Friday, 3 April 2009. Buckingham Palace, Throne Room. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi can't behave whilst G20 official photographs are being taken, and Her Majesty has to tell him to pipe down.
Happy faces. but where is Berlusconi?
A (quite blurry) footage has emerged about the Queen of England appearing to express annoyance at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for being too noisy, whilst trying to draw Mr Obama's attention.
The Italian tycoon-politician is believed to have shouted “Mr Obamaaaa! This is Mr Berlusconi!” across the Throne Room, prompting Her Majesty to turn around in irritation at the blare.
Though Buckingham Palace have denied that any offence was taken by the Queen, the Reuters' footage has – of course! – been placed on the YouTube website and has quickly proved to be a popular video, reaching more than half million views since.
Mr Berlusconi never lose an occasion to gain some visibility. Any kind of visibility for that matters.
Saturday, April 2 2011. The aftermath of Milan's football derby. Berlusconi jokes about his bad memory. And women, of course.
On the night of April 2 AC Milan – Berlusconi's football team – beat its rival Inter Milan 3-0. AC Milan is leading the table, Inter is trailing. After this victory the probabilities that AC Milan will win the Italian Championship rise considerably. Therefore the Italian Silvio is in really high spirits, when the journalists gets to interview him.
Berlusconi loves to tell jokes
One of the reporters asks the Prime Minister about AC Milan's coach: “Does he resemble [former AC Milan coach] Capello or any of the great trainers of the past?”. AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi replies “I don't know. I'm old. My memory is getting bad”. And then he goes on “This morning I was chasing my secretary, because I wanted to lay her on my desk, and she said to me «Mr President, we did it already, two hours ago». And I said to her «You see, the problem is my memory». If you write about this, you are a bunch of...”. He does not end the sentence, but everybody (reporters from sports shows on channels the media tycoon owns) understands that this time they are requested to keep the funny story for ourselves.
Actually the journalists, who usually are craving for spicy jokes of Berlusconi, almost managed to censore this one. One of them, a woman says to Berlusconi: “Cut! This one not, this one has to be cut” and, in the end “No, no! Not this one! Don't worry, President”.
And it almost worked, until April 21, when somehow the joke appeared in TV, on the Michele Santoro's AnnoZero, not exactly Berlusconi's favourite. And the "Fatto Quotidiano" (The Daily Fact, a Internet magazine) loaded the video onto YouTube. Looks like somebody wanted to make sure most of Italian population can laugh about the amusing anecdote.
Saturday, April 16 2011. Congresses Palace's Auditorium, EUR (Rome). Silvio Berlusconi admits not being immortal and vows not to quit his war against the judicial power. The Rome's EUR District is hardly the right place for predicting the future. It was planned in 1938, when Benito Mussolini foresaw the World Fair to be held in Rome in 1942, and therefore decided to create the Esposizione Universale Roma (or E42). It never happened, and it was partially due to his own behaviour.
Silvio Berlusconi in Rome
Though, yesterday the president of the Freedom People Party (PdL, Popolo delle Libertà), Silvio Berlusconi, told the crowd of his party supporters about his premonition: "I'll make it to 120 years, even though I'm still a mortal being". Actually the real surprise was that he admitted not being immortal (a sign of great modesty). The main message he delivered was: “I won't quit” and that he'll keep on fighting against the subversive judiciary power. (yet, a few days before, during a dinner with foreign correspondents, he said that he has designated Angelino Alfano, current justice minister as his political heir...). Anyhow.
"Red Brigades out of the Public Prosecutors' offices"
says this billboard in Milan
Yes, the magistrates are the real problem. It's a kind of war of good against evil. “They've been trying to get rid of me for 17 years” said Berlusconi. And carried on explaining how they cut down did five parties, back in 1993. “The did in a leader called Bettino Craxi” by accusing him of having amassed a fortune, which wasn't true.
They bumped off Berlusconi's government in 1994. And so one. They are the real problem in Italy. But they have not succeed to prove anything against him (so far). That's also the reason why he needs to cut the length of trials with a new bill which “maybe, maybe can shorten a trial of mine”. He was referring to the conviction of the English commercial solicitor David Mills, which was due only to the fact that “he's a loser”.
Michela Brambilla and Daniela Santanchè
The meeting in Rome was part of a tour titled “Al Servizio degli Italiani” (“At service of Italians”), supported by an Internet site, and organised by Michela Vitotria Brambilla (another woman who might be held as a potential political heir to Silvio, she previously organised the Freedom Circles), Minister and MP.
What would be of Silvio Berlusconi without his women?
What's the goal of this Flying Circus Circuit? Create a new network of PdL offices and support the fight against the crusade against the subversive powers.
Sunday, February 12, 2006. Ancona. Silvio Berlusconi compares himself to the Lamb of God, and denies being like Napoleon (or second to none but him).
It was during a dinner in a aesthetic centre in Ancona, preparing the campaign for the general election (to be held the next 9 April), that Mr Berlusconi stated "I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a patient victim, I put up with anyone and I sacrifice myself for everybody.".
At the same time, he admitted that he was joking about Napoleon the day before, when he framed “Only Napoleon achieved more than I did. It's true, it's true, and I'm even taller than he was”. Actually one thing turns out to be true: Berlusconi seems to exceed the Corsican leader in height. Bonaparte was said to be 155 cm (or 5 ft 1 in), whilst the Italian prime minister seems to be 160 cm (or 5 ft 2 in), even if it's claiming he's 10 cm taller (3 inches).
On the same dinner, he also said he was sure his party – it was still called Forza Italia, at that time, before merging into the People of Liberty (PdL) with other political forces – could win the general election (but he didn't win, Romano Prodi's coalition won, though with a very narrow victory, of about 24,000 votes out of 38 million) and – when talking about women – said that he was “generally” loyal to his wife.
On the same event, Silvio would also tell one of his famous jokes: "If a man, who turns out to be a supporter of Forza Italy, sticks his hand in the cage of a lion and then withdraws it straight out, you know how would the newspapers headlines look like?" Follower of Berlusconi nicks meal from African immigrant.". If you like Silvio's witty remarks and wisecracks, you might like our page Berlusconi's Quotes.
Thursday, June 21, 2007. Silvio Berlusconi receives a phone call from Agostino Saccà, a national TV broadcaster RAI director. An example of how an Italian-way exchange of favours happens.
The reason of the call is simple: Agostino Saccà needs political help from the head of the the opposition (actually Mr Urbani, a man of the PdL - People of Liberty party - is “acting like an ass-hole”) and Silvio Berlusconi – as usual, since he's “torn by the requests” – needs to fix a couple of acquaintances up with a television role.
The acquaintances are two nice looking and young women (how strange!), the Neapolitan actress Elena Russo and Evelina Manna, a would-be actress and alleged Silvio Berlusconi's girlfriend.
Evelina Manna, (would-be) actress
Elena Russo's case would get a little boost later on, as Berlusconi will become the Prime Minister. Elena in fact became the protagonist of a TV spot boasting about how the right-wing government solved the problem of waste in Naples.
Here's the script:
Narrator: “Naples had a problem, let's not talk about that again. We know what was that. Than the Government intervened. And when the Government, the State, does something it's just like all the Italian did it.
But now we need the commitment of everybody, who lives there and comes to visit. Let's keep it clean. It's more beautiful”.
The transcripts of the interceptions leaked in December 2007 (most of the media published it on 20 December) and led to a corruption investigation, dismissed by Mr Berlusconi's fans as another barbarous act of left-wing journalism by Mr Berlusconi's fans.
Wednesday, April 6 2011. The first session of the Silvio Berlusconi's Rubygate trial has been adjourned, after 15 minutes.
Do you know how trials work in Italy? The so-called “Rubygate” proceedings are a good example of that. Silvio Berlusconi is accused of having paid an under-age prostitute for her services, namely Karima El Mahroug, aka Ruby Rubacuori (Italian for "Ruby Heartstealer", the nom de guerre of the girl). Other women were believed to have received money for the same reason, but they were adults, and that's not a crime in Italy (I mean: it's not a crime to give money in exchange for sex to women above 18).
Court and press
The first hearings were due for on 6 April. The build-up was huge. An extensive international press coverage was set-up. Outside of the fascist-era court building in Milan an assemblage people gathered: curious folks, Berlusconi tireless haters and fans.
Friday, 12 September 2003. Publication of excerpts from a Silvio Berlusconi's interview with The Spectator, released in Porto Rotondo (Sardinia), in the month of August. Bad jokes, this time, from the Italian tycoon.
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Not many people would ever describe Benito Mussolini as a “benvolent” leader who “sent people on holiday to confine”. Berlusconi does it, in an interviewed by the British conservative magazine The Spectator, showing he has quite a peculiar idea about how Italy was run at that time. Actually during the same interview Mr Berlusconi is describing the Italian judges – or at least some of them – as “mentally disturbed”. So he has a peculiar idea about many Italian matters, of the present and of the past. Or – perhaps – he just like having fun with his jokes.
Anyhow. The magazine quoted the Italian Prime Minister saying that “Mussolini never killed anybody” as he is comparing the former Fascist dictator with Saddam Hussein, a real villain.
Silvio like Benito?
The Jewish community of Rome, in the person of his President, Amos Luzzatto, says that Mr Berlusconi's words caused him “profound pain”.
Mussolini's persecution of Jews started in 1938, and some 7,000 people were deported. It is believed that almost 6,000 of them never came back alive.
This is a really bad joke, even if Berlusconi's quotes are quite often bad jokes, even if Silvio keeps saying that the misinterpretation is due to the bottle of champagne he's been drinking with Nicholas Farrell – the journalists (who just can't recall it) – as they chatted as good old friends.
Wednesday, March 30 2011. The tricky ways of Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers (in the intent of finding any possible way out of the sex scandale dubbed Rubygate).
Niccolò Ghedini, lawyer
As the Prime Minister was showing off in Lampedusa, his army of indefatigable lawyers (led by Niccolò Ghedini) and solicitors were preparing for the mother of all battles, to be fought in few days.
Mara Carfagna, minister
The public prosecutors - who pledged to shut Silvio Berlusconi behind bars, sooner of later – this time are trying to prove that the PM had sex with an under-age dancer, Karima El Mahroug (commonly known as Ruby “Rubacuori”, the Heart Stealer). And paid money for her "sexual services".
More and more people refer to this sex scandal as the Rubygate.
The first hearings will take place on 6 April (if the Parliament is not going to rule the date off on the previous day, when a vote conflict of competence is foreseen), that's why Berlusconi's lawyers are sharpening their knives.
Amongst the trickiest possible weapons, one of the smartest, if you want to drag things out is the following: pack the witness box with people, possible celebrities, to make the greatest possible fuss.
That's why there are almost 80 witnesses (more then a few are women) ready to be heard.
Clooney and Canalis, friends
The defence has called the following witnesses, amongst the others (quite a few are women, beautiful women): Venezuelan showgirl Aida Yespica and Argentinian actress and showgirls Belèn Rodriguez (there is a numerous colony of South American beauties in Italy, as you might expect), Minister of for Equal Opportunity Mara Carfagna (Maxim's "World´s Hottest Politician”), Public Education's Minister Mariastella Gelmini and Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini, Neapolitan singer Mariano Apicella, journalist (and king of gossip) Carlo Rossella, anchorwoman Barbara D'Urso, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Hollywood star George Clooney and his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis.
Quite a list, isn't it? Funny Berlusconi.
A bewildered George Clooney considers “odd” the idea that he could be called as a witness in the bunga-bunga sex scandal trial of Silvio Berlusconi, since he only met the Italian prime minister once (and it was in relation of quite a different topic: raising money for the population of Darfour).
Ilda Boccassini, judge
On the other side of the fence, the judge Ilda Boccassini and her prosecutors have also prepared quite a long list of witnesses (more than 130), but 33 (or perhaps 43, as somebody said) out of them are just, you know, bunga-bunga girls and women.
