Celebrity crush: Elena Satine

In a rare non-redhead moment. Photographers are invited to contact me via
comment or e-mail (jasonrtippitt -at- gmail -dot- com) with credits info!

Today's entry has a fairly short but diverse résumé that even touches on the ... troubled ... Spider-Man musical's pre-production phase.

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Name: Elena Satine (images -- some NSFW | Web site | Twitter)
Hometown: The city of Tbilisi, Georgia, which was at the time part of the Soviet Union, according to her Wikipedia profile. Wikipedia notes she is descended from the noble Georgian House of Orbeliani.
Best Known For: Elena's major screen credit to date may well be playing Mera -- wife of Aquaman -- in the 10th and final season of Smallville, a role that saw the Atlantean queen nonchalantly slip out of a wetsuit in front of fellow crush Erica Durance's Lois Lane while making snide comments about Kal-El slumming it with humans. (She was a bit more humble by the end of the episode.) That's one of a handful of television appearance's she has made since 2007, when she was about 20.

Lois Lane called Mera an exhibitionist.
But that's not exactly complaining.

She's also a classically trained violinist and a singer who's released a three-song EP available at Amazon and iTunes. Film work includes the Eli Roth horror movie Don't Look Up and the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy Just Go With It. She'll be seen in the upcoming science fiction film In Time (roughly its billionth title throughout its development) alongside fellow crush Amanda Seyfried.
Humble Beginnings: She began appearing on children's television at age 6, Wikipedia notes, then headlined an international film festival at age 9. She was accepted into New York's not-too-shabby Professional Performing Arts School after attending an open call audition in 1998 during a family vacation; she'd have been about 11 then, and she graduated with honors at 16, going on to study in London and at Russia's Moscow Art Theatre.

Left: Mera, (c) DC Comics, used in pursuit of "fair use"
for commentary purposes. Right: Elena Satine,
perfectly cast as the Atlantean queen.

The earliest English-language credit listed under her credits at IMDB was in a 2007 Forrest Whitaker film called Ripple Effect, followed soon after by an appearance in fellow crush Rosario Dawson's online science fiction drama Gemini Division.
Missed Opportunities Dept.: Elena was reportedly a contender for the Black Widow role in Iron Man 2 (Amazon | iTunes), though the role eventually went to too-famous-for-the-celebrity-crush-series-but-quite-gorgeous Scarlett Johansson.

Not just a pretty face -- or fantastic pair of legs --
she studied French and Hungarian for that
Poirot episode, according to Wikipedia.

Obligatory Edgy Stuff: Elena's also done some photo pictorials in lingerie, including some edgy photos (alongside fellow crush Alessandra Torresani or others, or solo) for cutting-edge photographer, filmmaker and publisher Tyler Shields.

She also had a small role in the background of the troubled Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark musical, playing Mary Jane Watson in a workshop at the invitation of director Julie Taymor and U2 frontman Bono, according to Wikipedia.
Why Ye Olde Podcaster Likes Her: Not only is she beautiful, she managed to convey her family's aristocratic roots into a regal demeanor in her Smallville appearance -- so striking in her one appearance as to earn a spot here alongside others who were much more permanent fixtures over all 10 seasons -- and as a countess in a retelling of Murder on the Orient Express (book at Amazon | audiobook at iTunes) listed below.

How could you look at that smile
and not be smitten?

She has a fun Twitter presence, too. And her EP's not bad at all, either.
Film and TV-movie credits: In Time (2011) (Amazon | iTunes) * Just Go With It (2011) (Amazon | iTunes) * Kelly Brook's Cameltoe Shows (Funny or Die video) * Don't Look Up (2009) (Amazon | iTunes) * Adventures in Online Dating (2009 short) (Amazon | iTunes) * Bar Starz (2008) (Amazon | iTunes) * Holier Than Thou (2007 short) (Amazon | iTunes) * Ripple Effect (2007) (Amazon | iTunes)
Musical work: Denial (2008 EP) (Amazon | iTunes) * "Ashes" (non-album single) (Amazon | iTunes)
TV and Web series credits: Magic City, season 1 (2012) (Amazon | iTunes) * NCIS, season 8: "Defiance" (Amazon | iTunes) * Smallville, season 10: "Patriot" (Amazon | iTunes) * Agatha Christie's Poirot, season 12 (2010): "Murder on the Orient Express" (Amazon | iTunes) * Melrose Place (2009): "Vine" (Amazon | iTunes) * Cold Case, season 6: "Triple Threat" (Amazon | iTunes) * Gemini Division, season 1: "Training Day" (Amazon | iTunes)