Milan
A 73-year-old mother of 11 has won Italy’s hottest new television competition, Velone, in which geriatric women gyrate about onstage for a chance to claim the $286,000 prize. Carpina Zuccarino, who has 21 grandchildren, outdanced and outsang the competition, which included one woman who swore she once saw a UFO. Producer Antonio Ricci said he wanted to let older women show their fun side. But the show has faced withering criticism from commentators, who say it proves that Italians are willing to suffer any indignity for the chance to appear on television. “Older Italians should be respected for their hard-earned wrinkles,” said sociology professor Franco Ferrarotti, “not for whether they can wiggle their arthritic hips.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
