, the upcoming film focuses on an ex-con who reunites with his 16-year-old daughter in order to protect her from the drug dealers trying to kill her. [Variety]
• Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) is in talks to join Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) in his next comedy Grimsby. Strong would play a British Black Ops agent who must go on the run with his long-lost brother, played by Baron Cohen, who co-wrote the script with Phil Johnston...
• Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) is in talks to join Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) in his next comedy Grimsby. Strong would play a British Black Ops agent who must go on the run with his long-lost brother, played by Baron Cohen, who co-wrote the script with Phil Johnston...
- 4/25/2014
- by EW staff
- EW - Inside Movies
Though the cameras are already rolling, Paul Feig is making sure international audiences pay attention to his latest collaboration with Melissa McCarthy, Spy, by recruiting talent from around the globe. New to the cast are Peter Serafinowicz, Bollywood regular Nargis Fakhri and Swedish comedian Bjorn Gustafsson.As if that wasn’t enough to add to the Eurovision (well, world-vision, given Nargis) flavour, Feig is also hiring Ukrainian pop star Verka Serduchka, who scored second place in the Eurovision event back in 2007. She’ll be recreating her performance with her dancers for the film.Spy focuses on the unlikely espionage abilities of McCarthy’s character, Susan Cooper, as she deals with threats and assistance from the likes of Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, Nia Long and 50 Cent. “There are so many actors worldwide that I’ve been dying to work with and Nargis, Peter and Bjorn...
- 4/24/2014
- EmpireOnline
Exclusive: An international spy comedy needs some offshore talent, and director Paul Feig has found his for Spy, the comedy that stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Bobby Cannavale, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson and Miranda Hart. Feig has added Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri, British comic actor Peter Serafinowicz and Swedish comedian Bjorn Gustafsson. “There are so many actors worldwide that I’ve been dying to work with and Nargis, Peter and Bjorn have always been at the top of my list,” Feig said. “Peter and Bjorn are comic geniuses and Nargis is cool, funny and drop-dead gorgeous, which ironically are three adjectives that have been used to describe me. So, I feel a special kinship with her.” Feig also added Verka Serduchka, the transgender Ukrainian pop star famous for coming in second place in the Eurovision song competition in 2007. She and her dancers are going to re-create that performance in this movie.
- 4/24/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
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