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It’s official: this is the summer of Abba. The blockbuster Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again brought the spectacle of Cher belting “Fernando.” That probably sent you back to the original Mamma Mia — yes, even the scene where Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan duet on “Sos.” Yet that somehow that just leaves you hungry for more. The Swedish pop savants ruled 1970s radio, invaders coming from the land of the ice and snow to become the top-selling act of their time. Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog...

Even though Abba’s unexpected announcement last week that the legendary quartet had reformed to record two songs had no mention of a tour beyond the virtual one scheduled for next year, rumors and anticipation for one began to build.

Yet any hopes that the group — Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus, three-fourths of whom are in their 70s — would mount its first tour since 1979 were dashed by their rep on Monday.

“No — definitely not,” said Gorel Hanser, the group’s manager and spokesperson, told the U.K.’s Mirror. “We should remember them how they were in the 1970s, and listen to how they sing today.”

One of the new songs will be unveiled in a forthcoming two-hour BBC documentary in December, followed by a tour featuring holograms of the group — dubbed ABBAtars.

Gorel added that the quartet had been “happily surprised” by the reaction to their announcement of new songs.

Stockholm — Singer-songwriter Paul Simon and cellist Yo-Yo Ma have won the 2012 Polar Music Prize, Sweden's most prestigious award for musicians.

Simon and Ma will receive 1 million kronor ($166,000) each and an invitation to the prize ceremony in Stockholm Aug. 28.

The award was founded by the late Stig Anderson, the manager of Swedish pop group Abba, and has been handed out since 1992. It is typically shared by a pop artist and a classical musician.

Calling Ma the "leading cellist of our time," the prize jury said Tuesday he is "living proof that music is communication, passion and the ability to share experience."

The citation praised Simon as a "world-class songwriter" who captured the currents of his time with "consummate skill, innovative arrangements and provocative lyrics."...

Patti Smith will share the honor, which is handed out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, with the Kronos Quartet.

The prize committee which selected Smith insisted that "by devoting her life to art in all its forms, Patti Smith has demonstrated how much rock 'n' roll there is in poetry and how much poetry there is in rock 'n' roll".

The judges added that the 64 year old "has transformed the way an entire generation looks, thinks, and dreams".

Both Smith and the string quartet will be invited to a ceremony in Stockholm later this year to accept the prize of one million kronor ($166,000/GBP103,000).

The Polar Music Prize, which was founded by Abba's former manager Stig Anderson in 1989, is shared annually by a pop artist and a classical musician. Last year, it was awarded to Icelandic singer Bjork and Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

Icelandic singer Bjork and Italian composer Ennio Morricone accepted the 2010 Polar Music Prize in Sweden on Monday, August 30. King Carl XVI Gustaf honored the pair at a lavish ceremony.

Both musicians were handed $136,000 and presented with trophies at a ceremony in Stockholm. The Polar Music Prize, which was founded by Abba's former manager Stig Anderson in 1989, is shared annually by a pop artist and a classical musician. It is Sweden's most high-profile music award and is split between pop and classical musicians.

Last year's award was shared by former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel and Venezuelan composer Jose Antonio Abreu. Previous recipients include Pink Floyd, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin.

Icelandic singer Bjork has been awarded Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize. The star will share the honor, which is handed out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, with Italian composer Ennio Morricone, according to the Associated Press.

Both will receive one million kronor ($130,000) and be presented with trophies at a ceremony in Stockholm later this year. The Polar Music Prize, founded by former Abba manager Stig Anderson in 1989, is Sweden's most high-profile music award and is split between pop and classical musicians.

Last year's award was shared by former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel and Venezuelan composer Jose Antonio Abreu. Previous recipients include Pink Floyd, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin.

Stockholm, Sweden (AP) — Italian composer Ennio Morricone and Icelandic singer Bjork have won the 2010 Polar Music Prize, the prize committee said Monday. They will be invited to accept the award, which includes 1 million kronor ($130,000) each in prize money, at a ceremony in Stockholm later this year. The Polar Music Prize is Sweden's biggest music award and is typically shared by a pop artist and a classical musician. It was founded by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group Abba, in 1989. Prize committee Chairman Alfons Karabuda said 44-year-old Bjork personifies the border-breaking attributes sought by the committee,...

Opens: July 4 in the U.K.; July 18 in North America (Universal Pictures)

LONDON -- No matter how many blockbusters there are, Universal Pictures' screen version of the global hit stage musical "Mamma Mia!" is the most fun to be had at the movies this or any other recent summer.

Teenage boys may be glued to the latest action adventure, but the rest of the family will be having a rollicking good time and dancing in the aisles to Swedish pop group ABBA's irresistible songs. It's a delightful piece of filmmaking with a marvelous cast topped by Meryl Streep in one of her smartest and most entertaining performances ever.

After its world premiere in London on Monday, the film opens in the U.K. on July 4 and in North America on July 18. It will surely follow the stage show around the world in pleasing audiences and coining what one of the infectious songs celebrates: "Money, Money, Money".

Credit goes to the original show's creators, producer Judy Craymer, director Phyllida Lloyd and writer Catherine Johnson, for seeing their vision through to such a polished and enjoyable picture. Hanging a tale of a woman whose daughter night have been fathered by one of three attractive men on a bunch of ABBA songs sounds simple, but its simplicity is as deceptive as the masterfully crafted songs themselves.

Streep plays Donna, a former singer, who has raised daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) alone at a fading resort on a remote Greek island. Sophie finds her mother's diary from 20 years earlier and discovers that there are three men who might be her father. About to be married to boyfriend Sky (Dominic Cooper), she sends invitations to the celebration to all three on behalf of her mother but without telling her.

Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard, as the possible dads, show up on the island where Donna is readying the wedding, helped by her two best pals (Julie Walters and Christine Baranski). The scene is set for songs, dancing and romance, all staged brilliantly, with many energetic and colorful performers, and beautifully shot.

The Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus songs have memorably sturdy lyrics that the filmmakers weave with great skill into their story. All of the players perform with gusto including Skarsgard, ex-007 Brosnan and noted Mr. Darcy Firth who, far from embarrassing themselves, sing well and deserve high praise for being such good sports.

Seyfried (from TV's "Big Love") and Cooper ("The History Boys") make appealing juvenile leads while Walters and Baranski contribute greatly to the film's good-natured comedy. Each has a big solo number with Baranski belting out "Does Your Mother Know?" to a randy beach bum and Walters entreating a reluctant groom with "Take a Chance on Me".

Streep is sensationally good in rendering the whole yarn credible and in making dramatically moving songs such as "Slipping Through My Fingers", sung to her departing daughter, and "The Winner Takes It All" to a lost love. It's no stretch to think of her performance in Oscar terms, ranking with previous musical winners such as Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

And when Streep teams with Walters and Baranski for dynamic and crowd-pleasing numbers such as "Mamma Mia!" "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper", there's not an audience anywhere that won't be smiling.

Production: Littlestar Prods., Playtone

Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski; Director: Phyllida Lloyd; Screenwriter: Catherine Johnson; Producers: Benny Andersson, Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Rita Wilson; Executive producer: Mark Huffam; Director of photography: Haris Zambarloukos; Production designer: Maria Djurkovic; Music: Stig Anderson, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus; Costume designer: Ann Roth; Editor: Lesley Walker.

Rated PG-13, 98 minutes...