Both of Finland’s main tabloids Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat devote their covers and special inserts to singer Saara Aalto’s spectacular performance in the UK X-Factor final on Sunday night, which was watched by more than 6 million Brits and 1 million Finns.
Ilta-Sanomat features a 12-page “Saara Extra” that chronicles the 29-year-old singer’s rise to the final competition of X-Factor on Sunday night. Although the official win went to Brit Matt Terry, Aalto won the hearts of Finns and Brits alike. About 6.4 million Brits voted on the 2-hour show that saw Aalto sing Björk’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” and Whitney Houston’s “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.”
According to Ilta-Sanomat, after the winner was announced, X-Factor judge Simon Cowell said: "Saara, what can I say, you are also amazing. Matt, this is your night.”
Aalto's positive attitude since the start of the X-Factor talent competition earlier in the fall carried through right to the end. After Matt Terry was announced as the winner, Aalto gave him a big hug and said:“Thank you to everyone for their support. This has been an amazing journey. I never thought I would make it this far. I love you all!”
Ilta-Sanomat also ran a Saara Aalto cover with a special feature on the Finnish singer, whose international career looks very bright.
Archipelago tragedy
In other news, Ilta-Sanomat covers the two deaths in the Turku Archipelago in the small village of Houtskari (population 400) late Saturday night. A 29-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman were found dead in a car; the man is suspected of shooting the woman with a hunting rifle before turning the gun on himself. The two knew one another but were not in relationship.
Ilta-Sanomat reports that the tragedy has rocked the small community, where everyone knew both of the deceased are many are trying to come to terms with the news.
Better to buy or rent?
Main Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat (HS) leads with a feature that compares the rental and purchase prices of apartments in Helsinki and finds that renting in the downtown core may be better value-for-money than buying given the high prices of real estate in the area. HS's in-depth comparison ranks various Helsinki neighbourhoods by postal code and cost of renting versus owning. The finding? The top four postal codes that are more cost-effective to rent than own are: 00210 Vattuniemi, 00170 Kruununhaka, 00130 Kaartinkaupunki, and 00150 Eira.