Italians Yawn at Too Wholesome Contest
ROME (Reuters) - Italians have much to complain about these days. Prices are rising, jobs are scarce and the "country of the sun" has been swamped by rain this summer.
But along with the highs and lows of the mercury and the economy, another moan this past week has been that the Miss Italy pageant, one of the country's most hallowed institutions, is producing girls that are, well, just too wholesome.
Italians are just plain tired of the girl-next-door, which they like to call "acqua e sapone" (soap and water look) and apparently want more sex, spice and suspense in their misses.
So great was the disappointment over the four-day pageant, which ended Monday night, that one mainstream national newspaper branded it "Miss Yawn 2002."
The television audience share plummeted by two million viewers over last year and commentators and newspapers put the blame on goodness.
"Too many girls seemed to be reciting from a script -- God, country and family," said Fabrizio Del Noce, head of RAI state television's Channel One, which broadcast the pageant.
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