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UK rapper, Finnish metalheads vie at Eurovision Song Contest
 
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - For millions of fans, the Eurovision Song Contest epitomizes Euro-pop - catchy melodies, danceable beats and lyrics bordering on the nonsensical. This is the competition that gave the world the songs Ding-a-Dong, La La La and Boom Bang-a-Bang. This year, musical outsiders including a blue-collar British rapper and a mock-Satanic gang of Finnish metalheads are aiming to win the contest that has pitted European nations against one another since 1956. Victory in Saturday's final by either Britain's Daz Sampson or Finland's Lordi would be a huge upset for the competition, whose previous winners include '60s chanteuse Lulu, Sweden's ABBA - victors in 1974 with Waterloo - and Celine Dion, who won for Switzerland in 1988. Sampson, whose Teenage Life extols the virtues of a child-centred education - "If you give the kids time, they won't do the crime" - was optimistic Friday. "I touch people's hearts," the 32-year-old rapper and DJ told The Associated Press. "I rap for the family. I've had letters from parents saying isn't it great that someone raps about something positive, like doing well in school, rather than guns and crime." Sampson and Lordi were both selected by popular vote to represent their homelands, to the surprise - and in Lordi's case, horror - of some compatriots. They are up against a slate of more usual Eurovision fare, including Irish crooner Brian Kennedy, Bosnian band Hari Mata Hari, and a plethora of pop divas that includes Turkey's Sibel Tuzun, Sweden's Carola and the local favourite, Greece's Anna Vissi. The annual contest, which sees nations vying for victory with live performances ranked by the viewing public, this year featured 37 nations, from Iceland to Israel. Eurovision sparks fierce passions across the continent but remains little-known in North America, although that may soon change. U.S. network NBC announced earlier this year that it would air an American show based on the format, with acts from different U.S. states competing for viewers' approval. Britain is among 14 countries automatically entered in Saturday's final at Athens' Olympic Indoor Arena. Lordi had to compete in Thursday's semifinal, which saw 23 bands fighting for 10 slots in the final round. It was a surprising contest that saw one of the competition favourites, Belgium's Kate Ryan, eliminated and several longshots promoted, including Lordi and Lithuania's Lt United, whose song consists largely of the lyrics "We are the winners of Eurovision." At a post-semifinal press conference, Lordi's masked, armour-wearing front man Mr. Lordi said the band was "so satisfied" to have made the final with its song Hard Rock Hallelujah. As for Saturday's final, he said: "We'll scream louder. And turn the amps up." Sampson said Lordi was a fearsome challenger, but doubted that the gang who hail "the Arockalypse" could win the traditionally middle-of-the-road contest. "How are you going to get grannies voting for that?" he said. In addition to Finland and Lithuania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ireland, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Armenia and Macedonia advanced from Thursday's semifinal. They join Greece, Switzerland, Moldova, Israel, Latvia, Norway, Spain, Malta, Germany, Denmark, Romania, Britain, France and Croatia in Saturday's final showdown, which will be watched by an estimated 100 million TV viewers.
Finland has never won Eurovision. Britain has won five times, but has not lifted the trophy since 1997. In 2003 the country received no votes - the dreaded "nul points," a mark of Eurovision shame. British bookmaker Ladbrokes on Friday made Lordi a 9-1 outsider and offered 10-1 odds on Sampson to win. The favourites are Sweden's Carola and Greece's Vissi. Sampson said he was confident. "It's going to be incredibly difficult. You have three minutes and you have to stand out. "But British music is topping charts all over Europe. So why can't we do it at Eurovision?"