Just 14 years ago today: debut single of Håkan Hellström. (Känn ingen sorg för mig i Göteborg.) And now, everyone in Sweden ❤ Håkan -he can do no wrong. :-); video from his Allsång på Skansen show last summer

Today is not just the first day of the 2014 NFL Draft or the second Semifinal of the Eurovision Singing Contest in Copenhagen, you know, it's also...

Just 14 years ago 2day: debut single of Håkan Hellström. And now, everyone in Sweden ❤ Håkan -he can do no wrong. :-) http://t.co/pmEqo4HvzE
— HallandaleBeachBlog (@hbbtruth) May 8, 2014

vackragavlestad YouTube Channel video: Håkan Hellström - Känn ingen sorg för mig i Göteborg 

LIVE on SVT's Allsång på Skansen, Stockholm, Sweden. Uploaded July 9, 2013

http://youtu.be/zx4ohWQd_tE

The clip above is from the amazing one-hour LIVE SVT telecast from last July from the stage at Allsång på Skansen in Stockholm that was a special broadcast featuring Håkan and some of his friends and special invited guests, like Helen Sjöholm, Anna Järvinen, Tomas von Brömssen and others.

I watched that LIVE on my computer here in Hallandale Beach and it was, by far, the single most entertaining hour of music I heard all year, especially when you understand what most of the various elements in the show -and costumes in the audience- represent, both symbolically and emotionally to his fans. 

Speaking of @Skansen & "Valborg," from Håkan Hellström's amazing concert last July, here's the sublime Helen Sjöholm http://t.co/LCA85IPX6S
— HallandaleBeachBlog (@hbbtruth) April 30, 2014

For instance, speaking of the amazing Helen, so often written about here on the blog the past seven years, here's a sublime Helen singing "Valborg."

http://youtu.be/SNBO0H6ngpQ 

vackragavlestad YouTube Channel video: Håkan Hellström - "Nu kan du få mig så lätt" LIVE on SVT's Allsång på Skansen, Stockholm, Sweden. Uploaded July 9, 2013.

http://youtu.be/u5Oa1LO7_Cw

I call this video above of him singing "Nu kan du få mig så lätt" from the show, "The Adoration" for reasons that are quite apparent.

Years ago, in some of his public performances, Håkan dressed onstage in a white sailor's uniform. It's sort of a common knowledge thing in Sweden.

Anyway, as you can see at 0:08 and 0:27, by the drawing and the girl in the sailor outfit herself, some of the girls haven't forgotten.

I guess there's just something about a sailor, eh?

And I don't mean Sailor Moon.

You can see the whole concert here, which I have watched from beginning-to-end probably a dozen times since last July, with just a brief appearance by Allsång host Måns Zelmerlöw.


Phareed YouTube channel video: Allsångsscenen är din: Håkan Hellström (Live på Skansen 2013) Stockholm, Sweden. Uploaded July 9, 2013. http://youtu.be/0upVoqUXc4Q

Heavenly! A month before her film 'Monica Z' opens in Sweden on September 13th, Edda Magnason sings "Sakta vi gå hem genom stan” (Slowly we walk through town) LIVE on SVT's Allsång på Skansen, Stockholm, August 13, 2013, on the last show of 2013. With lyrics! Now THAT'S how you promote a film featuring great music!; #monicaz, #eddamagnason, @manszelmerlow, @svtallsang, @PeterBirro

runforyourlife71 YouTubeChannel video: Edda Magnason - Sakta vi gå genom stan - Allsång på Skansen. Uploaded October 23, 2013. http://youtu.be/Tqmp6q7jGkg

Heavenly! A month before her film 'Monica Z' opens in Sweden on September 13th, Edda Magnason sings "Sakta vi gå hem genom stan” (Slowly we walk through town) LIVE on SVT's Allsång på Skansen, Stockholm, August 13, 2013, on the last show of 2013. With lyrics! Now THAT'S how you promote a film featuring great music!; #monicaz, #eddamagnason, @manszelmerlow, @svtallsang, @PeterBirro

Updated in 2014

My last blog post on Edda Magnason and the news regarding her role playing Swedish pop culture icon Monica Zetterlund, complete with both the official video of 'Sakta vi gå hem genom stan' and the official trailer for the biopic "Monica Z" was on July 26, 2013 titled, Trending at HBB with Sexy Swedish élan: Edda Magnason channels iconic Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund for her upcoming biopic "Monica Z"; Edda Magnason - Sakta vi gå genom stan (Official Video); Opens nationally in Sweden on September 13th, but premiering at 'Way Out West' film festival in Göteborg from August 8-10; #monicaz, @PeterBirro
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/trending-at-hbb-with-sexy-swedish-elan.html

"Monica Z" tävlar i Montreal: http://t.co/777OIhfSoM
— Kulturnytt i SR (@kulturnytt) August 8, 2013

Above, a tweet from Sveriges Radio on the news that Monica Z has been selected to compete at the upcoming Montreal Film Festival. 
In Swedish, though...


http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/article17290129.ab

After I watched the Edda Magnason video a few times I went looking around to my usual smorgasbord of online Swedish media and pop culture sites to see what's what in Sverige in the middle of August.

Even a perfunctory reading of things makes perfectly clear that there are lots of fans of singer and Allsång host Måns Zelmerlöw who are not happy about the news that after three great years of entertainment, Måns will not be returning to host the popular show next summer, meaning that Tuesday night wasn't just the last show of the summer, but also the last one to be hosted by the energetic and multi-talented Måns.

But the thing is, it's his choice, not the choice of the management at SVT, who are very happy with the job that he has done and love the ratings he brings, since it's the number-one show on TV in the summer, last week drawing 1.7 million TV viewers in a country of about 9.5 million people, less than half the size of Florida..
http://hd.se/noje/2013/08/12/tv-toppen-zelmerlows-allsang-flest/

Quite simply, Måns wants to be able to do other things musically and artistically, and have the freedom in his schedule to tour during the summer if he chooses, or do some touring but also spend time with his friends during the glorious summers that the whole country thinks about most of the year.
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=478&artikel=5616356

Midsummer Day, a little past ten in the evening at Strandvägen in Stockholm pic.twitter.com/GDd2x46FRs
— Sweden.se (@swedense) June 19, 2013

As Måns put it plainly after the show to the Swedish news media after confirming he would not be returning:

Jag kommer jättegärna tillbaka nån gång i framtiden, men först måste jag få göra min grej, jag drömmer ju om att turnera nu och då ska det bli så.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/article17290129.ab

Still, many of his supporters started a Twitter hashtag name for their fight to.... well, not sure what exactly, since it's his choice to leave after three years, but you have to admire the dedication if not the logic: #AllsångNeedsMåns
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Alls%C3%A5ngNeedsM%C3%A5ns&src=typd&mode=realtime

Tack för alla fina kommentarer. Jag har njutit av varje ögonblick på Solliden och kommer gärna tillbaka någon gång i framtiden.
— Måns Zelmerlöw (@manszelmerlow) August 13, 2013

But I'm excited to see what @manszelmerlow will do instead of #allsang. Can't wait for his new music. But #AllsångNeedsMåns anyway.
— Sabina Stjernberg ☆ (@ssabina_94) August 13, 2013

@ssabina_94 @manszelmerlow Ohh nooo :(((((( I loved the way how he made allsang..:((( And yes, I was watching it from HUNGARY! @svtallsang
— Bianca Silling❤ (@SillingBianca) August 13, 2013

#AllsångNeedsMåns @manszelmerlow @svtallsang pic.twitter.com/ZGi41ltY9y
— Elina Johansson (@ElinaElinajo) August 13, 2013

#AllsångNeedsMåns It would not be the same without Måns. I have really loved watching #allsang since his first season 2011.
— Sabina Stjernberg ☆ (@ssabina_94) August 13, 2013

I must admit that Måns and his engaging personality have really grown on me a lot the past three years since his first year in 2011, when he was not as well-known to me, obviously, as he was to the average Swedish music listener and pop culture follower.
I'd seen videos of him singing or on Swedish TV shows, of course, and had read about him in the newspapers, magazines and websites, to say nothing of the music blogs, but I had no strong opinions one way or the other, though there's no mistaking his talent.

After three years of watching him via SVT Play, http://www.svtplay.se/ now I actually know some of his go-to moves during the show and which songs are his go-to songs, as well as which ones I've come to like best, whether in Swedish or in English.

To end this post, I'm going with a happy video that includes him which I posted here on the blog back in July previewing my trip to Stockholm this past January, back when I still thought I'd be going to Iceland after visiting Sweden for about nine days and would be able to catch the Aurora Borealis while in Iceland for three days. 

It features the recurring opening montage of aerial scenes of beautiful Stockholm used on Allsång på Skansen in the summer of 2011, the first year Måns was at the helm, and featuring a multi-generational all-star squad of singers joining him in singing the show's theme song, Stockholm i mitt hjarta, the song that begins the sing-along every week.
The one song that everyone in attendance, regardless of age or musical tastes, pretty much knows by heart after watching the landmark summer TV show for years.

Måns Zelmerlöw, Björn Skifs, Loa Falkman and Peter Jöback sing "Stockholm i Mitt Hjärta" (Stockholm in My Heart) from the intro of a 2011 episode of SVT's "Allsång på Skansen" in Stockholm, Sweden. http://youtu.be/JEPvZBDOjdc

http://www.mzw.se/
http://www.svt.se/allsang/
http://www.facebook.com/svtallsang

Awesome news! Yohanna to tour soon featuring Eva Cassidy-inspired songs :) - Sings "Is It True" and "Fields of Gold" on NRK2's "Allsang på grensen" and charms crowd in-between raindrops; Jóhanna Guðrún, @yohannamusic

Yohanna - "Is It True" and "Fields of Gold" on NRK2's "Allsang på grensen", Halden, Norway, July 18, 2012. http://youtu.be/D3w8cG93zyU
One of our favorites, the talented Icelandic beauty charms 'em in-between raindrops!

Awesome news! Yohanna to tour soon featuring Eva Cassidy-inspired songs :) - Sings "Is It True" and "Fields of Gold" on NRK2's "Allsang på grensen" and charms crowd in-between raindrops; Jóhanna Guðrún, @yohannamusic

The exciting news about Yohanna doing a tour that features songs that were staples of the late  Eva Cassidy, is absolutely fabulous news for both music lovers and longtime Yohanna supporters like me, as is the fact that Eva's brother, Dan Cassidy, will be part of the band, as he is here on violin.


If I play my cards right, I might even see her perform in person in a few weeks. 
If so, I guarantee you will see some amazing video and photos here on the blog! And on my YouTube Channel.


@yohannamusic  http://twitter.com/yohannamusic
http://www.facebook.com/yohannamusic



wroenn video: ABC News Nightline's Dave Marash's famous profile of singer Eva Cassidy. http://youtu.be/bXU219b3Zdw


This segment originally aired on May 25, 2001, while I was still living in the Washington area. 
I can still remember the night I videotaped it while sitting in the living room of the townhouse I lived in, with stories still floating in my head about her amazing performances from friends of mine who'd been smart enough to see her in person at various places around the Beltway.
By the time it ended, I was not only blown away by how well it was produced and came together, easily one of the best things to ever appear on Nightline, but even more profoundly regretful and sad that I'd never made the time I should have to see this amazing talent for myself. 
I certainly had plenty of chances to join them, but I always had an excuse for why I couldn't go: an Orioles ballgame up in Baltimore that I already had tickets to, film or dinner with my then-girlfriend, an IU or Hurricane ballgame of some sort on TV that night that I "had" to watch, or... 
And now I rue some of those choices and wish that at least once, I'd listened to my friend's suggestion and been able to see the magic for myself in-person. 


Posthumous Fame 
A U.S. Singer Enjoys Success Abroad -- Five Years After Her Death 
By Dave Marash 
http://evacassidy.org/eva/nightline.htm


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


One thing is for sure and that is that NRK-TV could learn a few valuable lessons from SVT about how to broadcast a LIVE concert.


Maybe it was just the fickle weather since their LIVE coverage of the 22/7 Memorial in Oslo That I watched came out great, and maybe it's just my imagination, but compared to SVT's masterful coverage of Allsång på Skansen in Stockholm from every angle you can think of, this suffers in the comparison.


Granted, SVT DOES have more cameras to work with, including probably some robot cams, but when you look at the fluidity and variety of shots, as demonstarted well in this video segment of three very talented and popular performers from July 18th, it's like the final brick in the wall.



http://youtu.be/vnGFped5SEs


Above, Alexander Rybak playing Grieg's "I bergakungens sal" (In the hall of the mountain king), and then him being joined by Kalle Moraeus and Linda Lampenius for an acoustic version of "Stockholm i mitt hjärta," the prideful leitmotif that opens every one of the broadcasts during the summer. This is followed by Kalle singing "Underbart" (Wonderful) with the crowd and host Måns Zelmerlöw.


In the NRK segment at the top, honestly, it seems to me that there are too many crowd shots of people that look either distracted or bored, instead of some shots from behind the stage showing Yohanna and the crowd interacting and the crowd singing back to her.

Plus, while SVT always seems to anticipate situations correctly, above, NRK goes from a nice shot to one of a woman who seems to be nursing her baby.
I have to admit that I've NEVER seen that done at a concert, or seen a TV director thinking THAT'S the money shot you've got to get. 
Perhaps she looked like the director's wife, but still, very, very strange.


What is NOT strange though is uris1.
He never fails to deliver the goods with high-quality musical videos from Scandinavia and Europe!
Which is why I subscribe to his feed. http://www.youtube.com/user/uris1


No, that's not your imagination, his YouTube Channel really is framed by multiple shots of one of our favorites, Swedish singer Jill Johnson.


Jill's rocking version of "Jolene"


http://www.youtube.com/user/jilljohnsonmusic
http://www.jilljohnson.se/eng/

Want to see a sneak peek of my future? Prescient geniuses with a camera at BeepShow have already filmed part of my future -away from the heat & humidity of Miami- and it includes Iceland and the Northern Lights. But sadly, I'll end up missing Sigur Rós at Iceland Airwaves; #Iceland, #BeepShow, #Icelandair, #InspiredByIceland

Beep Show's VIMEO video: London to Iceland in Ten Minutes. July 2012. Music by Sigur Rós. Move your cursor away from the video to have the text disappear and see the video more clearly. Complete information about this incredible video is here: http://vimeo.com/45121903  http://beepshow.com/
It's truly amazing what genius, talent, ingenuity and technology can create!

Want to see a sneak peek of my future? Prescient geniuses with a camera at BeepShow have already filmed part of my future -away from the heat & humidity of Miami- and it includes Iceland and the Northern Lights. But sadly, I'll end up missing Sigur Rós at Iceland Airwaves; #Iceland, #BeepShow, #Icelandair

Back in November, following several very emotionally-draining roller-coaster months with my dad's health a year after his stroke, where we found ourselves frequently at the hospital or at the doctor's office for one thing or another, I wrote here:

It's not exactly a secret that I definitely could use a break for about a week or two from everything and everyone in South Florida to unwind.

Not that there was really ever any doubt where I'd eventually wind-up to relax, but I've finally made my mind up about where I'll be going to get away from South Florida for a while, which I had originally wanted to do back in February or March to decompress after my dad died, then maybe even return to during Midsommar in order to get away from the summer swelter of South Florida.

But perhaps as these things sometimes do of their own accord, it's worked out for the best schedule-wise, since despite it meaning I'm still here during the hottest part of the summer, I'll now be able to experience, first-hand, one of nature's most amazing sights and spectacles.
 
Ten weeks from this morning, unless something crazy and unexpected happens, like a powerful hurricane barreling its way across the Atlantic or the Caribbean towards South Florida -and maybe, even if there is!- I'll be greeting the sunrise far, far away from the land of gridlocked traffic, sleepwalking journalists and corrupt politicians, with nary a decent Ethiopian restaurant to be found that compares to the Red Sea in D.C.

I don't want to give everything away right now with this one post, but I will tell you that as of now, The Plan, as such, is that ten weeks from this morning, I'll be having a relaxed and delicious breakfast right near the water and my temporary home-away-from home in a place where I can sing or hum Stockholm i mitt hjarta to my heart's delight.

Måns Zelmerlöw, Björn Skifs, Loa Falkman and Peter Jöback sing "Stockholm i Mitt Hjärta" (Stockholm in My Heart) from the intro of a 2011 episode of SVT's "Allsång på Skansen" in Stockholm, Sweden. http://youtu.be/JEPvZBDOjdc

http://www.facebook.com/svtallsang

View Larger Map

After more than a week or so in the greater Stockholm area, mostly in and around Gamla Stan, but with some boat trips with friends along the archipelago as well, finally doing the things I've wanted to do the last few years but had to keep on hold because of my dad's health, I'll be heading for fun in a place that is THE polar opposite of South Florida, our old friend, Reykjavik, Iceland, and eventually, a night-time encounter with destiny and the Northern Lights.

And with any sort of luck at all, maybe I can even run into longtime blog favorite, Yohanna, whom I just love, and want to see succeed and get the world-wide success she deserves, because her talent is so immense. 
Yes, to quote myself, Yohanna "hennes enorma talang!"



@yohannamusic

Below, from TV3 in Sweden, Yohanna's amazing performance at their "En Sång För Hemlösa 2009" (A Song For The Homeless 2009) telecast, singing "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day." 


http://www.myspace.com/yohannamusic

Arctic Motion from Tor Even Mathisen on Vimeo.

http://www.facebook.com/temPhoto

http://vimeo.com/tittentem

http://twitter.com/#!/tittentem

Icelandair video: Unique Iceland: What to do in Reykjavik?

Icelandic actress Þóra Karítas Árnadóttir -a.k.a. Thora Karitas - explains a few things about the fascinating and awesome island known as Ísland. http://youtu.be/Rkr1O6mvHUc

LIVE camera of Blue Lagoon: Bláa lónið - Live Webcam - Inspired by Iceland

Unfortunately, because of when I'll be there, I won't be able to see Sigur Rós at the Iceland Airwaves music festival in Reykjavik, owing to it coming later in October, right before we have elections here in the U.S.. http://icelandairwaves.is/
http://icelandairwaves.is/sigurros/

http://www.icelandtouristboard.com/ 

http://www.visitreykjavik.is/