Rovaniemi, Finland
In a stunning upset, a Finnish heavy-metal band won this year’s Eurovision song contest. Usually some cheesy Europop act wins the most call-in votes in the highly popular competition, which is televised live throughout Europe. But this year, the over-the-top theatrics of Lordi, a mock-Satanist group whose members wear monster costumes, won the day with “Hard Rock Hallelujah.” It’s the first win for frequent last-place finisher Finland, and the band’s hometown, Rovaniemi, says it will name a square after them. The upset was so unexpected that Ireland mistakenly posted a press release congratulating its entrant, Brian Kennedy, on his “marvelous win.” Ireland has won Eurovision seven times.
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