BTV is an abbreviation that can stand for:

; Television stations

Bahrain Television Station, a series of channels broadcasting in Bahrain

bTV (Bulgaria), a major national television channel in Bulgaria

*bTV Lady, a Bulgarian woman-based television channel, formerly RTV, Ring TV and RING.BG

*bTV Action, a Bulgarian man-based television channel, formerly TOP TV, CTN, TV2 and PRO.BG

*bTV Cinema, a Bulgarian television channel, showing movies and serials

*bTV Comedy, a Bulgarian television channel, formerly GTV, featuring comedy programs

BTV (Lithuania) (BTV), a television station

BTV, a television station in Mongolia

Bangladesh Television, a government owned TV channel in Bangladesh

Barcelona Televisió, the municipal broadcaster of Barcelona, Spain

Basketball TV, a Philippine all-basketball channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation

Beijing Television, a series of channels

Bergens Tidende TV, a local television station in Norway

Binghamton Television, the Student television station of Binghamton University

Bloomsbury Television, the student television channel of University College London

Botswana Television, the government-owned television channel in Botswana, founded in July 2000

Brown Television, the Student television station at Brown University

BTV, the former callsign of TV station VTV in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Bayless Television, the official television network for the Bayless Senior High School

; Other uses

Bluetongue Virus, the virus that causes the Bluetongue disease

Brake to Vacate, an aircraft landing device introduced by Airbus

BTV Cup, Binh Duong Television Cup, an international friendly football cup held in Vietnam

Burlington International Airport in Burlington, Vermont, IATA code

Category:Initialisms

de:BTV fr:BTV ko:BTV it:BTV nl:BTV ja:BTV pl:BTV sv:BTV

Birthname	Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn
Office	Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Deputy	John Lipsky
Term start	1 November 2007
Term end	18 May 2011
Predecessor	Rodrigo Rato
Successor	Christine Lagarde
Office2	Minister of Finance of France
Primeminister2	Lionel Jospin
Term start2	4 June 1997
Term end2	2 November 1999
Predecessor2	Jean Arthuis
Successor2	Christian Sautter
Birth date	April 25, 1949
Birth place	Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Nationality	French
Party	Socialist Party (1970s–present)
Spouse	Brigitte Guillemette(m. 1984–1989, divorced)Anne Sinclair(m. 1991–present)
Alma mater	HEC ParisInstitut d'Études Politiques de ParisParis West University Nanterre La Défense }}

Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party (PS). Strauss-Kahn became the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 28 September 2007, with the backing of his country's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and served in that role until his resignation on 18 May 2011 following a sex scandal.

He was a professor of economics at the Paris Institute for Political Studies ("Sciences Po") and was Minister of Economy and Finance from 1997 to 1999 as part of Lionel Jospin's "Plural Left" government. He sought the nomination in the primaries to the Socialist presidential candidacy for the 2007 election, but he was defeated by Ségolène Royal in November 2006.

Early life

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was born in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is the son of lawyer Gilbert Strauss-Kahn. Strauss-Kahn's father was born to an Alsatian Jewish father and a Catholic mother from Lorraine; Strauss-Kahn's mother is from a Sephardic Jewish family in Tunisia.

The family settled in Agadir, Morocco, in 1951, but after the 1960 earthquake moved to Monaco, where his father had a legal practice. While the family was living in Monaco, Strauss-Kahn went to school at the Lycee Albert 1er. The family later returned to Paris, where he attended high school at the Lycée Carnot. He graduated from HEC Paris in 1971 and from Sciences-Po and ISUP in 1972. He sat and failed the entrance examination for École nationale d'administration, but obtained a degree in public law, as well as a PhD and an ''agrégation'' (1977) in economics at the Université Paris X (Nanterre).

Career outside politics

From 1977 to 1981, Strauss-Kahn lectured at the University of Nancy-II, first as an assistant, and later as assistant professor, before taking a position at the University of Nanterre. In 1982, he was appointed to the Plan Commission as head of the finance department, and later as Deputy Commissioner, a position he held until his election to the National Assembly in 1986. After his ousting in the 1993 parliamentary elections, Strauss-Kahn founded DSK Consultants, a corporate law consulting firm. Upon resigning from the Jospin government, he resumed his academic duties, teaching economics at Sciences Po from 2000 until his appointment to the IMF in 2007.

Political career

Strauss-Kahn was first an activist member of the Union of Communist Students, before joining in the 1970s the ''Centre d'études, de recherches et d'éducation socialiste'' (Center on Socialist Education Studies and Research, CERES) led by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, future presidential candidate for the 2002 election. There, he befriended the future Prime Minister of France Lionel Jospin (PS).

After the election of President François Mitterrand (PS) in 1981, he decided to stay out of government. He got involved in the Socialist Party (PS), which was led by Lionel Jospin, and founded ''Socialisme et judaïsme'' ("''Socialism and Judaism''"). The next year, he was appointed to the ''Commissariat au plan'' (Planning Commission) as ''commissaire-adjoint''.

In 1986 he was elected deputy for the first time in the Haute-Savoie department, and in 1988 in the Val-d'Oise department. He became chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Finances, famously exchanging heated words with the Finance Minister Pierre Bérégovoy (PS).

Minister for Industry (1991–93)

In 1991, he was nominated by Mitterrand to be Junior Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade in Édith Cresson's social-democrat government. He kept his position in Pierre Bérégovoy's government until the 1993 general elections.

After the electoral defeat of 1993, Strauss-Kahn was appointed by former Prime Minister Michel Rocard chairman of the ''groupe des experts du PS'' ("Group of Experts of the Socialist Party"), created by Claude Allègre. The same year, he founded the law firm "DSK Consultants" and worked as a business lawyer.

In 1994, Raymond Lévy, who was director of Renault, invited him to join the ''Cercle de l’Industrie'', a French industry lobby in Brussels, where he met the billionaire businessman Vincent Bolloré and top manager Louis Schweitzer; Strauss-Kahn served as secretary-general and later as vice-president. This lobbyist activity earned him criticism from the alter-globalization left.

In June 1995, he was elected mayor of Sarcelles and married Anne Sinclair, a famous television journalist working for the private channel TF1 and in charge of a political show, ''Sept sur Sept''. She ceased presenting this show after Strauss-Kahn's nomination as Minister of Economics and Finance in 1997 to avoid conflict of interest, while Strauss-Kahn himself would cede his place as mayor to François Pupponi in order to avoid double responsibilities.

Minister for Economics, Finances and Industry (1997–99)

In 1997, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (PS) appointed Strauss-Kahn as Minister for Economics, Finance and Industry, making him one of the most influential ministers in his ''Plural Left'' government.

Although it was in theory contrary to the Socialist Party's electoral program, he implemented a wide privatization program, which included among others the IPO of France Télécom; he also implemented some deregulation policies in the research and development sector. The French economy achieved an excellent performance during his term of office: the GDP increased, whereas unemployment and public debt decreased (creation of 300,000 jobs in 1998, a level not seen since 1969). This helped to strengthen his popularity and managed to win the support of former supporters of Lionel Jospin and Michel Rocard, making him the leader of the reform-oriented group ''Socialisme et démocratie''. Strauss-Kahn has been originally a proponent of the working time reduction to 35 hours, a measure implemented by Martine Aubry, Minister for Social Policies.

In 1998 he became one of the leaders of the Socialist Party for the regional elections in the Ile-de-France region (Paris and suburbs), which were won by the PS. But as Strauss-Kahn refused to exchange his ministry for the executive leadership of the Ile-de-France, Jean-Paul Huchon became the president of the regional council.

In 1999, he was accused of corruption in two financial scandals related to Elf Aquitaine and the MNEF, a student mutual health insurance, and decided to resign from his ministerial office to fight these charges, in agreement with the "Balladur jurisprudence". He was replaced by Christian Sautter. He was acquitted in November 2001, and was reelected in a by-election in the Val-d'Oise.

As Minister of Economics and Finance, Strauss-Kahn succeeded in decreasing VAT to 5.5% for renovation works in construction, thus supporting this activity. At the same time, he decreased the budget deficit, which was more than 3% of GDP under Alain Juppé's center-right government (1995–97). He thus prepared France's entrance in the euro zone. Strauss-Kahn also repealed the Thomas Act on hedge funds and launched the ''Conseil d'orientation des retraites'' (Orientation Council on Pensions).

Strauss-Kahn succeeded in combining followers of Jospin and Rocard in the same political movement, ''Socialisme et démocratie'', but failed to make it more than an informal network.

In opposition

After Jacques Chirac's success in the 2002 presidential election and the following Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)'s majority in Parliament, Strauss-Kahn was reelected deputy on 16 June 2002, in the 8th circonscription of the Val-d'Oise. He first declined in taking part in the new leadership of the PS, then in the opposition, in the 2003 congress of the party. But he joined the party's leadership again at the end of 2004, and was given overall responsibility for drawing up the Socialist programme for the 2007 presidential election, along with Martine Aubry and Jack Lang. During the summer meeting of 2005, he announced that he would be a candidate for the primary elections of the Socialist Party for the presidential election.

At the same time, Strauss-Kahn co-founded the think tank ''À gauche en Europe'' (To the Left in Europe) along with Michel Rocard. He presided jointly with Jean-Christophe Cambadélis over the ''Socialisme et démocratie'' current in the PS.

Strauss-Kahn was one of the first French politicians to enter the blogosphere; his blog became one of the most visited, along with Juppé's, during his stay in Quebec.

Strauss-Kahn then campaigned for the "Yes" at the French European Constitution referendum, 2005. More than 54% of the French citizens refused it, damaging Strauss-Kahn's position inside the PS, while left-wing Laurent Fabius, who had campaigned for a "No" vote, was reinforced.

Strauss-Kahn sought the nomination for the Socialist candidacy in the 2007 presidential election. His challengers were former prime minister Laurent Fabius and Ségolène Royal, the president of the Poitou-Charentes region. Strauss-Kahn finished second, behind Royal. On 13 April 2007, Strauss-Kahn called for an "anti-Sarkozy front" between the two rounds of the forthcoming presidential election. Following Ségolène Royal's defeat, Strauss-Kahn criticized the PS's strategy and its chairman, François Hollande. Along with Fabius, he then resigned from the party's national directorate in June 2007. Strauss-Kahn had been widely expected to seek the Socialist nomination for President of France in 2012, and was considered an early favorite.

IMF Managing Director (2007–11)

On 10 July 2007, Strauss-Kahn became the consensus European nominee to be the head of the IMF, with the personal support of President Nicolas Sarkozy (member of the right UMP party). Former Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka withdrew his candidacy as it was opposed by the majority of European countries. Some critics alleged that Sarkozy proposed Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the IMF to deprive the Socialist Party of one of its more popular figures.

Strauss-Kahn became the front runner in the race to become Managing Director of the IMF, with the support of the 27-nation European Union, the United States, China and most of Africa. On 28 September 2007, the International Monetary Fund's 24 executive directors selected him as the new managing director. Strauss-Kahn replaced Spain's Rodrigo Rato. On 30 September 2007, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was formally named as the new head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The only other nominee was the Czech Josef Tošovský, a late candidate proposed by Russia. Strauss-Kahn said: "I am determined to pursue without delay the reforms needed for the IMF to make financial stability serve the international community, while fostering growth and employment". Under Strauss-Kahn the IMF's pursuit of financial stability has included calls for a possible replacement of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. An IMF report from January 2011 called for a stronger role for special drawing rights (SDR) in order to stabilize the global financial system. According to the report, an expanded role for SDRs could help to stabilize the international monetary system. Furthermore, for most countries (except for those using the US dollar as their currency) there would be several advantages in switching the pricing of certain assets, such as oil and gold, from dollars to SDRs. For some commentators that amounts to a call for a "new world currency that would challenge the dominance of the dollar".

In 2008, the IMF Board appointed an independent investigator following allegations that Strauss-Kahn had had an affair with a subordinate, Piroska Nagy, who was married at the time to economist Mario Blejer. Nagy alleged that Strauss-Kahn had used his position to coerce her into the affair. She was later made redundant and Strauss-Kahn assisted her in getting a new job. The IMF board issued the findings of the investigation; while noting that the affair was "regrettable and reflected a serious error of judgment on the part of the managing director", the board cleared Strauss-Kahn of harassment, favoritism or abuse of power, and indicated that he would remain in his post. Strauss-Kahn issued a public apology for the affair. ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' dubbed him "le grand séducteur" (the Great Seducer).

Strauss-Kahn made comments that could be perceived as critical of global financial actors, in an interview for a documentary about the late-2000s financial crisis, ''Inside Job'' (2010). He said he had attended a dinner organised by former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in which several CEOs of 'the biggest banks in the U.S' had admitted they (or perhaps bankers in general) were 'too greedy' and bore part of the responsibility for the crisis. They said the government "'should regulate more, because we are too greedy, we can't avoid it.'" Strauss-Kahn said he warned the officials of a number of departments of the U.S. government of an impending crisis. He also said: "At the end of the day, the poorest – as always – pay the most."

Referring to his diplomatic efforts to secure IMF aid for Europe following the 2010 sovereign debt crisis, economist Simon Johnson described Strauss-Kahn as "Metternich with a BlackBerry". In May 2011, referring to the IMF's change of heart in favour of progressive rather than neoliberal values, Joseph Stiglitz wrote that Strauss-Kahn had proved himself to be a "sagacious leader" of the institution. Following Strauss-Kahn's arrest for sexual assault in New York, economist Eswar Prasad said that should he be forced to step down, the IMF "will find it hard to find as effective and skilful an advocate for keeping the institution central to the global monetary system".

John Lipsky, the IMF’s second-in-command, was named acting Managing Director on 15 May 2011.

Strauss-Kahn resigned from the IMF on 18 May 2011, after being arrested by NY police on 15 May over allegations of sexual assault. The charges were later dropped, although the woman involved filed a civil action against Strauss-Kahn.

In February 2012, Strauss-Kahn was detained for questioning by French police as part of an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring.

Timeline

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, 2007–2011 (resignation – sexual assault case)

;Governmental functions

Minister of Industry and Foreign trade, 1991–1993.

Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, 1997–1999 (resignation).

;Electoral mandates

Member of the National Assembly of France for Val d'Oise (8th consituency) : 1988–1991 (he became minister in 1991) / Reelected in 1997, but he became minister / 2001–2007 (resigned on becoming Managing Director of the IMF in 2007). Elected in 1988, reelected in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2007.

Member of the National Assembly of France for Savoie : 1986-1988.

;''Regional Council''

Regional councillor of Ile-de-France, 1998–2001 (resignation).

;''Municipal Council''

Mayor of Sarcelles, 1995–1997 (resignation).

Deputy-mayor of Sarcelles, 1997–2007 (resigned on becoming Managing Director of the IMF in 2007). Reelected in 2001.

Municipal councillor of Sarcelles, 1989–2007 (resigned on becoming Managing Director of the IMF in 2007). Reelected in 1995, 2001.

;''Agglomeration community Council''

President of the Agglomeration community of Val de France, 2002–2007 (resigned on becoming Managing Director of the IMF in 2007).

Member of the Agglomeration community of Val de France, 2002–2007 (resigned on becoming Managing Director of the IMF in 2007).

Personal life

Strauss-Kahn has four daughters, one by his second wife, Brigitte Guillemette, whom he married in 1984. He has been married to his third wife, French journalist Anne Sinclair, since 1991. Sinclair is the heiress to part of the fortune of her maternal grandfather, Paul Rosenberg. The couple have a house in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., two apartments in Paris, and a riad in Marrakesh, Morocco. He is an accomplished chess player, and he enjoys practising either chess or math problems for hours every day. Strauss-Kahn is also known to have attended sex parties where prostitutes were paid to indulge in sexual activities, although Strauss-Kahn claims to have not known of this. In March 2012, Strauss-Kahn came under investigation in France over his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. The allegations relate to his supposed involvement in hiring prostitutes for sex parties at hotels in Lille, Paris and Washington.

''New York v. Strauss-Kahn''

On 14 May 2011, a 32-year-old maid, Nafissatou Diallo, at the Sofitel New York Hotel alleged that Strauss-Kahn had sexually assaulted her after she entered his suite.

Strauss-Kahn was formally indicted on 18 May and granted 1 million bail, plus a 5 million bond, the following day. He was ordered to remain confined to a New York apartment under guard. A semen sample was found on the maid's shirt, and on May 24 it was reported that DNA tests showed a match to a DNA sample submitted by Strauss-Kahn. He was arraigned on June 6, 2011, and pled not guilty. On June 30, 2011, the ''New York Times'' reported that the case was on the "verge of collapse" because of problems with the credibility of the alleged victim, who had, according to sources within the NYPD, repeatedly lied to the police since making her first statement. According to prosecutors, the accuser admitted that she lied to a grand jury about the events surrounding the alleged attack. Diallo claims that the translator on June 28, 2011, misunderstood her words. Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest on 1 July.

After completing a lengthy investigation, prosecutors filed a motion to drop all charges against Strauss-Kahn, stating that they were not convinced of his culpability beyond a reasonable doubt due to serious issues in the complainant's credibility and inconclusive physical evidence, and therefore could not ask a jury to believe in it. The motion was granted by Judge Obus in a hearing on August 23, 2011. In a TV interview in September, Strauss-Kahn admitted that his sexual encounter with the maid was "a moral fault" and described it as "inappropriate" but that it "did not involve violence, constraint or aggression".

Works

''Inflation et partage des surplus; le cas des ménages''. Cujas, 1975. (with André Babeau and André Masson).

''Économie de la famille et accumulation patrimoniale''. Cujas. 1977.

''La Richesse des Français- Epargne, Plus-value/Héritage''. (with André Babeau). Paris: PUF, 1977. Collection « L'économiste » ed. Pierre Tabatoni. Enquête sur la fortune des Français.

''Pierre Bérégovoy: une volonté de réforme au service de l'économie 1984–1993.'' Cheff, 2000. (with Christian Sautter)

''La Flamme et la Cendre'', Grasset, 2002, (ISBN 2-01-279122-0)

''Lettre ouverte aux enfants d’Europe'', Grasset, 2004, (ISBN 2-246-68251-7)

''Pour l'égalité réelle: Eléments pour un réformisme radical'', Note de la Fondation Jean Jaurès, 2004

''DVD pour le Oui à la constitution'', 2005

''365 jours, journal contre le renoncement'', Grasset, 2006

References

External links

IMF Official Biography

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Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Sciences Po Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol Category:Faculty of Sciences Po Category:French economists Category:French politicians Category:French lawyers Category:French Jews Category:French people of Jewish descent Category:French sex offenders Category:Managing directors of the International Monetary Fund Category:People from Neuilly-sur-Seine Category:Sephardi Jews Category:Socialist Party (France) politicians

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name	Jimmy Lin
tradchinesename	林志穎
simpchinesename	林志颖
pinyinchinesename	Lín Zhìyǐng
jyutpingchinesename	Lam4 Zi3 Wing6
birth name	Lin Chi Ying (林志穎)
origin	Republic of China (Taibei Province, Taiwan)
birth date	October 15, 1974
birth place	Taipei, Taiwan
othername	Xiao Zhi (小志)Little Whirlwind ZhiYing(志颖), XiaoYing(小颖) LinXiaoZhi(林小志)
occupation	Actor, singer, professional race car driver, Entrepreneur, Photographer
genre	Mandopop
instrument	Singing
yearsactive	1992 - present
spouse	Kelly Chen
children	Kimi (born September 15, 2009)
awards	}}

Jimmy Lin Chih-Ying (born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor and professional race car driver.

Early life

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 15 October 1974, Lin was the second child in a family of five children. He graduated from Zhong Xiao Primary School and Huai Sheng Secondary School. At the age of 16, while he was studying Drama and Photography in Hwa Gang, Lin was discovered during a performance in school. During this time, he was the star of the campus. At first, he declined his first manager's offer to enter the entertainment industry but later took up the offer. In 1992, at the age of 17, he became a superstar overnight at the release of his debut album, "Not Every Love Song has Fond Memories" (不是每個戀曲都有美好回憶). His sweeping fame across Asia and even the United States gained him the nickname "Little Whirlwind". In San Francisco, the government officially regulates Oct 17th as the day of Lin Chih Ying (林志穎日) He was also known as one of the "Little Four Heavenly Kings"（四小天王）in Taiwan. Lin became the youngest singer ever to hold a concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum(香港红馆), being only 18 years old and the first singer to hold a concert within the Suntec City Fountain of Wealth, Singapore, in 1999. He went on to release 13 albums, including special editions and compilations, and has since filmed many movies and series, as well as endorsed many products. Throughout his singing career, he also received many awards for his hit songs and albums.

Lin enjoyed great popularity until 1994, when he had to serve compulsory military service. Despite knowing it would affect his career tremendously, he did not seek special treatment from the government. In October that year, he entered the military like any other ordinary male of his age. Despite his fame, Lin did not have an easy life in the military. In a 2005 talk show, Jimmy revealed that in addition to the arduous training, he was bullied by seniors, and was expected to perform better than other soldiers. Although he did not expect star treatment, Jimmy was shocked to be treated badly for being a celebrity. In spite of all these, Lin performed well as a soldier, and received awards for excellent performance. He served primarily in the entertainment section of the military. After 2 years in the military, he returned to acting and singing career in 1996.

Career

Lin's career as an actor and singer was momentarily postponed by his compulsory military service and upon his return, he was overshadowed by many newcomers. Despite the difficulties he faced in re-entering showbiz, he worked hard and even set up his own company, Jimmy Creative, which produced his recent 5 albums under the music label "Forward". The most noteworthy album was "Scarecrow" (稻草人)(1999), which contained a song of the same title.

In 1997, Lin decided to realize his dream of car racing. In one of the races that year, he encountered a crash which nearly cost him his life. Seconds after limping out of the wreck, the car exploded. The only reminder of the accident now is a few metal plates in the foot that was crushed. Despite the accident, Lin did not give up on racing, and constantly strove to better himself. With regard to this, he often says, "When I race, I am not racing against others, but against myself." Today, Lin is one of the top 10 rally racers in Mainland China. In 2005, he signed a contract with Hong He, the top team in China, as a racer. He trained under top racing coach Ma Jun Kun. Lin hopes to become a Formula 3 racer someday, and become a full-time professional racer. In 2005 he and two friends founded the Ping Tzuo Racing Advisory Company at the ZhuHai International Circuit. On 23 October 2005, Lin hosted the first "Jimmy Cup", a racing event where mainly male celebrities race. The event's aim was to increase the awareness of traffic safety to the masses and to promote the love of car racing. In 2006 he formed the Jimmy Lin Rally Team to compete in the China Rally Championship. His team won Overall 3rd place in the 2006 China Rally Championship. On 26 October 2008 he was formally inducted into the China F1 TianRong Powerboat Racing team in ShenZhen, China. He will train with the team in 2009/2010 in order to get his F1 powerboat racing license.

While being a racer, Lin has not neglected his showbiz career. Lin concentrated on filming after his last album "Going for a Walk" in 2000. The grandest production in recent years was ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' (天龙八部), where he took the role of the Dali crown-prince Duan Yu.

Despite having not released an album since 2006, which his last album was titled "挡不住我", Lin continues to sing theme songs for television series and films, and give regular live performances for various events including mini concerts, fund-raising events, festivals and even state events. He was one of the celebrity performers at the Third "Beijing 2008" Olympic Cultural Festival (2005), where the theme motto "One World, One Dream" was officially announced. In 2007, he starred in his first Taiwanese idol series, ''My Lucky Star'', which got the #1 rating for 13 weeks in a row. In 2010, he starred in his first Chinese modern series, Hunan TV's "Single Princess and Blind Dates".

On 17 October 2008, Lin held his first concert in Shanghai, China after 14 years. It was a stunning success in front of 25,000 screaming fans who sang Happy Birthday to celebrate his 34th birthday. On 21 November 2009, he held his 2nd concert in Shanghai in front of 10,000 fans. It was a family event where his parents and siblings attended, and he sang a duet with his younger brother Jason Lin.

In addition to his entertainment and racing career, Lin is also a very successful businessman. In 2000 he started an IT company with friends that specialize in writing software for surveillance and banking. He himself became the youngest director in the Taiwan Network Association. His own house in Taipei has the latest hightech surveillance equipments manufactured by his own company. He can remotely control more than 100 home appliances from his PDA. He talked about this in talk shows in 2006. He also set up a business on the internet with his brother, naming his own brand "JR" (Jimmy Racing). The online venture sells goods ranging from sunglasses to bikinis. It has since grown in scale from operating solely on auction sites to selling his goods on shopping sites. In 2004 he opened Roadstar, a car dealership in Taipei that sells high-end sports cars. In 2005 he founded the PingTzuo International Racing Sports Advisory Company in Zhuhai, China with his best friend Chen Wei Liang. Lin is also on the PingTzuo racing team. In 2006 he opened a restaurant, The Dream Family Cafe in the Jing Hua Cheng shopping mall in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2009 he became a part-time wedding photographer for the Shanghai CHUECH studio. He also owns real estates in Taiwan, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Lin also contributed to the society by becoming an ambassador for many youth and government campaigns in Taiwan and other places. On 17 October 2003, Jimmy was presented with the "International Outstanding Youth Award" by the mayor of San Francisco. He was the first Chinese in history to receive this award. The award was mainly to commend him for starting a series of fund-raisers for schools, for being an anti-drug ambassador, and for participation in public community events.

On 16 April 2011, Jimmy Lin interviewed the F1 racing driver Michael Schumacher for the international magazine GQ (May 2011 issue). Jimmy did his homework before he met with Schumacher and did the entire interview in English. He asked more than 20 questions in different areas: life, racing experiences and charity. Jimmy said, “Schumacher is my most admired F1 racer. Besides his remarkable racing records, I also highly respect his charity works. He donated money to help the refugees rebuild their homes after the 2004 tsunami." Schumacher gave Jimmy a pair of limited edition shoes that he designed and invited him to a private dinner the following day.

Love Life

This was the first time Jimmy and Ruby Lin attended a variety show after their rumored break-up. When asked the reason for breaking up, both parties admitted that it was due to the distance and fading of feeling that cause the breakup. After the breakup, it was Ruby who called Jimmy, saving their friendship. Ruby admitted magnanimously that they did not break up because of a big quarrel, so it was okay that she initiated. Compared to her nonchalant attitude, Jimmy looked uneasy.

Jimmy attended "Kang Yong Dang Jia" filming. When asked how they have met, Ruby laughed, " My first movie was with Jimmy and Takeshi Kaneshiro. After filming, we became friends." The host asked Ruby immediately, who was more handsome then? As expected, she admitted that Jimmy was more handsome as Takaeshi had not slim down then and did not have the 'aura' he has now.

Jimmy and Ruby's relationship lasted for 2–3 years, and Ruby is the only girlfriend he has ever taken home to see his dad.

Jimmy and Ruby's secret relationship was still a mystery to the media now. Jimmy clarified that in the past, he had to film in China frequently, leading to the distance between both of them. But there's another version of the breakup: It was rumored that the breakup is due to Ruby filming in Huan Zhu Ge Ge (Princess Returning Pearl), and there was a rumor that Alec Su was actively pursuing Ruby. This let Jimmy to fax a copy of then News Articles to Ruby who was filming HZGG at the time. Though she denied any spark between herself and Alec, Jimmy called for a breakup. Whilst Alec and Jimmy later collaborated in a series together 'The Legendary Siblings' it was reported that the two did not get along.

Although they were good friends after breaking up, interestingly enough, Jimmy has never given Ruby his album as a present. Using this chance, Jimmy finally gave her his new album personally. And Ruby made use of this chance saying, "But I'm more interested in the watch you're wearing leh" Immediately Jimmy took off his watch and even help her put it on. One of the guest even teased," These 2 people seems to be engross in their own world" After that, Ruby said, "Treat this present as your gift for me this year." As Jimmy will always give her a birthday presently for her birthday every year. Ruby smiled, " His presents are mostly female stuff like handbags.

On 15 October 2009, Jimmy announced at his 35th Birthday Bash that he was officially engaged to the model Kelly Chen. The couple got engaged in 2008 and had dated for the past five years. Lin also announced the birth of his son born on 15 September 2009. 15 October was his baby boy's one month birthday.

On 15 September 2010, Jimmy announced that he and Kelly got married 5 months after their son was born. The wedding will be sometime next year.

Discography

''Color'' (Sept 2010 Theme songs of Single Princesses)(Oct 2011 Theme songs of Rainbow Sweetheart)

''You Are The One'' (Sept 2010 Theme songs of Single Princesses)(Oct 2011 Theme songs of Rainbow Sweetheart)

''Celebrate Youth'' (2010 The 16th Asian Games youth camp theme song with Zhang Li) ''Black'' (2010 single with Wallace Chung)

''My Lucky Star'' (2007)

''Jimmy F1ght'' (2006)

''Best of Jimmy Lin'' (2004)

''Go for a walk'' (2000)

''Scarecrow'' (1999)

''Before dawn breaks'' (1998)

''I am still myself'' (1997)

''Men are easily deceived'' (1997)

''Expect'' (1996)

''Dream is ahead'' ā1995)

''Saying goodbye to yesterday'' (1994)

''Goodbye my friend'' (1994)

''Fiery Heart'' (1994)

''Thinking of You'' (1993)

''Why am i always hurt'' (1992)

''Summer Of '92'' (1992)

''Not every love song has fond memories'' (1992)

Filmography

''Speed Angels'' [ [ [My Lucky Star (TV series) Liao Zhai: Xiao Cui Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003 TV series) Secretly Loving You The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra(Qi Tian Da Sheng Sun Wu Kong) The Legendary Siblings 2(Jue Shi Shuang Jiao) Feng Chen Wu Die My Heart Will Go On Lotus Lantern (Bao Lian Deng)The Legendary Siblings(Jue Dai Shuang Jiao) Chirvalous Legend Forever Friends (film) School Days (Xue xiao ba wang) Grandpa's Love (侄孙情) Shaolin Popeye (Xiao lin xiao zi) Flying Dagger(Shen Jing Dao yu Fei Tian Mao)

Year !! Title !! Role !! More Information
rowspan=2 align=center	2012	Flying With You	Xu Yifan
If I Were You
rowspan=2 align=center	2011	|		Film - China
Rainbow Sweetheart	Shao Feng
align=center	2010	Single Princesses and Blind Dates||	Ji Fan	Hunan TV
align=center	2009	Shao Lin Si Chuan Qi 2||	Li Shi Min	Henan TV
align=center	2008	Live With Chivalry ||	Jon	Musical by Chivas
align=center	2007	My Lucky Star (Fang Yang De Xing Xing) ||	"Vernon" Zhong Tian Qi	Television series by SETTV (Taiwan)
rowspan=4 align=center	2004	|	Wang Yuan Feng	Television series
Shu Jian Qing Xia Liu San Bian	Liu San Bian
Wolf	Assassin
The Love Winner
rowspan=2 align=center	2003	Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Tian Long Ba Bu) ||	Duan Yu (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils)>Duan Yu	Television series
Boxing Hero (Long Hu Ying Xiong)	Dragon
align=center	2002	|		Television series - guest appearance (in episodes 27, 28 and 29)
align=center	2002	|	Na Ja	Television series
align=center	2002	|	Jiang Fei Yu / Jiang Xiao Yu	Television series
align=center	2001	|	Journalist	Television series
align=center	2001	|	Bao Yi	Film - China
rowspan=2 align=center	2000	|	Liu Chen Xiang	Television series
Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng	Lu Xiaofeng
rowspan=3 align=center	1999	|	Jiang Xiao Yu	Television series
Red Word	Ah Hu
Ang Yee: Luuk chaai phan mangkawn
rowspan=2 align=center	1998	|	Liao Tian Ding	Film - Taiwan
Heavenly Legend	The Monkey King / Sun Wu Kong
align=center	1995	Forever Friends ||	Wizard	Film - Hong Kong
align=center	1995	|	Xu Zhi Hao / Xiao Zhi	Film - Hong Kong/Taiwan
rowspan=2 align=center	1994	|	Jiang Xing Jian	Film - Hong Kong
No Sir 3(Bao gao ban zhang 3)	Lin Xiao Ying
rowspan=4 align=center	1993	|	Pi Shi Ting / "Spinach"	Film - Hong Kong
Vampire Family (Yi wu shao ya gui)	David Jen
Boys are Easy (Zhui nan zi)	Ching Siu Pei / Xiao Bei
End of the Road (Yi yu zhi mo lu ying xiong)	Ah Ding
rowspan=3 align=center	1992	|	Han Lin / Little Dagger	Film - Hong Kong
Butterfly and Sword (Xin liu xing hu die jian)	Prince Cha
To Miss With Love (Tao xue wai zhuan)	Lin Chi Yin

Awards received

2011 Most Charismatic TV Actor Award 安徽衛視國劇盛典最具號召力演員獎

2011 The Best Actor of Inspiring Idols 2011华鼎励志偶像最佳男演员奖

2008 Taiwan Hwa Gang School of Performing Arts Most Successful Alumnus 台灣華岡藝校華藝星光十傑第一名

2006 Top Ten Golden Song "Show Me Your License" and The Most Versatile Entertainer from The 4th Chinese Music Awards 2006 @ Fuzhou

2003 International Outstanding Youth Award

1999 Most Talented Male Artiste

1996 Top Ten Idols Award

1994 Best Album Award

1993 Metro Radio Top Ten Handsome People Award

1993 FM Select Bronze Award

1993 HK Top Ten Children Gold Song "Wild Chrysanthemum"

1993 HK Hottest Mandarin Singer Gold Award

1993 HK Most Popular New Artiste Gold Solid Award

1993 HK Top Ten Chinese Songs With The Brightest Future New Artiste Award

1993 HK-CR Gold Award

1993 HK Spreading Mandarin Award

1993 HK Jade Solid Gold First Place Song

1992 Taiwan Top Ten Idols Award

1992 Taiwanese Superstar New Artist Award

1992 Taiwan's Most Brightess Future New Artiste Award

1992 HK Hottest Mandarin Award

Racing Records

Teams raced for: Renault Tire Racing Team, HongHe Rally Team, 香港代纳10方程式车队, Mitsubishi Lancer ManYu Rally Racing Team, Guangxi Speedone Rally Team Team owned: ESSO Jimmy Racing Team, Jimmy Lin Rally Team

Team racing for now: PingTzuo Racing Team

Team owns now: PingTzuo Racing Team In 2011, he announced that he'll quit rally racing due to the death of one of his racing buddy and will devote more time to showbiz.

1997

September Super Car Challenge, Ferrari 348, 3rd place

1998

February 555 Taiwan Rally Race

March Super Car Challenge Cup, BMW M3, 3nd place

August Impreza Challenge Cup

November World Rally Championship Australia Hyundai Rally Car, got FIA International Class A

1999

February went to Japan to study racing under a famous Japanese racer

June Super Car Challenge, BMW M3, 3rd place

August Super Car Challenge, BMW M3, 3rd place

2000

May 17 Super Car Challenge, BMW using new M3 race car, 2nd place, broke Taiwan LungTam BMW M3 single lap record

July Super Car Challenge, BMW M3, 2nd place, broke Taiwan LungTam BMW M3 single lap record

August 7 formed ESSO Jimmy Racing Team and Racing Company, became spokesman for ESSO August 28 ZhuHai International Circuit Renault Spider Challenge, 4th round 1st place, 6th round, 2nd place December 4 Super Car Challenge, broke Taiwan's single lap record in Taiwan LungTam Super Car

2001

March 11 Impreza race, group A, first round, 3rd place

April 1 Super Car, 1st round, used M3 race car, 1st place June 3 Super Car, 2nd round, used M3 race car, 1st place August China Formula International Race, 1st place

August Super Car, 3rd round, used M3 race car, 1st place

September China Formula International Race, 1st place

October Super Car, 4th round, used M3 race car, 1st place.

October China Renault Formula, 5th round, Group A, 1st place.

October China Renault Formula, 6th round, Group A, 1st place.

December 31 Taiwan Oil year end Challenge, competing with the best 36 races in Taiwan, 4th overall. This established Jimmy's status in Taiwan's racing circle won 9 winner cups: seven 1st place, one 2nd place, one 3rd place. Became Champion of the Year for winning all 4 rounds of the Taiwan Super Car Race. He still holds this record.

2002

March 10 China Renault Formula

March 2 China Rally Championship, Shanghai representing Radial Tire Rally Racing Team

April 7 Taiwan Super Car Race, used BMW M3, 2nd place

May 4–5 Asian Formula June 16 China Renault Formula, 7th place

June 2 Taiwan Super Car Race, used BMW M3, 1st place

July 2 China Renault Formula, 3rd place

August 4 Taiwan Super Car Race, used BMW M3

October 1 Taiwan Super Car Race, used BMW M3, 2nd place

2003

Contracted to race for Radial Tire Racing Team for 2 years.

March 20 Shanghai Rally Race

April 12 China Renault Formula Race, Zhuhai, 2nd place June 8 Malaysia PORSCHE GT3 CUP July 17 ChangChun Rally Race, 8th place August 19 China Rally Championship, Beijing

September 13 China Rally Championship, Beijing

October 25 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, PORSCHE 911 GT3 CUP, Beijing November 12 Macau Grand Prix, Renault Formula Race, 17th place out of 25

2004

March Shanghai Rally Race, 9th place

May 30 Beijing Rally Race, dropped out at 10th place

June 6 Shanghai Renault Formula Race, dropped out after collision at 7th place

June 27 Asia Renault Formula Race, Shanghai, 6th place out of 30

September 26 Asia Renault Formula Race, Shanghai, 10th place out of 30

2005

Contracted to race for Honghe Rally Team, the largest racing team in China, for the reported sum of TW$10 mil

March China Rally Championship, Shanghai 9th place

April China Rally Championship, Zhejiang 9th place

May 8 Asia Renault Formula F2000, Zhuhai 5th place out of 31

August China Rally Championship, Guizhou

September China Rally Championship, Yunan, 8th place

September Coach for Jackie Chan Charity Race

October Held the 1st Jimmy Lin Charity Stars Race at Zhuhai International Circuit

November China Rally Championship, Shaoguan, Guangdong, eighth place。

December ranked 8th overall in China Rally Championship 2005

2006

3/22/06 Formed Jimmy Racing Team and became his own boss. He signed British racer, Alister McRae, who ranked 3rd in 2003 and 26th in 2006 in the world. The other 2 racers in his team are Jimmy himself and the 7th ranked Chinese racer. Jimmy ranked 8th in China in 2005. McRae was paid US$50,000 per race, 5 races a year. 3/24/2006 Jimmy Lin Racing Team won both team 1st place and racer 1st place in Shanghai Rally Race.

June Became Zhuhai Super Car Club Honorary President

July China Rally Championship, Guizhou

July Jimmy Lin Racing Team 3rd place at China Rally Championship, Guizhou August Celebrity Charity Race, team 1st place, men 1st place September China Rally Championship, Kaiyang, Guizhou, Jimmy Lin Racing Team, 1st place

October Ford Celebrity Race, professional group 1st place

November China Rally Championship, Longyou, Zhejiang

November 27 Jimmy Racing Team won Overall 3rd place in 2006 China Rally Championship.

2007

May Formed WSCC PingTzuo Racing Team with International Supercar Club at Zhuhai International Circuit. Jimmy will represent PingTzuo in the 2007 China Open Formula.

May China Open Formula Renault Formula, Zhuhai 15th place

6/15/07 to 6/17/07 Raced for Mitsubishi Lancer Wan Yu Rally Team in the China Rally Championship in Beijing. His team won the race and Mitsubishi won the Sponsor's Cup. Jimmy placed 10th overall among 71 international and 5th among Chinese racers.

July Jet Li Celebrity Charity Race, 2nd place

11/12/07 The Mitsubishi Lancer Rally Team won the grand championship of the 2007 China Rally Championship. Jimmy only participated in the Beijing Rally Race in June. He is not ranked this yr because he missed most of the races due to filming and showbiz conflicts but did contribute points to the team for completing the race in Beijing.

November World Drifting Championship, Hangzhou, guest of honor

2008

1/27/08 Test drove the new British Radical Race car。

3/15/08 to 3/16/08 Drove a Radical SR3 at the Frestech Pan Delta Super Racing Festival - Spring Race at ZhuHai International Circuit. Round 1: 1st place Round 2: 2nd place 6/21/08 to 6/22/08 Tian Si Light Weight Sports Car Challenge Race - Summer Race at ZhuHai International Circuit. Drove a Radical SR3 and achieved double win. Round 1: 1st place, Time 1:44.978 Round 2: 1st place, Time 17:41.700 On October 26, 2008 he was formally inducted into the China F1 TianRong Powerboat Racing team in ShenZhen, China. He will train in 2009 in order to get his F1 racing license before he can race for the team.

2009

On March 1, 2009 he signed with the Guangxi Speedone Rally Racing Team and will race in 3 rally races in 2009. His 1M yuan Mitsubishi EVO-10 race car was unveiled at the signing ceremony. June 13–14, 2009 China Rally Championship at Naning, Nanking. 12th place in Group N4 (International) out of 87 international racers, 7th place out of all Chinese racers. Earned 1 point for Speedone. July 9–10, 2009 China Rally Championship at Shanghai. 6th place out of all Chinese racers in group N4 (International). Won 6th place cup for Speedone, its first cup. August 28–30, 2009 China Rally Championship at Fugang, Guangzhou. Withdrew from the race after his EVO-9 race car had mechanical problems during the 1st day of the race. November 2, 2009 Race of Champions at The Bird's Nest in Beijing. 2nd place in the Celebrity Race. November 15, 2009 His PingTzuo Racing Team won the championship in the Asian category of the 2009 Asian AFR Championship.

2010

April 22, 2010 PingTzuo racer Zhang Shanqi won 3rd place in the 2010 Asian Renault Formula Race at Zhuhai

May 23, 2010 PingTzuo racers Zhang Shan Qi & Li Zhi Cong Respectively won Champion in Race 1 & 2 in the AFR Championship! August 14, 2010 AFR International Formula Renault at Shanghai F1 International Circuit. Got 1st place IFC trophy. October 5–7, 2010 PingTzuo won 1st place in the International Le Mans Cup (ILMC) 1000 km Zhuhai FLM division

2011

November 13, 2011 PingTzuo won 1st place in the International Le Mans Cup (ILMC) 1000 km Zhuhai FLM division

Notes

External links

林志颖台北吉米工作室 Jimmy Creatives Studio

林志颖 新浪微博 Jimmy Lin Weibo

PingTzuo International Racing Sports Advisory Company

Jimmy Lin Profile, Pictures, and Filmography - www.spcnet.tv

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:People from Taipei Category:Taiwanese film actors Category:Taiwanese male singers Category:Taiwanese Mandopop singers Category:Taiwanese television actors

id:Jimmy Lin it:Jimmy Lin ja:林志穎 tl:Jimmy Lin th:หลิน จื้ออิ่ง vi:Lâm Chí Dĩnh zh:林志穎

Name	Sofi Marinova
Birth name	Sofiya Marinova Kamenova
Birth date	December 05, 1975
Birth place	Sofia, Bulgaria
Background	solo_singer
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1992–present
Genre	Pop-folk, ethno-pop, dance
Instrument	Vocals
Label	ARA Audio-Video, Sunny Music
Website	http://sofi-marinova.com }}

Sofiya Marinova Kamenova, better known as Sofi Marinova (, ), (born 5 December 1975) is a Bulgarian pop-folk and ethno-pop singer of Romani heritage. She is one of the most popular singers in Bulgaria, famed for her extreme five-octave vocal range. She has won multiple music awards and contests. Оften called "the Romani pearl" and "the Romani nightingale", she is compared to Bulgaria's most popular pop singer, Lili Ivanova. In February 2012 she won the Bulgarian Eurovision national final with the song "Love Unlimited", thus becoming the representative of Bulgaria in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in May in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Biography

Sofi Marinova was born on December 5, 1975 in Sofia, Bulgaria, although her family was living near Etropole at the time. She showed musical and dancing talent at the age of two and was tutored in singing and dancing by her mother. In primary school Marinova was an excellent pupil. She spent a year at a professional builders' school. After 8th grade she moved to a professional school for tailors, though years later she admitted she never liked sewing. While at school Marinova fell for acting, appearing in school musicals such as Snow White. When she was in 10th grade, a local band offered her the position of lead singer. Her father didn't allow it at first but relented after the insistence of her mother: ''"I started crying and my mother supported me, because when she married my father she put an end to her singing career"''.

At 17 Marinova began singing at weddings and christenings. Her repertoire included songs of Dragana Mirkovic, Michael Jackson, Sandra, Whitney Huston as well as Romani music. IAround this time she and the band took part in a music competition in the village of Osikovitsa near Sofia. She won the singers event and the admirations of the jury, chaired by the famous Romani-Bulgarian musician Angelo Malikov. At the competition she also met Petar, a drummer, who later became the father of her only child, Lorenzo. After Osikovitsa, Marinova won the Grand prize at the Stara Zagora festival with her songs ''"Stari Rani"'' (''Old wounds'') and ''"Slanchitse moe"'' (''My Little Sun'').

Marinova was introduced to the big stage by Nencho Kasamov, president of the record company ARA Music, after he saw her performing in a restaurant. Kasamov invited her to record for ARA, because he sensed the future music star in her "''by the look in her eyes''". Marinova and her band recorded for ARA the album "Stari Rani", which is believed to be one of the best-selling music albums in Bulgaria of all time.

In 2004 Marinova signed with Sunny Music, working with the producer Krum Krumov. She recorded the albums ''5 oktavi ljubov'' and ''Obicham''. Her cooperation with the Bulgarian hip-hop singer Ustata resulted in some of her most successful songs. In that period she also recorded a Romani cover of "Vetrove" by Lili Ivanova, Bulgaria's most established music artist. The compilation "Sofi Marinova Best MP3 Collection" consisting of her 64 most popular songs from her Sunny Music period, was released in 2009. She stated that she was "happy that my project was accomplished and I hope my fans accept it as a gift for their loyalty and love for me for so many years."

In March 28th, as part of the pre-celebrations for the International Romani Day, Sofi Marinova sang Romani songs and her Eurovision song "Love Unlimited" in front of MEPs and official guests in the building of the European Parliament in Brussels. She was invited there by the MEPs from Bulgaria.

Philantropy and charity work

In 2008 Marinova and Ustata joined a campaign against human trafficking, for which they recorded ''Chuzhdi ustni'' (''A Stranger's Lips''). Both of them travelled around Bulgaria and met with youths in the risk groups for becoming victims of human trafficking. In 2010 Marinova was appointed ambassador against poverty and social isolation. Her tasks include raising awareness about the issues, taking part in various activities and sharing her own experience. On her appointment she told the journalists: ''"I think I can be useful to the campaign. In addition I myself come from a poor family and I'm aware of the concerns of poor and underprivileged people."''

Personal life

Marinova has one son, called Lorenzo, with whom she has had some collaboration singles.. She was married once (to Lorenzo's father Peter). She then had a long-term relationship with Dacho, who is as well son of Peter. They tried to marry two times, but they didn't and finally broke up in 2010. She is well-known for her honest and direct answers to media's questions in interviews.

Eurovision Song Contest

upright|thumb|left|Sofi Marinova performing at the Eurovision National Final in Bulgaria at National Palace of Culture, Sofia.Sofi Marinova was chosen to represent Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku in May 2012 with the song "Love Unlimited". She won the National final, which was held on February 29, receiving a total of 20 points - the maximum 12 points from the public and 8 points from the jury. She was one of the favourites to win after coming second in the public vote in the semifinals. The song "Love Unlimited" was written by Yassen Kotsev and Krum Georgiev. Its lyrics talk about the transcending and all-embracing power of love (''"The song has no borders, language and colour"'').) The song is in Bulgarian but contains the phrase "I love you" in Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Serbo-Croat, French, Romani, English, Azerbaijani and Italian. The song is characterised by the typical Romani glides, vocal power and Techno musical arrangement. Marinova will perform in the first half of the second semifinal that is scheduled for May 24.

This was Marinova's third appearance in the Bulgarian national finals for Eurovision. In 2005, her collaboration with Slavi Trifonov ''"Edinstveni"'' ("Only Ones") finished second. They tried again the following year with the song ''"Ljubovta e otrova"'' ("Love Is a Poison"), but fell out in the qualifications after taking 25th place, one place short of the semi-final.. In 2007, her collaboration with Ustata, ''"Ya Tvoya"'' ("I'm yours" in Russian), finished third in the National final.

Discography

Solo albums Edinstven moy Моят сън Студен пламък Нежна е нощта Осъдена любов 5 октави любов Обичам Остани Време спри VIP-ът

Year !! Cyrilic !! Transliteration !! Translation !! Label
1997	Единствен мой	|	My one and only	Ara Audio-Video
1999	|	Moyat san	My dream	Ara Audio-Video
2000	|	Studen plamak	Cold flame	Ara Audio-Video
2001	|	Nezhna e noshta	Tender is the night	Ara Audio-Video
2002	|	Osadena lyubov	Condemned love	Ara Audio-Video
2004	|	5 oktavi lyubov	5 octaves of love	Sunny Music
2005	|	Obicham	I love	Sunny Music
2006	|	Ostani	Stay	Sunny Music
2008	|	Vreme spri	Time, stop	Sunny Music
2009	|	Vipat	The VIP	Sunny Music

Albums with the band Super Express

Mechta Без конкуренция Стари рани Песни от сърце /Гиля таровило

Year !! Cyrilic !! Transliteration !! Translation !! Label
1995*	Мечта	|	A dream	Magic Music
1996*	|	Bez konkurentsia	No competition	Ara Audio-Video
1997	|	Stari rani	Old wounds	Ara Audio-Video
1999*	|	Pesni ot sartse /Gilya tarovilo	Songs from the heart	Ara Audio-Video

.* — Romani language albums

Compilations

Best 2 Golden Hits MP3 Best Collection

Year !! Title !! Label !! Notes
2003	Best 1	Ara Audio-Video
2003	|	Ara Audio-Video	18 dance songs
2007	|	Ara Audio-Video	71 songs in MP3 format
2010	|	Sunny Music	64 songs in MP3 format

The MP3 album ''Golden Hits'' contains all the songs from Sofi Marinova's first five solo albums plus some songs from her albums with Super Express and a few other songs.

References

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Bulgarian female singers Category:Bulgarian pop singers Category:Bulgarian-language singers Category:Bulgarian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012 Category:People from Sofia Category:People of Romani descent Category:Pop folk singers

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