Blog Archives
Separated at birth? The stars of Malmö and their lookalikes
I’m sure you all saw this coming. With a new year and a fresh batch of artists on the Eurovision grill, it was only a matter of time before someone felt compelled to reunite them with the twins they never knew they had – a.k.a. cobble together a list of people who vaguely resemble some of the latest participants.
This year (like most years) that someone is me. So if you liked all 10, 345 of my previous doppelganger posts, then perhaps you’ll be entertained by this here episode. I’ve tracked down the doubles of eleven Malmö-ites for your convenience/judgment. Please let me know below if I’ve missed any from the class of 2013!
Albania’s Bledar Sejko looks like British actor Gary Oldman (as Dracula)
And I bet you thought Cezar was the only Dracula on display in this year’s competition. Nope. Albania sent one too, albeit a less obvious, less glamorous one without a penchant for crystal-encrusted gowns with plunging v-necklines. Bledar’s a more conservative type, favouring the same flowing brunette locks and trendy eyewear Sir Oldman worked when he played the vampire to end all vampires back in 1992.
Armenia’s Gor Sujyan looks like Kevin from the Backstreet Boys
I can see it now – a telemovie starring Gor and Kevin as twins adopted out to different families, with one growing up to be a rock star (of sorts) and the other joining a boy band that becomes a phenomenon. Years later, they’re reunited…and immediately start ripping into each other about their respective musical tastes. Wouldn’t that be heartwarming? Though I must say, this backstreet boy has a way to go if he wants to attain Gor’s level of eyebrow thickness.
Azerbaijan’s Farid Mammadov looks like Friends star Matt Leblanc
I’m willing to bet my entire DIY flag collection that these guys go to the same dentist to get their teeth whitened, if nothing else. If I happen to lose that collection, I’ll still believe that Farid has more than a hint of Matt-in-the-Joey-Tribbiani-days about him. Just look at the hair, and the untamed brows, and the shape of the noses, and you’ll see it. I hope.
Belgium’s Roberto Bellarosa looks like British actor Luke Pasqualino
I don’t want to be mean and say that the above looks like a before-and-after plastic surgery comparison, but it kind of does. Roberto is adorable in his own right, so let’s just call Luke his older, more refined sibling. And then let’s celebrate, because we’ve finally found not one, but two people who look reasonable with a Justin Bieber ’09 sweep haircut.
Croatia’s Marko Škugor looks like R & B singer Mike Posner
I’d argue that Marko is the better singer, even though he doesn’t do it for a living. But apart from that, give or take an earring or two and some differing dress sense, you’re left with two men whose names start with M and who enjoy carefully crafted buzz cuts for that ‘bald, but not really bald’ look.
Denmark’s Emmelie de Forest looks like Australian actress Jacinda Barrett
Neither of them are fond of hairbrushes, we know that much. It’s a fair prediction to make that in ten to fifteen years’ time, this is what Emmelie will look like, although it’s too hard to say whether she’ll have found some shoes by then.
Estonia’s Birgit Õigemeel looks like Australian actress Kate Bell
Kate Bell in turn looks a bit like Lena, but I might save that for another post. Though I really have nothing to say about these two. Except for this: if you stand about ten metres away from your screen and cross your eyes, the resemblance is uncanny.
France’s Amandine Bourgeois looks like American muso Courtney Love
Amandine, if you’re reading this (because it’s so likely) bonjour. And I’m sorry. But I am not the first person to wonder if you and Ms Love could be one and the same. I’m sure you’re not as cavalier with illicit substances, but you’ve got to admit, your heavy use of eyeliner and blonde bed-headedness has a lot of us drawing comparisons.
Greece’s Agathonas Iakovidis looks like the Dolmio pasta sauce puppet
For anyone who’s easily offended, no, I am not implying Agathonas looks like a Muppet/puppet. I think he’s the coolest moustache-stroker around, actually. All I’m saying is that I suspect he’s been selling pasta sauce around the world for the last couple of decades. No biggie. It is a bit cheeky of him to go around demanding free alcohol when I doubt he’s had to pay for a single meal of spaghetti since 1983.
Iceland’s Eythor Ingi looks like Australian Idol winner Wes Carr
It would be all too easy to go for Thor or Jesus or that guy who delivered a pizza to my house once, so I’m pairing Eythor with a less obvious alternative. You could say that he and Wes are just two blonde dudes who happen to grow their facial hair in the same way, and you’d be right. What more does it take for people to look like each other? In fact, if I had some face fuzz (not likely, but bear with me) I reckon I could pass for Eythor’s long-lost womb-mate too.
Romania’s Cezar Ouatu looks like American actor Patrick Dempsey
Grey’s Anatomy would be a lot more entertaining if Dr. McDreamy sang diagnoses to his patients in an ear-piercingly high falsetto. Unfortunately, it’s only appearances that he and Cezar have in common. These two are literally a cheek mole away from being identical.
Sweden’s Robin Stjernberg looks like Glee star Chris Colfer
Firstly, may I make a comment about the glorious hair that you are currently admiring on both of the above parties? Thanks. WHAT HAIR! Señor Stjernberg is more impressive in that department, but Chris holds his own. I don’t believe that two people with such volume up top could have been born to different parents.
What do you think? Have all the Malmö twins been reunited, or is there more detective work to be done?
NEXT TIME: Part 1 of the 2013 EBJ Awards for Eurovision Excellence is coming your way, so you better get your tuxedoes dry-cleaned and sequined hotpants re-sequined for optimum shine. The artists and songs of Year Malmö will be fighting for many a prestigious statuette…manufactured entirely out of Clipart on my laptop at 1am. You’re invited, so I hope to see you there.
Flashbaku: Naming and shaming the doppelgangers of 2012
Not that there’s anything shameful about having a lookalike. In fact, if I had one I’d be honoured. But apart from my nose bearing a slight resemblance to Roberto Bellarosa’s from the right (or wrong) angle, I’m yet to stumble upon my sister from another mister. So it’s lucky I can at least live vicariously through the doppelgangers that abound in the ESC.
Having kicked off my Flashbaku series last week (with a side-splitting recap of the 2012 contest which you simply MUST read if you missed it then…pretty please?) this particular exposé of long-lost twins is naturally centered on the 42 artists who competed in Azerbaijan. There are a few included here you may remember from previous posts, or just your own observations, but the rest are brand new. Give or take a few years and/or cosmetic procedures, and these resemblances are uncanny. Kind of.
Albania’s Rona Nishliu looks like animated Snow White’s Wicked Queen
I’ll admit, I didn’t notice this resemblance until the collective Twitterverse saw fit to point it out about 0.35 seconds after Rona had opened her mouth to sing (I guess I was distracted by that errant dreadlock). But there was definitely something about her unique look that screamed ‘villainous Disney bitch not only willing, but eager, to off you and eat your heart if you happen to be prettier than she is’.
Bosnia & Herzegovina’s MayaSar looks like Australian media personality Mia Freedman
Coincidentally (or maybe not?) Maya also settled on a witchy, evil queeny-type outfit for her Eurovision performance. But when the dangerously pointed shoulder pads are nowhere to be seen, I reckon she could play Mia’s sister in a heartwarming telemovie in which one of them can’t get pregnant and the other offers to be her surrogate. Just as an example.
Cyprus’ Ivi Adamou looks like American actress Liv Tyler
Here’s one you’ve seen before; but in my opinion, there are never enough occasions on which one can say how much Ivi and Liv look like they were separated at birth. Even their first names are similar. And Ivi being Steven Tyler’s secret daughter would explain where her musical genes came from.
Estonia’s Ott Lepland looks like UK singer and X Factor judge Gary Barlow
Matching suits, facial hair, intense browlines and brands of hair gel? What more proof do you need that these two share a resemblance? I bet a morning hasn’t gone by since Baku when Gary didn’t roll out of bed, go to the bathroom to brush his teeth, see his reflection in the mirror and think to himself, ‘My God, I look a little bit like Estonia’s own Ott Lepland!’.
Greece’s Eleftheria Eleftheriou looks like former ESC hostess Maria Menounos
There’s nothing better than an inter-ESC pair of lookalikes, and to top this one off, they’re both part Greek. Maria stood alongside/flirted with Sakis Rouvas as co-compere of the 2006 contest, and Eleftheria stood alongside/probably flirted with him when she participated in Greece’s X Factor a few years ago. So it’s not just appearances that these two have in common.
Hostess Leyla Aliyeva looks like Spanish actress Penelope Crúz
Let’s face it, the only difference between Leyla and Pene is that, to my knowledge, Leyla has never cavorted around on a pirate ship with Johnny Depp. Unfortunately for her. They clearly go to the same hairdresser and dress for formal events with funerals in mind.
Iceland’s Jónsi looks like Frankenstein’s monster
I never thought I’d be comparing the chiseled magnificence of Jónsi to something made up of multiple people’s body parts, but that monster of Dr. Frankenstein’s has got some serious cheekbones on him. The likeness doesn’t stop there, however – check out the mouth, and that intense brow (again with intense brows!) AND the stiff tailoring of the suits. Don’t worry Jónsi. If you were in fact stitched together by a crazed GP then he sure chose some good-lookin’ bits to work with.
Moldova’s Pasha Parfeny looks like Irish actor Colin Farrell
This pairing rivals Ivi and Liv’s (Livi’s?) as the most striking of 2012. I can’t even say for certain that Pasha and Colin aren’t one and the same, especially since Colin is a big fan of the ladies and Pasha appeared on stage with the entire female population of Moldova. We haven’t heard much from the Irishman lately…could that be because he’s been busy composing and playing piano for Aliona Moon?
Russia’s Buranovskiye Babushki look like this set of matryoshka dolls
I bet you didn’t see this coming. NOT. We’ve all thought it – does the teeniest Russian granny fit inside the next size up, and so on? Did they only take up one plane seat on their flight to Baku because of this? Maybe we’ll never know. The grannies are 100% as cute as these wooden creations though, and much more huggable.
Slovakia’s Max Jason Mai looks like US talk-show host Chelsea Handler
Since MJM is a guy in his twenties and Chelsea is an almost-forty-year-old woman, this is more a case of the possibility that she’s his mother than anything else. They both have trademark blonde locks, although I’d have to say that Max’s are more impressive. Chelsea does tend to wear more clothing on a regular basis, but apart from that, they could totally be related.
Sweden’s Loreen looks like Canadian model/actress Hannah Simone
Yeah, I know it’s the hair. I think we can all agree though, that there are a heck of a lot of people who look less like Loreen than Hannah does, and that’s got to count for something.
Switzerland’s Ivan Broggini looks like American actor Eric Mabius
I could have cheated and put the frontman of Sinplus next to a photo of his brother Gabriel, but I wanted to put in a bit more effort than that for you guys (plus, they don’t even look very similar). Strip away the differing hair and eye colour – as well as a whole bunch of other stuff – and you’ll see the similarities here. I hope…
Did any of these have you seeing double? Which doppelgangers did you spot in the class of 2012?
The ESC Doppelgangers: Junior Edition!
I don’t know why, but seeing someone who looks like someone else is always fascinating. Have you ever wondered if somewhere out there, there is a person who looks at a face exactly like yours in the mirror every day (hopefully not recoiling in horror as they do so)?
I have, and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s Drew Barrymore.
Anyway (and please stop laughing!) the look-alike posts I’ve done in the past have proven quite popular, but they’ve all focused on big Eurovision – which has nearly sixty years’ worth of familiar faces to identify. Seeing as it’s JESC month, and with JESC there is not half as many faces to scour through, I figured it was time for the doppelgangers of mini Eurovision to be exposed…once and for all, mwahahahaha and all that jazz.
So without further ado, I present to you the kids who were obviously separated at birth from (or are related to, which would explain the massive age gaps) some people you may recognise.
Dani Fernandez (Spain 2006) and American actor Haley Joel Osment
Let’s face it, the only difference between them is that Haley Joel sees dead people, and Dani (as far as I know) doesn’t. It might have come in handy for him to have a sixth sense though, as he could have avoided turning up to JESC in the same outfit as the boys from Belarus and Croatia.
Lina Joy (Lithuania 2007) and German supermodel Heidi Klum
I haven’t seen much of Lina since Rotterdam, so it’s possible she actually IS Heidi Klum. It happens all the time – German models masquerading as Lithuanian child stars (in fact, I’m 99% sure Paulina Skrabytė was Claudia Schiffer).
Alexandra Golovchenko (Russia 2007) and American actress Abigail Breslin
It’s like Lindsay Lohan’s characters in The Parent Trap – separated at birth, one taken to live in Russia and the other Hollywood, Alexandra and Abigail will eventually be reunited at summer camp after a fencing match, and then scheme to get their mum and dad back together. You’ll see.
Ilona Galytska (Ukraine 2007) and Welsh singer Charlotte Church
Here is a pair of child prodigies who could be mistaken for twins if Charlotte was still a teenager, Ilona put on a convincing Welsh accent and the person making the mistake had left their glasses at home. It could happen.
Katya Ryabova (Russia 2009/2011) and American actress Rachel Bilson
They’re both brunette, they both like to wear white, and they both have an ‘R’ in their names. That’s really all the evidence you need that these two are sisters from another mister.
Jill van Vooren (Belgium 2010) and American socialite Paris Hilton
I’m sure Jill, like any other person, would be horrified to learn that she resembles Pointless Paris. Then again, she doesn’t have to achieve much in her life to prove that’s only skin deep. Just getting a job should do it.
Mariam Kakhelishvili (Georgia 2010) and Lady ‘Hello Kitty’ Gaga
Her nickname is Baby Gaga, so it’s no surprise that Mariam draws constant comparisons with the Queen of Steak Couture. The dress she wore for her Junior performance of Mari Dari was clearly inspired, right down to (or technically, right up to) the headpiece, by the real Gaga’s famous Hello Kitty-studded gown.
Bartas (Lithuania 2010) and One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson
I realise I haven’t cobbled together the most persuasive graphic to illustrate my case, but you have to admit Bartas could look less like this fifth of 1D. I mean, I’ve never actually been told I look like Drew Barrymore (sad face) but I’m not that far off. You know? Just squint at this picture and you’ll get it.
Dalita (Armenia 2011) and American actress Kristin Davis
I can see it now: in twenty years Dalita will be starring in a Sex and the City reboot which will mainly involve her striding through the streets of New York, arm-in-arm with Lerika (the Miranda), Maria Isabel (the Carrie) and Victoria Petryk (the Samantha).
How did you rate my list of JESC look-alikes? Who do you think I missed?
NEXT TIME: The penultimate Junior recap goes live, and then it’s time for the first half of my 2012 reviews. Watch out Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, and Georgia…I’m about to give you a serious once-over.
Separated at birth, yet again: more Eurovision doppelgangers exposed!
We’ve all been watching Eurovision at some stage and thought to ourselves “if there isn’t an ad break soon, I’m going to need a change of pants.” But that’s another story for another post. This post is for all those times we’ve been watching and thought “wow, that person looks so much like Insert Celebrity Name Here!” Yes, it’s time for yet another installment of contest look-alikes to be uncovered. As always, some will have you seeing double whilst others will make you wonder about my eyesight…but that’s all part of the fun, right?
Can Bonomo (Turkey 2012) and American actor Vin Diesel
It’s not uncanny (and I did borrow/steal this idea from a forgotten source) but the resemblance between these two is there. Once you crop off Vin’s bulging muscles, anyway.
Christine Guldbrandsen (Norway 2006) and British actress Victoria Shalet
Take Christine and add a box or two of #103 Less-Than-Platinum Blonde hair colour, and you get Victoria.
Hanna Pakarinen (Finland 2007) and Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi
The professions, the bangs, the tendency to slap on eye make-up like there’s no tomorrow – these ladies were so separated at birth.
Ivi Adamou (Cyprus 2012) and American actress Liv Tyler
In case Ivi’s singing career peters out, she’ll always have a fallback career in being stunt double for Liv. She doesn’t mind being lifted/thrown around, if her stage show in Baku was any indication.
Litesound’s Jacopo Massa (Belarus 2012) and French DJ David Guetta
There’s nothing as majestic as having a head of product-filled, side-swept blonde locks…as Jacopo and David well know.
Texas Lightning’s Jane Comerford (Germany 2006) and Australian newsreader Sandra Sully
Trust me. In twenty years, SS will be Jane’s twin, right down to the last eye wrinkle.
Manuel Ortega (Austria 2002) and co-host of Eurovision 2007, Finnish actor/singer Mikko Leppilampi
There’s nothing I love more than a double whammy ESC look-alike. Enter Manuel and Mikko, who remind me of those sets of brothers who look so similar, yet still contain an obviously better-looking one. CoughMikkocough.
Ott Lepland (Estonia 2012) and member of British boyband Take That, Gary Barlow
Considering Ott looks like a different (but equally attractive) person in every photo I’ve seen, it’s amazing that he could bear any resemblance to someone else. And yet, he kinda sorta almost does.
Feminnem’s Pamela Ramljak (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2005/Croatia 2010) and Marcia Brady from The Brady Bunch
I’m sure Pamela isn’t as superhumanly perfect as the eldest Brady daughter (and I doubt she has an annoying, jealous sister called Jan) but she sure looks like her.
Pasha Parfeny (Moldova 2012) and Irish actor Colin Farrell
This one wins the award for Most Obvious Lookalike of 2012. I’m pretty sure these two went to the same salon to get their facial hair shaped (and ears pierced).
Soluna Samay’s backup muso (Denmark 2012) and Melodifestivalen semi-finalist Sean Banan
I was surprised to see that Sean had wormed his way into the ESC as part of the Danish delegation, until I realised that it wasn’t actually him. If it had been, I suspect the performance would have been much less child-friendly.
Urban Symphony’s Sandra Nurmsalu (Estonia 2009) and Australian actress Emily Browning
Here are two of those people with magic hair that always looks perfect. One day I hope to join their ranks when I have a posse of stylists at my beck and call 24/7.
Got any ESC look-alikes of your own to share?
Want more?
Part 1: https://eurovisionbyjaz.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/exposed-the-eurovision-doppelgangers/
Part 2: https://eurovisionbyjaz.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/the-eurovision-doppelgangers-exposed-part-deux/
The Düsseldorf Doppelgangers: https://eurovisionbyjaz.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/dusseldorf-in-rewind-the-dusseldorf-doppelgangers/
NEXT TIME: I’m bringing Time-Warp Tuesday back (unlike Justin Timberlake, who we can assume is still bringing sexy back) before the countdown of all countdowns kicks off. That is, the countdown of my top 50 Eurovision songs of all time!!!
The Eurovision doppelgangers exposed: Part Deux!!!
75 Cents (Croatia 2008, RIP) looks like Hugh Hefner
Eric Papilaya (Austria 2007) looks like r & b singer Jay Sean
Ich Troje lead singer Michal Wisniewski (Poland 2003/2006) looks like this troll doll
Mika Newton (Ukraine 2011) looks like Aisha (Latvia 2010)
Natalia Podolskaya (Russia 2005) looks like Kejsi Tola (Albania 2009)
Verka Seduchka (Ukraine 2007) looks like The Wizard of Oz's Tin Man...and this Christmas tree
Nikki (Azerbaijan 2011) looks like DJ Havana Brown
