207. Festival of Sanremo: Emanuele Filiberto: Italy’s Prince Charming

Coat of Arms of the King of Italy 

Picture: Courtesy Wikipedia

In spite of the boos and cat calling from the long dress and bow-tie audience of the prestigious  Sanremo Ariston Theatre, the Trio consisting of  the Italian singers Pupo,  Luca Scanonici and the once exiled but none the less of Italian Royal blood, Prince of Venice and Piedmont, Emanuele Filiberto, won the popular tele-vote from home, hands down which counted for 50% of the points, against the other 50% from the Ariston Jury which squashed the Trio completely.

The Trio’s appearance on the first night resulted in complete disaster, the first to be thrown out with as much boos and whistling to boot.  They were then re-admitted by an avalanche of popular votes on the third night.  During the final night up to 53 minutes before the end, the score was as follows:

The Trio, Pupo, The Prince, and Luca Canonici: 212,482

The star of TV show “Amici” Valerio Scanu: 110,029

Third placed Marco Mengoni: 39,478

At the results of which the orchestra, who count a considerable amount on the Jury of the Festival, tore up their music scores, screwed them up into balls and threw them around the place.  However, they all had grins on their faces as big as Cheshire cats playing in the snow.

In the final 53 minutes that followed something quite strange happened, the Trio gained only a further 1,384 votes while the star of the TV Show gained an amazing 96,515 extra votes.  Strange indeed that all of a sudden the teenage fans of the TV Star “Amici” woke up and the fountain for the Trio had unexpectedly dried up as if a drought had fallen upon the home audience.  Indeed fishy and I smell a fish.

But apart from the voting, what has to be said is that Italy’s Royal Prince is not one who can sing all that well, I have heard better, and the poem he wrote to be placed to music may be on the mushy side- all about Italy and his personal philosophical view- here’s a taste:

Sì stasera sono qui per dire al mondo e a Dio,
Italia amore mio.
Io non mi stancherò di dire al mondo e a Dio,
Italia amore mio.

Yes, this evening I am here to tell the world and God

Italy (is) my love,

I will never tire to tell the world and God

 Italy (is) my love.

Yet in spite of that, people tumbled in with their home votes in favour of their Prince Charming- Maybe I should remind everyone that in Italy the voice of the people is Sovereign- a fact that the powers that be of the Festival of Sanremo chose to ignore.