Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Una voce per San Marino 2024 gives a second chance to Loredana Bertè to get to Eurovision song contest in Malmö, Sweden, as she has declared her wish to go there and annoy her ex-husband Björn Borg in every possible way. SMRTV said they invited her due public demand and her before mentioned wish. The other artists had to apply unlike in previous years when they were invited. However, due to this fact it is yet uncertain La Bertè will be able to make it as she's already booked for gigs and promotion here and there and other work. The final decision will come in coming days when he's got her schedules sorted out. UPDATE 22.2.2024: Loredana Bertè confirmed with her Sanremo song Pazza Jalisse has tried to get back to Sanremo for almost three decades now without luck, and apparently also to Eurovision via San Marino and here they are finally. This blogger loved them back then and their debut album was fab. The material after that so and so. I hope they have something good to give us...

  Catanian beauty Marcella Bella has a long career and nine Sanremos under her belt, and in the late 1980's  she scored a hit after hit there along with good placements (3rd, 6th, 4th) this being the third one in 1988 placing 4th, Dopo la tempesta . and being a Top-10 hit in Italy. One of my favorites along with Tanti auguri .

Marcella Bella may have never been among my top Italian ladies, but in the 80's this Sicilian foxy lady had a string of Sanremo hits I couldn't pass by, especially Dopo la tempesta and Tanti auguri , that made me to buy her albums and not to mention an earlier classic Nell'aria. She's still very much around celebrating her 50th anniversary in business with a new song for example, that I featured in my earlier post here .

Rai1 launched a new show this summer Ora o mai più or a second chance for those forgotten singers of the 80s and 90s to retake their spotlight and maybe place in the charts. Four prime time shows and an album to be released on July 10 in every Italian newspaper stand. Plus dueting with the big names of the business who were their coaches and doing covers. And finally in the last episode a new song that should relaunch their career.... Inviting, isn't it?  This blogger has been following Italian music since very early 80s so the whole cast was very familiar (with the exception of Stefano Sani, tbh) and I even own most of the hit records they had made in the past. From the very first episode Lisa was a front runner winning the first and second show - there were coaches like Marco Masini, Loredana Berté, Zarrillo, Marcella Bella and Patty Pravo with Eurovision veteran Fausto Leali who voted along with the public - but Eurovision veterans Jalisse stormed to victory in the third...

More problems for Gianni Morandi and RAI's staff. Living legend and Sicilian songbird Marcella Bella is next in line to throw dirt on Sanremo 2012. " I had my song ready , L'amore he ho dentro, and I had Monica Naranjo from Spain ready to duet with me on Thursday night. Then I see on TV that I am not included in the list! Couldn't Gianni give me at least a call beforehand?" She admits being a bit mad at Gianni and that she would have wanted to be in the festival that she has been already eight times during her career that celebrates 40th anniversary this year with a new album, now to be released in the end of January. Let's hear again Marcella's Sanremos: 1972 Montagne verdi (7th), 1981 Pensa per te (9th), 1986 Senza un briciolo di testa (3rd), 1987 Tanti auguri (6th), 1988 Dopo la tempesta (4th), 1990 Verso l'ignoto with brother Gianni (finalist), 2005 Uomo bastardo (2nd in "Classic") and 2007 Forever per sempre with brother Giann...

After two rather succesful years and two duets - Alice & Battiato in 1984 (5th) and Albano & Romina Power in 1985 (7th) Italy skipped again 1986 and it is such a shame as the possible one would have been none other than future global superstar Eros Ramazzotti who won with epic Adesso tu .  Renzo Arbone came second with Il clarinetto but then we have another suitable Eurovision entry, Marcella's Senza un briciolo di testa (3rd) or even better, Anna Oxa's classic É tutto un attimo (5th). Toto Cutugno was 4th with Azzurra malinconia and further down two interesting names and tracks: 14th Mango with Lei verrá and 16th Scialpi with No east, no west . And two future Eurovision names are even further down the list: 17th Enrico Ruggeri with Rien ne va plus and 18th Luca Barbarossa with Via Margutta . In all 1986 was filled with big names or future big names with several possibilities for Eurovision!  Ps. Apparently Sanremo 1985 winners Ricchi e Poveri were offered the...

Raffaella Carrà did it again: she brought Dima Bilan to Italy and managed to talk about Eurovision on prime time RaiUno. Also, she appaently demanded in press conference why Italy is absent and when it's going to return. Raffa, sei un mito! Watch Dima perform here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq2LtOaYe1A And here's an ABBA tribute from the same show with fabulous divas Alexia, Ivana Spagna, Fiordaliso, Marcella Bella and Raffaella herself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMwKzUl46fI with a real promotional opening speech by Raffa.