“An extraordinary fact that has left us very surprised too”. Cheer at the press conference Stefano Colettadirector of Rai 1, commenting on the record ratings of the first episode of the Sanremo Festival (here the provisional ranking): 10 million and 757 thousand viewers and 62.4% share. «It is the best result since 1995, when TV was something else. It is very nice that the whole country has tuned in to this debut, so extraordinary and made up of values and music,” she added.
Great satisfaction also from Amadeus, who called today’s data “perhaps the biggest peak” of his career. «It is the satisfaction of a job that began many months ago – he specified -. These are incredible results that I did not expect. It is always said to put a 5 in front of the share to have a great result, I should take a photograph of the results listed today and keep it for life».
Salvini’s attacks (and Amadeus’ response)
In the day after the debut of the event, however, there is no shortage of controversy. From those relating to sensational outburst of Blanco to the words released by the deputy premier and leader of the League Matthew Salvini a Rtl 102.5: “Benigni is fine and Mattarella is fine – he said -, but I don’t think that the Constitution should be defended on stage at the Sanremo Festival”. And on the presence of the Head of State at the Ariston, he added: “I’m not making a controversy, if he has chosen to go there, even the President of the Republic has the right to have fun”.
Salvini also spoke on the presence of Paola Egonu as co-host on Thursday evening: «She’s a great sportswoman and volleyball player – she commented -, but I hope she doesn’t come to the Festival to make a tirade about racist Italy, because I think Italians can have many flaws, but not that of being racist. I hope that Italians don’t feel guilty by those who use public television to lecturing someone».
Piccata Amadeus’ reply at the press conference: « He’s been taking it out on the Festival for four years, but just don’t look at it. I know he let it be known that during the final evening he will see a movie».
Blanco’s apology
As for the “Blanco case”, already at the end of the episode Amadeus had explained to Fiorello that “he was expected to roll around in the flowers. But not what happened. And we didn’t quite understand what was happening, a bit like what happened with Bugo and Morgan». In the morning the singer apologized: Â «Blanco called me this morning, he was very sorry, he apologized – the conductor told the journalists -. I know him, Riccardo is a talented boy, he made a mistake and he is the first to know it. He asked to be forgiven, he was the first aware that he understood he was wrong. But let’s not throw the cross at him and I don’t feel like, perhaps wrongly, saying that he no longer has to be part of the Festival for the next few years or punish him».
On the other hand, the mayor of Sanremo did not mince words Alberto Biancheriaccording to which “if one does a c ***** just apologize, even if you are young”, as “we need respect for the work of others”.
Fagnani: “Monologue on school”
Co-host of the second episode will be the journalist Francesca Fagnani: «It is banal to say, but yes, I am excited – she admitted -. I am grateful to Amadeus for thinking of me: I will bring my personality, I wouldn’t know what else to bring. And then, laughingly addressing the artistic director himself, he jokingly asked in Roman dialect: “Tell me, what do you need?”
Like Chiara Ferragni (and the co-presenters of the next evenings), a monologue on stage is also foreseen in her case: «For me, school is a central theme, especially in the most difficult areas, and my monologue will be on this, especially referring to the guys who have made a mistake,” he anticipated. Live broadcast on Rai 1 always at 20.40.
