Not really relevant for those traveling around South America though a topic of the moment in Chile is the Festival de Viña that starts in a couple of days time and this year is the festival’s 50th year.
What is it?Officially it is called the:
Festival de la canción internacional de Viña del Mar or Festival of the international song of Viña del Mar and in theory this is a competition over a few nights where many countries send a singer with an original song to compete against other countries doing the same. The reality is that people usually take advantage of the international song sections to go the toilet or get something to eat because they have really come to see the major overseas artists that grace the stage for a few songs. This year we have Carlos Santana, Simply Red, KC and the Sunshine Band, Marc Antony amongst others.
The MonsterAll bands, singers, comedians and show hosts fear
El Monstruo or the Monster. What is it? It is the name given to the crowd that attend that night and will quickly let you know whether the show is good or bad. Some major artists have had to walk off the stage with their tail between their legs especially if their live performance don’t live up to the level of their recordings.
Seagulls as prizes (Gaviotas)It is also the monster that normally decides who will get the prized Gaviota (literally meaning seagull). This is a statue (in the shape of… well, a seagull) that is given to those performers that excel that night. Before they can get the Gaviota they need to earn the Antorcha (or Torch) and then there is the Gaviota de Plata (silver seagull) and then the highest distinction of the Gaviota de Oro (golden seagull) which years ago was very hard to get though of late seems to be a regular handout. Only last year did the organizers make it hard to get.
Classic MomentsChile’s one and only ex-Miss Universe Cecilia Boloco showed a bit more than she wished in a REAL wardrobe malfunction (sorry Janet, she beat you here) while she was dancing around on stage at the beginning of the night. It was a photo taken at the exact precise moment her leg was near her head and her private parts were… lets say getting a breath of fresh air! Fortunately it wasn’t seen on major TV though it was on the front page of every newspaper the next day. Nothing was left to the imagination!
How about when Enrique Iglesias (Julio’s son) won a gaviota and threw it into the crowd. Look at the photo of it below and you can imagine the damage it could do which would vary in level from severe maiming to painful death. Yes, there was blood involved and Enrique is unlikely to show his head around these parts in a long time.
The Festival QueenEvery year they choose a Festival Queen which I imagine was an elegant honour though one that has now turned into a ‘who has the biggest and best implants’ queen. The last years have been all about attractive models wearing virtually nothing as they shake ALL their bits in front of any camera that crosses their path in order to get their 15 minutes of fame.
There was a bit of a scandal last year where the winner was a complete unknown that almost always appeared solely in lingerie and basically had nothing to do with the festival other than strut around and show some skin in front of the reporters. This year the organizers cracked down on the situation and now the only competitors for the title of Festival Queen are those ladies from shows that are exclusively dedicated to the festival on major TV channels. So that has narrowed it down to one (I don’t know of any other as of yet). The winner is chosen by mostly male reporters and there is a traditional for the new queen to jump into a swimming pool (oh great, a wet t-shirt competition… without the shirt). Typical of Chile!
Stefan KramerIs anyone else sick of Channel 13’s over abuse of the repeats of Stefan Kramer’s show from last year’s Festival de Viña? They repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it again and just when you though it was safe… there it is again. Damn, that tape must be worn thin by now.
Ok, his imitations were incredibly well done and he deserved the prizes he got (You need to have been here in Chile for years to really appreciate the job he did that night), but come on Canal 13 STOP FLOGGING IT… IT IS SOOOOO TIRESOME SEEING IT THE 100TH TIME!
Are you planning to go to the festival this year? (or watch it on TV?)
What do you think about the whole Festival Queen thing?
Am I the only one sick to death of the Kramer reruns?
Let us know!
Labels: Chile, Festival, Viña del Mar
