November 2000 News of "B&B - The Unofficial Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Site"

November 2000 News of "B&B - The Unofficial Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Site"

N E W S: November 2000

NOVEMBER 30, 2000
MM! EXTENDED IN SAN FRANCISCO
Fortunately, the partly negative reviews didn't hurt MM! in San Francisco. Playbill announces that the run of MM! at Orpheum Theatre has been extended. Originally MM! was supposed to close on January 7, but now it will continue til February 17. Next stop of the USA tour will be Los Angeles, on February 22.
Some sort of MM! review appears in theatre listing.
NOVEMBER 29, 2000
RECORD PRICES
Aftonbladet has bad news for record buyers in Sweden. The price of a CD will raise with about 10 Crowns. In the future a ormal prized CD will cost around 199 Crowns. The article also gives details of which the price consists,. The information comes from Swedish IFPI and is based on a pressing of 30.000 CDs:

retailer gets 44 Crowns
Value added tax 40 Crowns
Manufacturing of the disc 22 Crowns
Record company's share is 22 Crowns
Companies' profit 20 Crowns
Promotion 14 Crowns
Copyright 11 Crowns
Bonus for the store 11 Crowns
Artiste 10 Crowns
Distribution 7 Crowns
NOVEMBER 29, 2000
L.A.
This is what theatre.com writes about MM! in Los Angeles.
NOVEMBER 29, 2000
JÖBACK NEWS
Peter Jöback performed unplugged last weekend at Mega Skivakademin record store in Stockholm. This week he guesteed the breakfast show of Swedish TV4, he did an acoustic performance. On December 3 Peter appears in two record stores in the Skåne area; in Malmö and Helsingborg.
NOVEMBER 29, 2000
LINKS
Sysvenskan's B&B concert review
Nice Peter Jöback article from Sydsvenskan

NOVEMBER 29, 2000
SÅNGER FRÅN...
I mailed the company of Roy Anderson and asked wether they know are there plans to releases a soundtrack record of the SÅNGER FRÅN ANDRA VÅNINGEN score. This is what they replied:
"Hello Pentti,
Regarding the music of the film Songs from the second floor I think it is best if you get in contact with Mono music.
They have all the rights of the music and they will know if there are any plans for releasing the music on CD.
If you have any other questions you are most welcome to get back to us.
Many regards,
Pernilla Sandström, Roy Andersson Filmproduktion
NOVEMBER 28, 2000
SWEDISH CELEBRITIES EARNINGS
The year 2000 is running to it's end, so it is time for the press to find out how much did certain celebrities earn and own during 1999. Here is Aftonbladet's list. And here my listing of some familiar people...

Benny Andersson: earned 1.114.464 Crowns; property: 15. 429.508 Crowns
Björn Ulvaeus: earned 490.076 Crowns; property: 3.439.318 Crowns
Agnetha Fältskog: earned 180.905 Crowns; property: 52.126.266 Crowns

Helen Sjöholm: earned 509.094 Crowns; property: 0
Anders Ekborg: earned: 432.992 Crowns; property: 0
Peter Jöback: earned 423.396 Crowns; property: 0

Tommy Körberg: earned 1.356.180 Crowns; property: 0
Björn Skifs: earned 403.147 Crowns; property 3.662.822 Crowns

Tomas Ledin: earned 263.419 Crowns; property: 9.535.011 Crowns
Josefin Nilsson: earned 242.816 Crowns; property: 0
Marie-Louise Ekman: earned 329.265 Crowns; property 113.880 Crowns

Per Gessle: earned 9.905.045 Crowns; property 47.700.086 Crowns
Marie Fredriksson: earned 5.229.020; property: 0
NOVEMBER 28, 2000
CANADIAN ARTICLES
has this article (and photo) of MM! Toronto cast and crew.
ABBA is mentioned in Toronto Star's article.
NOVEMBER 27, 2000
ROY ANDERSSON
Roy Andersson has new homepage. Benny is mentioned here.
NOVEMBER 27, 2000
ANDERS EKBORG
Aftonbladet has today an articel about Anders Ekborg and his wife Lia Boysen. The article handles how an actor couple can cope with professional and private life.
Of course the article mentions that Anders had a major role in KFD. Lia followed with Anders and KRISTINA to each town where the musical was performed - Malmö-Gothenburg - Stocholm - and worked with local theatre.
Anders has just had a premiere at Orionteatern under direction of Lars Rudolfsson, and Lia's succesful TV series "Det nya landet" has been reworked into a movie.
NOVEMBER 27, 2000
MM! RECORD REVIEW
In Playbill's Sunday edition appears a new review of the MM! cast recording
NOVEMBER 27, 2000
MM! TORONTO
Totonto Star has interviewed Tamara Bernier, who now plays in the new Toronto cast of MM!
MM! is mentioned in this Toronto Star article
NOVEMBER 27, 2000
MM! SAN FRANCISCO
The official MM! site nowe include some reviews from San Francisco
Some reviews:
by Times Writer PAt Craih
by Mercury News Writer Mark de la Viña.
MM! article from KCBS
MM! is mentioned in this article of SF Gate.
NOVEMBER 24, 2000
SWEDEN'S ALL TIME BEST SELLING RECORDS
Dagens Nyheter writes that it is now 25 years since best selling singles and albums have been listed in Sweden. And they publish all times Top 10 of both formats. ABBA GOLD is number 8 on albums and DANCING QUEEN is 9th best selling single ever in Sweden.
NOVEMBER 23, 2000
JÖBACK VIDEO
Now you can watcth the new Peter Jöback video TONIGHT at NRJ
NOVEMBER 23, 2000
NEW BENNY SONG
Aftonbladet has good news for us; a new Benny Andersson song will be released next year:
ELVIS & BENNY MAKE A RECORD
Björn & Benny ?
Wrong.
On Anne Sofie von Otter's coming record it is Benny and Elvis Costello.
In the November issue of Vanity Fair the new wave legend Elvis Costello lists his definite 500 favpurite records. The listing starts with ABBA GOLD.
-Their fast pop songs are the best way to get your Australian friends in exctasy. And their calm compositions are Ingmar Bergman's "senes from a marriage" developed into music form, is what he writes.
And now the music icon has the chance to figure himslef in the same connection as one of his Swedish pop idols.
When the world famous soprano Anne Sofie von Otter releases her long player in the spring where she interpretes among others Ron Sexsmith, Fläskkvartetten, Beach Boys and Beatles, both Elvis Costello and Benny Andersson are among composers.
Apart from adding two new song the Englishman has been there to choose the major part of the song material. The former ABBA member's involvement includes that he has written a song and also plays paino and accordion on the record.
What the album will be called, is still at present unclear.
Benny Andersson didn't yesterday want to comment the project. *** The article doesn't say it, but formaerly it has been reported that Costello produces von Otter's album.
I wonder, who has written the lyrics for Benny's new song. As we remember, in 1999 Berwaldhallen ordered from Benny Andersson a new music piece to be performed in January 2000. The lyrics would have been written by Kristina Lugn and right von Otter would have performed it. But surprisingly, instead of a new music piece von Otter sang MIN ASTRAKAN with different lyrics compared to the stage and record version of KFD.
NOVEMBER 23, 2000
JÖBACK NEWS
Peter Jöback will appear at record store Mega Skivakademin in Stockholm on November 26. He will perform some songs from his album and signs autographs.
You will find Peter Jöback stuff from oslopuls.no. On music main page you find a pic of him, and and article of Peter is here. Jöback tells that the visit when the interview was done, is his first trip to Norway !
NOVEMBER 22, 2000
MM! CAST CHANGES IN TORONTO
TorontoStage's Interview with Adam Brazier, who plays Sky.
Now Toronto's MM! cast change news
NOVEMBER 22, 2000
RECORD CAMPAIGN
This morning subscribers of Finland's biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat got a magazine published by the major record companies. This of course to increase sales during the coming Xmas seaason. Sony had chosen Peter Jöback as their main star, almost a whole page was dedicated to tell his story and to speak about his new album.
NOVEMBER 21, 2000
MURRAY HEAD
An unofficial Murray Head site
NOVEMBER 21, 2000
JÖBACK
Sony Finland's news tells about Peter Jöback's coming visit to Finland. He will perform HIGHER and TONIGHT at the charity concert "Joulun tähti" (Christmas star) at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki. MTV3 will record the show and screens it at Xmas eve.
Peter Jöback has also again done some promotion is Norway, he apperared on TV2's breakfast show.
NOVEMBER 21, 2000
TRIAKEL LINK
Link 1
Link 2, from Germany, here you can also see the cover of the CD.
NOVEMBER 21, 2000
MM! LINKS
SF Gates MM! premiere article has been updated since I first made a link to it yesterday. It now has photos, for ex. of Benny.
MM! is mentioned in article by Montrela Gazette.
and in Chicago Tribune's article.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
TORONTO REVIEW
Toronto Star has reviewed the new cast of MM!
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
FAME STUDIOS
Those who missed the pictures of Fame Studios' investors (among them Björn), will find the shots here
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
MM! SF PREMIERE PARTY
SF Chronicle writes about the first night party of MM!
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
GÖREL
Görel Hanser's company seems to have an own site. But far this there's only an email address for her.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
MM IN JAPANESE ???
Expressen's article from today:
MAMMA MIA! WILL BE TRANSLATED - INTO JAPANESE
SAN FRANCISCO.
MAMMA MIA! will be translated. Not into Swedish - but into Japanese.
- Björn is going to do it all himself, jokes Benny Andersson.
It sounds like a joke, but Björn Ulvaeus confirms that a Japanese project is under way.
-There is a huge interest into translating of the whole musical into Japanese and to stage it in Tokyo, he says.
-But it will surely take a couple of years before we can see the result.
The performance that comes to Sweden in 2002 is all in English.
There are other translation questions which Björn and Benny are fighting with.
-KRISTINA FRÅN DUVEMÅLA is soon translated into English. The aim is still to stage this abroad, says Benny Andersson.
-We have discussed loosely about the next autumn as time to do concerts in English at Albert Hall in London. Then we will of course get an indication of how it works linguistically, says Björn Ulvaeus.
And Benny, you are sitting I guess and writing a lot of new music?
-No, it is true with the modification. I have worked a lot with the Roy Andersson film "SÅNGER FRÅN ANDRA VÅNINGEN", but I try to work a bit part-time.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
TRIAKEL
The album VINTERVISOR MED TRIAKEL has been released on November 16. Catalogue number Mono MMCD 116.
I found this advert for a Triakel concert from the web. Sounds like they use (Mono Music's) press reease for the CD to promote the concert. Here is what is written: (some parts are too hard to translate for a non-Swede....)
Shortly after Triakel's first CD was released in May-98, it was decided that the follow up would be a Christmas record. Not the ordinary one with wellknown melodies, but a sort of alternative, but still with a strong, clear smell of the Swedish Christmas. With this ambition the recordings began in the end of May-00.
Two weeks and and an countless number of ginger biscuits later the work was finished. But the result didn't become only a Christmas record but a record with winter songs. Sure there are Christmas songs, but also a new New Year's psalm, a Twelft Day's song, an ..advent psalm, and a string of other stories about winter's ceremonies where the Christmas attributions are not that obvious
From traditional songs via Evert Taube and Dan Andersson to Benny Andersson. A setting with song, organ, and violins suit well for the aim and those who earlier have heard and appreciated the group's simple and low voiced music will not be a disappointed. Straightly told stories both on serious and lively tones.
Triakel members are winter people and loyal Christmas people who gladly see the thermometer to go below zero already in August, and have nothing against the Christmas tree to act also as midsummer tree. That there in addition are lots of exciting and in many case forgotten music around the theme, make the record even more pleasant.
Take..., light a candle, and take part to Triakel's honoring for Christmas.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
JOSEFIN CHAT
Josefin Nilsson chatted with Aftonbladet's readers today.
Göran asked why the collobration with Benny and Björn didn't continue after SHAPES. Josefin replied: "The collobration continues. Benny has made one of the songs that are in the show at Chinateatern and Benny and I speak about doing something together in the future, but we don't know when and what. It is a question of having both time for it."
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
JÖBACK'S NEW VIDEO
Aftonbladet reports this morning about Peter Jöback's new video TOGETHER. They describe it as a surrealistic, a mysterium, and that it resembles the TV series TWIN PEAKS. The article mentions that Jöback's album ONLY WHEN I BREATHE has sold 60.000 copies and the first single from it, HIGHER 20.000 copies. Peter Jöback says that it is not impossible that he shelves the musical roles for some time. The pop career has started so well that he is interested to see how long he will reach if he concentrated with 100% on pop music.
There have been some problems to deliver the new single to record stores. Because of that Sony has decided that the bonus track can be listened til November 22 via Internet.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
TODAY SHOW
ABBA Fan MR writes at dotmusic.com's ABBA discussion forum that the B&B interview at NBC's Today show will be screended on December 4. But as MR writes, the interview has been delayed time after time, so man can never be sure when it will be shown.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
OFFICIAL MM! SITE
The official MM! site's USA tour page has been updated on S.F.'s part.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
MM! TO SWEDEN IN 2002
Expressen unveils that MM! will open in Sweden in 2002 !!!
ABBA MUSICAL MAMMA MIA! TO SWEDEN IN 2002
Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson get a deliverance from the pizzeria Mamma mia in San Francisco.
And unveil at the same times a news item: The musical MAMMA MIA! comes to Sweden in 2002.
Yesterday of Swedish time was the USA premiere of the ABBA musical in San Francisco, and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are congratulated by Expressen with two Mamma mia pizzas.
-Wow, check this out, anjovis, says Björn Ulvaeus, when he opens one of the packages.
Kaity Scharrmacher, 19, works at one of the five Mamma mia pizzerias in San Francisco, and she has become an ABBA fan because of mother Chris.
-This T-shirt is now very old, when Rosenary Douglas, the owner started the pizzeria. She is also ABBA fan, tells Caity, who has a bunch of ABBA records with her which she wants to have signed.
BROADWAY NEXT AUTUMN
The musical MAMMA MIA! is now an international phenomeon, just like ABBA was. It runs right now in London and Toronto for full houses and during the next year's time it will staged in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Boston.
-It is the gang from Tornto who will do the one year long tour. The next production will be a completely new staging in Melbourne in June next year, tells Björn Ulvaeus. For the next autumn a Broadway premiere is planned with a completely new role list.
When MAMMA MIA! comes in Swedish ?
-That is a preoblem, because all song are part of the handling, and is built to the fact that they are what they are, , says Benny Anndersson
Do it is English, everyone between 15 and 50 of age understand English
-Yes, that would work for a while, but not not for so long, believes Benny Andersson
-That's why we take a touring English version to Sweden in 2002. There will be a completely new cast, which will tour the Europe likes it does in the USA. And then it can stay in Sweden for half a year, says Björn Ulvaues.
European premiere in Stockholm ?
-Yes, why not, says Benny Andersson.
And you see no weakening of interest in London ?
-Oh now. A poll one week ago showed that it is number 1 in London. A paper checked out when man gets a ticket for a Saturday. To LION KING youget a ticket for the Christmas. To MAMMA MIA! in August next year.
LIKE PIZZA
The pizza Mamma mia is precisely like the musical with the same name, a greatest hits with all possible goodies.
Do you like the pizza ?`
Yes. That it the worst thing, says Benny Andersson
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
BENNY IN SVD
Svenska Dagbladet has interviewed Benny Andersson.
The ABBA fever is spreading. The musical MAMMA MIA! premiered in London on April 6 last year, on the 25th anniversary of ABBA's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest. Since then the show has been successful in Toronto, Canada, and according to Expressen it's going to be Sweden's turn in 2002. Then an English-language version is going to tour Europe.
But right now it's the US what counts. The USA premiere took place on Friday in San Francisco. And Svenska Dagbladet got a chance to talk to Benny Andersson on the telephone a few hours before the performance at the Orpheum Theatre, where the performance stays til January 7.
And in the middle of all the fuzz DANCING QUEENhas been charted as number 44 at MTV:s and Rolling Stones ranking of the 100 best songs. But Benny Andersson had no idea about that.
Are you nervous about the premiere? - No, not at all. It's the same chaos as in Toronto, where the reactions to the show were great. The music was made 25 years ago and it is not going to be judged for the first time, so for Björn and me everything is cool.
Björn was on TV for a few of days ago. Have you done a split of the promotion work between you?
- We have split it that way that Björn is doing everything! I told him directly that I refuse to do thousands of interviews. That time is over. And I'm also working on KRISTINA FRÅN DUVEMÅLA and doing the major part with it when Björn is working with MAMMA MIA!. This split has been working fine.
The song MAMMA MIA reached no higher than place 32 on the US list in July 1976. And now the musical with the same name is making a success.
Does it feel like a revenge?
- No, this is no competition. I think the song was a bit square for the USA, but of course it's fun that the musical is becoming a hit.
After San Francisco the musical moves on to Los Angeles. Is it important to have a hit in Hollywood ?
-I can't answer that. We didn't want do the same thing as we did with CHESS; taking it straight away to Broadway. Now we are taking it via Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles in February and in October next year we will be launching it in New York.
What do you remember of the promotional visit in USA in 1975?
-We were in a TV show in Los Angeles. Everybody else was playing live except for us, who arrived with our tapes. Noone had told us that this was the wrong way to do it. The audience thought that we sucked and I can only agree with them.
Do you follow the charts nowadays?
- Not at all. I never listen to pop music. The latest one I liked was Alanis Morisette's "Jagged little pill" and that was about four to five years ago.
Sorry, but man can't avoid the question that everybody is asking: Is it completely out of question for ABBA to do a comeback?
- Never say never, but the chances are very tiny. A development is going on in all of us four, and we want try out new things, so it would feel strange to return to that group again. And I don't think we would make ABBA any better by doing that. We were at our best when we were in the middle of it.
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
SAN FRANCISCO: CHRONICLES REVIEW
Review from Sf Gate
NOVEMBER 20, 2000
SAN FRANCISCO: AFTONBLADET'S ARTICLE
Aftonbladet's article's translation:
BJRÖN AND BENNY CELEBRATED THE USA PREMIERE
-Of course Mamma Mia can survive
The sold-out opening of "MAMMA MIA!" in San Francisco finished with with celebration and standing ovations.
But the critic in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle proves that the track to victory far away from a sure thing.
Accepted, MAMMA MIA!, but not more, the paper writers.
That the thundering applauses at Orpheum Teathre at Market Street made the actors return several times to the stage did not impress the critic Steven Wim. But the paper is not solely negative.
- The show works with it's limitations. It fits together the right but sometimes the completely wrong tracks into the storyline.
IT BECOMES JUST BETTER
But in spite of earlier sucesses Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson warned in beforehand to expect a quaranted success.
- In theory it should work. But you never can se sure. USA is something completely differend than Canada and England, said Björn Ulvaeus.
But when Aftonbladet met Björn and Benny and their families at the party at Westin St Francis in the early morning yesterday they were optimistic.
- The actors are getting better and better. They have become a tight unit, says Benny Andersson.
But The Chronicle warns that those who has no relation to the music might get dissapointed.
After 300 millions sold ABBA records it's hard to believe that such persons exist.
But what occured to Benny Anderssons in a bus can proves it.
- A gang of kids around ten years ostepped in. One of them came to me, looked like kids do, and said: Do you know ABBA? I answered "yes". Then another kid came up to me and said: "ABBA? Aren't they dead?"

NOVEMBER 17, 2000
JOSEGIN NILSSON
The new Ainbusk show has not got so much attention in the Swedish media as the previous ones. But Josefin Nilsson seems to be of papers interest, she is often interviewed. Aftonbladet published in the weekend an interview with her. She was asked about SHAPES:
When you recorded an album with ABBA-Björn & Benny you should have had high expectations...but they didn't get fullfilled at all ?.
-When we decided to do it, we had been talking about it for a long time. But then it went so fast, I hardly realized we had started and then suddenly we were finished and the album had been released.
-I never really realized that there would be so high expectations. Because of that I didn't get very disappointed when things didn't go so well.
But you would have been rich.
-Yes, but now I'm poor and I am feeling quite well. What should man choose?
-But, like I said to Benny. Maybe it becomes a hit in 20 years. It's a good album, I think so now. And it was a kick for me artistically that Benny believed in me.
NOVEMBER 17, 2000
NEW MM! TORONTO SITE
There's a great new site for the MM! Toronto production. It is really good, design is beautiful and a specially good feature is the link page to various press articles.
Do also visit the official Louise Pitre site, they keep udatimg it, the photo gallery now includes pictures of Louise with Björn and Benny
NOVEMBER 17, 2000
MORE ABBA GOLD
Finnish Universal Music and superstore chain Anttila have a record campaign for Christmas. If you buy certain CD (there are about ten different CDs, among them ABBA GOLD)you get a free Xmas album.
NOVEMBER 17, 2000
ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE'S..
...news section has been updated on November 15.
NOVEMBER 17, 2000
MTV's CHART
Sf Gate publishes "A list of the 100 greatest pop songs since 1963, as determined by experts at MTV and Rolling Stone magazine." DANCING QUEEN is number 44.
NOVEMBER 16, 2000
FANS' SITES
A nice site for Niklas Andersson, one of the four men who did the role of Robert in the Stockholm production of KFD.
A few photos of the KFD actors

NOVEMBER 16, 2000
MTV3
Here is link to Finnish TV channel MTV3's entertainment news, where they write about the book FROM ABBA TO MAMMA MIA!.
NOVEMBER 15, 2000
STOCKHOLM RECORDS
Stockholm Records have opened their Internet site.
NOVEMBER 15, 2000
PLAYBILL ABOUT MM! IN S.F.
Playbill keeps writing about MM!. Today they have again a new article.
NOVEMBER 15, 2000
MORE S.F. LINKS
The previews of MM! in San Francisco begin today. And here once again some links for MM! in S.F.
Bayarea.com's entertainment page mentions MM! and the actual article is here
NOVEMBER 14, 2000
S.F. LINKS
A MM! competition
Another link
NOVEMBER 14, 2000
EXPRESSEN TODAY
Less surprisingly, Expressen writes this morning about the coming USA premiere of MM! They have interviewed Benny Andersson.
NOW BJÖRN AND BENNY WILL CONQUER USA
On Friday the succes musical MAMMA MIA! has USA premiere.
-It will be really exciting to see what the Americans think of our old songs, says Benny Andersson.
The musical has been played for a long time for full houses in England. And even Canadians love MAMMA MIA!
Now it is time for Björn and Benny to conquer the USA.
-I am not nervous. This is something that lives it's own life with the director, choreographer etc, myself as a person am not specially involved. So I am not worried, I know that they do a good job. But sure it will be interesting to see how it goes, says Benny Andersson.
BJÖRN ALREADY THERE
On Friday the USA tour has premiere in San Francisco. Björnn Ulvaeus is already in the USA and during the week also Benny Andersson travels there to see how the premiere goes.
-It is originally we who have done this, but now my involvelment is very little. Mostly I do a minor change to some tones sometimes, says he and laughs.
October 18 next year the musical will go to Broadway.
-There will be a completely new production. That will of course a real fun.
Did you believe in the beginning that MAMMA MIA! would become such a success ?
-I believe that Björn thought that it would be a great idea, but I actually was more doubtful. I thought that it might affect to the trustworthiness of what we once did.
The performance as itself is a unpretended, like one long pop song.
-But now it goes so well that I no longer think that there's any danger. And I feel myself rather boastful over that we managed to reach with ABBA !
NOVEMBER 14, 2000
TUESDAY MORNING LINKS
As almost every morning lately, I have again checked my links to media in the US, Canada, Sweden etc. And this time I suggest you to visit these places:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4

NOVEMBER 13, 2000
BRANDNEW FRIDA PHOTOS
Frida has again appeared in the publicity. This time she ws in Helsinborg to attend the opening of the new restaurant Niklas. Frida was there with Fredrik Schlasberg. Both Schlasberg and his wife Lotta are friends of Frida. And the photos; a picture of Frida alone is here, and a shot of Frida and Fredrik Schlasberg is here.
The photos and info come from the gossip magazine Svensk Dam Tidning.
NOVEMBER 13, 2000
GÖREL'S NEWS
I asked Görel Hanser a couple of questions. There have been rumours that some sort of Benny Andersson collection album would be coming soon. It would include his film music etc. Görel answered that there are no such plans for the time being.
Görel wrote that the next release from Mono Music will be Triakel's album VINTERVISOR (Winter songs). One of the members of Triakel is Emma Härdelin, who sang INNAN GRYNINGEN, Benny's hymn for the millenium.
What comes to the KRISTINA concerts next summer, Görel told that Benny and Björn will attend 1 or 2 of them.
Benny has no new music projects under work, said Görel.
Thanks a lot for Görel Hanser for her reply.
NOVEMBER 13, 2000
SAN FRANCISCO MM! ARTICLES
Finally, MM! gets more publicity in San Francisco. The paper SF Gate, one of the sponsors, had yesterday five (!) articles about MM! / ABBA !!!!:
Sf Gate has interviewed Björn.
Interview with Catherine Johnson can be aswell read from SF Gate.
Sf Gates editor Liz Lufkin writes for her readers about MM!
Another ABBA article from SF Gate
Sf Gate's theatre listing
SF Gate writes also about ABBA cover bands.

Also Mercury News has an ABBA article.
NOVEMBER 13, 2000
MM! IN L.A.
Playbill writes that the tickets for MM! in Los Angeles will be released on November 12.
NOVEMBER 10, 2000
THEATRE.COM ABOUT S.F.
theatre.com has a new MM!article, they write about the coming San Francisco premiere.
NOVEMBER 9, 2000
ONCE AGAIN: MM! LINKS
MM! rewview from Eye magazine
MM! article from Eye magazine
Another Eye mag. article

NOVEMBER 9, 2000
NEW SINGLES FROM JÖBACK AND LEDIN
On next week's Monday will be released the new Peter Jöback single TONIGHT. The song can be heard as two different versions.
In addition, when you put the disc to your computer (with access to the Internet) and follow the instructions you will able to listen to the unreleased song ROCKET TO THE MOON (written by Peter Jöback and Ty Lacey) between November 13 and 20.
Tomas Ledin's next single, DU OM NÅGON BORDE VETA, will be released on November 23, but only for radio use. Fans have a chance to win it in competition at his official site www.tomasledin.com.
NOVEMBER 9, 2000
MM! TORONTO
National Post has an interesting interview with actress Tamara Bernier. She tells about the audition in front of B&B.
NOVEMBER 8, 2000
NEW TORONTO CAST LINKS
Istar's news about the news Toronto cast
A Camilla Scott page
A news item from Cape Breton Post announcing that Julie Marton has got a role in MM!. Browse down the page to find it. It is the third news item.
NOVEMBER 8, 2000
NEW MM! TORONTO CAST / TODAY SHOW
Playbill reports about the new leading actors of the Toronto staging of MAMMA MIA!
Once again, NBC's Today Show cancelled the screening of the B&B interview.
B&B have a bit bad luck this time with MM!. The cast change in Toronto yesterday and the interview both were scheduled for about the same time as the election of USA's new president. So the media is full of the elections. Hopefully the San Francisco premiere will get more attention. The Canadian media wrote a lot about MM! long before the premiere. As far as I know the attention in S.F. press has not been that big far this. But the paper SF Gate is one of the sponsors so let's hope they will write a lot about MM! (next week)
NOVEMBER 87, 2000
WITCHES
The London musical WITCHES OF EASTWICK, with Peter Jöback, will be moved to an other theatre. It's currently playing at The Drury Lane (2.200 seats). On March 23, 2001 it's new home will be Prince of Walesd Theatre which has 1.100 seats.
NOVEMBER 7, 2000
MONTREAL GAZETTE
MM! is mentioned in this Montreal Gazette article
NOVEMBER 7, 2000
VARIOUS NEWS ITEMS
Stockholm info's info regrading the KFD concert next summer.
Finnish TV channel MTV3 has recorded Jari Sillanpää's current concert at Hartwall Areena. Screening later this year. The concert obviously included the DUVEMÅLA part. Who will dare to watch the concert ?
Tomas Ledin and Mikael Wiehe arrange a big gala against racism in Stockholm on January 16, 2001. Eva Dahlgren and Thomas Di Leva are among artistes who have confirmed to appear there. No ABBA connected artistes, apart from Ledin, have been annouced yet.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
MM! STILL NUMBER 1 LONDON
The official MM! site's news page has been updated. That was done to tell this:
LONDON'S HOTTEST TICKET!
It's official! The London Evening Standard confirmed, in an article
published 2 November, that MAMMA MIA! is London's number one 'crowd-puller'.

"The title 'hottest ticket in town' still belongs to that carnival of
glitter and glam-pop MAMMA MIA!"
Alison Roberts, EVENING STANDARD
Here is the mentioned article of London Evening Standard.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
FAME STUDIOS
The Fame Studios site has finally opened. As with Jöback site, the technique is rather modern. If you click "People" you will find that Björn Ulvaeus' and other famous investors' title is "Associate partner". What I personally miss, is links to other sites created by Fame Studios, apart from the Jöback site.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
FINN KALVIK
Kalvik's album IMELLON TO EVIGHET, which includes TROSTEVISE, has been four weeks on Norwegian chart. This week it is number 31.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
MTV GALA
Next week the huge MTV Europe Music Awards gala will take place in Stockholm. Stars like Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Ricky AMrtin etc will attend. The gala will take place at Globen which has been decorated to resemble Stanley Kubrick's film 2001. Aftonbladet writes today that to the show is included an animation with famous Swedes, like the ABBA members and Björn Borg.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
RECENT FRIDA ARTICLES
As reported before, some Swedish magazines have recenty claimed that Frida will move back to Sweden. Let's wait and see if that is true. Anyway, the articles had some nice Frida pics, they can be seen here
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
B&B & TODAY SHOW
According to Playbill NBC's Today Show will screen today the interview with Björn and Benny.
NOVEMBER 6, 2000
NATIONAL POST
This article in National Post mentions MM!
NOVEMBER 3, 2000
JÖBACK TO FINLAND
Peter Jöback will be one of the artistes who perfrom on December 8 at a huge charity gala in Helsinki. MTV3 channel will record the show and screens it on December 24.
NOVEMBER 3, 2000
CHESS IN SAN FRANCISCO
CHESS will be performed in San Francisco in April 2001. This is what theatre.com writes, and here is the producer's site.
NOVEMBER 3, 2000
HELEN SJÖHOLM
Article from Dala Demokraten concerning Helen's concert at Cassels.
NOVEMBER 2, 2000
AINBUSK SHOW
Ainbusk site now offers a chance to have a look at all pages of the programme book of their new show. On the first page, click "Klicka här för att se och automatiskt bläddra igenom programbladet från showen". The pages change automatically after a few seconds. From the song list we find out that there's a song called UTAN DEJ. It has been known far this as THE FILM I'D LIKE TO SEE on Josefin Nilsson''s album SHAPES. Marie Nilsson-Lindh has written the Swedih lyrics, UTAN DEJ meand "Without you".
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
ROY ANDERSSON
According to Aftonbladet, Roy Andersson's SÅNGER FRÅN ANDRA VÅNINGEN (with music by Benny Andersson) will be Sweden's entry for Academy Award / Oscar for best foreign film.
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
ANOTHER NEW FRIDA PHOTO
Here is another new photo of Frida. Apart from her, it features Lill Babs and Charlie Norman at Norman's birthday party.
The previous new Frida shot you find from October 2000 news.
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
NEW BENNY PHOTO
If you click here, you will find a photo of Benny at premiere of the film SÅNGER FRÅN ANDRA VÅNINGEN. Benny had his son Ludvig and daughter-in-law Ebba Adehlsohn with him.
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
OFFICIAL ABBA SITE
Have you recently visited the Official ABBA site ? When you open the page, appears a window where the producers say a few words about the coming new version of the site. You can also leave you email address, so you will be informed when the site re-opens.
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
PITRE SITE
The official Louise Pitre site is now working OK. Naturally there's quite a lot about MAMMA MIA!; on indexpage, on special MM! page, Shows-page features a pic from MM!, as does Gallery
NOVEMBER 1, 2000
AINBUSK CHAT
Aftonbladet has now made an article about the Ainbusk chat yesterday.
News from October 2000