In a country where bella figura is a national pastime, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the maestro of media manipulation. Having risen to political primacy with the aid of his Mediaset empire, he now controls 90% of the bel paese’s television channels including the state-run RAI network. Quantity, it seems, does not equal quality. Fed on a diet of semi-naked dancing girls, inane competitions and rickety reality shows built around the most ridiculous of premises, is it any wonder that Italians are becoming a nation of fame-hungry wannabes?

• Atmo Media Network
• Silvio Berlusconi
• Flavio Briatore
• Fabrizio Corona
• Lele Mora
• Simona Ventura
• Marella Giovannelli
• Rick Canelli