The Eurovision Song Contest is a big deal in Europe. Think of it as the European equivalent of the Super Bowl, but better. Way better. The ratings speak for themselves too. 195 million Europeans tuned into the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 2015 Super Bowl, which was hosted in Glendale, Arizona, had an average rating of 114.4 million. But why isn’t there an American rating for Eurovision? And, why haven’t you heard of Eurovision? That will be remedied in this extensive article. Welcome to “Eurovision for Dummies: An Extensive Guide to the World’s Biggest Music Competition.”
   Before we go on, you’re probably scratching your head and thinking “What is Eurovision?” Well, here’s the gist. In 1955, the European Broadcasting Union conceived the idea of "an international... in all represented nations." And thus, the Eurovision Song Contest was born; unveiled to the public in 1956 at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland.The EBU held the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland. That was the beginning of a dynasty. A dynasty that will be 60 years strong with this year’s event.
   Now there’s probably another reason why you haven’t heard of Eurovision. No American network carries the event. That’s because we’re not a European nation… But neither is Australia, and they carry the event. Matter of fact, they’ll be partaking in Eurovision 2015 for the first (and most likely, only) time. But don’t worry, there is a way to watch the 2015 contest. The internet. And it’s not illegal! Eurovision.tv, the official site of the Eurovision Song Contest, streams the event without commentary. However, if you want more of a “zest,” check out the BBC’s stream of the event. Comedian and BBC show host Graham Norton commentates the British telecast adding a few dings and dongs. To watch that, you must download the Hola! Unblocker extension, which is available on Chrome, Firefox, and other internet browsers.
   That’s the basics. The extreme basics at that. Now, we get to the nitty gritty per se. What countries partake? Who’s this year’s favorite? There’s so many questions to be answered. Volunteering to help out were Glen Bartlett and Samantha Ross. Both cover Eurovision like the Bubonic plague.

    For a first time viewer, what should they expect?

Samantha Ross: “If you imagine the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics, mixed with an episode of “The Voice,” with a lot of pyrotechnics and a rabid fanbase, you’ll kind of understand the atmosphere at Eurovision. There’s a lot of tradition (for example, the rules are always read out in English and French, the playing of Charpentier’s “Te Deum” is the traditional opening of the show, and the voting process hasn’t changed much since the 1970s), but there’s always something new, as well. You’ll see innovative staging, political undercurrents, and (most importantly) some great music from all over Europe.”
Glen Bartlett: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a celebration of European culture and talent (with a bit of cheese and colour thrown in!). It's that one night of the year where there's a chance for countries from across Europe (and even in Australia now!) to showcase the best talent they've got in their country at the moment. In countries like the UK - we treat the contest more as an entertainment show rather than an actual competition - but in Greece, Serbia, Albania etc.. it's the only chance they have to show Europe what they have.. so expect national pride to play a big part! There's also a lot of flag waving.”

    How does scoring work?

Samantha Ross: “Scoring sounds a bit more complicated than it actually is. First things first: all countries have the same weight, regardless of size or population. That means that the UK or Germany have the same voting power as San Marino, with its population of 30,000. Second, no nation can vote for itself. Third, all countries’ votes are made up of a combined public televote and a 5-member jury, made up of music professionals from that country. Those scores are added together, and the top ten countries from that vote receive points. 10th place gets 1 point, 9th place gets 2, et cetera. Second place receives ten points, and the top song gets twelve points, as a sort of bonus. After all of the countries reveal their votes, we have a winner!”

    How are the countries decided?

Samantha Ross: “Countries are eligible to take part in Eurovision if they have broadcasters who are members of the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU. This includes a few countries outside of the traditional definition of “Europe”, including Israel and Azerbaijan. This year, to mark the 60th running of the contest, the EBU has given a one-time invitation to Australian broadcaster SBS, in recognition of the country’s longtime devotion to the event. SBS is not a full EBU member, but they’ve been showing Eurovision since 1983, so it’s the EBU’s way of saying “thank you.””

        How are the acts decided?

Samantha Ross: “Different countries have different methods of choosing their artists. Some nations hold large-scale “national finals” where a number of singers submit songs, and the winner heads to the international stage. In countries like Sweden, the national final is just as popular as Eurovision itself! Others do their selection behind closed doors, in what fans call an “internal selection”, and announce an act and song with little to no input from the public. Last year’s winner, Conchita Wurst, was an internal selection from Austrian broadcaster ORF.  Some countries try to find a balance between the two, where a broadcaster will select a singer, and the public will choose among a handful of songs for them to sing.”

      How were you introduced to the ESC and when did you first watch the competition?

Samantha Ross: “I had heard bits and pieces about Eurovision when I was a child, mostly through old Monty Python sketches, but never really knew anything about it. When I was 12, and studying for my Bat Mitzvah, it was right around the time when Dana International won for Israel, so we talked a bit about her in Hebrew School. Still, I never really did any further research. (Keep in mind, this was just before the internet made everyone's life easier!) When I got to college (in 2003), I was surrounded by new friends from all over the world, and Eurovision came up in conversation more and more. For the first time, I really began to pay attention to the contest, and I fell in love with this competition that mixed music, culture, and politics. I watched it in full for the first time in 2005, and have been attending the show since 2011. I also attended the Swiss National final for 2013 and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Malta this past November.”
Glen Bartlett: My first memory of the Eurovision Song Contest was way back in 2003 (when I was eight) where the UK famously and embarrassingly scored their first and only 0 points to date. I remember it caused such a controversy here - reaching all the main news outlets and being a talking point in the country for a couple of weeks. As an eight year old boy - I loved this. I loved how everyone was talking about it.. how it caused such a an uproar. I couldn't wait until the next year! Combined with my love of countries and flags - it was the perfect TV event for me and I've been following it since 2004 and have never looked back!

    What is your favorite ESC song of all time?

Samantha Ross: “As for my favorite song, it's tough to pick. Eurovision has had over 1,300 songs come through the competition over the past 60 contests, so there's a lot to choose from. There is truly something there for every taste, from jazz to pop to metal to folk. I personally loved the Italian entry from 2011 ("Madness of Love" by Raphael Gualazzi), the Danish winner from 1963 ("Dansevise" by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann), and the Hungarian entry from 2013 ("Kedvesem" by ByeAlex).”
Glen Bartlett: “Asking a Eurovision fan their favourite Eurovision song is like asking Jesus to pick his favourite disciple - nearly impossible! Although, there is one song that has forever got a place in my heart, and that's Malta 2008! Local singer Morena went to a Belgrade with an uptempo, manic song called 'Vodka' - and it was INCREDIBLE. It was fast paced, it was crazy, it was unexplainable - it was a celebration, and that's what Eurovision is all about!”

    Of the people interviewed, Bartlett was the only one part of an Eurovision nation. Make it three.. All as one nation.. He’s in the United Kingdom, more specifically, Wales. So he was bestowed with one additional question. Sorry Glen.

    How is the Welsh atmosphere during the ESC?
Glen Bartlett: “Wales' perception of Eurovision is similar to that of the whole UK's - we see it as a Saturday night entertainment show and nothing else.. we're not inclined to take the competition *that* seriously. Saying that, Wales is a very proud and nationalistic country and although we may be small - we have a big heart! There was a Welsh language singing competition set up in the 70s called 'Can i Gymru' (A Song for Wales) which was put in place just in case Wales were ever asked to compete as an independent country. To this day the competition is still going strong and there's definitely an interest in getting Wales their own spot at Eurovision - so who knows!?”

    Where can readers find your work?

Samantha Ross: “Readers can find my work at www.ESCInsight.com, and are welcome to follow me on Twitter (@escinsider).“
Glen Bartlett: “By day I work a TV researcher for the Welsh language magazine show 'Heno' on S4c, and also an afternoon lifestyle show called 'Prynhawn Da' also on S4C. Besides that, I host a three hour Eurovision themed radio show on Oystermouth Radio (a community radio station in Swansea, Wales) every Thursday night from 8pm GMT/9pm CET! You can listen live every Thursday night at www.oystermouthradio.com/listen-live or by downloading the TuneIn Radio app and searching 'Oystermouth Radio'. Remember to follow us on Twitter @w12plive, and like us on Facebook; www.facebook.com/wales12points - and you're welcome to e-mail in; w12p@w12p.co.uk. If you'd like to listen to any past shows, go to mixcloud.com/glen-bartlett and they're all there at your convenience! Let us know what you think!”

    Well there we go, the sheer basics of the Eurovision Song Contest. Countries around Europe (and Australia) are currently qualifying for the event. The semi-finals for the event will take place on the 19th and 21st of May. The Grand Finale will occur on the 23rd of May. Austria (last year’s winner), Australia (EBU guest), and the so called “Big 5”, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany automatically qualify for the Grand Finale. The event will take place from Vienna’s Wiener Stadhalle. All three live shows will start at 3:00pm EST.