Are Sweden Set To Win Eurovision This Weekend?

The Eurovision Song Contest is a cavalcade of camp chaos and maddeningly mediocre music, but it’s not to be missed this year, especially if you live in Sweden

Eurovision 2015 Is Here
• Sweden favorites at 2.55
• Finland out in Semi-final
• Serbia in with a chance

The Eurovision Song Contest comes to a climax this weekend as the 27 finalists line up to see if their entry can top the scoreboard at the end of the night in Vienna, Austria. This is the 60th edition of the bizarrely kitsch competition that pitches songs from different European nations against each other, and to celebrate not only is Israel back once again despite being in a different continent, but Australia has come along for the ride. Yes, Australia, somewhere about as far from Europe as it’s possible to get.

The Australians love Eurovision, broadcasting a singing competition on the other side of the planet every year for the last three and a half decades, and given the contest being described recently by last year’s winner as being akin to “the gay Olympics” perhaps it’s only right that the nation that gave us Priscilla Queen of the Desert should be invited along to participate. They’ve been given a free pass into the grand finale on the proviso that if they win they have to host it in conjunction with a European partner.

Not that those who like to bet on sport in Sweden should think they’re likely to win, frankly, as ComeOn! Sportsbooks odds have them at 9.25 which seems a distance away from the favorites, who actually are Sweden on 2.55, ahead of Italy on 3.90 and Russia on 4.10 all of whom could be overshadowed by the Serbia entry which despite odds of 29.00 is in with a far better shout than those numbers would indicate. As an each way bet Bojana Stamenov’s “Beauty Never Lies” is almost irresistible at those odds.

Irresistible Each Way Odds On Serbia

Not that the contest is ever all that predictable. Last year’s bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst might have been a shoo-in for the win with “Rise Like A Phoenix” but this year there really isn’t the same buzz around just one contestant, although Bojana is coming close, although that could just be gravity doing what gravity does around a sizeable body. Mans Zelmerlow’s “Heroes” might be favorite with the bookies but a distinct lack of predictability has haunted the contest for years.

Perhaps the greatest moment of insanity is not the winning of a bearded lady, that was almost inevitable if you think about it, but of the Finnish death metal band Lordi in 2006 who took to the stage looking like demons had come amongst the colorful people, their creepy outfits, scary masks and outrageously screamed “Hard Rock Hallelujah” a tazer-hit to the kidneys of this typically quite lightweight competition. Finland didn’t make the final this year, their Pertti Kurikan Nimipaivat falling in the first semi-final.
Of course simply gambling news that you screamed your lyrics incomprehensibly is not the only way to guarantee a place for yourself in Eurovision history, and last year whilst Conchita was busy being “unstoppable” the Polish entry of Donatan & Cleo were making sure their song would be inscribed in memory by performing along side traditionally dressed milkmaids with massive cleavage churning butter with masturbatory movements, a video clip that has now been viewed over 40 million times on Youtube, apparently.

Can Grande Amore Beat Tonight Again?

Italy’s crescendo laden song from Il Volo called “Grande Amore” might stand out for being in Italian (most nation’s entries are in English) but will their performance on stage do justice to a song that might seem to lack “a message” per se? Certainly Russia’s Polina Gagarina (I know, isn’t it vomit worthy?) and “A Million Voices” will hope not, and whilst her tune is all very inclusive there are rumors that Russia won’t attract as many votes as the bookies believe for reasons well beyond the vocal arena.

Of course those game-for-anything Aussies have staked their Eurovision hopes on Guy Sebastian and “Tonight Again” which suffers hugely, perhaps a little ironically, from taking itself too seriously, and not quite being as camp as it could, perhaps should, have been. It’s tricky to see how alongside some of the more showy acts how he’ll be able to stand out, but then it is not beyond the realms of possibility the Aussies aren’t interested in winning and just want to make a good showing. Right, Ireland?

The grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 will be a ridiculously over-the-top extravaganza of mediocre music, mistakenly conceptualized performances and the sort of commentary that puts “tongue in cheek” to absolute shame. It’ll be well worth seeing wherever you are, but especially if you’re in Sweden and willing to ignore the outdated and stupid Swedish gambling laws to put a frew Krona behind Mans as he gamely tries to prevent being crushed by the Serbian lady in the big dress.