Sanremo 2012 LIVE

Ok, here we go. The show has started with Luca & Paolo, the comics from last year. I will update when there's something interesting to report. Like the songs!

21.07 Gianni Morandi finally enters the stage. Which is pretty fabulous, it seems. Again by Gaetano Castelli. I hope soon he will be able to create the Eurovision stage! A rather futuristic dance act in space follows. A very nice opener! Some of the dancers were Italian Olympic gymnastics for London 2012. The orchestra has 60 musicians and all is played live. There's a demoscopic jury of 300 persons. Two songs will be dropped out but will have a second chance later.

21.25 Here we go: Dolcenera - Ci vediamo a casa. An uptempo song. Rather catchy. And I like her, she's got a great voice and personality. A very nice start.

21.31 And quickly we move on to Samuele Bersani - Pallone. A kind of song the critics will love. Nice though, a touch of cabaret. And no problems with the voice. He took use of the stage even if alone. And after the song apparently there is a problem with the voting.... the system is blocked!
21.37 enters the co-host Rocco Papaleo.

21.46 finally back to music. Noemi - Sono solo parole. A typical Italian ballad. Reminds me of late Mia Martini a bit, maybe Noemi will sound as rough in 20 years or so? Ok, but nothing more with the first hearing.

21.53 enters Francesco Renga - La tua bellezza. I have never been a fan of his. Even so I guess it's a safe bet to say this song will go far? A rock ballad, typical to his style that he performs with gusto.

21.58 time for debutant Chiara Civello - Al posto del mondo. This is the song that we knew already and it wasn't disqualified after all as "it's totally re-arraned". Anyways, she's supposed to be a great singer but tonight she provides the worst vocals so far even if she gets better towards the end. A retro schlager I would say. Would fit into some movie soundtrack. And anyways this song could not go to Baku 2012 because of the date.

22.05 time for Irene "Zucchero's daughter" Fornaciari - Grande mistero. An uptempo with nice arrangement. Unfortunately the weakest link seems to be Irene herself. Rather nervous performance, over acted. But the song isn't that bad... but didn't she have the same dress last time? or jacket. Whatever.
22.10 Euforia! Even in Sanremo this season's favourite word appears!

22.18 after advertising Morandi is announcing the next act when all of sudden bombs, firing, bloody people, scenes of war and terror take the stage and screens... rather confusing.... and scary. Surely will make people talk. And amongst all that chaos materializes Adriano Celentano.... and starts to talk.... and talk... and talk.... appears Elisabetta Canalis. And he sings.... and talks again. Ok, he's a living legend. And he speaks words of wisdom. But c'mon, in the middle of the show forever and ever? Maybe after the songs? We have still eights songs to hear, more than half of them! Sigh...
22.57 he is gone. So Morandi can talk about him. Anf he re-enters.... oh dear....
23.12 he is gone. I hope. Can we get back to the songs now?

23.19 enters Emma -Non è l'inferno and we are back in business. She's the hot favourite for victory. And who knows? The song starts slowly and grows into an anthem. Great. And she delivers tonight. And she makes me miss Mietta, their voices are very similar at times. Baku?

23.25 enters Marlene Kuntz - Canzone per un figlio. The "only" real Italian rock band it is said. But the song starts like an acoustic ballad by Peppino di Capri. The orchestra enters but it's still a pop song. Rock? I think Emma was more rock than these puppets.

23.34 and finally the call-in girls Elisabetta Canalis and Belen Rodrigues, classe 2011, enter...

23.40 and it's time for Eugenio Finardi - E tu lo chiami Dio. A very typical Finardi song. Beautiful melody with his unique voice. Me likes.

23.45 and we follow directly with the strange couple Gigi D'Alessio-Loredana Bertè - Respirare. Loredana is doing her show while Gigi tries to keep up and looks like a schoolboy next to a drag queen. But hey, the song isn't bad at all. Quite groovy and Loredana behaves after all.

23.53 it's Nina Zilli - Per sempre. One of the Eurovision favourites. Let's see. Hmm. I may need to hear this again but I like it! Great retro feeling and look. And she's fantastic!

00.02 we are back after advertising and short TV-news and Rocco Papaleo has his little space of the show. Yawn... Oh, and the stream is gone?!

Ok. Can't connect to teatro Ariston anymore. Did the snowstorm hit Sanremo as well as here it's snowing so much I don't know how to get to work tomorrow... I'll recap tomorrow the last three songs. Buona notte!

Pierdavide Carone ft. Lucio Dalla - Nani. Another prostitute song? Oh well. Quite nice, but that's all.

Arisa - La notte. Beautiful simple ballad and she's sweet. Without funny eyeglasses and funny songs she still makes a mark. Great! Would be a nice touch for Baku 2012!

Matia Bazar - Sei tu. Silvia mezzanotte has returned to the lead singer and this formation of Matia Bazar has already won Sanremo once (and once with the original one, with Antonella Ruggiero who also did Eurovision).  Typical Matia Bazar song in good and bad. Pleasantly flows from one ear to another and vanishes and you find yourself singing to Spagna's Gente come noi instead.

And guess what? There was no elimination as the voting system didn't work out as planned! So all 14 songs are still in the race. And these 14 songs with the first hearing aren't exactly earthshakingly good. None of them. Who knows how the voting will go once it works? We still have some 12 possible winners....