Eurovision

(This post is dedicated to Emily and Joel who shared our first Eurovision experience with us last year. We wish you guys were here again for it this year!)

Last May when we were in Scotland we happened to turn the TV on and get totally absorbed in something called Eurovision. Basically what happens is that each country in the European Broadcasting Union enters a brand-new song, usually in (sometimes broken) English, to perform at an annual contest. Citizens of each country get to vote--just not for their own country's entry. The contest has been held every year since 1956.

We laughed our heads off at some of the acts (which took "over the top" to new heights) and also at the voting. Russia won last year, basically because all of the eastern European countries voted for them. You can watch that video below, which includes an appearance by world-champion Russian figure skater Eugeni Pluschenko. (Note: We actually heard last year's winning song on the radio a few months after Eurovision.) We still laugh our heads off every time we watch this video; I think you'll enjoy it.


Sadly, the UK finished dead last in the competition last year. The abysmal showings for the UK in the last few years inspired none other than the legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote this year's song and staged a contest on BBC to choose the performer. We watched the competition, which was called Your Country Needs You, and was decided on viewer votes, American Idol-style. Below you can watch the music video with the composer's song and the Your Country Needs You winner, Jade. (She has a fantastic voice and is beautiful, but we're not in love with the song...We're just hoping for better than last place!) Andrew Lloyd Webber is in the video too; he's playing the piano.

We're excited for Eurovision this week, with semifinals Tuesday and Thursday and finals Saturday. Mostly we're looking forward to over-the-top performances and crazy voting, but we'll also be rooting for Jade. If you're interested, the finals start Saturday at 11 a.m. Alaska time, 1 p.m. Mountain time, 2 p.m. Central time and 3 p.m. Eastern time, 8 p.m. Greenwich time. I think you can watch here. We'll post results and maybe more videos after the competition.

Interestingly, Eurovision has featured some notable acts throughout the years. ABBA actually got their start playing "Waterloo" on Eurovision in 1974, winning that year and using it as a springboard for their success. Celine Dion won the competition for Switzerland in 1988.