TyraBanks-related stories
Posted Nov 19th 2009 1:30AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(S13E11) I love how Tyra Banks creates revisionist history on
America's Next Top Model. Not only does she denounce Adrianne Curry's name, she now is ignoring the fact that Eva, who was 5' 6.5" won Cycle Three against "normal" sized models. That's an accomplishment.
This cycle's finale episode was less hectic than previous cycles because there were only two contestants, so the commercial, photoshoots, and model walks felt better paced. I like the concept, we should have final twos for the remaining seasons.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't mind if either Nicole or Laura won. Both took stunning photos.
Continue reading Review: America's Next Top Model - America's Next Top Model Is... (Season Finale)
Posted Nov 12th 2009 3:48AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(
S13E10)
America's Next Top Model continues to chug along with its petite models. At this point, the girls are pigeon holed into their story lines: Nicole - the awkward one, Laura - the southern belle, Erin - the prissy high schooler, and Jen - the sweet girl with an eye problem. They basically repeat something that fits their storyline.
Though I haven't mentioned this until now, what is up with Jen having these overly loud, sugary interviews? Screaming "Why Me?" followed by her squealing excitement for Laura picking her. It's almost as if she knows that she was stunt-cast and decided to have a fun time before she got eliminated.
Continue reading Review: America's Next Top Model - Hawaii Hip Hop
Posted Nov 5th 2009 2:36AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(
S13E09) We're down to the final five on
America's Next Top Model and one thing that
Top Model is doing better this season than
Project Runway is capitalizing on their location. Sure, Laura may look like a tomato during interviews, but at least Hawaii is being represented through their beaches and sugarcane plantations.
This week's challenges were basically recycled from previous seasons. A falling challenge (similar to Season Six's Falling Fairytale photoshoot) and an underwater challenge (which was done in a pool in Season Two for Quench Water). Both proved to be more interesting because of the beautiful location.
Continue reading Review: America's Next Top Model - Dive Deeper
Posted Oct 29th 2009 12:59AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(
S13E08) I don't know how
America's Next Top Model's photoshoots continue to grow more and more insane. This week, Tyra decided to turn the model hopefuls bi-racial. Surprisingly, the photos didn't turn out bad, just not model-like.
You know it's never good when a boring character gets a character. The mathematician Brittany caught the bitch bug and complained about how immature Erin was for the rest of the episode. Guess what happened at the end of the episode? I would rather have gotten the "fading away" edit that Tyra loves so much.
Continue reading Review: America's Next Top Model - Let's Go Surfing
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 1:00AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(
S13E07) I love watching episodes of
America's Next Top Model where contestants think they are amazing and crash and burn by the end of the show. This week, the challenge for the would-be models was the dreaded CoverGirl commercial.
The past few episodes have really become "Let's root for dorky Nicole, dyslexic Laura, and droopy-eyed Jennifer." They don't get bitch edits and even Rae finally realized how cool Nicole's dork-chic can actually be. Sundai and Erin complain about everything, while Brittany and Rae are forgettable. Since all three are favorites, I doubt that Tyra will pick them to win.
Continue reading Review: America's Next Top Model - Interview 101
Posted Oct 8th 2009 11:00AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(
S13E05)
Benny Ninja invaded America's Next Top Model this week trying to teach the girls how to emote with their bodies. As long as he doesn't try creating stupid words like "Smize" or "H2T," he's good in my book. All the girls felt really bland this episode, probably because Bianca is gone and she's not ruffling any feathers.
Mr. Ninja needed some help and called on Lil Mama and the JabbaWokeeZ. Lil Mama? That's like trying to get Kim Kardashian to judge models. Wait, she is? I knew Tyra Banks was insane, but all the guests this year take the cake.Continue reading America's Next Top Model: Dance with Me
Posted Oct 5th 2009 9:20PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl
(S03E04) "How can I rule over people I don't understand?" - BlairThe main storyline this week on
Gossip Girl may have been the introduction of Hilary Duff's character Olivia "Kate" Burke, a movie star who comes to NYU in the hopes to get a normal college experience, but I much preferred Blair's storyline.
Blair is still at the bottom of the food chain at NYU and doesn't know how to get Queen B status amongst people she doesn't know. Thanks to Blair spiraling down to Constance to bring order back, and to a very clever plan mastered by Chuck to bring his girlfriend back to reality, we were treated to interesting scenes, including one that had Dorotea speaking her mind to Blair!
Continue reading Gossip Girl: Dan De Fleurette
Posted Sep 9th 2009 10:32PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(S13E01/S13E02) America's Next Top Model's casting special has always been a little ironic because all the contestants have been revealed on
the official CW website. Nonetheless, the girls arrived at a hotel to be sorted. Instantly, we're given a snarky gay man who takes the girls' names. He never shows up after that scene.
Tyra wants to make sure that short models get a chance this year as she looks for the next petite model. None of the girls are taller than 5'7", but to give all of the girls a shot, none of the short girls are plus-sized.
Continue reading America's Next Top Model: How Short Can You Go / The Early Bird Gets A Makeover (season premiere)
Posted Sep 9th 2009 9:04AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Early Looks
For the thirteenth season of
America's Next Top Model nothing really has changed. The girls stand even less of a chance of being a successful model this season because of their well-advertised height deficit. Fans of the show will find the same exact program since
ANTM has been part of the CW lineup. I guess after twelve cycles, it's inevitable that we'd see a lot of the same.
Top Model will also be emphasizing the word "petite" for the height-challenged girls. There are points of bad overdubbing where the Jays voiced over the word "petite" because they didn't originally use it. If this season does well, it may become the catalyst for "
America's Next Top Plus-Sized Model."
Continue reading America's Next Top Model cycle thirteen -- An early look
Posted Aug 8th 2009 5:04PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
Note that over the summer,
Spoilers Anonymous will be published every two weeks due to production hiatus for most TV series. Weekly columns will resume in August.
This week we have spoilers for:
90210, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, Chuck, CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Greek, Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice, Heroes, Lost, Melrose Place, NCIS: Los Angeles, Scrubs, Smallville, and The Office. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Posted May 8th 2009 1:01PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Watercooler Talk
It's finally that time when Tyra has three contestants left on
America's Next Top Model. After weeding out the competition, we are left with Allison, Aminat, and Teyona. Like every finale, the girls will have to complete a Cover Girl commercial/photoshoot, and then the final two will have a runway walk-off.
Who has the upper hand? None of them. Each contestant is missing a piece of the model puzzle. None of the winners ever had every aspect down, bringing it all down to the decision of Tyra Banks. Let's take a look at some of the advantages, disadvantages, and outlying factors that will affect the girls in the final episode.
Continue reading America's Next Top Model: Who will win?
Posted Nov 24th 2008 5:05PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Daytime, Talk Show, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
I think you can place this under the 'Well, duh!' category of programming decisions. Though, I'm not too sure it's the right choice. That's where you come in: I need you to give me some sense as to if the following move is a good idea or not.
See, Tyra Banks, who is the host of the CW's America's Next Top Model, also has a syndicated talk show called The Tyra Banks Show. The daytime talker has been around for four seasons now and has received fairly respectable numbers. Now, in agreement with the talk show's distributor, the program will be taken off of the syndication market after this season and added to the CW daytime lineup starting in 2009. There, it will make double weekday runs at 3:00 and 4:00 pm.
Continue reading Tyra goes from syndication to the CW. Which one is better?
Posted Sep 10th 2008 11:09PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: America's Next Top Model, Episode Reviews
(S01E03) I'm really kind of freaked out by the contestants that we've seen so far this season. No, not because there's a transgendered person in the house; the reason I'm so confused is that there seem to be several girls who are kind of awesome.
Of course Hannah is an idiot; she's the small town girl that ends up on the show every season and goes through the competition completely unrepentant in her ignorance. While the other girls in the house usually just go with this, this season they're actually confronting her about her stank behavior, which includes pushing Isis and saying that since she's the "stereotypical white girl," she doesn't come into rooms screaming, (like black people do).
When they have the confrontation, which to me, seems very calm and respectful, Hannah actually likens it to "gang rape," and says it's "like gang violence." She is a ridiculous individual. A ridiculous, horrifying, ugly individual.
Continue reading America's Next Top Model: The Ladder of Model Success
Posted Sep 4th 2008 1:04AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: America's Next Top Model, Episode Reviews
(S11E01; S11E02) The CW is trying to kill me. First they give me a
two-hour 90210 premiere, now it's two hours of Tyra flipping her weave on
ANTM's season premiere. Is this
A Clockwork Orange? Are they going to tape my eyelids open??? All I know is that the hot tranny mess in this season's cast had better be worth it.
The best part of any
America's Next Top Model premiere is to see whatever wacky way Tyra chooses to introduce herself to the semi-finalists. This year, she sent the girls to be scanned at the "Top Model Institute of Technology," with Alpha J. and Beta Jay. Eventually, Robot Tyra enters the room to a chorus of ear-shattering squeals. All I can say is that Robot Tyra is no
Psycho Homecoming Queen Tyra.
Continue reading America's Next Top Model: The Notorious Fierce Fourteen; Top Model Inauguration (season premiere)
Posted Aug 5th 2008 11:25AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, America's Next Top Model
I love advertisements. Especially since the use of PhotoShop has become so widespread, ads and pictures in magazines have become less and less interested in reality, and more interested in the general idea of what an image is.
For instance, the
ad for Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model featured in the September issue of
Vogue doesn't look like a
picture of
Tyra Banks surrounded by fashionista wannabes, so much as the
idea of Tyra Banks surrounded by fashionista wannabes ... as imagined by an unholy union of Pixar artists and caricature-drawing carnies after a 72-hour absinthe and 'shroom binge that featured
Jesus Christ Superstar stuck on a loop in the DVD player.
Continue reading New America's Next Top Model promo reminds me why I love this show
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