As a Brit living in the United States, I can tell you that nothing illustrates the gap between Europ...

1. Why You Need to Watch Europe’s Most Ridiculous Show
— ‘Eurovision’
As a Brit living in the United States, I can tell you that nothing illustrates the gap between European
and American sensibilities quite like the popularity of Eurovision, the annual overseas singing
contest that marks its 60th anniversary this Saturday. Eurovision is terrible, rollicking, God-awful
fun -- just the kind of thing Europeans love and Americans don't see enough of.
While the competition show has an audience of about 170 million worldwide, it's still little-known in
the U.S. So let me tell you what you're missing -- because you can watch the finale live-streamed on
the Eurovision website this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, and you won't be disappointed.
ABBA at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. (Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis)
Think of Eurovision as The Voice on steroids, where every European country not only votes but also
is represented by a novelty act roughly comparable to the late ukulele player Tiny Tim. ABBA won
the competition in 1974, and they're also the best example of its Euro-kitsch vibe. But Celine Dion,
Enya, Olivia Newton-John, Katrina and the Waves, Lulu, and even Las Ketchup (remember "The
Ketchup Song" from summer 2002?) have all done time on the Eurovision stage at various points in
their careers.

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Last year's Eurovision winner, Conchita Wurst, right, poses with her wax figure at Madame
Tussaud's in Vienna. (Photo: Manfred Schmid/Getty Images)
This year, the contest will be hosted by Vienna, thanks to Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst's win
last year. Notable for pairing slinky frocks with a lush beard, she will sing her winning song, "Rise
Like a Phoenix," to open the show.
Australia finds itself one of the three favorites to win this season. (Never mind that it's the wrong
continent. To mix things up, Eurovision's definition of "Europe" is somewhat elastic: Israel usually
participates; Azerbaijan, which is considered part of Asia, won in 2011; and this year, a one-time
invitation was extended to Australia in recognition of the contest's popularity down under.) Italy and
Sweden are also in the running. Contestants from all three submitted solid pop songs, sadly making
it slightly less of a cheese-fest and more of a singing competition than in previous years.

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Eduard Romanyuta of Moldova during the first Semi-Final of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.
(Photo: Nigel Treblin/WireImage)