Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

San Marino's Head of delegation Alessandro Capicchioni declared his disappointment for the lack of Sammarinese artists in the search for their 1in360 search for the next Eurovision star in an interview he gave to Eurofestival News . So far 750 submission from 70 countries in five continents have arrived but only two  three of them are from San Marino. I'm very disappointed. I don't hide the fact that most of this has been made for them. Or rather an international selection process has always been out stragedy, and finally we managed to do it. For this we have said no to several proposals from abroad to be able to give a chance to home artists. We have also made a few shout outs in local media and we are still hoping for a last minute rush - otherwise we may have to give Miss Monetta a call! He also explains how they put the symbolic fare of 4,99 euros to avoid multiple submissions and those who would do it just for the fun (Well, that hasn't stopped some cr...

San Marino is after you. If you are an inspiring artist dreaming of Eurovision (no, I don't mean you, Sasha Bobnigov but I suppose we will see you anyway...) and launches a global talent search and the winner gets a record deal and gets to represent San Marino at the Eurovision song contest 2018. It's a co-operation between SMRTV and UK based 1 in 360 Ltd, a production company. The whole idea isn't maybe all that revolutionary as they advertised beforehand as Switzerland and also Germany have tried something similar in a smaller scale before.   So, in short: record a song (preferably a cover, but original songs are welcome, too), submit it (between October 21-November 30) and then after November 1, 2017 when the entries submitted will be out in the open in www.1in360.com all you need to do is get enough likes and shares to get further or to be heard by the judges. Yes, either 100 likes or paying a fee of 4.99 euros or they won't bother (and who can blame them...

The thing happened again this year. Like every year. Italians outrage for the neighbouring vote from Greece to Cyprus and vice versa for example, but at the same time they expect and demand votes from San Marino for Italy and yet themselves usually forget to vote San Marino (when they can). This year this war was taken to another level. San Marino's wikipedia page was altered right after for example, social medias were filled with hate and dislike towards the microstate and its jury was crucified. San Marino's vote was found nauseating, someone wished Italy cut their power supply for 48 hours to make all their food go rotten, someone wanted to tear the country down and make it a parking lot, someone didn't want to share his oxygen with Sammarinese, they wanted to build a wall around it, flush them down the toilet, move the country to Portugal.... have a military invasion to occupy them.... the list is endless.  So much that Sammarinese couldn't take it as humor any...

Alessandro Capicchioni, Sammarinese hesd of delegation, tells eurofestivalnews EBU's Executive Supervisor has apologized how they have handled the proposed voting changes by San Marino ( or rather not considering them at all ). He says EBU and SMRTV are now talking and when both sides know what the other one thinks and expects some solution will be found in the end. The talks will continue in Kyiv and EBU has provised to consult and inform SMRTV for eventual changes in the future.  San Marino also candidated itself for the Reference group to look after the other small nations but as we know the three big ones were revoted in for another period. San Marino would have also stressed the economical side of the contest. The big countries and broadcasters manage but the small ones struggle and in the recent years the absenses have been caused just because of the economical problems. Small stations close while the big ones just adjust and make some cuts and survive...... Capicchio...

Following the accusations and attention seeking by Tony Maiello San Marino's broadcaster has reacted to the "news" and denied it all, as Head of Delegation Alessandro Capicchioni states in a press release : "We have not had any contact with Mr. Maiello, nor we charged anyone to contact him on our behalf. We do not exclude the false pretenses - because our names are public and easily available on the web ". Meanwhile Maiello attacks eurovisionnews only making a fool of himself by not having a clue how Eurovision works and what it's all about these days. He should stop before more damage is done and all the free PR for his new album turns sour. 

SMRTV presented its programming for the next season and the much anticipated confirmation for the participation didn't materialize, and with it naturally not the artist nor the song, as announced by some sources earlier this week.  Carlo Romeo underlined however it's important to San Marino to be there and be seen by 200 million viewers, and launched a message to all producers all over Europe to come forward and work preferably with a Sammarinese artist, as "without a producer we can't do it". With that he also left in doubt the microstate's presence in Kiev 2017 but Head of Delegation Alessandro Capicchioni had a cheeky grin behind him so .... No news is good news? Serhat was present in a video message and also Valentina Monetta's final place was remembered.

One of the burning questions in this edition of the Eurovision song contest was the new voting system, and while the new way of showing the votes turned out to an exciting success, one thing was forgotten after the initial anger and protests from San Marino RTV: How was the San Marino televote made up?  With the population of less than 32.000 and most using the Italian mobil phone companies the tiny ccountry never had televote before, and is unable to deliver valid one so EBU decided to made it up "using 5-6 unnamed country's scores to make up one", yet refusing to tell which countries were used. Certainly not the neighbouring countries that would have been maybe logical, as Italy scored null points in this "televote", something that is very unlikely would have happened if Sammarinese people would have voted, despite their historical dislike of Italians. History and differences apart, music united and music is the same. That may have cost Italy a place or ...

Also San Marino's postcard has been filmed and SVT's crew travelled to the tiny state with Serhat. Inside shots in Teatro Titamo and outside shots on top of the hill and castle. That's quite a few steps to run up and down for the camera crew! I didn't know seeing all that makes me miss my favorite little country so much and the good moments spent there with some special people. And the amazing views.... Watch here "This is not the news, Alessandro!"

Sammarinese team at Eurovision 2016 is so multinational there seems to be no one from San Marino included, except HoD Alessandro Capicchioni. Turkish Serhat or Ahmet Serhat Hacıpaşalıoğlu (51) is the artis. The composer is another Turk Olcayto Ahmet Tugsuz, who already enned the Turkish entries back in 1982 and 1987. Lyrics are by Greek Nektarios Tyrakis, responsabile for the entries of Greece in 2004 and Belarus in 2005. French Cyril Orcel (52) will arrange the song with Belgian-African Guy Waku. The song was recorded in Belgium and there will be at least English, French and Italian versions. The Italian lyrics are penned by Italian Mariella Nava (56) and the French ones by Stéphane Laporte (55). The creative director for the whole affair is French fashion designer, master of self alteration Thierry Mugler (67). The record company is German. And the song will be premiered in Paris where the video was shot.  In one year San Marino has turned from "the youngest for ...

San Marino announced yesterday its represant for Stockholm 2016 Eurovision song contest. What was said and told, who he is and what the plans are. And most of all why Serhat, a Turk? Below is a round up of what was said. Besides that Serhat was asked about the Turkish return to Eurovision and he said it's up to the national broadcaster who surely has its reasons to stay away, but he hopes his participation will reactivate the fans to ask for a return and meanwhile them and Turkish press will follow him and San Marino instead. No one mentioned it aloud but everybody's of course also thinking the huge Turkish disapora all over Europe for vote for Serhat as well :-) And once again, there will be a little bit of San Marino on stage anyways.... wait and see! General director Carlo Romeo, Head of Delegation Alessandro Capicchioni and producer Marco Vannuzzi are in the studio with various journalists, including OGAE Italy's Cristina Giuntini and Alessandro Banti. Here is th...

San Marino had its very own talent show this fall and in Tonbola di Natale the winner was out: rapper Irol MC representing San Marino Città, with his Vuoto . The contest was organized by Banca di San Marino, but in the jury we had also Eurovision Head of delegation Alessandro Capicchioni.... which naturally makes you wonder if this could be used also for Eurovision selection, as I already wrote in early November , way before the other sites took a hint of it btw.  Among the nine castles or castelli was also Montegiardino, represented by Anita Simoncini with Simone Giacomini but the well deserved winner is Lorenzo Salvatori aka Irol MC. How would you feel with some Sammarinese rap in Eurovision?

Today's news is that San Marino (and also Albania ) has indeed applied for the Eurovision song contest 2016 in Stockholm. In San Marino's case the Head of delegation Alessandro Capicchioni told in an interview with Eurofestival News that they have applied but nothing is confirmed yet. They are looking into various options what comes to sponsors and producer and the offers they are getting. As always in their case the choice is purely internal. Time will tell if there will be a change for their seventh participation after four years with Ralph Siegel productions.... All will be settled and decided over the next few weeks (the EBU deadline to confirm seems to be on October 10, 2015) but their participation should be rather secure now. But the most interesting thing comes in the end of the interview when he says San Marino is feeling a bit lonely as the only microstate participant and he'd love to see Andorra and Monaco back in game. And he says he has a feeling that...

Malta will select its entry this weekend. Being one of the most Eurovision crazy nations on planet it's always fun to see and hear what they get up to. On the other hand, the shows tend to drag on like Sanremo festivals at worst in the 1990's and even this time the interval act guest stars list seems to be endless, all from last year's Eurovision winner Emmelie De Forest presenting her new song Rainmaker to this year's Swiss and Ukrainian representatives SebAlter and Maria Yaremchuk along with local names like Junor Eurovision winner Gaia Gauchi, Red Electric, Winter Moods, The Crowns and Gorg u Powlu. Eurovision veterans Ira Losco and Gianluca Bezzina will host the shows.  The 20 songs in the semifinal will be cut to 14 for the Saturday final by an international jury including Sammarinese Alessandro Capicchioni among others and televoters. The line up includes two previous winners, Fabrizio Faniello and Miriam Christine. After listening the songs for a few times t...

Alessandro Capicchioni, the Sammarinese Head of Delegation concludes the round of interviews with San Marino team. What kind of ideas San Marino has for hosting the contest should they win? Who he would like to represent them? Why they don't have a big Italian artists representing them? And who was the one who tried? What do Georgian drivers do with promo material? Read it all here: Alessandro, back in Eurovision again. With the same team but a completely different response by the fans. How does it feel? Well, it feels very good indeed. How scared are you that you will do very well this year? It's too early for real worries. I mean, if we win our semifinal and during the final we have 100 points more than the second and only three countries left to vote, well, then I would start to worry. But seriously, we're such a small country and everything is twice harder for us than for a regualar one. This success among fans may, and I say may, help us to get to the fi...

After the Sanmarine lyricist Mauro Balestri and the singer Valentina Monetta it's time to have a little chat with the art director Fabrizio Raggi. Read here what he had to say about the whole affair, how he was selected and what he thinks of Valentina and what he plans to do after Eurovision! Also, don't forget the Ralph Siegel interview from Baku 2012 here . This is the edited English one, read the original Italian one here . Fabrizio, first of all thanks for the interview. Tell us a little how did you get to the Sammarinese Eurovision team? Hello, thank you for the interview. I joined the team thanks to my professionalism and especially becouse Valentina wanted me. She proposed my name to San Marino RTV, and Alessandro Capicchioni and Ralf Siegel accepted. Before this you have done so many different things, television series, soap operas, theater, film ... actor, director .... What is the role that inspires you the most? When a man is born an actor you'...

After the Sanmarine lyricist Mauro Balestri and the singer Valentina Monetta it's time to have a little chat with the art director Fabrizio Raggi. Read here what he had to say about the whole affair, how he was selected and what he thinks of Valentina and what he plans to do after Eurovision! Also, don't forget the Ralph Siegel interview from Baku 2012 here . This is the original Italian interview, read the edited English one here . Fabrizio, anzitutto grazie per l'intervista. Raccontaci un po' come sei finito nel team Sammarinese eurovisivo? Ciao, grazie a te per l’intervista. Sono entrato nel team grazie al mio professionismo e soprattutto a Valentina che mi ha voluto e proposto, grazie poi a SMRTV, Alessandro Capicchioni, e a Ralf Siegel per avere accettato. Prima di questo hai fatto tante cose diverse; telefilm, soap opera, teatro, film... attore, regista.... Quale é il ruolo che ti inspira di più? Quando un uomo nasce attore lo sarà per tutta la vi...