sedregina

The thing that hooked me and saved the series for me was how they made Concetta basically the main character– Concetta who disappears in the book and who was reduced to mere wallpaper by Visconti, who made only Angelica shine.

My translation of Italy's entry for Eurovision 2025, written and performed by Lucio Corsi.

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Volevo Essere un Duro I wanted to be a tough guy

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Volevo essere un duro I wanted to be a tough guy

Che non gli importa del futuro Who doesn't care about the future

Un robot A robot

Un lottatore di sumo A sumo wrestler

Uno spaccino in fuga da un cane lupo A drug dealer running from a German shepherd

Alla stazione di Bolo At the Bologna station

Una gallina dalle uova d’oro A hen that lays golden eggs

Però non sono nessuno But I'm nobody

Non sono nato con la faccia da duro I wasn't born with a tough guy face Ho anche paura del buio I'm even afraid of the dark Se faccio a botte le prendo If I get into a fight, I get a beating Così mi truccano gli occhi di nero That's how they paint my eyes black Ma non ho mai perso tempo But I've never wasted time È lui che mi ha lasciato indietro It's time that has left me behind

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CHORUS:

Vivere la vita Living life

È un gioco da ragazzi Is child's play

Me lo diceva mamma ed io That's what mom used to tell me, and I Cadevo giù dagli alberi Would fall from trees Quanto è duro il mondo How hard the world is Per quelli normali For ordinary people Che hanno poco amore intorno Who have little love around them O troppo sole negli occhiali Or too much sun in their sunglasses

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Volevo essere un duro I wanted to be a tough guy

Che non gli importa del futuro no Who doesn't care about the future, no

Un robot A robot

Medaglia d'oro di sputo Gold medal in spitting Lo scippatore che t'aspetta nel buio The mugger waiting for you in the dark Il Re di Porta Portese The King of Porta Portese La gazza ladra che ti ruba la fede The thieving magpie that steals your wedding ring

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[CHORUS REPEATS]

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Volevo essere un duro I wanted to be a tough guy

Però non sono nessuno But I'm nobody

Cintura bianca di Judo White belt in Judo

Invece che una stella uno starnuto Instead of a star, I'm a sneeze

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I girasoli con gli occhiali mi hanno detto The sunflowers with sunglasses told me,

"Stai attento alla luce" "Be careful with the light"

E che le lune senza buche And that moons without potholes

Sono fregature Are a scam

Perché in fondo è inutile fuggire Because deep down it's useless to run

Dalle tue paure From your fears

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Vivere la vita è un gioco da ragazzi Living life is child's play

Io I

Io volevo essere un duro I wanted to be a tough guy

Però non sono nessuno But I'm nobody

Non sono altro che Lucio I'm nothing but Lucio

I've lived in Italy most of my life but I had never been to see Leonardo's Last Supper until a couple days ago.

I gotta say seeing it in person makes quite an impression, and its history is equally fascinating:

The paint started breaking and fading shortly after it was painted because Leonardo used an experimental (read: wrong) technique

at one point it looked so bad that the monks thought it was lost so they built a door through Christ's feet (it wasn't their fault– they really couldn't see those feet anymore)

Napoleon's army used the room as a stable when they occupied Milan and kicked out the monks

the convent was bombed to ashes by the Allies during WWII and this wall was one of few miraculously left standing– however it exposed the painting to the rain and sun for a while

"restorers" throughout the centuries kept painting over it and by doing so altered and hid Leonardo's original lines and colors, even changing people's expressions;

it was only in 1977 that genius restorer Pinin Brambilla Barcilon guided a major restoration project that lasted over 20 years and reversed it (or what was left of it) to its original state. She used watercolor in lighter colors to fill in the gaps, so when you look at the painting from a distance the gaps aren't noticeable and you can see the full picture

her restoration work was greatly successful, but was still criticized by some Anglo art critics– but since your country almost blew it to smithereens your opinion isn't valid i'm sorry i make the rules

I really loved Italy's awards submission for 2024, Vermiglio - directed by Maura Delpero.

The film isn't lacking surprising twists, but there could be one more in the final part of the film that many viewers, and basically every foreign viewer I saw reviews from, might have missed.

Some thoughts:

The 2007 Caleb & Elyon: Due Destini (Two Destinies) special is the only issue of W.I.T.C.H. to have a male character front and center, both in the cover and throughout the story.

For comparison, the other special featuring Caleb, the Cornelia and Caleb one, was pretty balanced in terms of showing both their perspectives. Here instead the story is mainly about Caleb, even if Elyon is in the title too.

He's the muscular hero who saves the world and his beloved, while Elyon has more of a Lady of the Lake role where she gives him a sword and then she's just stuck in the castle without her powers.

In the end, I didn't like this issue much. I'd give it a 6/10. Elyon is my favorite W.I.T.C.H. character, and I love the fact that she and Caleb end up together, but the story is weak, with bland side characters too. Elyon and the girls are on the back seat for the entire time, and the thick-lined, metallic-colored artstyle in cool tones isn't entirely to my taste either.

I don't even think this issue fully passes the Bechdel test because whenever Elyon is talking to her mom or to the W.I.T.C.H. girls, they're always talking about Caleb or her feelings for Caleb. Maybe there are a couple of lines between the girls about magical stuff but that's it. So much for a comic about girl power huh.

Truly a step back from the 2002 Elyon: Ritorno da Regina (Return as a Queen) special with its beautiful take on Elyon and its lovely art: