SANREMO 2022: PRIMA SERATA - LIVE BLOGGING AND REVIEW

Here it is finally! It looks like Sanremo has finally taken the crown off Melodifestivalen as the most anticipated national selection show. Which it isn't really but that's a minor detail for fandom. Makes me think of this blog's early years when Italy hadn't yet returned to Eurovision and I was pretty alone following and blogging about it. Oh well, things change.

I will be watching as always, blogging along and reviewing the songs as they happen.

Amadeus is the artistic director, the Godfather of Måneskin's global success. Next to him as always Fiorello and tonight's prettist host is film star Ornella Muti. Musical guest stars are of course Måneskin, and Meduza. Add tennis player Matteo Berrettini, actors Raul Bova, Nico Frascati and Claudio Gioè. Orietta Berti and Fabio Rovazzi are hosting a side show from a cruise boat where tonight's guests are Colapesce Dimartino whose last year's entry Musica leggerissima was the biggest success from Sanremo, recently covered in Spanish by Ana Mena.

Tonight 12 out of the 25 artists will premiere their song. They are voted by the printed media & TV, Web and Radio juries, each with 33,3%.

Sanremo kicks of tonight with pre-show at 20.30 and the show from Teatro Ariston 20.50 and runs at least until 1.20....

----- L I V E -----

20.54 Here we go and Amadeus gets visibly touched by the presence of the audience when he enters. I feel him.

Tonight's acts:

20.58 Achille Lauro - Domenica ***

Shirtless with all his tattoos in well displayed he belts out a song similar to his many previous (better) ones added with Harlem Gospel Choir. I quite liked this :-) All in all quite modest performance but maybe it's just good?

21.06 Yuman - Ora e qui **

He won the newcomers selection in December. His song is a typical Sanremo ballad flowing smoothly but not leaving much to remember afterwards, did it? A hint of gospel here, too. The stage is very blue and his wardrobe very black.

Ornella Muti has problems with her microphone and as this is Sanremo the audience protests loudly and the matters are fixed with applause.

21.13 Noemi - Ti amo non lo so dire ****

This song is co-written by Mahmood and it's very clear. Noemi gets modernized at her 7th festival and follows Elodie to become a fan favorite for Eurovision for sure. And she looks stunning! We need ads break to recover....

21.24 Gianni Morandi - Apri tutte le porte **

Living legend, Eurovision veteran and previous Sanremo winner brings a song written by Jovanotti and orchestra conducted by Mouse T. The song's a real jump to the nostalgia, up tempo nostalgia from the 50's/60's. he could have sung this when he was 17 and now he's 77. Fun but not my cup of tea maybe. Italians will go crazy though.

After that first appearance of Fiorello....His humor is divisive but I do like him. Can't help it. He makes me giggle no matter what.His first gag is Covid-19 related. He's the third dose aka third year in Samremo. The booster dose. But funny. And then he makes fun of their friendship with Amadeus. And Jalisse. Among other things. In short these times it's better to make fun of everything, even sing the sad songs in a happy way. Or like my granny would say: Ilo irti vaik syän märkänis. Amen. We need another ads break after all that.....

22.00 La Rappresentante di Lista - Ciao ciao ***

They really made it Big in last year's Sanremo and became big fan favorites. I never quite got them and same goes with this with the first hearing. The song has a nostalgic feeling to it, and some aspects that make me think it's made Eurovision in mind with some gimmicks. Oh well.... Let's see how this develops.

22.06 Michele Bravi - Inverno dei fiori ****

I loved his Il diario degli errori in Sanremo few years ago and he's got also many other great songs so this is one of those I have waited the most. And yes, he delivered. beautiful and touching with his particular voice. And those lyrics again.

22.10 Måneskin time! After a recap video of their year Amadeus dresses up as a chauffeur and goes to pick them up. Fantastico!

Fantastic Zitti e buoni again with the real violins and orchestra! Makes me remember all the talk pre-Eurovision that they must re-record with this version to do well at Eurovision. They didn't. But it would have been fab! Standing ovation. Of course. Phew, we need a break after that. Those strings!

22.31 Massimo Ranieri - Lettera di lá del mare **

Double Eurovision veteran and previous winner and singing legend he is. His first Sanremo was 54 years ago.... Theatrical as I suspected but beautiful story telling of his youthful American dreams across the ocean....

22.38 Mahmood & Blanco - Brividi ****

Tho most anticipated one by the fans perhaps. Two guys singing that they would like to love each other, a tender ballad, high falsetto vocals. Sounds very Mahmood ballad. Is this Italy's answer to Isaac Sene's Kuuma jäbä? Lyric wise that is.

Time for some tennis. Matteo Berrettini. Rome's finest. And not only. World's n.o 6.

23.03 Ana Mena - Duecentomila ore ***

Spanish Ana has delivered already several summer hits as featuring. And a summer hit with a touch of Latin music she offers this time, too. Quite nice but sadly won't go very high in the ranking here I suppose. Rather weak vocals, too. I would have given this song to Orietta Berti!

23.10 Rkomi - Insuperabile **

This makes me think of Måneskin last year. The effect on Sanremo stage. But this isn't my cup of tea either. He's hugely popular among the young folks though. I'm old.

23.17 The return of Måneskin with Coraline. So good to hear them sing a ballad in Italian for a change. More of that please! Stuff like Torna a casa rather than Mamamia, please! And another standing ovation. This has been great, a full circle from last year's win to this night as national heroes giving back.

23.25 Dargen D'Amico - Dove si balla ***

Unz unz unz.... Sanremo's take on 80's fever.... Unz unz unz

A moment with Ornella Muti and her memories of Italian cinema's greatest she has worked with....

And then a visit to the cruise boat with Orietta Berti and Rovazzi.

And then last year's mega success Samremese Colapesce Dimartino. My favorite last year, too, btw.

Then Sicilian actor Claudio Gioè promoting his latest tv-series Mákari...... Poor Giusy. Still waiting.....

23.53 Giusy Ferreri - Miele ****

Very nice atmosphere and arrangement, classy look, somewhat weak vocals (but that's nothing new) but I do like her and this song. Recalls summer somehow but fitting nicely to this winter, too. Nostalgic.

Incredible but true, all artists have managed to sung before midnight!

23.59 In true Amadeus style Theatro Ariston turns into a discotheque with Meduza. With Hozier.

Tv-news, ads break, more Rai's tv production promo with Raoul Bova and Nino Frassica....

00.40 A moment to remember late Franco Battiato. I may have shed a tear.

First award of the season goes to Amadeus himself from the City of Sanremo. Btw I love that lion and palmtree trophy. Shame they don't sell replicas or I would buy one for myself, lol. Or maybe they do in Sanremo souvenir shops? Hmmm....

And tonight's partial ranking is:

1. Mahmood & Blanco

2. LRDL

3. Dargen D'Amico

4. Gianni Morandi

5. Massimo Ranieri

6. Noemi

7. Michele Bravi

8. Rkomi

9. Achille Lauro

10. Giusy Ferreri

11. Yuman

12. Ana Mena

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?

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 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...

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....

Regina Lund - naked and censored

Regina Lund's new video Jag är osynlig was censored by Youtube only minutes after it had been uploaded. In the video she was playing a female Jesus who gets crusified in the end. "I was shocked!" she says. "There's nothing more naked in it as in every church! It's ok to have naked man hanging on the wall but my nakedness is too much on internet? ". Oh well, no comment. She's prepairing a new album Dare Regina Lund and we of course remember her from her Melodifestivalen 2007 adventure with Rainbow star .

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.

TIM SCHOU AND HIS NAKED GRAVITY

Tim Schou has a pretty good solo career going since he left his friends in London. He's travelling the world and relesing songs and videos. The latest one is a great track and comes with a steamy video that kinda takes away from the song really. But who's complaining. If you got it, flaunt it. Enjoy the video below. This post coming after the other Dane, Rasmus Seebach as wishlist for Eurovision. To think about it, Tim would do nicely, too. Maybe he should give it another go?

MÅNS ZELMERLÖW GETS NAKED FOR THE GOOD CAUSE

Reigning Eurovision song contest champion and the host of the next contest in May 2016 in Stockholm Mäns Zelmerlöw bares it almost all in GT following some other Eurovision stars like Blue and Jedward ( see more here ) All for the good cause of course, prostate cancer - something this blogger can also relate having experienced it in my closest circle. Nothing to laugh about. The annual Naked issue of GT or Gay Times features also several other celebrity men out of their designer fashion and stage or sports outfits. I guess Christmas came early to some fans when they can unwrap their most wished gift already now.... Maybe. But it's not the first time he gets naked.... he did so when hosting the annual QX Gala some years ago. Who knows what he and Petra have in store for us in May?!

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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