Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Two Eurovision veterans have been awarded as Best Male and Best Female artist in Italy: Marco Mengoni and Emma. They won their respective categories, meaning Emma beat this year's entrant Francesca Michielin but her time will come.... The Best Band went to Benji & Fede, who also won the Best New Artist.  The Best Performance went to The Kolors, who caused a scandal when the singer spit on the camera while performing and then didn't show up to collect their award in front of a booing audience. Not their best performance last night was it? Both Benji & Fede and The Kolors also won another minor award this blogger has no clue what they are about....

It's been 26 years since the legendary concert by the three most famous tenors of our time - Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras - in Terme di Caracalla in Rome. Now it's Il Volo's turn to recreate the magic with Placido Domingo himself in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, on July 1, 2016. The orchestra of Teatro Massimo in Palermo will be their "band" directed by Ramon Tebar. You can expect classic Napoletan and Italian songs, opera arias, musical tunes with some international standards. This is a one night only event so if you can go, this blogger suggests: Go!  If not, the show is being filmed and recorded so most likely a live CD and/or DVD will follow... and a tv broadcast some time in the future.  Il Volo is also touring Europe after Northern and Latin Americas at the moment but more about that later. (Btw, what is Måns doing? Musically? And Sergey?) Get tickets here

Three Eurovision stars are nominated in the Italian MTV Music Awards to be held in Florence next month.  Marco Mengoni has got three nominations: Best male act, Best "tormentone" or rather an ear worm, and Best Fans. Emma and Francesca Michielin are battling it out in the Best female act category.  Here are the nominees in main categories: Male artist: Alessio Bernabei, Lorenzo Fragola, Marco Mengoni, Tiziano Ferro Female artist: Alessandra Amoroso, Annalisa, Emma, Francesca Michielin Band: Benji & Fede, Modà, The Kolors, Urban Strangers All nominees here . Vote!

Alice's new album Weekend will be released on November 11, 2014 and she will be meeting fans and signing copies around Italy in La Feltrinelli bookstores. Below the list where you can meet her: November 11 -  Verona @ 18:00, Feltrinelli di via Quattro Spade 2 November 12 - Milan @ 18:30, Feltrinelli di piazza Piemonte 2 November 13 -  Genoa @ 18:00, Feltrinelli di via Ceccardi 16 November 14 - Turin @ 18:30, Feltrinelli di Stazione Porta Nuova November 19 - Rome @ 18:00, Feltrinelli di via Appia Nuova 427 November 20 - Florence @ 18:30, Feltrinelli RED di piazza della Repubblica

Earlier this summer Alice and Battiato gave a joint concert in Latina, near Rome. It was such a success and they had so much fun singing together again that the reunion happened again in Franco Battiato's concerts in Firenze on August 31 and Arena di Verona on September 2 with Antony and The Johnsons and Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini . One of the duets they did on both occasions was an hommage to late Claudio Rocchi, La realtá non esiste . Of course they did also I treni di Tozeur .  The song seems to be having a real revivial almost 30 years after its release and making Italians proud in Luxembourg 1984. Alice did also Il vento caldo dell'estate from 1980, co-written by Battiato and her breakthrough hit that sounds amazing with the philharmonic orchestra! Battiato is also releasing a live album in November 2013 recorded in the Verona date, hopefully also I treni di Tozeur makes the cut for it! PS. Did you know Valentina Monetta is also a big Alice fan?

Paolo Meneguzzi is back in full swing with his parallel careers. His touring Italy, has released another album for the South American market titled Mi mision with the single to go along with it and in Europe he's to release a new album with new songs titled Fragile, just like his tour and the latest single.  You can catch him for free next Saturday in Florence, in Piazza del Carmine along with Paolo Vallesi and Neri Marcorè. You can hear Musica  for example, but it looks like Era stupendo is not in the set.... Why am I not surprised?

Madonna's third single off her latest album was shot in Firenze and the best of it is the location and pretty people and scenes and her own look is fab, too. The song itself clearly isn't one of her bests but fits in the summer mood. Turn up the radio  or turn the sound off and enjoy the vision only :-). La festa è finita adesso. Allacciati la cintura, stronzetta! And I'm, waiting for her concert in Helsinki in a month....