“Eurovision” sounds like some kind of space age goggles that allow you to see the world as a European does. (For instance, soap is rendered completely invisible.) But it’s actually a 53-year-old competition held between the countries of the European Broadcasting Union. Each nation picks a musical act to compete in a series of live broadcasts, and hundreds of millions of people watch and vote on the winner. (You can’t vote for the country you live in.) You can read Belinkie’s coverage of last year’s competition here and here.
This year’s Eurovision starts on May 12, in Moscow. (I’m pretty sure Moscow is not in Europe, but apparently, the European Broadcasting Union never broadcast Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego.) You can watch previews of all 42 entries here. We already have, and here are our personal favorites. Read all the entries and vote at the end.
It’s right up there with music, poetry and love — since the dawn of time, mankind has heeded a primal calling to construct unstoppable, unmanned killing machines. So, today, during this Terminator week, let’s take a look back at some of those triumphs of ingenuity, the human spirit, and our inborn urge to breathe the words “Hasta la vista, baby” into the Pygmalion-warmed lips of our creations (as well as our misplaced belief they will never turn on us for our hubris).
.
