Tomas Alfredson's Swedish film
Tomas Alfredson's next big movie will be Swedish. According to Dagens Nyheter the Swedish star director (who recently had a huge hit with "Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy") will make a new version of Astrid Lindgren’s classic story “Bröderna Lejonhjärta” (“Brothers Lionheart”). Lindgren’s book was published in 1973, and turned into a movie in 1977. According to DN, Alfredson’s film will be in the same league as “Tinker, tailor…” with a budget of about 200 million SEK ($27.8 million). Peter “Pjodor” Gustafsson will produce it. “I am working on a project right now. That’s all I can at the moment, and it’s in its early stage,” Gustafsson says.

Gabriel Byrne, a Viking?
Irish actor Gabriel Byrne is about to make history. Scandinavian history. The "In Treatment" star has signed to star in History Channel's first scripted series "Vikings". The drama revolves around the Norsemen who raided, traded and explored during mediaeval times and follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok as he rises to become king of the Viking tribes. Byrne will play Earl Haraldson, a former warrior and the most important ruler in Ragnar's district who clashes with the king.

Find a nurse, make $700
The Sahlgrenska University Hospital is in dire need of nurses for the summer. So much so, that it offers an award to the person who can find personnel. "Perhaps it could be solved so that people would want to work there instead,” says Elizabeth Flygare at Vårdförbundet (the Swedish Association of Health Professionals). Some 100 substitute nurses are needed, and partly because fewer nurses are graduating from the western Göteborg region, there’s a problem. The information about the 5000 SEK ($700) award was recently put online. “This is a recruiting solution that we have used before when we had difficulties getting doctors with certain specialties,” the hospital says in a comment. But Vårdförbundet’s representative, Elisabeth Flygare, is skeptical: “It’s a bit tragic that you have to use means like this one to get people to work,” she says. “Of course something has to be done to recruit nurses, but this just seems like they are starting at the wrong end.” Flygare implies that the real problem is the hospital doesn’t offer good enough salaries, and therefore can’t compete with other employers. “It’s difficult today. There are fewer nurses graduating; the ones that do want higher salaries, and many go to Norway for work. If you get an offer with a higher salary elsewhere, then you take that offer.” The Sahlgrenska Hospital hasn’t commented on Flygare’s criticism.

Prince Bertil's house for sale
Need a new home? How about Prince Bertil's country residence in Tylosand? It's for sale for 4.3 million SEK ($602,700). The house was created by architect Hakon Ahlberg and built in 1954 as a gift for Prince Bertil’s 40th birthday. Prince Bertil was Duke of Halland—the province in which Tylösand is located. The villa was sold two and a half years ago, but the sale was annulled and now the house is on the market again. Make your bid here: Länsförsäkringar Fastighetsförmedling Halmstad

Piraten Award to Leif G. W. Persson
Swedish criminologist, novelist and former professor in criminology at the Swedish National Police Board, Leif G. W. Persson, is the recipient of this year's Piratenpris (the Piraten Award). This prize is awarded by the Stiftelsen Piratenpriset (the Piraten Award Foundation) in honor of the author Fritiof “Piraten” Nilsson (1895-1972). The sum of the award is 75 000 SEK ($10,568), and the main sponsor is Sparbanken Syd. Persson receives the award for his sharp satire and his comments on today’s society. “I’m proud, happy and honored to receive this award,” Persson said. He made his debut as a novelist in 1978 with the crime novel “Grisfesten” (“The Pig Party”), which was later made into a movie by Bo Widerberg, entitled “Mannen från Mallorca” (“The Man from Majorca”). Since then, Persson has written several novels and a partly autobiographical novel called “Gustavs grab.” Lately he’s also been on television in programs such as “Efterlyst” ("Wanted"). Leif G. W. Persson will receive the Piraten Prize on July 16 in Kivik, in southern Skåne, where Fritiof Nilsson used to spend his summers. 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of Nilsson’s debut with the novel “Vardagsbild.”