by Barbara Visentin
Amadeus announced during Tg1 that the American actor will be at the Ariston on Wednesday 7 February. He had already been a guest in 2006
An actor who made entire generations dance will be with us, announced Amadeus: after the Gladiator Russell Crowe, the new super guest of Sanremo John Travolta, arriving at the Ariston for the second evening, Wednesday 7 February.
An international star that Festival fans will remember well, the protagonist of a hilarious foot massage given to Victoria Cabello in the 2006 edition. It was a memorable moment that the presenter, on that occasion alongside Ilary Blasi and Giorgio Panariello, looks back on laughing: I had been complaining of terrible foot pain for days, standing in those killer heels, and I was telling everyone that I needed a massage. So, with John Travolta on the way, I thought “I’ll let him do it, who cares”.
But the story gets complicated: A few hours before going on air, my toenail breaks off. Because of an ex of mine, Maurizio Cattelan, who had dragged me to the swimming pool, I ended up with fungus on my finger. I thought “I’m finished”. But my make-up artist, a genius, gets some Ariston Attak and re-glues my nail. Travolta arrived on stage dressed as a pilot, he had flown his own plane to come to Italy, and throughout the interview I only thought “let’s hope my nail doesn’t come off, let’s hope it doesn’t end up on his jacket during the live broadcast of the show most important of the year”. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and the gag immediately became one of the cult moments in the history of Sanremo: Perhaps Amadeus, as a first question, could ask him if that time he developed a mycosis.
Cabello jokes, but she has fond memories of the actor, now 69 years old: he was really nice, he didn’t know anything and immediately played along. You can also see a great performer from those situations and you can also grasp the predisposition of foreign characters that comes from late night shows. They are ready for anything and give a lot. Even though I remained in his nightmares, he didn’t leave by slamming the door. On the contrary, Travolta now returns to the scene of the crime: If Amadeus wants, I can accompany him on stage – the presenter offers -. And maybe this time I’ll get a lumbar massage. On Wednesday, Giorgia will be there alongside Ama: I hope they will do a duet, it would be very nice. But then she’s very nice, they’ll handle her like God.
Less likeable, in Victoria’s memories, is Russell Crowe, with whom she argued during her time at MTV because, she said, he had treated the show’s crew badly: It hadn’t been a very pleasant experience and I was very sorry. He is one of the best actors around, but sometimes you need to separate the person from the character. For me it was the only exception, I’ve always had excellent experiences, from Madonna to Tom Hanks, but maybe he wasn’t on the ball that day. And it was probably another phase of his life too. I’m sure it will be nice on stage.
Would you go back to Ariston? They say that if you survive such an ordeal once, it’s better to take it home, but I have to say that it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life… Except for the pain in my feet.
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February 1, 2024 (modified February 1, 2024 | 7:03 pm)
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