Until very recently, the nicest things I could think of citing about the annual Eurovision Song Contest were

a) it gave some of our friends — both the flamboyant and the bookish — an excuse to have a party.

b) Kimberly Rew, of Soft Boys / Waves fame, authored a Eurovision winner in 1997’s “Love Shine-A-Light.”

c) “Waterloo” took the trophy in 1974 (the year that punk broke in half), thus launching the white supremacist juggernaut of Abba.

d) no matter how much Eurovision sucks, it’s still more fun than watching some sub-Curtis Stigers douchebag that looks like a slightly younger version of Jay Leno become an overnight sensation (attention haters : I am not referring to Greg Dulli, so you can stop right there).

Well, you can add the following to the list :

e) The improbable rise of Lordi.

If only the USA was eligible, this competition could really be Bronson Arroyo’s big break.