Ruby - Ti Amo - Che Confusione

Several updates since 2011: The Italian Senate has decided to oust ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from the Senate. With this measure, the "Cavaliere" will lose his parliamentary immunity and will have to serve a year of community service. Berlusconi was originally sentenced to four years because of tax evasion, some amnesty rules waived three years of this sentence and hard time was commuted to either house arrest or community service because of his old age, The 77-year old right wing populist, called it a "coup d'état" and a "sad day of sorrow for the Italian democracy."

In the Bunga-Bunga trial Berlusconi was found guilty and convicted of paying 17-year-old Moroccan prostitute Karima El Mahroug, aka Ruby Rubacuori for sexual services between February and May 2010 when she was under the age of 18. But he was found not guilty on appeal and in March 2015, the Italian Supreme Court (Corte Suprema di Cassazione) upheld his acquittal. 

In 2019, a new trial was started against Berlusconi accusing him of bribing (more than 10 million Euros) and silencing witnesses in the original Bunga-Bunga trials. There are several bribing cases on-going, as they were filled in the cities where the silenced witnesses received their payments. Also, in March 2019, a Moroccan model and witness, Imane Fadil, died under mysterious circumstances, some believing she was poisoned. Her cause of death is still being investigated in 2021. 

Original: 1/15/2011

Twelve years ago, the US finally seemed to get over Monica-Gate; then president Bill Clinton got acquitted by the Senate and was able to finish his second term. Sexual scandals and politics always lead to "Monkey Business", just ask Gary Hart and Donna Rice.

Now the "scimmie" are running free in Italy. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is investigated on suspicion of "extortion" and "child prostitution".
No, it was not an intern, but a Moroccan belly dancer,  Karima El Mahrough, who uses the stage name Ruby and has now become Ruby Rubacuori (Steal Hearts). To understand some of the Italian passion(e), let's visit with Umberto Tozzi. He ruled the airwaves in summer of '77, his song "Ti Amo" ("I Love You") was a chart topper for seven months.

When Umberto hails "ma tremo davanti al tuo seno", "but I tremble before your breast" then, oh yeah "that's amore". In the land of calcio (soccer) Ruby is at least a couple of goals ahead of  Monica. 

And while soccer headlines should be front material of "Il Corriere Della Sera" or "La Repubblica" the leading Italian newspapers, as Antonio Cassano just started playing for AC Milan (Berlusconi's club).
But no, it's Il Cavaliere or Cav (Knight) - he received this honor in 1977 - who dominates the Italian media. Only in the family owned papers "Il Giornale" (owned by his brother Paolo) and "Il Foglio" (owned by his soon to be ex-wife, Veronica Lario) does he get some slack. The first one talks of a "coup d'état" from the left and the other appeals that 
"L’uomo e l’amico lo conosciamo, non è Barbablù ma un padre di famiglia e un italiano giocoso e ardito". (The man is a friend we know, he is not a Bluebeard, but a family father and a playful and bold Italian).
Barbablù is actually based on the old French/Breton folktale "Les Contes de ma mère l'Oie" which were published in 1697. The "Stories of my mother, the Goose" tell about the fictional (maybe based on serial killer Gilles de Rais) character Bluebeard, who kills and then keeps the dead bodies of his former wives. In 1950 Italian director Carlo Bragaglia made a comedy out of this old tale, called "Le sei mogli di Barbablù". One of Italy's funniest comedians at that time, Totò Esposito tries to save his love and frees the six wives of Bluebeard.

 

In the pending divorce procedures, Veronica is asking for $ 5.6 millions alimony per month. Not just pocket change, even if you own almost $10 billions according to Forbes. This divorce is over another indiscretion, this one named, Noemi Letizia. "Papi", that's what she calls him, showed up for her 18th birthday and showered her with gifts.

But Ruby and earlier Noemi aren't the only problems for the septuagenarian, according to "La Stampa" there were eight (8) other beauties involved in the hot party nights in his private villa outside of Milan. 

According to witnesses, gigolo Silvio called the steamy encounters, Bunga-Bunga-nights, a term he adopted from his friend, Libyan head-of-state, Muammar al-Gaddafi. It describes a sex rite, basically an anal mass or gang rape of tribal enemies. So no wonder an Italian opposition leader came up with posters, showing the evolution of Silvio into Muammar...

By now everything, in Italy, is "bunga bunga", even when the strikers from Juve shoot some goals. "Bunga Bunga" may become the most overused expression this year, it definitely entered the Italian lexicons, and may enter the global ones too.



The Italian comic and pop band Elio e le Storie Tese (often abbreviated as EelST) - a heavily Frank Zappa influenced combo - even changed the words to Shakira's soccer World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" and appeared on State Television Rai 3.
Cavaliere Silvio calls the whole scandal just "mud throwing and theories", with no proven facts, and that sounds familiar to Bill Clinton's statements 12 years ago...
So while he's tryin' to keep the mud of his Teflon coat, an Italian jury just revoked his immunity in some (not related) corruption cases, the whole of Italy is in awe with Ruby. Maybe the British rock band, The Kaiser Chiefs should re-release their #1 hit (GB, IRL, US #14) hit from 2007, "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby."