Federica Nargi, luxury “substitute”: vote 9
She has never written a book, she came in at Miss Italia (inexplicably) eleventh, Forest immediately tells her she was called because Costanza Caracciolo was busy. But Federica Nargi, after having “defeated the fearsome lobby of the Sardinian bramble veline”, became the protagonist of an impeccable management, in perfect chemistry with Michele Foresta. Billed as the “Revelation of Such and Which Show,” this is precisely the moment when the viewer realizes they’ve taken part. Cristina D’Avena starts off out of tune, managing to balance mockery and determination while maintaining a firm grip on the helm. Nargi is particularly brilliant at his throws and refuses to be broken or bent in the face of the Gialappi’s scathing malice. Perfect synthesis between victim victim and true moderator. We hope that the next calls to present the GialappaShow will affect this episode through notes. The former Web flies where only Cristina Chiabotto has dared before and vie with her for the Man of the Match crown. Not that the competition has been that fierce so far, but so be it. Good!
Fiorello, a quick disappointment (why did he go there?): Voice 5
It’s impossible to refuse Rosario Fiorello. And instead here we are. After last Sunday’s teaser, expectations were very high. The public expected to see him interact with the Gialappis in a crossover that would make television history. Unfortunately that was not the case. As prestigious as the cameo remains, a bit of bitterness lingers in the mouth at the sight of this flash appearance. Ciuri, Fabrizio Biggio and the historical author Giovanni Benincasa cavort in the broadcast studio’s famous garage. Thirty seconds later, a minute at most, it’s all over. Just enough time to bully poor Biggio, Gherarducci and Santin don’t know who he is because all we remember is Francesco Mandelli from “I Soliti Idioti” and the dream of a multiverse populated by the champions of our comedy, disappears. As Correggio’s Supreme sang in the 1990s, “If you’re happy, enjoy it.” And then we’re not happy. Will it be next time? In the meantime, the question remains: apart from the hype generated there, what did Fiore go there for? Disappointed, we still dream on. But that’s not how you play with the audience’s feelings, that’s not what you do. Neri per Caso would now sing a cappella “Quit Playing Games With My Heart” by the Backstreet Boys.
Raf wins the Raf Doppelganger Contest: Vote 8
It tells the story of how Charlie Chaplin came second in a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest. Almost the same thing would have happened to Raf in the fifth episode of GialappaShow, only saved by an unlikely final comeback against an opponent with distinctly oriental traits. The singer’s guest made for one of the best moments of this entire edition. Speaking to Forest, the conductor admits that his high school friend had a poster of him in her bedroom: “You saw our first time. I must confess that all my life I’ve seen you more as a voyeur than as a singer.” Hilarity and embarrassment accompany the wild wit, but Raf doesn’t shy away from the games of the Gialappi. Here, alongside Neri per Caso, he immediately reinterprets George Michael’s Faith (a great musical moment, btw). And then finally the duet we didn’t know we needed: the one with the now mythical boys Cin Cin Balbontin and Ceccon, true icons of the series. “And we know how it ends…”. Raf was given great encouragement for his self-mockery and his art of drawing: he doesn’t even flinch when Forest suggests renewing “Gente di Mare” and, to be more up-to-date, turning it into “People of the Sea, of the Sky and of the country”. Overall, Raf is surprisingly better than Fiorello.
Brenda Lodigiani, her illegal Berti is getting tired: 5.5 votes
It’s the incomparable Ester Ascione, protagonist of the GialappaShow and queen of memes on social media. Inspired, even without saying so, by Sophia the Robot, who starred on Jimmy Fallon in 2017, the android is now the backbone of the show. To wear the warmongering attire, Brenda Lodigiani finally comes to the rescue after years of apprenticeship. From the first episode, the copycat also offers the audience a great version of Orietta Berti, which we have always promoted. On the fifth, however, it starts to creak. After sponsoring radioactive waste, drugs and sawed-off weapons, this time, as always, it’s about a large amount of counterfeit money produced by the shady “Pasini Brothers”. Tears smiles, for goodness sake, but it starts repeating itself. Other comedians in the cast (e.g. Toni Bonji, Antonio Ornano, Balbontin and Ceccon, Ubaldo Pantani) have already taken steps to integrate new characters. The right moment could also have come for Lodigiani. We look forward to it, it has all the makings of having fun with pyrotechnics. It’s not really a rejection, just an incentive to do more.
Forest very wrong, it’s a national heritage: voice 10
It’s impossible to give Michele Foresta less than a tenth. In this fifth installment in particular, he finally let go of the handbrake and provided moments of intense fun and a pace of political correctness. First, he opened the episode in the role of a “generic Carlo Conti”, complete with a tan complexion. In short, as if he were a “counter presenter”. A brilliant and at the same time very brave move considering that the “blackface” alarm on Twitter could have exploded at any moment. In fact, some complained. However, at least for the moment, it can be assumed that the situation is under control. Once that first possible swamp is cleared, the curtain call with Raf’s “Voyeur” remains unforgettable, and the chemistry exhibited with on-duty co-host Federica Nargi wasn’t bad at all. Right from the start, in his own way, he complimented her: “You have overwhelmed the lobby of Sardinian blackberry veline, such as Canalis, Sattalis, Cucciaris…”. The subtleties of the showgirl’s address are countless: “You are only here, because your husband wanted an evening off and we wanted to do him this favor”, “Is it true that you went to dance school?” It was the best three days of your life, wasn’t it?” A deadly escalation, to which the former tissue (Blackberry, but not Sardinian) responded with irony, grace and class, but above all without getting distracted. Too bad we won’t find it again next Sunday, but luckily Forest is there.
Betti, “the chefs on TV are mad” (and they are): Voice 6-
There is a lot of culinary art in the GialappaShow. While the most successful column is certainly Marcello Cesena’s wonderful and surreal Cucinare Guidando (this time also with a direct parody of Masterchef), Alessandro Betti tries to give his contribution with a somewhat weak and repetitive character. At the prestigious fire of the Sublime Osteria degli Eletti, just two tables away, the starred chef punctually refuses to reveal the ingredients of his expensive recipes, instead skimping on details about his torrid liaison with his sister-in-law. “The chefs on TV got mad,” he says. And maybe it really is. Parodies included, by now we’re used to seeing them in all forms, even on the Beijing Express. Betti therefore works better in the role of the tandoori fakir, although in this case too he gives the impression of a potentially very good student who, however, does not try too hard. We’re sure it can bring us better feelings and laughs, but we hardly encourage it. Actually “Appanè”.
Ornano recovers thanks to the Maneskin: Voice 7
Its Brando Godano, smug narrator of VIP life, struggled to get through. In this fifth episode, he managed to recover by transferring Gianluca Vacchi’s goal to Maneskin. Antonio Ornano offers very vivid images to narrate the career of the young Roman band that conquered the whole world. “Damiano has incredible charm, by the time he was sixteen he had seen more potatoes than clouds” remains a joke to be made (and perhaps sarcastically reused in everyday life at the address of a self-proclaimed “sommelier”). On the other hand, Vinicio, the influencer dad, is always in great shape and, on the occasion of his fifth TV appearance, pours out a lot of bad words that cannot be reproduced here. At the same time, the guide to surviving a teenage son’s football bag being opened is effective, complete with a gas mask and the occasional insult. He even has compassion. Gaining altitude, Ornano escapes the risk of staying at the end of the show. Good for him, let’s hope it continues like this. Ruthless and successful.