Posts Tagged ‘Romania’

On March 29, Wiwi Bloggs began his annual search for Eurovision’s Next Top Model with 26 beautiful contestants from across Europe. Slovakia’s Kristina Pelakova brought youth and vitality. Moldova’s Olia Tira brought an edgy look and Lady Gaga-like costumes. And Armenia’s Eva Rivas brought long legs and an uncanny resemblance to actress Angelina Jolie. But in the end one woman rose above them all. Following two months and nearly 8,000 votes, Wiwi is proud to announce that Romania’s Paula Seling is Eurovision’s Next Top Model.

Final Results: 1. Romania, Paula Seling (1,359, 31.35%) 2. Azerbaijan, Safura (978, 22.56%) 3. Armenia, Eva Rivas (601, 13.86%) 4. Croatia, Feminnem, Nika Antolos (283, 6.53%) 5. Germany, Lena Meyer-Landrut (259, 5.97%) 6. Ukraine, Alyosha (186, 4.29%) 7. Georgia, Sofia Nizharadze (129, 2.98%) 8. Portugal, Filipa Azevedo (82, 1.89%) 9. Moldova, Olia Tira (81, 1.87%) 10. Sweden, Anna Bergendahl (78, 1.8%) 11. Slovenia, Barbara Ogrinc (77, 1.78%) 12. Albania, Juliana Pasha (75, 1.73%) 13. Slovakia, Kristina (74, 1.71%) 14. Latvia, Aisha (73, 1.68%)

Paula won over European voters with her porcelain skin, Hollywood smile and attractive curves. She’s clearly a natural beauty, but she also knows how to work a variety of looks. As you can see in her official preview video of “Playing With Fire,” Paula feels as comfortable in a frock as she does in a leather bodysuit.

Paula has the looks of an international superstar, but she also has the talent. The 31-year old is already one of Romania’s biggest pop stars, having released 13 albums, and she’s opened for the likes of Joan Baez, Chick Corea, Michael Bolton and Beyonce. Romanians love this woman. Avantaje magazine named her Woman of the Year in 2002 and she won “Best Music Video” at the 2002 Romanian MTV Music Awards for “Serile Verii” (Summer Nights).

Wiwi was lucky enough to see Paula perform at London’s Shadow Lounge ahead of Eurovision. She was so kind to all of her fans and clearly loved performing in front of a crowd. But Wiwi gathered as much from this video of “Get Up Now” in which she takes a shower for her fans!

Unlike a number of her competitors, Paula doesn’t have an ego problem and she doesn’t take her fans for granted. Following her third place finish at Eurovision, she posted this “thank you” video on www.paulaseling.com.

Paula looks particularly stunning in this video for “Timpul” (Time).

The Road to Becoming Eurovision’s Next Top Model

During the first week of voting, readers cast 310 votes. Armenia’s long-legged beauty Eva Rivas jumped into the lead with 35% of all votes. Azerbaijan’s Safura followed closely behind with 18%. And Germany’s Lena Meyer-Landrut made a case for herself with 8%. At this stage of the contest, Paula sat in fifth position with just 5% of the vote and Wiwi was worried the Romanian beauty might not make it to the top. But she wouldn’t be sent home this week because seven women received no votes or just one vote, equivalent to 0%. Wiwi decided to send home Finland’s Susan Aho and Johanna Virtanen, and Belarus’ Yulia Shishko and Alyona Karpovich.

Eliminated: Both halves of Finland’s folk duo Kuunkuiskaajat

Things took a dramatic turn during the second week of competition. The vote tally climbed to more than 2,200 as voters across the Republic of Georgia logged on to support their candidate Sofia Nizharadze. She jumped from ninth place with just 3% of all votes to first place with 59%. Armenia’s Eva Rivas, who had just planted apricot trees in Cyprus as a goodwill gesture, remained in contention with 14%. Paula fell to seventh place following the surge from Sofia and from Latvia’s Aisha (who went on to finish last in the first Eurovision semi-final).

Once again, Wiwi had to send four women home: Iceland’s Hera Bjork, Ireland’s Niamh Kavanagh, Malta’s Thea Garrett and Belarus’ Ninel Karpovich. None of them received more than 8 votes, and Wiwi could not justify sparing any of them. In fact, Wiwi actually took a sick pleasure in sending Ninel home: she was the last female member of 3 + 2 and Wiwi really didn’t care for their song.

The final Belarusian bites the dust

Only 18 women remained in the Top Model House during the third week of competition. At this point, more than 3,300 votes had been cast. Georgia’s Sofia continued to push ahead, eating up an impressive 66% of all votes. Wiwi had to say goodbye to Chanée, Denmark’s most famous singer of Thai descent, Sieneke, the plus-size representative from the Netherlands, and Neda Parmac and Pamela Ramljak, two-thirds of the Croatian trio Feminnem.

Croatia’s Feminnem

By the end of the semi-finals, more than 3,500 votes had been cast and it looked like Georgia was going to walk away with its first victory in Eurovision’s Next Top Model. Unfortunately for them, all votes were reset. This was only fair given that people had voted for contestants who had been eliminated. Now everyone had a chance to vote again. To help them make their decision, voters could now review interviews with each contestant, check out online portfolios and watch them on stage at Eurovision.

This shook things up dramatically. A total of 4,344 votes were cast in the final and all of Europe’s love took a sharp turn toward Romania. Georgia’s Sofia fell from first place to seventh; Romania’s Paula jumped from seventh place to first. Paula’s spectacular performances during the second semi-final and the final clearly earned her a lot of votes. Wearing a black leather cat suit probably didn’t hurt either.

Paula had a fantastic career before Eurovision, and Wiwi knows she is going to have an even better one now that it’s over. The voters and sponsors of Eurovision’s Next Top Model are all  behind you Paula. Now go out there and make Wiwi proud!

Eurovision’s Next Top Model: Vote Now in the Final! Eurovision’s Next Top Model: Vote Now in the Semi-finals! Elimination #1 Elimination #2 Elimination #3 Semi-final Results

Eurovision may be over, but the race to become an international superstar is only just beginning. Now that the women of Eurovision have put down their microphones and are catching up on some much-needed rest, it’s up to the rest of us to give them a bit of encouragement by judging them on their physical appearance!

Since March, Wiwi’s readers have cast more than 7,000 votes (3,500 in the semi-finals, and 3,500 in the finals) to determine who deserves the prestigious and life-affirming title of Eurovision’s Next Top Model 2010. Following strong performances during Eurovision, three woman have emerged as the favorites. Azerbaijan’s Safura currently claims  26.5% of all votes, followed by Romania’s Paula Seling with 22%, and Armenia’s Eva Rivas with 15.5%.

Below you can see the complete standings as of June 3, and footage of the women in action during Eurovision 2010. I understand that their beauty and generous cleavage may distract you (along with the fire and pyrotechnics), but please pay attention to to their overall appearance and sense of movement. Do they “give face” while singing? Have they been attending all of their teeth whitening sessions? Do they own their clothes, or do their clothes own them? Beyond pure aesthetics, Eurovision’s Next Top Model must be able to convey personality on the runway. It’s also important that she can convey sweet and light off of it, too. To help you assess each woman’s attitude and charm, please watch these interviews before casting your vote. And don’t forget to review each contestant’s portfolio by clicking here. Wiwi will close the poll on Friday, June 11 at 11:59pm. You can cast your vote at the end of this post.

1. Azerbaijan, Safura (939, 26.5%)

2. Romania, Paula Seling (771, 21.76%)

3. Armenia, Eva Rivas (548, 15.46%)

4. Croatia, Feminnem, Nika Antolos (274, 7.73%)

5. Germany, Lena Meyer-Landrut (231, 6.52%)

6. Ukraine, Alyosha (164, 4.63%)

7. Georgia, Sofia Nizharadze (111, 3.13%)

8. Portugal, Filipa Azevedo (79, 2.23%)

9. Sweden, Anna Bergendahl (73, 2.06%)

10. Moldova, Olia Tira (72, 2.03%)

11. Albania, Juliana Pasha (71, 2%)

12. Latvia, Aisha (71, 2%)

13. Slovenia, The woman in Ansambel Roka Žlindre (71, 2%)

14. Slovakia, Kristina (69, 1.95%)

UPDATE: Romania’s Paula Seling is Eurovision’s Next Top Model!

Spain’s Daniel Diges

With Eurovision kicking off on May 25, voters have a lot of decisions to make. By far the most important is determining who will win Eurovision’s Next Top Male Model. As of Monday, May 24 at 10am, Wiwi’s readers had cast 3,775 votes. Below, you can see how your favorite contestant fared and also check out interviews with each piece of meat performer. We don’t want our representative to be a jerk, so please listen to them carefully. You can review each candidate’s portfolio by clicking here. You can also place your vote at the end of this post. Polls close June 4 at midnight!

1. Turkey, Ferman Akgül 1,527 40.45%

2. Israel, Harel Skaat (946, 25.06%)

3. Poland, Marcin Mrozinski (403, 10.68%)

4. Bosnia, Vukasin Brajic (240, 6.36%)

5. Spain, Daniel Diges (201, 5.32%)

6. Norway, Didrik Solli-Tangen (191, 5.06%)

7. Romania, Ovi (59, 1.56%)

7. Serbia, Milan Stankovic (59, 1.56%)

9. Bulgaria, Miro (44. 1.17%)

10. Belgium, Tom Dice (27, 0.72%)

11. Cyprus, Jon Lilygreen (21, 0.56%)

11. Russia, Peter Nalitch (21, 0.56%)

13. Greece, Giorgos Alkaios (20, 0.53%)

14. United Kingdom, Josh Dubovie (16, 0.42%)

If Romania’s Eurovision entry has it right, then the more a woman loves a man, the more she wants to kill him. And the more she wants to kill him, the more she wants to prance around in leather. In “Playing With Fire,” Paula Seling and Ovi embody that conflict. They portray lovers balancing fiery passion with a desire to harm one another. The result is a musical fondue. Everything is smothered in cheese, and it’s absolutely delicious.

In real life Paula is one of Romania’s most successful artists: she’s released 12 albums and opened for Beyoncé, Michael Bolton, and Ricky Martin. As for Ovi, he’s Romania’s most famous singer of Norwegian descent. The two live the high life in Bucharest, and that lifestyle sets the tone for their official preview video. She sashays onto camera sporting high fashion and plays with an Eastern European iPad. Apparently the trappings of wealth—fish tanks, a flat-screen TV—don’t foster love on their own, and the couple starts fighting immediately:

Girl, girl, girl can’t you see, what you do to me, tonight? Boy, boy, boy, if you’re mean, I will start a fight tonight.

Critics warn that the forced rhyme of the chorus—fire, desire, higher—will make your ears bleed. But the playfulness of those lyrics actually account for much of the song’s appeal.

You and me, can’t you see, we’re playing with fire. Tell me now, do you feel this burning desire? Don’t stop, make it rock, it’s taking us higher. Could it be just a dream? Are you running away?

When playing with fire it’s best to wear breathable fabrics, but Paula seems to have missed the memo. During the chorus she’s clad in a leather body suit. Electricity visibly surges through her body, suggesting that all the fighting sends shock waves to her libido. And then there’s that other tool essential for make-up sex: the double ended piano.

Boy, boy, boy what a fight! Come and spend with me the night. Girl, girl, girl are you sure? I ain’t here to fight, alright? You and I could try to stop, uh boy till you drop. If we get together now we’ll burn this place down.

Eurovision’s contestants have produced some pretty memorable videos this year, like Greece’s homoerotic romp on the beach and Azerbaijan’s near-death experience in a swimming pool. With its potpourri of pop culture references—Avatar, The Matrix, and Battlestar Galactica— Romania’s may have the broadest appeal.

Musically, I’d expect more harmony in a duet. And although Paula’s opera scales soar, there’s a risk that during a live performance she’ll sound like a dying hyena, or Mariah Carey on helium.

Prediction:

Romania competes in the more competitive second semi-final. Thus far bookies have given Romania the cold shoulder. They currently have the act down as ninth in their heat, which would qualify Romania for the final, but only just. My hunch is that they’ll finish much higher than this. Eurovision fans love a good duet—and Paula and Ovi are one of only two in the competition. They’re also the only group bringing piano pop to Oslo—a welcome addition during a year of boring ballads.

Eurovision insiders believe that “Playing With Fire” could challenge during the final. It tows the line between Eurovision camp fabulousness (a favorite of televoters) and mainstream pop (a consideration of the professional jury).

They may also benefit from direct comparison to Denmark, the other nation sending a duet. Bookies have listed the Danes as the act fourth most likely to win Eurovision, but the Danes lack originality; their entry “In A Moment Like This” smacks of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” with regards to content and sound. In a head-to-head comparison, Romania could come off looking pretty despite what the bookies say.

On May 27 I’m listening to my heart and giving Romania my televote during the first semi-final. Well, one of them anyway: you can vote 20 times. If they bring that translucent piano to Oslo, I’m confident they’ll stand out and should aim for a top 10 finish. With a little help from fate—perhaps a few missed notes and a few broken stage lights among their rivals—I can see Romania landing in the top three.