The schedule of big-name
appearances at this year's Sanremo Song Festival was announced
Monday.
Twelve of the 24 big names will debut on Tuesday night, the
first night of the festival, and the remaining 12 on Wednesday
night.
They will each sing twice before the winner is announced on
Saturday night.
Those making their debut Tuesday are: Achille Lauro,
Anastasio, Bugo and Morgan, Diodato, Elodie, Irene Grandi,
Raphael Gualazzi, Marco Masini, Rita Pavone, Riki, Vibrazioni,
and Alberto Urso.
On Wednesday night it will be the turn of Giordana Angi,
Francesco Gabbani, Paolo Jannacci, Junior Cally, Elettra
Lamborghini, Levante, Enrico Nigiotti, Piero Pelù, Pinguini
Tattici Nucleari, Rancore, Tosca, and Michele Zarrillo.
Unveiling the line-up, host Amadeus said he had put two
pre-festival rows behind him.
The first was over an allegedly sexist remark he made about
motor-racing legend Valentino Rossi's girlfriend, one of the
heavily female line up of his assistants at this year's Sanremo
song fest.
Presenting Francesca Sofia Novello along with another 10
women at the fest he is hosting again, Amadeus praised her for
"taking a step backwards" and not trying to share the limelight
with her "great man".
He was slammed by feminists, many other entertainers and
several politicians.
The second row was over Amadeus's inclusion of controversial
rapper Junior Cally among the contestants.
In lyrics from his 2017 song "Strega Lyrics", the Roman
rapper, 29, whose real name is Antonio Signore, uses vulgar and
sexual language and describes killing a woman.
Again, this provoked censure from Italian female MPs and many
others, especially as Amadeus appeared to take the rapper's
side.
Amadeus said Monday he had not been "wounded" by the rows.
"I knew that polemics are part of the festival. But they did
not strike me or wound me because I feel that my conscience is
clear," he told the press conference presenting the line-up.
"What I did and said was not out of lack of respect for
anyone, but thinking only of the music".
Antonio Marano, the head of advertising for RAI State
broadcaster which broadcasts the annual extravaganza, said
Monday that he was sure this year's income from ads would beat
last year's record 31 million euros.
This year's guests will include Tiziano Ferro, Fiorello, Al
Bano and Romina Power, Ricchie e Poveri, Zucchero, Dua Lipa,
Johnny Dorelli, Roberto Benigni, Massimo Ranieri, Mika, Lewis
Capaldi, Biagio Antonacci and Gianna Nannini.
The winner of the contest will represent Italy at this year's
Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam on May 16.
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