Finland conquers Eurovision

Finland, after years of finishing behind cadres of no-talent, saccharin Eurobands, finally grabbed the gold ring. And it took a bunch of monsters named Lordi to do it.

"We are a rock band and we just won Eurovision—that's weird," said Lordi’s lead singer. "This is proof that from now on there will be more rock bands who will have the courage to join in," he said.

Baltic bands fared less well. Estonia, with her ghastly Abba-imitating Swedes, was rightly eliminated early on. The Latvians seemed to only recently have discovered a cappella. It may be said they were less “Eurovisiony,” which in itself should be enough for a prize. The only Baltic band which put up much of a fight was Lithuania, singing “We are the Winners,” the lyrics probably the composition of a five-year-old child. Still, City Paper awards major points for this band’s sense of humor, in particular the straight man who in the end broke into dance.

Could it be Europeans are tiring of Eurovision and are rewarding more original work? Doubtful. But there’s always hope.