SANREMO 2016: FACTS & FIGURES

The Sanremo 2016 festival is already the 66th Festival della canzone Italiana

This year there are two real veterans: Enrico Ruggeri participates for the 10th time (since 1980) and Patty Pravo for the 9th time (since 1970)

Nine out of 20 Big participants have participated in the X Factor or Amici reality shows searching for new talents: Deborah Iurato (Amici 2013-14 winner), Francesca Michielin (XF winner 2011), Valerio Scanu, Noemi, Dear Jack, Alessio Bernabei, Lorenzo Fragola (XF winner 2014), Annalisa, Giovanni Caccamo. No one from The Voice is there but at least lat year's winner Fabio Curto submitted a song (see below)

Alessio Bernabei competes against his ex-band Dear Jack, but it's not the first time a similar duel happens: In 2002 we had Franceso Renga against his ex-band Timoria, and in 20015 Antonella Ruggiero against Matia Bazar

Quite a few artists have made public their submission and not being taken to the festival. Scialpi and Marco Carta didn't take it very well (read more by clicking their names), but others haven't made it a big drama (at least in public): Fabio Curto & Francesco Facchinetti, L'Aura, Loredana Errore, Syria, Perturbazione, Paolo Vallesi, Rettore... and heavily rumored to have sent a song are also Marina Rei, Amara, Virginio, Paola Turci, Ricchi e Poveri, Michele Zarrillo, Tiromancino, Ron, Bianca Atzei & Gianluca Grignani

Patty Pravo (67) is the oldest artist, Dear Jack's new lead singer Leiner Riflessi (18) the youngest. Average age is 35, slightly younger than in 2015

Only two real debutants in the festival's Big category:

Deborah Iurato and Clementino. Francesca Michielin has never been in competition but has been on festival stage in 2012 dueting with Chiara Civello during the duet's night

Three previous Big category winners are back:

Enrico Ruggeri (1987, 1993), Valerio Scanu (2010) and Arisa (2014)

Four previous Newcomers winners are back:

Dolcenera (2003), Arisa (2009), Rocco Hunt (2014), Giovanni Caccamo (2015

Only one Eurovision veteran is among the artists: Enrico Ruggeri (1993)

Since Italy's comeback to Eurovision it has sent in 2011 the winner of the Newcomers, Raphael Gualazzi, then in 2012 Nina Zilli who competed among the Big, 2013 Sanremo winner Marco Mengoni, 2014 internally chosen Emma, who however had won Sanremo in 2012, and in 2015 again Sanremo winner Il Volo. In 2015 and 2016 it is written in the Sanremo rules the winner has the right to represent Italy in the Eurovision if they want to....

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SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further? No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

CAROLA'S BOOBS STEAL THE SHOW, SVT APOLOGIES

Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam...

JEDWARD GETS NAKED FOR THE FANS

Well, almost. The boys celebrated their 650.000th follower on Twitter by being photographed fresh from shower as promised. It's not the first time they drop their clothes as you see here . Meanwhile their second album is nearly here and the title track Young love is hitting the charts....

Rumors, rumors, rumors....

While the national selections for Junior Eurovision are going on around Europe and Ani Lorak's been confirmed as host all sort of rumors about the real thing are beginning to be the order of the day. Austria returns - or then not. Andorra stays home - or then not. San Marino returns - well, most likely but not surely. Luxembourg should make a come back - or then maybe not. Liechtenstein is still in the running - or has it ever been for real? Has the local TV ever confirmed anything? Is it just wishful thinking by the fans? Poland on the other hand has confirmed they will be in Oslo. And Italy will be still out. And apparently there will be no ban or such for Azerbaijan nor Spain for the irregularities in and after the 2009 edition. EBU had to change the text in the rules to make it sure nothing like that what happened in Azerbaijan could happen again. Or if it will they have means and rules to back up a ban or sanction.... Katerina Avgoustakis has been rumored to be in Oslo...

UK: Naked Blue

The boys of Blue have posed nude again. This time for the Attitude magazine's annual Naked issue and they are also in the cover. Watch the video of the shooting here . Band member Duncan, who is bi-sexual, recently told The Daily Star : “We are getting our kit off for Attitude magazine like the McFly boys did. I’m up for showing everything off. I’m happy enough about the size of my manhood. ” Extra media attention won't hurt their changes in Germany to win it for the UK for the first time since 1997... They will and they can!

Russia recycles the video

Here is the video for Alexey's previous hit Бам Бам! and here is the video for his Eurovision 2011 entry Get you as Alex Sparrow as he likes to be called now abraod. Looks like he potreys the new rich Russia well.... The only problem is that he can't play the bad part convincingly not even a second. And did I say the song is crap? And of course as he is a Russian star he must have nude fotos of him flotaing around internet trying to be sexy and he fails there, too, big time. If you are not bad nor sexy you shouldn't push it. Maybe he should stick to singing jolly little numbers like the Kalinka rip off instead....

FINLAND: NEW MUSIC FROM UMK ARTISTS ERIKA VIKMAN, LILI & LUNA, DIANDRA, KNUCKLEBONE OSCAR

GREECE: HELENA PAPARIZOU HITS AGAIN WITH HAIDE

Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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