Cool Chicks » Spain

Alejandra Andreu – Miss International 2008

cool-chicks.com — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:19:21 +0000

Alejandra Andreu (born February 25, 1990 in Calatayud) is a beauty queen from Spain who won the 2008 Miss International title held in The Venetian Macao, Macau on November 08, 2008. She also won a special award of Miss Photogenic at this pageant. Alejandra’s victory marks the third Miss International crown for Spain. Other winners were Pilar Medina (1977) and Silvia de Esteban (1990). It is also the first “Grand Slam” beauty title for Spain since 1990. Alejandra also became one of the youngest winners in Miss International history when she was only 18 at the coronation moment.

She represented Zaragoza at Miss España 2008 where she was placed as 2nd runner-up. While the first runner-up is Claudia Moro from Madrid was one of the top 10 finalists at Miss Universe 2008 pageant in Vietnam. And the winner of Miss España 2008, Patricia Rodríguez from Tenerife will compete at Miss World 2008 in South Africa.

Other information

Birth name: Alejandra Andreu
Height: 1.73 m (5’8)
Eye color: Hazel
Hair color: Brown
Title(s): Miss España 2008, (2nd runner-up), Miss International 2008

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Penelope Cruz – Sex Symbol

cool-chicks.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:51:22 +0000

Penelope Cruz’s status as a bona fide sex symbol has been firmly in place for well over a decade now, as the actress established herself early on as the textbook definition of a sultry Spaniard. Her willingness to doff her top has certainly won her a legion of male fans across the globe, though there’s little doubt it’s her genuine abilities as an actress that’s ensured the endurance of her career.

It’s no surprise to note, then, that Penelope Cruz has been a fixture on this list for the last five years running, with her peak coming in 2006 at No. 32. It’s just as clear that, no matter what her future holds, Penelope Cruz has earned a permanent place in our hearts as one of Hollywood’s most indelible, exotic beauties.

Aside from having been romantically linked to some of the biggest actors in Hollywood, Penelope Cruz has appeared in a number of successful films, such as Blow (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), Volver (2006), and The Good Night (2007). Able to jump from Spanish to English rose with ease, Penelope is the ultimate Hollywood Latin beauty, with oodles of talent to boot.

Penelope Cruz – Spanish Actress

cool-chicks.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:41:08 +0000

Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born April 28, 1974), better known as Penélope Cruz, is a Spanish actress. She gathered critical acclaim as a young actress for films such as Jamón, Jamón, La Niña de tus ojos and Belle époque. She has also starred in several American films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Bandidas.

Cruz has been awarded two Goyas, two European Film Awards and the Coppa Volpi for her work. She is the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2006 Spanish film Volver.

Cruz was born in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family’s amusement. Initially, Cruz decided to focus on dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain’s National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. She received three years of Spanish Ballet training with Ángela Garrido. She also had jazz dance training with Raúl Caballero and studied at Cristina Rota (mother of Juan Diego Botto) school in Madrid. At 15, however, she followed another calling after beating more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition, and losing her virginity to a charming and dashing much older movie director from Jaen.

Cruz first achieved fame when she appeared in the Lucio Villalba-directed video clip La fuerza del destino for the Spanish synthpop group Mecano. She later started a relationship with Nacho Cano, a member of the group. A TV presenter for the teen-oriented program La Quinta Marcha, she also had early exposure in Série Rose, a French erotic TV serial. In one episode she played the role of a blind prostitute and in another played a young noble woman pretending to be a young nobleman in a comedy of errors. She also directed Nacho Cano’s video of “El waltz de los locos”, in 1994.

Cruz’s first major films were Jamón, jamón and Belle Époque, a film which won an Academy Award for Foreign Language Film. In 1997, she starred as Sofía Pangia, alongside Eduardo Noriega in Abre los ojos, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, while in 1999 she appeared in Pedro Almodóvar’s Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother), which won an Academy Award for Foreign Language Film. In 2000 she appeared with Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses.

For Cruz, the early 2000′s were a period of mediocre reviews and mixed commercial success. In late 2001, she appeared in the film Vanilla Sky, the Hollywood remake of Abre los ojos. Cruz co-starred with her best friend, Salma Hayek in the 2006 film, Bandidas. In 2006, Cruz received highly favourable reviews for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver. She won a Best Actress ensemble award at the Cannes Film Festival and has been nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award. She is the first Spanish Actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In May 2007, it was announced that Penelope and her sister Mónica would be designing a 25-piece collection for the Barcelona-based fashion chain, Mango. On July 7, 2007, Cruz presented at Live Earth. In late 2007, she starred in the Jaume de Laiguana-directed video for her brother’s first single, named “Cosas que contar”, along with her friend Mía Maestro and her sister Mónica. Cruz had previously shown a keen interest in fashion and is a model for L’Oreal and its “Telescopic” mascara. In July 2007, the British Advertising Standards Authority rapped L’Oréal for a television advert on its “Telescopic” mascara, featuring Penélope Cruz, for failing to state that the model was wearing false eyelashes.