Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Anna Oxa debuted in Sanremo 1978 with a true evergreen Un'emozione da poco with rather revolutionary look and sound for the times. She placed 2nd and would return to Sanremo another 14 times holding the record with Toto Cutugno, Al Bano, Milva and Peppino Di Capri. Should she return one more time..... She has scored two wins (1989 with Fausto Leali, and 1999) and another 2nd place (1997).

  Paola & Chiara closed the second night and will open the third night so they make a good headline photo for today. Because it's all furore, a positive one in Sanremo as Amadeus tops himself again and scored the best audience for the 2nd night since 1995 as well: 10.545.000 viewers in avergae the whole show, with a share of 62,3% . RaiPlay has broken all the record reaching 1,700.000 viewers, +74% compared to last year! If Blanco caused chaos the first night on stage, last night it was Fedez from the cruise ship but let's concentrate on music. There was a lot of good music yesterday and tonight we will see and hear all the 28 songs again for a second judging, probably new looks and outfits and most likely someone who under performed before will shine bright, and the other way round. Because that's Sanremo. And new voters will make some major and many minor changes to the ranking. Tonight's co-hostess with Amadeus and Gianni Morandi will be Paola Egonu, a volley bal...

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winner s. Rome 1991! After Toto Cutugno's win in 1990 the 1991 edition is very much unforgettable, but for all the wrong reasons. Originally the contest was to take place in Sanremo but due to security reasons (officially) it was moved to Rome's Cinecittà's Studio 15 to cut the costs causing a huge delay and problems in everything including the rehearsals and even the live broadcast where eventual winner Carola didn't hear the orchestra on stage but kept going like a real pro. The presenters were chaotic and so was the voting and among all this we had a quiet little song in Napoletan sung by Peppino Di Capri representing Rai in aim not to win at any cost. Despite all that Comme è ddoce 'o mare placed 7th out of 22. Peppino D...

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners. We'll live it all again  (Also known as Noi lo rivivremo di nuovo, or We'll live it all again - Lo rivivrei, or E fu subito amore ) was the very first Italian entry to feature non Italian lyrics which is rather fitting as Romina indeed is basically American. They also recorded it in Spanish and French, and even anew in Spanish in 1982. This said they placed 7th out of 18, a placement they'll live all again in 1985. They were chosen internally by Rai for no special reason at all.  Albano Carrisi (78) started his music career in mid 1960's and soon hit it big selling already millions by the end of decade. Then he met Romina and the rest is history. His solo career continued in mid 1990's and among curious facts he did...

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners.  Massimo Ranieri (70) was chosen by Rai for Eurovision mainly because he has won the previous Canzonissima variety show and the song choice fell to Chi sarà con te (Who will be with you). Sanremo 1973 was won by Peppino Di Capri and Un grande amore e niente più but he has to wait for his moment to shine at Eurovision for a few decades still! Ranieri, who was and still is, very popular in Italy probably wished to better his 5th place two years earlier but instead fall to 13th place out of 17. That didn't stop his fame and success at home and abroad and today he has sold over 14 million records, recorded 23 studio albums, acted in nearly 40 films, done countless tv-shows. over 40 theater productions, six Sanremo ( with one win ), f...

  I got to know about Milva thanks to Franco Battiato and she joined as my favorites next to Alice and Giuni Russo thanks to two albums he wrote and produced to her in the 80's (and he would do a third one in 2010) Natural step was to discover her better and her career in German and French as well. She has released 173 albums singing in various languages (studio/live/compilations) but is retired  since 2012 because of poor health. Milva holds the record of participations in Sanremo (with Peppino Di Capri and Toto Cutugno): 15 times between 1961 and 2007 with one 2nd place (1962) and four 3rd places (1961, 1968, 1969, 1973) and further six top-10 placements. One of the last true Divas. In a good sense.  Check out also

Anna Oxa turns 50 in 2011 and participates in Sanremo for the 14th time. With that she joins Toto Cutugno and ahead of her are only Milva and Peppino Di Capri who have participated 15 times. Anna, real surname Hoxha, of Albanian origin and relative of dictator Enver Hoxha debuted at the age of 16 in 1978 with an image that didn't pass without notice. Over the years she has changed her look and image in Madonna-like speed, changed husbands nearly as often but left behind several classics of Italian modern light music like Un'emozione da poco, È tutto un attimo and Quando nasce un amore . In 2000's she seems to have been a bit lost musically and in her personal life but maybe she has found the right way again?  Here's her Sanremo parade: 1978 Un'emozione da poco (nd.) 1982 Io no (finalist) 1984 Non scendo (7th) 1985 A lei (7th) 1986 È tutto un attimo (5th) 1988 Quando nasce un amore (7th) 1989 Ti lasceró con Fausto Leali (Winner) 1990 Donna con te (f...

Alice is awarded the 15th Mia Martini award in Bagnara Calabra, late Martini's birth town. Two other ex-Eurovision stars will get the Mia Martini award for their life work and career: Iva Zanicchi and Peppino Di Capri. Alice started singing pubblicly in 1967 at the age of 13, won Castrocaro 1971 and tried her luck for the first time in Sanremo in 1972. She made it big in 1980 with Il vento caldo dell'estate and Una notte speciale .She won Sanremo 1981 with Per Elisa and the rest is history as they say.... Her popularity abroad (especially Germany and Scandinavia) soon shadowed her success in Italy. Her latest album is Lungo la strada live that was released earlier this year, her first release since Viaggio in Italia six years ago.

Next years Italy participated with Sanremo related entries. In 1987 one of the winners Umberto Tozzi took the winning song's writer Raf with him to perform Gente di mare and in 1988 third placed Luca Barbarossa took it away with Ti scrivo after the winner Massimo Ranieri and runner up Toto Cutugno or declined or were not asked. In 1989 the winning team Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali took another duet to Eurovision and instead of  Ti lasceró sung Avrei voluto .  In 1990 runner up Toto Cutugno , already in RAI's payroll was given the job even if the rumours of third placed Mietta were very insisting until the last moment. The winners Pooh propably never ever considered participation. 1991 after Toto's win in Zagreb Peppino di Capri came out of the blue without any connection to that year's Sanremo. 1992 runner up Mia Martini got second chance in Eurovision but instead of bringing the Sanremo song Gli uomini non cambiano sung Rapsodia . The winner Luca Barbarossa m...