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Eurovision plans epic ABBA celebration to mark their victory’s 50th anniversary – despite pop icons refusal to take part
Last year's winner Loreen is expected to be among the performers on the night in Malmo
ABBA are the most famous act to win Eurovision and this year’s contest is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their victory.
I can reveal a major half-time spectacle is being planned for the event in May, which will be held in the pop legends’ home country of Sweden.
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The group have refused to reunite for a performance on the night, so organisers are now trying to bring their digital “ABBAtars”, from London’s ABBA Voyage show to the stage instead.
But technical issues may prevent that, which is why a medley by a series of pop stars is being lined up as a potential alternative.
My Eurovision insider said: “It is 50 years since ABBA won in Brighton with Waterloo and they are going to be celebrated big time when the contest returns to Sweden.
“The group have made it clear they have no interest in performing again but ABBA’s music will be a major part of the event with a chunk of time put aside for a tribute after all the acts have performed.
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“Bringing part of their ABBA Voyage show to Sweden is really complex because the tech is very expensive and complicated, which is why they had to build an arena for it in East London.
“Organisers are racing to try and make it possible but otherwise, a selection of stars, likely all from Sweden, will be singing ABBA’s music instead.
“It will be a memorable moment.”
Swedish singer Loreen, who won the contest last year in Liverpool with song Tattoo, is expected to be among the performers on the night in Malmo.
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The city will also be celebrating the pop legends in the run-up to the final on May 11.
A big exhibition, ABBA World, will be opening there for two weeks from April 29 to May 12.
Those who can’t make it there will still be able to enjoy the anniversary of their 1974 hit single.
ABBA are back with ABBA Voyage, a revolutionary concert 40 years in the making
Next Friday, a special-edition reissue of Waterloo will be released on vinyl, along with a limited-edition box set of the original singles.
Asked last year if they would be performing at Eurovision, Benny Andersson said: “I don’t want to and if I don’t want to, the others won’t.
“It’s the same for all four of us — someone says, ‘no’ - it’s a no.”
Bjorn Ulvaeus, who was also in the band with Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad added: “We can celebrate 50 years of ABBA without us being on stage.”
I’m looking forward to it already.
THE UK’S Eurovision entrant, Olly Alexander, has refused to withdraw from the contest amid calls for a boycott over Israel’s inclusion.
Some people have called for the country to be banned due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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But in a statement yesterday, Olly said: “It is my current belief that removing myself from the contest wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal.
“Instead, I’ve been speaking with some of the other EV contestants and we’ve decided that by taking part we can use our platform to come together and call for peace.”
TOM LOOKS THE PART
TOM HOLLAND seems to be getting more handsome by the day.
And he will be making plenty of women swoon when he stars in Romeo & Juliet in the West End later this year.
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Ahead of the theatre run, which kicks off in May, the Spider-Man star headed for a night out in New York.
He was snapped going into the Big Apple’s The Crosby Bar.
His girlfriend Zendaya wasn’t there, as she is in Australia promoting new movie Challengers.
This week it was revealed a new actress, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, will be making her West End debut as Juliet, opposite Tom.
As she is a newcomer, she only has 2,400 followers on Instagram.
But after landing such a coveted role, those numbers are sure to rise very quickly.
STACEY'S MINTED
STACEY SOLOMON had her most successful year ever after taking home £1.4million over 12 months.
She raked in more than £27,000 A WEEK from her home hacks and TV shows.
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According to fresh figures for Key Map Entertainments, the firm she uses to handle her TV cash, Stacey bagged £1,410,656 last year.
Assets in her company have shot up to £4,355,649, from £2,944,993 in the previous year.
Her earnings have increased steadily since she set the company up in 2012, bringing her estimated net worth to £7million.
Stacey appears on Loose Women and presents BBC show Sort Your Life Out.
She also fronts Channel 4 DIY show Bricking It and earns £12,000 for every sponsored Instagram post.
Her Tap To Tidy books, which have sold more than 700,000 copies, continue to make her cash and she is also working on various other projects, including a clothing line.
On top of her earnings, Stacey has a £1.2million home in Essex called Pickle Cottage.
I’ve got to hand it to her, she’s come a long way since she entered the X Factor in 2009.
And given she is such a fan of tidying, she must save a fortune on cleaners compared to other stars.
That’s got to be a win-win situation.
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LADY GAGA teased she has been creating the best songs of her career as she celebrated her 38th birthday.
In an Instagram post thanking fans for their good wishes, Gaga – who plays Harley Quinn in upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux – wrote: “I feel like my heart is bursting for my own health and MUSIC.
"I am writing some of my best music.”
OLIVIA SO INTO BRIT BOY LOUIS
THINGS are clearly heating up between Olivia Rodrigo and her British boyfriend Louis Partridge – because she’s written a song about him.
On the recently released deluxe version of second album Guts, she has included a new track called So American where she sings about wanting to marry the actor.
We revealed they were secretly dating last October, so things are moving fast.
On the track, Olivia sings: “He says I’m so American, oh God, it’s just not fair of him to make me feel this much. I’ll go anywhere he goes.
“He says I’m so American, oh God, I’m gonna marry him. If he keeps this s**t up I might just be in love.”
Then in the verse, she continues: “I’m so boring and I’m so rude, can’t have a conversation if it’s not all about you.
“The way you dress and the books you read, I really love my bed, but, man, it’s hard to sleep when he’s with me.”
Ooh la la.
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LILY ALLEN was chucked out of £29k-a-year boarding school as a teenager after running away to Glastonbury.
On her Miss Me podcast, the singer recalled: “I got my dad to ask if I could leave school early to go down to Glastonbury and they said no.
"So I ran away . . . spent three days there without telling my dad.”
LUV THE BLONDE LOOK, CAMILA
CAMILA CABELLO is proof blondes do have more fun, after dyeing her hair and releasing a bonkers single.
The US star was pictured in LA after promoting her new tune I Luv It.
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It is a big change from her previous sound and some believe it is about her ex-love Canadian singer Shawn Mendes.
They got together in summer 2019, split a few years later then had a short reunion last spring, before Bizarre told how they had called time for good.
Speaking about the tune this week, Camila said: “Certain things in our human realm make me feel I’m in outer space, and the very rare times I’ve had incredible chemistry with someone is one of them.
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“Part of that is the emotional drama, the chaos and butterflies, nerves and passion.
“It’s unsustainable but I LUV IT.”
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