Meetings and Greetings

Several interesting events happened this week:

My week was dominated by emails from Scotland, Texas and Chicago. A very sweet guy from Chicago offered to fly to New York to meet up with me and take me to the symphony. I don't know if this date is actually going to happen. The man from Scotland invited me to come and visit him on the way to Denmark, but I don't think that is very likely to happen either. A lovely man in Pennsylvania sent me samples of his love poetry which he writes for a card company (I think).

A very surprising email came from an Editor of an Osaka newspaper in Osaka, Japan. The gentleman was apparently used to the West, having lived 8 years here, and was eager to get an American wife or maybe he meant a westernized wife... He even called me from Japan, and suggested that I come to Japan to visit him. He would supply the ticket. It was pretty amazing to me, and I politely declined since I did not know him. He wanted to call me every Saturday, but I did not think that it was a good idea with this kind of long distance dating so I think that he finally got discouraged.

Again this week, a good number of women emailed me to thank me for my example and for being an inspiration to them to conquer bad fortunate and make a whole new life for myself, and one particularly lovely girl who also happened to live here on Manhattan sent me such an inspirational email that I gave her my telephone number and asked her to call me. We met in the East Village to talk about Brazil, she is the Anchor Woman for Mayor Bloomberg's Portuguese broadcast to Brazil about financial news. She was charming, fun and very adorable and we resolved right then and there to meet from time to time to discuss our dates and learn from each other's mistakes. That was a fun evening!

The week ended on a very lovely note. I met a charming gentleman on a date with whom I feel that I made a very good connection, and I am rather excited about the possibilities of new beginnings, but caution is the watch word. Proceed slowly and cautiously. So far, so good. Keep tuned in ....

My name in stars!

I am relying heavily on my friends, family and acquaintances, and most of all the people that read my blog to help me spot and report on the various appearances of my television commercial, print ads and radio commercial as it is hard to find time to check it all out. This week my television commercial is airing on Saturday night Feb. 3rd at 8pmEST on Dateline on NBC. Let me know what you think.

I had a wonderful report from my son who reported proudly that he had seen my ad on the Comedy channel, and heard from a previous date in Philadelphia with whom I had three lovely dates last year I received an email telling me that he had seen a front article in the Wall Street Journal, by Sara Silver, where my user name Danishbeauty22 was prominently displayed. The article was particularly interesting in that its headline was surprising to me and probably also to many others:

HOW MATCH.COM FOUND LOVE AMONG BOOMERS
Dating Site Prospers Targeting Older Singles: The Body Art Question.

According to this article, Match.com is the worlds' second-to-largest dating site with 4.3 million members all over the world and it has particularly become popular among the older singles, divorced and widowed.
A good reason to choose this internet dating vehicle!!

I have now also seen the commercial myself and I was very amused to see myself portrayed quite differently than I thought: "I walk out into the spotlight and start singing a couple of bars, giving the impression that I am some sort of entertainer (which I am certainly not). I sing a couple of scales and then I walk out again in my glamorous beautiful champagne colored satin evening gown. On the way out I trip in the hem of the gown and mumble a couple of (inaudible) words and hobble out in my evening shoes.

The effect is one of a glamorous lady (of a certain age) who somehow comically does not quite make it to perfection, and it is quite humorous to me as I never thought that Peggy, the miracle photographer would use that part of the many, many attempts to get it right. I guess the idea is that the people that are portrayed on the commercial are as imperfect as the next person and that the people that put their profile on match.com are also not perfect. (but fun to be with!)

I was very flattered by an interview by Mark Brooks, Online Personals Watch, with MATCH.COM CEO, Jim Safka. You can find it under Match.com, Site Search & Archives:

In a long interview, he outlines the brilliant future for Match.com as one of the World's largest internet dating sites. He gave the interview on December 27, shortly before the match.com campaign was launched.

Mr. Safka says: "In terms of a favorite, my favorite just might be the woman with user name Danishbeauty22, and she is a widow who is on Match.com today.She's 71 years old and has to be one of the better looking 71-year old on the planet. She's is very full of life with many diverse interests. In the TV ad of her singing, she trips up a little bit and you will see that we're not just trying to capture people's perfections, but we're capturing their imperfections. The part where she messes up a bit makes the whole spot just adorable. and captures the human element that is representative of the whole campaign."

I must also report about the many lovely emails that I have received from women who somehow see me as inspiration for their struggle to succeed and who salute me as their hero and the idol and who gives much consolation in difficult times. I have corresponded with a considerable number of them and feel humbled and awed by their feelings. It is difficult for myself to see myself in this new role, but it certainly also made me very happy.

I have a new, exciting date planned for the week before Valentine's Day. I think that the idea is to be comfortable with having a nice date and spend a lovely evening eating a nice dinner with a gentleman in a romantic, intimate restaurant in New York City and not have too great expectations. Otherwise, it is easy to be disappointed.

Till next week ..... good luck and profound thanks for the lovely compliments and inspirational words I have received.

Winks and e-Roses!

The weeks after New Years and after the campaign kicked in have been remarkable in that the winks and emails I have gotten have been from very far away. I got one from Hawaii, one from Scotland, one really far out one from the outback of New Zealand.

I also got a marriage proposal from a very nice gentlemen from Japan, the editor of a large newspaper who would be interested in getting an American wife. He was eager to send me the ticket (at least that is what he said and sounded very sincere) He had lived 4 years in Washington and 4 years in New York so he felt very westernized.

Besides, I have received an enormous response from very nice, but very young guys, around 30-40 and even a few women who just want to send me compliments for doing what I am doing and "You go, Girl" kind of encouragement. A few were very depressed and were looking for maybe some advice on how to get out of their depression, and a very nice Indian guy who had a gorgeous profile, very young, 30 wanted advice as to what he was doing wrong with his profile since he wasn't getting any response!! All were answered in timely and wise fashion (as if I am some kind of expert on match.com!!)

Now I have met a very nice and suitable gentleman whom I have received a stream of sweet email cards from with roses, very romantic, and we have agreed to meet in New York City on Monday. He has called twice a day and I love the attention, especially the soothing calls at night.

So far so good, I am hopeful that something great will happen this year.

Bye for now, until next time.........

Here is my first blog for the New Year...

My observations since the campaign has kicked off just are that I have definitely felt an effect. My new and revised profile on match.com has resulted in more response as far as emails and "winks" are concerned.

Some of the observations are that there is no photo attached, and that to me is a definite "red flag". I don't know why anyone would bother to put themselves on match.com without a photo, but it could be for various reasons and I personally do not respond to anybody who does not have his photo on line as I feel that they could possibly not be available.

Otherwise I would say that I have received close to 3-4 emails or "winks" per day. Curiously enough, half of them are from men either very far away or very young, too young to be in my dating range. I suppose I should take it as a compliment, but long distance dating is not something that is of interest to me. I have gotten mail from the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and even one very cute one from Paris who mailed me in French for a while.

I am looking for dates near New York City and a reasonable age 60-70, but slightly younger might also do.

During the holiday season I had some lovely dates with suitable men in their 60's. I carefully check their profiles before I give out my telephone number to a date, and I always expect my date to call me and to make the date and generally decide where he would like to take me. One was a lovely, attractive, cultured gentleman who is a television producer and who had lived abroad in London, Mexico and other places in Europe. He invited me down to "The Spice Market" in the Meatpacking District in Chelsea, New York City, which to me is one of the most romantic places anyone can take you to with its Southwestern Asian decor reminiscent of Bali and food by a renowned restaurateur in New York City. He was delightful company and we talked about our dreams for the future. Maybe this is not the wisest thing to do on a first date since it may raise too many expectations for the future dating. The meal was superb.

As our second date, the gentleman suggested a cozy, hidden-away French bistro-like restaurant called Danal on 10th Street near 4th avenue in the East Village. The owner had decorated the place like his own home with homey touches, embroidered pillows, paintings, antique finds, unmatched furniture, and the food again was great: I had cassoulet and my date had foie gras and Bouillabaisse. However, on the second date it was probably evident that the spell was broken and the chemistry wasn't quite there. So thus ended that, perfectly amicably. It is o.k., one cannot expect to find Mr. Right just around the corner; Patience, patience, does it!!

Another delightful date was with a gentleman who has a car. He took me up to Bear Mountains, and we had a great day enjoying Westpoint and Hotel Thayer's old-fashioned charm just before Christmas.

Afterwards, we ended up in Cold Spring enjoying a traditional candlelight tour of the charming little river town which was all decked out for the holidays. We encountered caroleers on their way to entertain every little restaurant. What a great way to start the holiday season!

Needless to say I have made the obligatory New Year's resolutions: lose weight (so that I can fit into the fabulous ball gown which I appear in the Match.com campaign and on my new revised profile). I have to start running a couple of times a week again and also take up swimming in the swimming pool.

I also expect that this experience could have a good effect on my modeling career, and I intend to send my agents the material that match provides me. Also I am going to do more about my portraits and two commissions should be coming along this year, two pet portraits, but I look forward to also do portraits of children and adults alike.

Keep your eye on this blog, and check out my portrait on match.com.

danishbeauty22 with Happy New Year wishes.

Like a Greek Goddess in L.A.

I was approached by match.com for the 2007 advertising campaign casting call, which I attended, and as many castings that I do as a model, I put it out of my head once it was done, as many castings don’t result in actual bookings. Shortly before Thanksgiving, however, the call came that I had been chosen!

After signing the contract, I boarded the plane and was whisked off in a nice limousine back and forth and put up in the historic Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, opposite the Chinese Theater. This hotel is known for having been the launching pad for Marilyn Monroe and other illustrious movie stars.

Somehow I lucked out and got assigned an amazing outfit for my shoot: one of the most glamorous ball gowns and matching shoes (after I trucked a major part of my own wardrobe out to Los Angeles for match.com’s consideration!). It was a champagne colored, strapless satin ball gown number with a matching bolero, and it was literally “poured” on me. After it was zipped up, I felt like a Greek goddess!

The print shoot took place in studios that were cavernous with at least a crew of 60 manning the multitude of cameras, huge balloon-like screens and backgrounds, microphones, huge mirrors, props and kilometers of wires twisting around the stage, making it perilous to walk there. A famous photographer, Peggy Sirota, was totally in charge of how she wanted us to perform. For the print ads, she coaxed out of me the expressions she was looking for. For the commercial, she had requested me to come up with my most outrageous story, crocodile watching on the Amazon River some years ago. I was also induced into singing scales, practicing as an opera singer would. A single spotlight was completely focused on me while the crew was shouting back and forth “0ne-two-three! Action!”. Over and over, I had to do the performance again and again until it came out right. And finally the producer/director came out with “it is a wrap.” In the background was a whole team of match.com people and executives watching intently on the monitors that the result came out to their satisfaction. However, at the end they were sublimely satisfied (at least they said so).

All Friday and Saturday were time off, so I used the time wisely to visit the beautiful and impressive J.Paul Getty Museum near Malibu Beach and also to visit a young family, clients of mine to whom I delivered one of my portraits of their little son.

It was a delightful and exciting experience which made me feel like a movie star for a short while. Possibly articles and many unexpected things can come out of this adventure, and I look forward to new adventures to develop down the road from this experience.

So far, I have already received at least 3-4 emails per day since the campaign started. I am going out on a lovely date tomorrow, which could turn out to be something very special.