A couple of weeks ago, I asked you who you think the most enchanting German women are, and you replied.

After two weeks and a few hundred votes, you not only let me know who your clear favorite is, but also gave 8 (!) women the exact same amount of votes. Which means that I now get to present you with a list of not only 10, but 12 enchanting German women and one honorable mention.

Even though the vast majority of votes were sent in from Germany, there were also votes from France, the UK, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand and the U.S. In total, the lists of nominees included the names of more than 80 women from all areas of life, not only actresses, TV hosts, musicians and sports women, but also a politician and even a former bishop.

The youngest woman in the Top 12 list is 29, all of the others are in their 30s and 40s.  (Which means that, unlike last weekend, 19-year-old German ESC winner Lena did not rule THIS vote.) Also, four of the women in the Top 12 are dating women in real life, including the lovely lady who snatched the top spot, whereas four only kiss women on TV (at least as far as I know).

So, have I teased you enough? Well then, without further ado, here they are: The Most Enchanting German Women 2010, according to your votes!

1. Anne Will
2. Claudia Hiersche
3. Miriam Meckel
4. Dunja Hayali
5. Ulrike Folkerts
6. (With the same amount of votes, in alphabetical order:)
   1. Maria Furtwängler
   2. Ina Müller
   3. Franka Potente
   4. Meike Schlüter
   5. Esther Schweins
   6. Maike von Bremen
   7. Anne Wis

Honorable Mention: Romy Schneider

It’s springtime, which means it’s also “list time” again. Last year, I wrote a blog post about how every spring, we’re being presented with tons of lists which tell us who the most beautiful or sexy people in our country or even the world are supposed to be.

It’s probably not a surprise to you that the list that I am most interested in is the annual AfterEllen Hot 100 list, which was published today. And though I in general agree with this year’s outcome, I’m still disappointed because there are no German women on the list, not even “Starla” Claudia Hiersche and Anne Wis. Which, in my opinion, is a pity, because there are some great German women who deserve their spot on the list, or, if not AE’s, at least a list similar to it.

That’s why I decided to create my own list and ask you, the readers of this blog, who should be on it:

Wer sind eurer Meinung nach die bezaubernsten deutschen Frauen?

Who do you think are the most enchanting German women?

Some of the women who could be on the list (from left to right): TV couple “Carla” Claudia Hiersche and “Stella” Anne Wis; real-life couple Anne Will and Miriam Meckel; TV host Dunja Hayali

Until midnight on May 31, 2010 (CET), you can submit a list of five women who you think deserve to be on the list. For the purpose of this poll, the term “German” also includes women who were born and grew up in Germany, even though they might now live somewhere else. For example, Heidi Klum und Steffi Graf both live in the U.S. today, but are still eligible for the list.

Please also let me know which country you are from. It’s purely for statistical reasons, as it’s going to be interesting to see whether all readers of this blog have a similar taste, or if there are differences depending on where they are from.

If you’re wondering why I’m asking ALL of my readers and not just the Germans, the answer is simple: Because, if you’re a reader of this blog, it’s more than likely that you have a thing for German women, or at least one or two of them. So, let us know who they are!

And if you’re now thinking “Help, I don’t know any other German women than certain soap actresses!”, don’t worry, I’m sure that you do know a lot of German women without being aware of it. You have heard of Claudia Schiffer before, haven’t you? But to make it a little easier for you, I’m going to post short portrayals of some of the women who are eligible for the list throughout the next two weeks.

But now, without further ado, let the voting begin!

Voting is now closed. Thank you for participating, the results will be posted shortly.

After you have voted, please feel free to share your thoughts or maybe even your list of nominees in the comments.

TV Couples

Callie and Arizona (Grey’s Anatomy)

When it comes to the romance of Callie and Arizona on “Grey’s Anatomy”, the year 2009 could not have started in a better way. In the very first episode of 2009, the TV audience got to know pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins, played by Jessica Capshaw, and only three episodes later, Arizona also introduced herself to Callie – by kissing her in the women’s room of a bar.

It took a few more episodes before they finally got together, but their relationship has evolved and deepend ever since. Arizona was by her girlfriend’s side when Callie clashed with her father, who had come to Seattle to  “pray away the gay” from his daughter, and Callie tried to support Arizona during a difficult time at the hospital, when Arizona was forced to perform surgery on a boy who she had grown fond of and who later died on the operating table. Though Callie eventually failed, her efforts were so sweet and well-intentioned that it prompted Arizona to tell Callie “I love you” for the first time.

What makes this storyline so noteworthy is not only the show’s trademark superb writing, but also the two actresses who bring the characters to life. “Callie” Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw portray their characters in a way that lets them be believable but still fun to watch, a little edgy and complicated at times but still very likeable. And the entertainment media seems to agree: TV Guide just included Sara Ramirez’ portrayal of “Callie” in their list of the “Best Performances of the Year”,  and Jessica Capshaw aka “Arizona” was named “Girlfriend of the Year” by US Weekly.

The only thing that fans have kept complaining about ever since the beginning of season 6 has been the lack of intimacy between Callie and Arizona, aside from a few kisses and embraces. In 2010, this might finally change, at least according to TV Guide, who quote Jessica Capshaw as saying that “Callie and Arizona get a little sexy soon”.

Let’s wait and see, but honestly, as long as they keep Arizona away from the “parking lot of no return” on which Erica Hahn vanished and Callie away from Mark Sloan so they can have a relationship that survives this season and maybe even the next, I would be more than pleased.

Carla and Stella (Verbotene Liebe)

No end-of-year review would be complete without a mentioning of Carla and Stella. After all, they just won an AfterEllen2009 Visibility Award in the category “Best Lesbian/Bi Moment On Scripted TV (International)” and were runner-up in the category “Best Scripted TV Series with Lesbian/Bi Characters (International)”.

Even though it was sometimes painful to follow the love story of Gräfin Carla von Lahnstein (Claudia Hiersche) and Stella Mann (Anne Wis), especially as it seemed to take forever until they finally got together, it attracted the attention of lesbians worldwide, who – thanks to the internet – shared Stella’s pain when Carla once again chose the family business over her relationship, and were overjoyed when Stella proposed to Carla and Carla said yes.

Knowing that they would at least have a happy ending even made it a little easier for “Starla” fans when the couple left the Lahnstein family estate to go on a “round-the-world” trip – that, and knowing that they would not be gone forever, but that the actresses would return for guest appearances, the first one coming up this January.

Olivia and Natalia (Guiding Light)

Another couple who attracted the attention of fans worldwide this year were Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera aka “Otalia” on the U.S. soap opera “Guiding Light”. Maybe it is a soap opera thing, but much like it was the case with Carla and Stella, it seemed to take forever until they finally admitted their feelings for each other.

Unfortunately, and unlike on the German “Verbotene Liebe”, where Carla and Stella were allowed to role in the hay almost naked when they finally got together, the couple was never shown in any intimate moments, and it was barely noticeable that they were, in fact, a couple. Still, when the show ended its 72-year-long run in September, “Otalia” at least got a happy ending.

Frustrated “Otalia” fans also had their happy ending of sorts in December, when the new web series “Venice” started, which is co-produced by “Olivia” Crystal Chappell and which also stars “Natalia” Jessica Leccia. In the very first scene of the very first episode, the two of them are shown in bed together. And no, they are not sleeping.

Poor German men, another attractive woman from TV lost for you.

Dunja Hayli © ZDF

That’s how German newspaper Berliner Kurier comments on the news that German newscaster Dunja Hayali (“heute-journal”, “Morgenmagazin”) came out this weekend. Hayali told German newspaper „Express“ from Cologne that she fell in love with Mareike, a musician, at a party. They had known each other for 5 years but only started dating about a year ago.

Hayali, whose parents are from the Iraq, told the newspaper that her girlfriend is now planning to move to Berlin, too, so that they are able to see each other more often. Both used to live in Cologne, which is closer to Mainz where the TV studios of the German Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) are situated.

Less than a year ago, German TV journalist Anne Will came out by telling German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that she and university professor Miriam Meckel are a couple.