VIPs and the “Corrida syndrome”: if famous people become ‘amateurs at risk’
Once upon a time “La Corrida” was in fashion, with its amateurs in disarray. Once, because – as we have seen – the formula no longer seems to work, in a world in which surprising and being amazed is increasingly complicated.
On the contrary, the ones who exploit the new direction of entertainment are the VIPs, the famous people, who increasingly launch themselves into impossible missions with the sole aim of creating that contrasting effect that should trigger laughter.
The mission is often successful but, as often happens, the problem lies in the ‘consummation’ of the idea. By dint of reiterating it, it ends up boring and spectators begin to have plenty of reasons to denounce a certain saturation.
On TV, in fact, the horror performances of the protagonists of the small screen are countless. The exception has become the rule, the occasional find has evolved into practice.
Valeria Marini at “Domenica In”
Take Valeria Marini, who recently appeared on “Domenica In” with the sole intent of destroying other people’s songs. He began with “La Doll” by Patty Pravo and continued with “La Solitude” by Laura Pausini. Cues, false notes which, paradoxically, represented the ultimate goal of the performance. Yes, because only in this way do you become a meme, only in this way do you get the relaunch and the comment on social media.
A strategy, a real dynamic built on the table. And therefore irritating, as it lacks the spontaneity that should accompany certain scenes.
Valeria Marini pays homage to Laura Pausini, who is already with the Carabinieri #sunday pic.twitter.com/N1XVWlh83d
— The Great Scourge (@grande_flagello) January 18, 2026
Carmen Di Pietro’s eternal gags
At “Tali e Quale”, for example, there is Carmen Di Pietro, who has also just completed two editions of “Tale e Quale Show”, in which she held the same role: to devastate the ‘monuments’. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Celine Dion, Iva Zanicchi, Loredana Bertè, Mina or Madonna. Sandro Paternostro’s ex-wife does not compete and never even had the ambition to do so. It is simply the ‘joker-farce’ of a show that places its foundations on the extremes of the absurd.
An objective that ultimately represented the foundations of “Ne vedo delle belle”, a talent won by the brilliant Lorenza Mario, however dominated by the media by everything else. The aim was not to celebrate the careers of historic TV stars, but rather to create material for use and consumption on the web. In short, a festival of studied and premeditated torment. To throw her into the mess in a premeditated manner.
After this performance Loredana blows herself up (in the sense of exploding).
💀💀💀#SuchAndWhich pic.twitter.com/GMSZxoHAEX— SOTER (@SonoSoter) January 23, 2026
The ‘Ventura moment’
This is what Simona Ventura must have thought at the time of “Citofonare Rai 2”, where the moment of the unlikely performance was identified as the most awaited block, to be replicated in the evening also at “Che tempo che fa”, perhaps in the presence of Claudio Baglioni and with Mara Maionchi ready to plug her eardrums between a “fuck” and an “eh aloraaa”.
A variant of this syndrome, in a certain sense, also embraced “Tu si que vales”, which welcomed the practice of the ‘lip sync battle’, extending it to illustrious people who agree to go on stage in disguise. In this case the playback comes to the guests’ rescue, yet the perception of the clumsy parody is promptly ready to appear, just like in “Amici” during some ‘challenges’ between the teachers.
A widespread trend that hides an implicit message: ‘we no longer need ordinary people to ride the ridicule’.
