[LMBTO] It's Eurovision Top 250 time again - how did I vote this year?

As you all know, I love putting my point across and voted in the Eurovision Top 250 2013 and Eurovision Top 250 2014 charts, the former based on my favourite vocalists, the later on the entries that made me go 'wow' with their staging and choreography.  My 'douze points' in 2013 and 2014?

I know, I know, totally self-indulgent, using material from my other blog (Eurovision Beauty) but as you can see, a lot of the best that Eurovision can offer has been sung by very, VERY attractive women and it does allow me to write another post here on my third Eurovision Top 250 vote that isn't a straight rehash of the other two.  It does also mean that Alexander won't be one of my choices this year!  There is one lady who has appeared in one of my previous efforts - can you guess who that might be?  Put it this way, I am nothing if not predictable...

So here we go, these are my choices for this year's Top 250, based on them being amongst the most attractive women ever to have sung at Eurovision - remember it is all subjective and these are MY choices!

The figure hugging catsuit might have had something to do with this selection and doesn't Paula fill it out nicely?  What is a bonus is that she has such an amazing voice, shown off here during the 'operatic' solo before the flames appear from the piano!  Great chemistry between her and Ovi, together with a superbly catchy pop song, all combined to give Romania their joint highest finish at the Contest...


2 Points: Elena Ionescu (Mandinga) - "Zaleilah" (Romania 2012)


Yet another Romanian brunette out front stage, gorgeous eyes, lovely smile, wonderful legs!  Another great vocal too, especially as Elena was suffering a lot of technical problems with her in-ear monitors, eventually having to remove them and rely on her own ability to sing before a huge loud arena audience.  The song portrays a fun party atmosphere with a beautiful woman as the centre of attention - totally up Elena's street!  Finishing 7th in "Loreen's year" was not a bad result by any means...


3 Points: Maja Keuc - No One (Slovenia 2011)


No matter how much I loved "Here For You" this year, this is my favourite ever Slovenian entry in Eurovision.  Maja gives probably the most Aguilera-esque vocal ever heard in the Contest and her strong, sexy stagecraft definitely caught my eye in Düsseldorf - as did the futuristic minidress and thigh-length FMBs!  Definitely bears watching again purely for the end vocal dramatics and the whoop of delight...


4 Points: Margaret Berger - "I Feed You My Love" (Norway 2013)


A big dose of electro pop, kicked off by those industrial pulses, fits in perfectly with Margaret and THAT dress!  Portraying her as a stereotypical beautiful blonde Norwegian but adding in an outfit that was just 'sprayed' onto her, Ms.Berger made a big impact on the 2013 Contest, her delicate vocals giving some counterpoint to the hard music and manic drummer!  I still have no idea how she managed to dance around in something she would have been barely able to breathe in...


5 Points: Ani Lorak - "Shady Lady" (Ukraine 2008)


The most provocatively sexual performance at Eurovision?  Quite possibly - all the lyrics of the song were interpreted by the staging and Ani's 'camera flirting' perfectly.  It was the standout entry in Belgrade for me and that's not just because of the tasseled corset mini dress Ani was wearing!  Ukraine's usual staging excellence was to the fore that night - light boxes, dancers - such a shame that Russia 'out staged' their neighbours with a violinist and ice skater...


6 Points: Natasha St-Pier - "Je n'ai que mon âme" (France 2001)


Anyone who is a regular reader knows that I love a full-blown French power ballad and this is the best example of that style in the 21st Century.  This is a masterclass in how to perform one in the vastness of a venue such as the Parken Stadium.  Natasha is a classically beautiful woman who has such a powerful voice, showing that simple staging works if the focus is to be on the singer's vocals, especially one where her heart and soul is put into every word she sang.  Fourth position was a travesty for such a superb entry...


7 Points: Tina Karol - "Show Me Your Love" (Ukraine 2006)


Where do Ukraine find these extremely attractive ladies to sing at Eurovision?  Tina was the first lady in my Eurovision Beauty blog, partly due to having the 'funkiest' boots on an ESC stage but mainly due to her cheeky sexiness with an attitude to match.  Her ethnic costume struggled to keep her decent but the real highlight was Tina's amazing voice, holding the longest note of the night before calling back her 'entourage' with a stomp of her boot.  Such an infectious smile from Tina makes me smile too...


8 Points: Edurne - "Amanecer" (Spain 2015)


Now I will admit that this is where my fondness for attractive women overrides my love of perfect vocals!  Edurne can definitely sing 'Amanecer' superbly well in certain venues, as I pointed out in a recent post ('Were There Better Song Versions...') but being flung around like a rag doll in Vienna did her vocals no favours at all and the choreography was all so wrong.  As this top ten is based on the most beautiful women to have sung at Eurovision however, Miss Almagro gets one of my top marks - visually stunning on camera, irrespective of what she is wearing or how she sounds...


10 Points: Zlata Ognevich - "Gravity" (Ukraine 2013)


I still think the giant was a 'big' distraction (sorry about the pun) and Zlata should have just started on the podium at the start of the song.  That aside, the rest of the entry was perfection which matches the singer.  This woman has everything - intelligence, stunningly beautiful smile, a wonderful figure and most importantly for Eurovision, one of the purest voices I have ever heard on a Eurovision stage.  Almost angelic - third was a great result in such a competitive year...


And now onto my top mark - come on, was there any doubt as to who would be my 'Number One" this year?

12 Points: Helena Paparizou - "My Number One" (Greece 2005)


At the time this was the pinnacle of staging at the Contest and Helena epitomised the 'everyman' view of the "perfect Greek woman".  "Aphrodite made flesh"?  I think so!  As for the entry itself, her vocals, the song itself, her outfit and attitude, together with the full-on 'everything but the kitchen sink' cultural choreography, ensured that there would only be one winner in Kiev that year.  Put all that together with the fact that Helena is my favourite ESC artist and you can see why Greece 2005 gets my douze points...


And so, my friends, this is how I voted in this year's Top 250 poll: