(7 Nov 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Pan down newspapers headlines - La Repubblica headline reading: "Berlusconi blunder on Obama"
2. Wide of headlines
3. Il Messaggero headline reading: Berlusconi: "Obama tanned. It's a row"
4. Il Corriere della Sera
5. Il Corriere della Sera headline reading: "'Good looking and tanned; Berlusconi's gaffe on the new elected USA President"
6. Il Manifesto Pan down from Berlusconi's face in the shadow to headline reading: "Little black face" (from a Fascist war time song)
7. Wide of Venezia Square
8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Patrizia, no last name given, vox pop:
"It's an offence, it's an offence."
(Question: Why?)
"Because as all the things that (Italian Premier Silvio) Berlusconi says he means them in an ironic way and instead he insults people."
9. Traffic scene
10. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Mauro, no last name given, vox pop:
"I think it's a joke, I don't know what his ideas are, but I believe he just said it to make light of a taboo subject."
11. Police in Venezia Square
12. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Francesca, no last name given, vox pop:
"It's an offence, he wanted to be funny but it's an offence towards an individual which means you are simply racist, and I honestly did not like this thing, doesn't make anybody laugh."
13. Street scene
STORYLINE
Italian newspapers and some people on the streets of Rome on Friday reacted to the country's famously impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who on Thursday described US President-elect Barack Obama as "young, handsome and even tanned."
Berlusconi appeared to be joking about America's first black president at a news conference following talks with Russia's president.
The Italian leader, who has a history of controversial remarks, was asked by a reporter about the prospect for US-Russian relations, which have plummeted to Cold War-levels in recent months.
Berlusconi responded by saying that the relative youth of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 43, and Obama, 47, should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.
Then, smiling and speaking in Italian, he said through a translator: "I told the president that (Obama) has everything needed in order to reach deals with him: he's young, handsome and even tanned."
Italian news agencies said Berlusconi later defended the remark, calling it "a great compliment".
On Friday Italian newspaper headlines wrote "Berlusconi blunder on Obama" and "'Good looking and tanned', Berlusconi's gaffe on the new elected USA President" while some Romans on the street said that the remarks were an offence, but that "he means them in an ironic way and instead he insults people".
Berlusconi, 72, is infamous for eyebrow-raising comments.
He once compared a German lawmaker to a Nazi camp guard, asserted after the September 11, 2001 attacks that Western civilisation was superior to Islam and claimed more recently that the new Spanish government had too many women.
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