Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

65th Festival della canzone Italiana di Sanremo kicks off tonight and I will we live blogging all five nights for you. Tonight's guests include Tiziano Ferro , Albano and Romina Power and Imagine Dragons . For the stand up comic we have Napoletan Alessandro Siani . Tonight we will hear the first ten Big artists and their songs. One of them could be the winner and the Italian Eurovision entrant for Vienna 2015. There has been a change in the original plan of the evenings and the newcomers aka Nuove proposte won't have their first elimination tonight but only tomorrow and Thursday. They will be presented during the night though. Tomight we have 50-50  televote and press center. There are 1306 accreditated journalists in the house. Btw, the early reports tell the air in Sanremo has changed as everyone seem to be talking about Eurovision and even judging the songs based on how they would fit in the Eurovision mood! Now that's something unheard before. Arisa 's comment ...

Sanremo's Newcomers category, whatever it has been called over the years, was the talent show long before anyone even dreamed of various Idols, X Factors and Voices. Truth to be said, it may have lost a bit over the past few years when names like Eros Ramazzotti , Giorgia , Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli have not emerged from it and today's Marco Mengonis come from other formats. This year Sanremo has promised to bring the new talents in to the spotlight and prime time unlike the previous years when they have usually perfomed and been voted around 1am.... But through the hard times the category has served a passage to the main category and this year is not an exception. Eight of the 20 artists have started their career in Sanremo Newcomers, three of them winning it. All of them have returned to Sanremo multiple times since their debut, and Masini has also won the Big category in 2004 with Uomo volante . Here's the list: Marco Masini - Disperato - winner 1990 ...

Today the names of the 14 Big artists and their songs were revealed. It seems the final cast has not been welcomed that well and it is let known that indeed Alice, Dolcenera, Sal Da Vinci, Paolo Belli & Vincenzo Salemme, Enzo Gragnaniello, Alex Britti with Bianca Atzei, Annalisa , the trio Daniele Silvestri, Niccolò Fabi and Max Gazzé, Mondo Marcio and last year's newcomers winner Antonio Maggio are among those who didn't make it. It is also reported Franco Battiato who wrote one (or two) of Alice's song is pretty annoyed at the moment.... Fabio Fazio promises us contemporary songs, that should work on radio and interest the people and become hits. The cast may be not very TV friendly but the aim is to bring back the music. One can note the lack of artists coming from reality talent shows compared to the past few years. Let's hear the songs before further judging... No word on Eurovision but the fans have already picked up their favorites to fly the Italian ...

Tomorrow the 14 Big names will be announced live in TV news at 13.30 local time. The speculations are running wild as there are rumors of some very big names entering the race at very last minute. However, those who know usually have cut the list to 22, and it will be interesting to see tomorrow how right they are - who is among those eight left out, and if there will be names in outside the list?! Out of the Eurovision veterans we have Alice, Raphael Gualazzi and Enrico Ruggeri listed. Besides them previous Sanremo winners include Alex Britti, Dolcenera and Antonio Maggio (of Newcomers), Francesco Renga and Ron (of Big). All are bringing two songs so there might be even guest artists for one of the songs, like Mietta is rumored as Renga's duet partner! Alex Britti is supposed to be in duet with Bianca Atzei while another duet is also listed: Violante Placido and Roberto Dell'Era . Sanremo was won in 1987 by a trio Morandi-Ruggeri-Tozzi and there could be anoth...