Teresa

I couldn't find a more appropriate word for Morgan's look! About Violetta (jeez how terrible is the nickname Viò ...), even if the majority of people give her as a possible winner, I agree with you. I've thought about it, and I think that one of the reasons that make me say "she is good, but nothing more", is probably her attitude that reflects in her singing. She wants to appear fragile but you can clearly see that she is very, maybe really too much sure of herself. She already looks like a professional singer, she's very self-confident, she is very comfortable on stage, like a real pop star, but she is too flawless for my tastes, she hasn't got that "freshness", that "surprise" factor, that for example I've found in Michele's performances so far: as I said before, before a Violetta performance I have the feeling that I already know how she's gonna sing, and therefore I'm less interested. But this is just my perspective, I've always liked things with imperfections, more complicated (Gaia, for example!), they are way more interesting to me; however I do understand why so many people like her. It's just not my cup of tea! And btw, LOL at Alessandro asking her questions and her completely ignoring him and greeting her friends in the audience EDIT: I've just read your last post, I'm also very curious to hear which song she will sing next, I think her voice would fit sooo well with a Joan Baez song, and Mika is a fan of Joan so, who knows... we'll see (hopefully!)

Thank you so much! It's my pleasure! @Robertina: I don't watch it, but if it hasn't changed from the last years the daily mainly follows the contestants, their rehearsals, their work with the vocal coaches... The judges appear when they assign the songs and for some week rehearsals and in the final rehearsal in the studio!

Hi Catherine! Why can't you watch the videos? I couldn't before but with Firefox the video works fine for me! (Well, of course you have to wait for it to load in order to avoid the buffering...). If it doesn't work for you maybe you need to download a few plug-ins, they're free and they're not illegal, the video itself suggested me which ones! I hope you can watch them somehow (if Eriko can do it maybe you'll watch them on his Veoh!)

I've finally watched it too!! Thanks again to everyone, especially Eriko! I have to say that in general I really enjoyed watching, I think that the level was very, very high, and everyone was very good and the judgments were always clever and stimulating imo, at a point I really felt like I was watching a serious musical debate!! And Mika was amazing as usual, professional, funny, deep, and one thing that really impressed me is that he always 'understands' the performance as a whole, even if the song is Italian and very difficult for a foreigner to appreciate, he always 'gets' it and is 'into' it, if you know what I mean. As for the contestants, I'm very pleased with myself XD because they actually more or less confirmed my first ideas about them: Michele was superlative, and this performance is a clear example of what I meant when I talked about the interesting musical path Morgan will lead him on: the song itself was amazing ('e amarti per ore ed ore ed ore... E ucciderti all'alba di altro amore...' Is now stuck in my head) and Michele's performance was so delicate and meaningful, so young and fresh but at the same time so mature! Bravo Bravi! Then of course Gaia is amazing, she has thousands of different nuances in her voice and she really lives through her singing. I'm curious to hear other songs sung by her! About Viò... First of all a big LOL to her introduction video, it looked like she was going away to war or something! XD I also think the song was good and it fitted but I still didn't like her too much, she is good, but... Something is still missing for me...the performance was good but forgettable imo. But I'm very curious to hear what song Mika will choose for the next ep! I'm sure he will choose carefully and will find a song, Maybe a less known one, that will make her shine more, we'll see! As for Valentina I also prefer her more natural but she really can sing! Oh, I forgot, a big 'like' button for Andrea... I wasn't too keen on him at the auditions but this time he really positively surprised me!! Btw, what the hell was he wearing?! Lol. The over as a category looks a bit more anonymous to me, however Fabio was very good imo, he managed to make his own a song that is strictly linked to another artist; I never particularly liked Alan but this time I enjoyed his performance (well, the song was beautiful), and Aba is undoubtly good but for now not so original... We'll see! (If the links keep working!) For the groups the Ape Escape, as Mika would say, 'hanno spaccato' (they rocked), they had an amazing stage energy and they look so genuine! And of course I liked the Street Clerks, I love the fact that you get the feeling that they are live musicians, and I like their approach to music! So curious to hear what everyone will sing next time!! Ps: can I add that it is sooooo cool to be commenting XF Italia with you all? I really enjoy reading everyone's comments very much, you all often suggest me a different perspective, especially since most of you are not Italians! Ciao ciao!

Hey Sabine! As Krysady said before me, to avoid the annoying buffering you just have to wait for it to load... It takes a lot of time, for example I opened it, paused it and went away doing something else, and now it's almost completely loaded, it shows a greyish bar before the orange bar of the video It takes a lot of time but the quality is great and you avoid that terrible buffering!

IT WORKS! it works for me too!! Thank you so much (to everyone). :bow:

Now it says that my system doesn't support the video ... My computer has a Windows 7 system, and I use Internet Explorer... aaaaah technology!!

I can't find a way to watch it! I click on part 1, it opens the nowvideo site, and I get a black screen with two Windows telling me to install iLivid... If I close the Windows all I get is a black screen On the left corner it says download adobe flash player, that I already have updated....

Hi Eriko! I've opened the nowvideo link... but what should I do now? If I press download they ask me to make an account, and I don't want to ... What should I do? Thank you so much for your help anyway!

You don't know what you're missing ... Probably the ugliest ad most improbable contestants XF has ever seen! Ciao ciao!

Even if it doesn't work in the end, THANK YOU so much for your effort!! And thanks to everyone who is helping of course! Ps: Sabine, I've read that the Ape Escape did very good, and that Mika really appreciated them and was very glad they were part of the show!

I'm afraid they won't, because until yesterday the show was available for everyone, Cielo also broadcasted the reruns of the first four episodes (the auditions). But yesterday the live show began and Sky Uno has the exclusive on it. However thank you, if you find something you'll make us very happy!

That they are available only if you have Sky. They will become available after the show is over, then there will be the free reruns on Cielo, but that means waiting too much, I mean, an XF fan like you should understand us But those who have Sky might have recorded the show, so if someone uploads the videos somewhere we can quickly save them on our computers and then they can delete them and everyone will be happy!

Ciao Flavia, I don't know if you have Sky, but I don't, and on the site there is the complete show but for those who don't have Sky they only show a short preview of each video For example the judgments videos only show two judges speaking, then it stops and it says "if you want to see the whole video, register on the site"; so I registered my Sky account, I watched the video again, and this time it said "the whole video is only available for Sky clients"

I'm in, but don't say that around Anyway, I also hope that somehow we'll manage, I think there are a lot of people who have recorded the show, and maybe they'll upload it somewhere... FreakIrishSister32, whoever you are, we're counting on you!

"Anymore"? Of course he said the same things, did you have any doubts? But I bet this time he didn't have 4 judges subtly (well, not so subtly, lol) laughing at him, especially a certain international star who was looking at him with all the contempt that a glance has ever shown...

That's the same for me, and I live in Italy! It came as a big and very bad surprise today, I mean, I knew they wouldn't do the show on Cielo, but I thought that, just like all the past years, the video on the site would be available for everyone. It's ok that the ones who pay get the tv exclusive, but the internet is a different thing imo, it should be free. However I hope that somehow we'll manage to watch it, if for example someone uploads the videos they recorded on Dailymotion (the user FreakIrishSister32, I don't know who she is, has uploaded for example the Street Clerks video), and if someone quickly saves them on their computer they could share it here... HELP! However, from the tiny clips I've seen and what I've read, everyone was really good yesterday, Mika's Italian is impressive, he even used a very difficult verb concordation (the famous congiuntivo that less and less people use now, unfortunately), Alessandro was impressed! His girls did well from what I've heard, this time he chose very "pop" songs for them as he had said. (Btw, about Violetta, I don't think anyone is hating on her, certainly not here on the MFC, here I've only read funny comments about Mika's "artistic infatuation" for her As far as I'm concerned for the moment I don't particularly like her even if she is undoubtly very good, I think that in other musical genres she's not as good and as original as she is with her repertoire, but maybe I'll change my mind; for now I prefer Gaia, she's more fragile, "complicated", versatile and therefore more interesting to me, and I think that Mika really, really likes Gaia too, you can see that from the HomeVisit) Then I saw a video of Mika who was impressed with Michele Bravi's performance, he sang a not-very-known but amazing Ivano Fossati song in a very delicate and original way, Mika loved it, he said he was speachless And that he liked his suit Then I saw the Street Clerks (I like them very much, Florentine pride ) , they were really good, even if Mika said that the harmonisation should have been less "boybandish" and "darker", but he liked them too, and they were onstage with their instruments! About the final fight I haven't seen it all, but basically Morgan got angry because Mika and especially Elio chose to save the Free Boys instead of his contestant, he said that they killed his idea of music or something like that... From what I have understood Mika and Elio decided that they deserved another chance. Sorry that it is all so vague but, you know, that stupid site doesn't show me the full videos

I don't know if it has been posted, but in sky.it there's a short Mika interview ... He doesn't add new things, he basically says that every contestant is really good and very different, and that his girls are very original, and that he wants to develop their repertoire. He also says that tonight he has chosen for them three pop songs, because he himself is basically an alternative-pop, but indeed pop musician. And he says that next time the song choice will be completely different! I also watched Morgan's press bit, he basically said he is looking for difficult, problematic talents, with unexpressed potentiality. Ps: oh, and today Chiara was interview at Radio Deejay and Alessandro (Xf host) joked with her total admiration for Mika, she said that she recorded their duet of stardust in London, and that he managed to make her feel comfortable while being very professional, and alessandro said that she sent him a lot of SMS saying 'how good Is Mika, how professional, how beautiful...' XD

I agree with you all... Valentina and Gaia look stunning! And Violetta with that hair strangely looks like Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz! XD I really like the fact that he has chosen three very different girls, it will be musically more interesting! (And I have a feeling that Roberta will be one of the most voted among the rejected contestants tonight... We'll see!)

Quick translation of Mika's press conference part from the video uploaded by Simona! My team... Three very different and very original girls, and for me this is the most important thing... they are young talents. When we think of a girl in a talent tv-show we always think of girls with a big voice, with big boobs (thank you Simona!) with, I don't know, big hair... Everything is big, everything is exaggerated. With my girls, they are more discreet, they're not 'superloud'.... How do you say? They don't scream. But at the same time for me this...their power is found in their small... In their sensibilities. For me Violetta, Gaia, Valentina, three completely different girls, one a little bit more folk, one more rock, one more pop, r'n'b, soul. But all of them are really good. I'm very happy to work with them!

Thank you for the mention Nina! I have to agree with you, speaking from my personal experience: I have been for quite a while a so called 'silent' fan, meaning that I was as interested and into Mika and his music as I am now, but I wasn't part of the MFC, I was just reading it as a guest, and I also didn't follow the conversations on Facebook or Twitter, that I didn't even have. This because by nature I tend to be afraid of 'social communities', because, as far as I am concerned, it is basically a virtual communication, and I was afraid I would feel out of place and I wouldn't be able to express my ideas. But after reading a lot of threads in the MFC I eventually decided to take a risk and join it, because I was honestly surprised by the general atmosphere, a light and funny, of course, but also-when needed- deep and thoughtful atmosphere and perspective on things. And I honestly am very glad I joined it. Even if I didn't always agree, or even strongly disagreed, for example with Christine, I always felt like I wasn't wasting my time, that I was expressing my ideas in a thoughtful way and confronting them with other thoughtful points of view, even if different from mine; so I considered it a positive thing that I enjoyed doing. On the other hand, I never commented a Facebook post on Mika's page, for the reasons you all explained: the comments are generally superficial and rather stupid, and answering them feels to me like a waste of time. I am not judging them, I'm just saying that personally I feel more comfortable maybe arguing with intelligence on the MFC rather than write inarticulate comments about how hot Mika is. Having said that, I think that it's everyone's choice to be the fan they want to be. I no longer get irritated at stupid twitter or fb comments, because basically I don't care about them, and I don't like generalizing a 'fandom': I think a 'fandom', whatever it is, is made of different people. And let's not forget that the bigger the fandom, the bigger the percentual of hysterical fans. We are experiencing this with the massive increase of popularity Mika's getting in Italy: out of 10 people who discover him, 9 will just stop at his cute smile and his willywilly laughing, and only one will become really interested in him and his music. In the same way, if for example this duet with Ariana made him really really big in the USA, the same thing would happen, because it is strictly linked to popularity. There would certainly be new fans who would appreciate him as we do but also a lot of other people, especially very young girls, who would become 'hysterical' fans, as you call them. You can see that on twitter, it is already happening. That's sad, but very natural imo, and it certainly has nothing to do with the artist himself. I mean, I am a huge Queen fan, but if on one hand some Queen fans are honestly some of the most intelligent people I've ever met, if you go on Facebook you will find thousands of 'people' considering them great fans (they probably only know We Are The Champions...), who for example insult other artists, or don't want to accept Freddie's homosexuality (I mean, really...) or even wish other young artists were dead. I am saddened by these people, but I don't care anymore. Being a Queen fan doesn't mean I share these stupid ideas, it just means that I love Queen and their music. And the fact that there are some stupid Queen fans doesn't make Queen or their 'intelligent' fans less in my eyes. In the same way, I am sorry that hysterical Mika fans are increasing, but I try to see the bright side and be happy that that one person out of 10 is discovering what a great person and artist he is, because that one person will probably stick around, while the other 9, who are now calling Mika their 'idol' or stuff like that, will forget him as soon as they find another one. But that's how it works and has always worked, and all in all, considering other 'fandoms', Mika should be happy because he has found a good balance imo, he manages to be pretty 'popular' and yet to have his 'real' fans who maybe don't always agree with his choices but, maybe through not always agreeing, prove themselves as clever people and fans who really and deeply care about him and his music. Thanks for reading, as usual I've written too much, but I wanted to share my experience and perspective with you all!

Thanks for posting the video! I have to say however that I don't particularly enjoy his performances with Ariana. That's mainly because I don't like her voice and her way of singing, and because everything sounds too 'glossy' to me, if you know what I mean. I love Popular Song with Priscilla because it has a deep meaning conveyed in a very ironical and 'caustic' way, not only in the lyrics but also in the way they both sing. When Mika sings it live I love it because he 'plays' with the song, he can balance and convey through his performance both the seriousness and the irony, and the song sounds very 'true' to me, it has a strong 'grip' (not sure if it is the right word but you get my point) With Ariana the performance is good, enjoyable, indeed very cute, but it doesn't sound nearly as interesting to me. There's no one to blame, it is not due to any objective mistakes, it is just my subjective impression, since I don't like their recorded version either. Having said that, one can't certainly deny that the performance was good and cute, and really enjoyable 'as a whole'. and I'm happy if this gets a wider American audience to know him better, so that's good! (And basically the whole point of the collaboration, as someone pointed out)

You're all welcome, but there's no need to thank me! I do really enjoy translating, especially if it is Mika talking, it really is a pleasure problem is don't have enough time. But for his choice at the Home Visit I was so overwhelmed by the sensitivity and intelligence with which he dealt with those girls, (especially Roberta), and the things they all said, that it would have really been a shame if not everybody could see it! @Katydid : he said he was very unsure, that he was very glad to have that category but that it was a very tough decision, and he told the remaining 3 girls to give their best because he was really unsure

I've translated the video of Mika's choices! VIOLETTA M: You are a very interesting singer. But it is difficult for me, because your musical style, discographically, is a challenge. It is important that I can imagine your performance without a ukulele... Do you understand? V: Yes M: With a style... I don't know. It is important to develop... [he says “developpare” instead of “sviluppare”] V: “sviluppare” M: yes, thank you. [they laugh] I want to do this bet with/on you, it is a yes. V: Thank you so much! M: Sorry for my Italian! My sh**y Italian! I can't talk! V: Thank you so much M: Thank you! Brava, ciao! I am more nervous than [her/them, I don't know what he says!]! V: I'm going crazy! For me this that Mika has given me is a great bet, and I will try with every means to show Mika and...that I can do it. VALENTINA L. V: Arrived at this point I feel like I deserve this place. I think I have something inside that other people don't have. I only care about what I communicate, I don't think I have a better voice than anybody. M: Hello! How are you? V: Well, a little bit nervous. M: What do you think of this experience? V: It think it has made me grow up a lot from a “human”, personal point of view. And now I'm just anxious! M: Everything is new. Your voice is not a voice that you can hear in every part of a city, no, it is a very special voice, but you have to learn more and develop a style and... the future for you is very interesting but now, now this adventure finishes here for you. V: Wel.... Thank you anyway. Of course I'll try again, so... M: Okay? Till next time, in the future. Ciao! V: I feel still small [she means young] and not ready yet. Because however I think the tv world is not easy and I think that you also have to know how to defend yourself. I mean, I'm feeling bad because I love singing, for that, but it's just a … an egoistical side. But... I can improve, I can try again and this helps me. GAIA Violetta: I think Gaia should make it because she's good and she has a lot of personality and she deserves it. M: Your voice is... a beautiful voice. With a very interesting timbre... but without a really strong technique. Your look is a rather sophisticated look....yes? G: It is thought. M: But this scares me a bit, because I want to know if the look is more important than the voice technique, than singing, than music... I want to know if... I'm afraid that you like your style more than music. G: I am like this, just like you see me. M: I think that vocally...I... absolutely... want you to come on the XF stage with me. G: You can't say it like this!! M: Absolutely, in my team, I am … [she hugs him] G: It's not right! That's a bad [joke?]! That ain't right, at all!! M: I need you... I need you! We have to work together G: Okay! M: With tight dresses! Violetta: Well of course she can be a tough rival... but... may the best win in the end. G: I think this moment is... that ball I'm bringing inside my stomach that suddenly bursts, really. And in this moment everything I have inside can come out, I am really sure. This is a beautiful thing!! ROBERTA M: How are you? R: Well. M: And today? R: It was beautiful. A lot. M: For me your first performance during the first audition was a beautiful performance. You sang naturally.. but, I made a joke about your surname, but after you sang, all the people were completely [drops his jaw]. Me too. I don't want to do a joke again, now. This adventure of XF finishes here. [she starts crying] … I've been in the same situation for many years. Even today I have situations where people tell me “no”... I don't change this! [i'm not sure what he means, I think he wanted to say that this doesn't change him but I'm not sure]. Okay? R: Okay. M: Thank you so much for everything. R: Thank you! R: He's been... He told me beautiful words... That everybody has always told me... M: This is not the first time for her. This is horrible. R: I never make it, so probably I don't deserve it enough! I don't know... One day that door will open. CHIARA AND VALENTINA C: The longest walk of my life! M: Still smiling! Always! Okay, now it's the moment because there's only one place left. When you [Valentina] sang at the Bootcamp I really liked it. Today... The performance wasn't as good as for example the one at the Bootcamp. You [Chiara] are 16... you are young! Completely young, completely new in this experience, it is a new experience for you right? C: Yes! Yes... M: But I think this experience is too new for you in this moment. For this I tell you know, I tell you that your adventure finishes here with XF, but the adventure with your voice, a beautiful voice, and your energy, a completely fantastic energy, it doesn't absolutely end! I am sure. Okay? Thank you so much for everythin. C: Thank you! V: Thank you so much!! M: I didn't say anything!! M: now I'm alone. I'm alone in my house. My huge, bad house, without people. C: Anyway, I hope I.... I have to breathe! [Girls scream] M: Ssh!

Oh yes absolutely! I was just being a little bit mean to Morgan Because he has what I call the "smoker voice", and therefore it is not suitable for songs with high notes. With Bowie's songs it works very well, but then I imagined him singing Heroes by Mika and I couldn't help but mentally laugh