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America’s Next Top Model was all about disasters this week: natural disaster in the photo shoot, clothing disasters in the challenge, and personality disasters in the house. Somebody needs to start a telethon to help this show recover!

We kid, of course – we really liked the episode, and the concept of the girls looming Godzilla-like over a scale-model version of L.A. was loads of fun. Of course, some did it better than others…

But let’s back up and talk about the personality conflicts. What do you think of the whole Marjorie situation? We actually sympathize with her – we’d be total wrecks if we were in that house, having people tear apart our looks and judging our every move! Of course, that’s one of the many reasons we’re NOT on a reality show… But the cultural-difference explanation makes sense to us. And hey, if Paulina – the person who has her feet in both worlds – says that’s what’s going on, we’re inclined to believe her. (Also, we completely love her, so we’ll agree with almost anything she says.) But other girls – especially Samantha – seems to feel like Marjorie’s self-doubt is a personal affront. Get over it, Sam!

Continue reading "America's Next Top Model: Nerves and Other Disasters" »

Posted by Sarah at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Was it just us, or was the editing totally obvious last night on Top Model? We felt like we knew who was going home in both halves within the first few minutes. The eliminees, Hannah and Isis, got so much screentime throughout the episode!

Here's our take. First, the eliminees:

*Hannah's "aw, shucks!" personality was maybe starting to grow on us (a little). But let's face it: her walk was painful to watch, and despite coaching from Miss Jay, she didn't improve on the runway. Will you miss her commentary, or were you ready to say goodbye?

*Isis got the "fading fast" edit for the past few weeks, but we kept thinking she'd surprise us with a comeback. But Isis still didn't seem completely comfortable in her own skin, and after two weeks of nearly-nude shoots, she let her anxiety get the best of her -- and it showed in her photos. We'll miss her chill but positive attitude.

The good:

*The eyes-above-water shoot produced some truly striking photographs, including Lauren Brie's, Sheena's, and Clark's. We loved the concept, the bold eye makeup, and the poses some of these girls were able to pull off.

Continue reading "Top Model: Double Elimination!" »

Posted by Jackie at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Top Model took a fairy tale turn during last night's episode -- Tyra and the girls donned tiaras and talked makeovers. Tyra started out fairly normal, talking about the challenges of "making over" her career... and the Jays showed up, bribing Tyra with poisoned apples and rescuing her with a kiss from Prince Couture. Were we the only ones staring at our TVs, thinking, "Seriously?" This show has descended into such pure camp that it's hard to watch with a straight face. Did you like the Tyra-as-princess twist?

Then it was time for makeovers! Some of the girls didn't look that different -- Lauren Brie just went blonder, Brittany a little longer -- but some had drastic changes, like Elina's new red curls, Samantha's chop, and Hannah's bangs and bob.

As always, the girls had mixed reactions to their makeovers. Elina got teary, but after a few days, she accepted it.

Then it was time for a late-night trip to Wal-Mart for a Cover Girl commercial shoot -- unscripted! Hannah rocked it with her sunny personality and great lines, so she won the challenge.

Continue reading "Top Model: Makeovers and Swimsuits!" »

Posted by Jackie at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Between the girls' photo shoot -- a tricky balancing act on a shaky ladder -- and posing bootcamp with Benny Ninja and contortionist Bree, last night's Top Model was for the flexible girls. We didn't envy them; the shoot was not easy! Some girls excelled (Lauren Brie, who Tyra said had one of the best pics in Top Model history!), while others struggled.

Isis and Nikeysha landed in the bottom two, and we've got issues with Tyra's reasons for both of them. Isis's picture wasn't the best, but the main reason she teetered on the brink of elimination was her un-model-like appearance at panel. Really?! One bad outfit at panel and she could go home? Nikeysha ended up going home mainly because she talked too much. Again, not really a good enough reason in our book.

We were REALLY mad after Nikeysha was eliminated and she said, "Well, I guess I'll just be an anesthesiologist, then," and Tyra cut her off -- "That's another reason you were eliminated." Like, how dare the girl actually have a career goal besides winning ANTM! She already knew she was going home; she's allowed to talk about doing something else. Not in Tyra's world, though!

That wasn't the only drama at panel, though. The judges asked Nikeysha about her eating habits, implying she was too skinny, and they weren't very nice about it. Paulina was noticeably harsher with her criticism this week, and she didn't hold back, even asking Sheena whether her breasts were real! Sheena first said they were, but then she came forward and admitted they were fake. Tyra loved this -- "Honesty is beautiful."

Let's backtrack. We saw a lot of Elina, Nikeysha, Sheena, Hannah, Brittany, and Isis this episode -- and almost nothing of the other girls. A game of Truth or Dare in the pool prompted Sheena to strut her stuff and Elina to kiss her house crush, Clark.

Continue reading "Top Model: Precarious Posing" »

Posted by Jackie at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As the first transgendered contestant, Isis has generated a lot of buzz this season on America's Next Top Model. Here, she talks about dealing with the other girls' questions, how far she is in the gender changing process, and how nerve-wracking it can be to face panel. Check out what Isis has to say!

Posted by Jackie at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After watching last night's premiere of America's Next Top Model we can be sure of one thing: if you wanna be on top, you gotta be over the top. The diversity of the girls who finally made it into the house would have been interesting if only this crop weren't so catty. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Before the final cuts to make it to the final 14, the girls are bussed to a "secret location" and met by futuristic-looking Jay Manuel and Ms. Jay Alexander. We're not exactly sure what happened to Jay Manuel's hair during this portion of the show - it looked like he borrowed one of Tyra's weaves, put it in the spin cycle and put it back on his head. The Jays welcome the girls, open the door to the Top Model Institute of Technology and let the shrieking begin!

Continue reading "America's Next Top Model: Cycle 11 Has Arrived!" »

Posted by Mia at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

If a show is worth watching, it’s probably worth fighting about. We all have issues we’re passionate about on our favorite shows – but sometimes it feel like it’s dangerous to talk about them. If only there were a safe forum where we could share thoughts without mounting a scorched earth campaign.

That’s why we’re starting our new Fighting Words segment. Every Monday, we’ll post a new topic, and we’ll give you our perspective. Then, we want you to tell us what YOU think. Don’t hold back – give us your best argument on the topic of the week, and see if you can convince the rest of the readers!

There are some rules, of course. Our goal is to make this a friendly area to talk through the issues, not a place to mount TV-inspired holy wars. So we ask you do the following:
Keep it clean. No swearing, not personal attacks, no branding people who disagree with you poopy-butts or other such unpleasantness.

Stay on topic. If, for example, we’re debating whether Jason C. looks best in a suit or a t-shirt, it’s not the time to bring up arguments about his interview style or whether he loves Mia, Jackie or Sarah the most (we’ll get to that soon enough).

Try not to YELL, dismiss people out of hand, or use phrases like “A TRUE FAN should think this,” “Obviously that’s wrong,” or “You TOTALLY don’t know the show/have the inside scoop/read the mind of the show’s creator like I do.” This is about opinions, and there are no right or wrong answers, just more or less compelling arguments.

Beyond that, anything goes! Feel free to suggest topics you want to debate in the comments, or e-mail us with suggestions.

We're kicking things off with a Top Model debate. If you listen to the ANTM podcasts, you know Jackie and Mia get a little heated on the topic of Tyra. So here's this week's topic:

After the jump, Jackie, Mia and I share our thoughts. Post your own in the comments and let the great debate begin!

Continue reading "Introducing Fighting Words! Today: Tyra's Insane! vs. Tyra's in on The Joke" »

Posted by Sarah at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Eonline reports that Gossip Girl received a whopping 14 Teen Choice nominations, including Best Drama, Best Breakout Show, and Choice TV Actor/Actress.

It's true that GG is everywhere on the list of nominations. All three female leads (Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Taylor Momsen) are up for Best Breakout Female Star, and we were especially excited to see Ed Westwick's Chuck Bass nominated for Choice TV Villain along with Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum. But One Tree Hill also earned its fair share of nominations, including Choice TV Drama, Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush for Choice TV Actress and Chad Michael Murray for Choice TV Actor. Our complaint: where are James Lafferty and Bethany Joy Galeotti? They deserve some noms, too!

Other shows represented include America's Next Top Model (Cycle 10 winner Whitney is up for Choice TV Female Reality Star, Tyra is up for Choice TV Personality, and the show itself is in the running for Choice TV: Reality Beauty and Makeover), Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (for Reality Music Competition), and Smallville (Choice TV Show Action/Adventure, Choice TV Actor/Actress Action/Adventure for Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk). Even Beauty and The Geek made the list with a nomination for Choice TV: Reality Beauty & Makeover.

Notably absent from the list: Supernatural and Reaper. And what about Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, and The Game? We think these shows were seriously overlooked -- do you agree?

Let us know what you think of the nominations in the comments!

Posted by Jackie at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

We love this Jason C. interview with three of the past winners from America's Next Top Model. Saleisha and CariDee talk to Jason about what ice cream flavors they would be while Jaslene tells us about what's going on in her personal life.

Posted by Mia at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The CW has a sizzling new lineup coming to us this fall and we couldn't be more excited! Not only are some of our favorites back, we've got new shows that are sure to have us talking.

Monday Nights

The winning combo of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill will be back and filled with drama.

Continue reading "Get Ready for What's Coming Your Way at The CW" »

Posted by Mia at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

Jason C. offered up his time and opinions to help me with this week's podcast for America's Next Top Model I was starting to lose my voice but this was a lot of fun.

Posted by Mia at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Jason C. got to speak with several of the eliminees from cycle 10 of America's Next Top Model at the Seventeen Magazine party. For the most part, it seems like the right girl won, however many of them had been rooting for Anya.

Posted by Mia at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We had a great time at the Seventeen Magazine party for America's Next Top Model. Jason C. was able to sit down with Whitney after her big win.

Posted by Mia at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, we've got a winner and she's our first plus-sized full- figured juicy booty top model - Whitney!

We got to watch the final episode (along with the Seventeen Magazine cover unveiling) with the three final contestants sitting right in front of us! Hearing and seeing their reactions to what was being played on screen was priceless.

The show started out with Anya, Fatima and Whitney in Rome and their next challenge was to shoot a commercial and print ad for Cover Girl. Anya's nerves started getting the best of her and she broke down while getting her makeup done. We got the scoop (although it seemed pretty obvious from the editing) that she was also battling a cold on top of it all. All three of the girls seemed to struggle with their lines (Anya practically put her hands in front of her eyes when her commercial was being shown at the screening) but Fatima's best take came out the worst. The Cover Girl print ad was much stronger for Fatima and Paulina even commented that Whitney's ad showed brilliance for the first time. When it came to critiquing Anya's photo, Paulina wasn't as impressed. She scoffed and said Anya looked "stupid" in the photo - like she was thinking about fields and pastures. We were a bit offended by this remark and judging by the look on Whitney's face, she didn't approve of it either.

Continue reading "We've Got Our Top Model Winner: Whitney!" »

Posted by Mia at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight is the big finale for cycle 10 of America's Next Top Model and we'll be on the red carpet for the Seventeen Magazine party to speak with the contestants later tonight. We caught up with a group of the past winners and then the three finalists who are still in the running to becoming America's Next Top Model.

Continue reading "CW Upfront Interviews with Past and Present Top Models" »

Posted by Mia at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week we said goodbye to Dominique but she made it back to our studio to help Jason C. with our Top Model recap. This should get you up to speed before tonight's big finale for cycle 10.

Posted by Mia at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Cycle 8's Sarah Vonderhaar joins Mia and I again for our latest Top Model podcast, "Ready for My Close-Up!" We discuss Dominique's downfall, the judges' mixed messages, Paulina's breathtaking beauty, and the difficult paparazzi shoot.

We discuss the photography challenge, the lack of one-on-one time with Tyra, and why it might be better to NOT win the whole competition. Oh, and of course, we speculate how the finale will go down. Listen to the Top Model podcast for "Ready for My Close-Up" and let us know what you think! Subscribe on iTunes to be the first to get our podcasts!

Posted by Jackie at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Dominique headed back to America last night on Top Model, and it wasn't a huge surprise. We realized that, especially this week, she's really grown on us. Yeah, she had delusions of grandeur and bursts of excessive self-confidence, but we're inclined to think she needed them after enduring the harshness of panel. We agree that she wasn't the best model there, but did they have to chuckle about her manliness week after week? If it was that bad, why not cut her six episodes ago? The girl's features aren't going to morph into Anya's overnight.

Let's backtrack. For the challenge, the models got behind the camera and shot Paulina, who, by the way, needs to start co-hosting this show (at least). She's stunning, her critiques are honest but not cruel, and she doesn't mock accents (ahem, Tyra!).

Continue reading "Top Model: Down to the Final Three!" »

Posted by Jackie at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Dominique was no stranger to controversy during her stay in the Top Model house, but in her chat with Jason C., she's easygoing and lighthearted. The much-talked-about contestant gives her take on her panel outfits, her new longer locks, and that alarm clock battle with Claire. We love how she laughs off the drama!

Posted by Jackie at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week on Top Model, the competitors played gladiator and posed for Tyra, and Katarzyna was sent home. She shares her side of the story with Jason C., describing Rome's beauty, her reaction when she found out Tyra was photographing the girls, and who she's pulling for to win it all now!

Posted by Jackie at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)