Italy's top showman Fiorello
again stole the show on the second night of the 70th Sanremo
Song Festival.
The Sicilian comedian and entertainer descended the stairs of
the Ariston Theatre in drag, dressed as popular TV talent show
host Maria De Filippi.
He also joined the reunited foursome Ricchi e Poveri, as a
fifth member, in a show-stopping act.
Fiorello also donned tennis shows for a duet with Serbian
tennis star Novak Djokovic.
Another highlight was Tiziano Ferro and Massimo Ranieri
singing the song that won the festival for the veteran
Neapolitan singer in 1988, Perdere L'Amore.
There was a standing ovation for late TV presenter Fabrio
Frizzi on the day he would have turned 62.
Frizzi's widow was present on stage.
"He would have loved to present this 70th edition," said host
and artistic director Amadeus.
Another poignant moment was when ALS sufferer Paolo Palumbo
presented a song.
He was following in the vein of acid-attack victim Gessica
Notaro the previous night.
Amadeus said "everything that has been done has been done at
at the service of music, and Gessics and Paolo presented songs".
As for Fiorello, Amadeus said "he lights up the festival".
He said the results "so far have been fantastic but there are
another three nights to go, and I'll celebrate on Sunday
morning".
After all the 24 big names have sung, Francesco Gabbani is in
top spot.
Rapper Junio Cally, at the centre of a pre-fest row over
allegedly violently mysoginist lyrics, is last.
Here are the current standings: Gabbani, Le Vibrazioni, Piero
Pelù, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Elodie, Diodato, Irene Grandi,
Tosca, Michele Zarrillo, Levante, Marco Masini, Alberto Urso,
Giordana Angi, Raphael Gualazzi, Anastasio, Paolo Jannacci,
Achille Lauro, Enrico Nigiotti, Rita Pavone, Riki, Elettra
Lamborghini, Rancore, Bugo and Morgan, Junior Cally.
Viewer numbers were up again compared to last year, at 9.962
million equal to a share of 53.3% compared to 9.144 million and
a share of 47.35 a year ago.
The average share of 53.3% is the highest average since 1995,
when the show was presented by a doyen of TV hosts, Pippo Baudo,
and secured 65.42%.
Among the highly anticipated guests appearing Thursday night
is actor, comedian and director Roberto Benigni.
Another so-called 'superguest' is Lebanese-British singer
Mika.
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez
and Albanian presenter Alketa Vejsiu will also be in attendance.
The festival debuted Tuesday night with an average of 10.5
million viewers and 52.2% of the overall audience share - the
highest since 2005.
The beloved festival and competition kicked off with a higher
audience than last year's event, which was presented by singer
and song-writer Claudio Baglioni, when it garnered 49.5% of the
share on the opening night.
The percentage registered Tuesday night was the highest since
the festival opening night in 2005, when popular showman Paolo
Bonolis attracted an overall audience share of 54.10%.
The opening night Tuesday featured sketches by Fiorello and a
monologue denouncing violence against women by
Italian-Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal, whose
mother Nadia committed suicide when she was five after being
raped.
Guest star Tiziano Ferro paid homage to Italian greats
Domenico Modugno, singing "Nel blu dipinto di blu", and Mia
Martini, with "Almeno tu nell'universo".
Italian pop stars competing for an award include Irene
Grandi, Achille Lauro and Rita Pavone, aged 74.
After 12 'big name' artists were in action on Tuesday night,
with the remaining 12 performing on Wednesday.
They will each sing twice before the winner is announced on
Saturday night.
Italian rocker Piero Pelù was the first off on Wednesday.
Rapper Junior Cally, who was at the centre of one of several
controversies to bubble up in the runup to the festival, was
on stage too.
The row regarded a a 2017 song "Strega Lyrics", in which the
the Roman rapper uses vulgar and sexual language and describes
killing a woman.
The week-long festival is a national institution and inspired
the Eurovision song contest.
It helped launch the careers of many of Italy's top
musicians, such as Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini.
The three Italian women researchers at Rome's Spallanzani
Hospital who isolated the coronavirus's DNA sequence on Sunday
have been invited to the Sanremo song fest and should be able to
make an appearance there later this week, sources said.
RAI State broadcaster has invited Rosaria Capobianchi,
Francesca Colavita and Concetta Castilletti via the health
ministry in Rome.
There has been a boom in social media for the festival with
over two million views on RAI Play.
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