The 63rd Festivale della canzone Italiana is about to begin. I will blog the main things if only RAI shows it online :-) Seven of the Big category will present their songs and one will be voted for the Saturday's final. The eight Newcomers will be also presented but not voted, Toto Cutugno will be the guest star of the Golden age and much more to come. Also Verdi will be remembered...
Stay tuned!
20.55 enter Teatro Artiston co-host Luciana Littizzetto, in a grand way! Like Fazio said, a mix between Sleeping Beauty and Crudelia De Monn! And she's fabulous! Only that non-Italian speakers surely found her totally annoying but then this show is made for Italians, not foreign Eurovision fans.... and Italy she's HUGE. A real comedian who says all sort of things...
She's having a long monologue about most everything, Vatican and Italian politics and elections obviosuly highlighted and making fun of Berlusconi (no wonder he wanted to move Sanremo after the elections! And this is only the beginning...). Always almost going in too deep... and finally even shouting "Culo!" She's a darling! She also said in her presentation that Sanremo is usually filled with tall beautiful girls but this year there is only half a girl and not even pretty!
The stage looks great, or actually the whole Teatro Ariston. One can really see there's a new person in charge for that with fresh and different ideas. The competition will start shortly and we will really see the satge and its effects in action! The televoters can call four times to one song btw.
21.11 here we go! Luciana on stage alone presenting the first artist and the grand orchestra. It's time for Marco Mengoni. First with L'essenziale. A midtempo ballad, very Italian: it's worth remembering Mengoni is one of the three possible Eurovision entrants and the fan facorite for the job. For the first song a very purple stage and no gimmicks, Mengoni looking very handsome in his blue suit. Televote for Mengoni is now open.
And here comes his second song, Bellissimo, co-written by Gianna Nannini and you can hear it. More uptempo, light pop song on a red stage with some colorful effects. Eurovision? Hmm, not sure either of these! Marco Alemanno, partner of late Lucio Dalla comes on stage to announce the song that goes to final. Lucia Dalla's performance in Sanremo 2012 remains his one of his last TV-appearences. And L'essenziale goes on with 52%. Good!
21.26 Next we have Raphael Gualazzi!First Senza ritegno. A song that sounds very much like his crazier songs indeed, with nice arrangement and rhythm. And the trombone! Me likes! Great use of spotlights for this one.
Sai (Ci basta un sogno) is his second song and it starts like a ballad and is more traditional one. And less original but his piano playing makes up for it. Not much else to say about it. Very simple blue stage with once again great lightning. I hope the first one qualifies... He himself prefers the second one! (Marco didn't say his favorite but the usual "You know they are all your children...). And the winner is with 62% Sai (Ci basta un sogno). Ok... Time for some advertising.... Btw, Fazio said the evening will finish at 1am.... Are you ready?
21.42 We are back... with Felix Baumgartner! The guy who jumped from the space to Earth!
And Luciana gets to walk down the legendary Sanremo staircase... once its built with the help of Felix!
21.48 back to music and it's time for Daniele Silvestri. First A bocca chiusa. He's by the piano, with someone doing the lyrics in sign language next to him. Not sure if this is a first for Sanremo but for Eurovision it's already an old gimmick. But the song is an Italian ballad. A quite beautiful one also. Not much more than his piano and as the title suggest he sings a part of the song with his mouth shut!
Il bisogno di te (ricatto d'onor) is his second song and more like the songs I know from him. More uptempo and he takes of his jackets and gets away from his piano, the lights on stage get alive and it's quite pleasant. But I prefer the first one..... And he would prefer the first one go through as well as the song "needs to be here, the other not". Well said! And once again we have a local celebrity to announce the song that goes through. I won't bother you with them unless they are something of interest... And the song that goes to the final is A bocca chiusa with 61%. Good! And then some advertising...
22.05 Now we have a duet, Simona Molinari and Peter Cincotti. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is their first song and starts off with a very groovy jazz mood. Peter challenges Raphael in jazz piano and it's a feel good song. And the 1800th song presented in Sanremo!
La felicità follows. Another jazzy song with some English lyrics (Peter is Italo-American if I have understood right). Out of these I can't decide which one I prefer. maybe the latter? It recalls summer! We will see... They won't tell which one is their favorite and instead start talking how they both are each others fans and now also friends. Meanwhile Luciana continues with her incredible verbal tsunami! And the winner is... La felicità! 54% Time for another advertising break. This said, the evening progresses pretty smoothly and quickly for being Sanremo. Well done Fabio & Luciana!
22.23 Here comes the formidable Silvio B. ... (once again. If you don't speak Italian...). Anyways, part of the audience BOOO, part of them not for the satire.... The situation heats up. Fazio has to return on stage and calm the audience so comic Maurizio Crozza can go on! How very Italian! And people continues to shour and whisstle and he can't go on....
Fazio returns on stage, people shout "Fuori! Fuori! Out! Out!"... Then finally Crozza manages to continue, talking about Sanremo and elections and stuff.And even make people laugh... I will go and have a pee.... while the talk continues and continues.... until 23.00... 37 minutes.... But that was short if we compare it to Adriano Celentano's one... Anyways, all is fine that ends well, he gets a huge applause! Advertising....
23.08 Finally we are back to busines and next on stage we will have Marta sui tubi. Maybe the most unknown artist of the contest this year as they're an independent rock group, not yet a household name for most. Dispari si the first song. Hmm, starts like a Battiato song, then turns into Queen and back. Interesting. And includes maybe the best line this year "E non soffro se mi sento solo, soffro solo se mi fai sentire dispari"
. Very colorful stage, mainly in green though.
Then we have Vorrei. Not so good, rather boring in fact. Chaotic. I prefer the first one. They prefer it, too. Let's see if Italians and journalists agree. remember there is 50-50 televote-press center. Oh, strangely we go on pubblicità before the results?! Ok.... Vorrei with 63% goes on. WTF?
23.25 Ooh, here they come! The gay couple from Turin, Stefano and Federico that will have to fly to New York to be able to marry next Thursday. They did a video earlier and now reproduce it live on stage. Sweet... Timid applause from the audience and no further explanation.... Whatever.
23.29 Time for Napoletan music with Maria Nazionale. Enzo Gragnaniello has written Quando non parlo for her. She's a stranger to me but sounds nice. I have always had a spoft spot for some Napoletan music and Gragnaniello is great. Nice, melodic song with a touch of exotic. Me likes.
È colpa mia is her second song. Ans starts exactly like Sorry is the hardest thing! Then it turns into any Gigi D'Alessio song. But she's fascinating and really deserved to be here and get better known outside Naples, too! And she loves the both songs 50-50. And the one that goes to final is.... with 52% É colpa mia.... Boh! Pubblicità!
23.49 We are back and it' time for Toto Cutugno. Who gets an award for the career. 16 Sanremos, one victory, several second places, Eurovision win... We all know him! nd the stage turns into a talk show.
And he sings L'Italiano, his maybe best known song. From Sanremo 1983.
And the intimacy of the stage is gone when a full army choir comes in.... is this the Red Army Choir? Then Fabio and Luciana join in, and the audience in Teatro Ariston. Na na na naa... And yes, it is red Army choir from Russia! No wonder Russian TV is showing Sanremo this year....And Toto sings Moscow nights, in Russian. Da da! Oops. Now Toto said he has nostalgy for the good old Sovjet Union.... Autch! Is he hight on something as he's acting so strange and looks strange, too. Hmm... Ok, of course we have to sing Volare, too....Pubblicità again and then we finally here the last two songs from Chiara....
00.12 Here comes Chiara. L'esperienza dell'amore is the first song. This is propably the first traditional Sanremo song here! A classic Italian ballad. Before this Luciana had a joke with the height of her microphone "and I'm even wearing high heals!" Chiara is a big girl! Luciana fits under her microphone easily....
Il futuro che sarà starts with a wild violin and turns into a simil tango. Not bad either. Not very original either. These two I can't say which one is my favorite..... Nor does Chiara.
And Luciana continues to have some height problems with a guest... some waterball player named Stefano whose surname I already forgot (sorry!). But let's see which song Chiara will bring to the final.... 60% for Il futuro che sarà. Mah...
Here comes the recap of the selected songs and I feel a bit buzzled of some choices but ... And the night is over at 00.32. We didn't see a trace of the Newcomers as supposed. There must have been a chance. But a great show in general but then I adore Luciana and Fabio isn't bad either. Great stage and beautiful graphics. All singers performed well but the level of the songs at first hearing didn't seem so very special, I must say. But all that may change tomorrow. I'll be blogging again. Please do come back! Buona notte mondo!
Well, if I have to sum up the songs after one hearing....Maria Nazionale was the biggest surprise! Also Chiara, and both of them lost the song I liked more, Quando non parlo and L'esperienza dell'amore. Then there's Gualazzi who also went to the final with the song I didn't prefer. A bocca chiusa was also very good followed by L'essenziale and La felicità and last Dispari. Confusing. Anyways I think (and hope) we didn't hear the winner yet, nor the song for Eurovison (if that will come from Sanremo in the end...
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