Friday, November 23, 2007

The Week of the Models

This week two new shows started America's Next Top Model in Channel 10, and Runway to LA on Fox 8.

America's Next Top Model hosted by the ever popular Tyra Banks has been going for seasons over there, andMonday night was the first episode of a new series.

The aim was to whittle the 32 girls, down to 13 who will get to live in the house and fight it out to be America's Next Top Model.

Tyra is assisted in this task by her two gay sidekicks Miss J, I could not quite work out if he was transgender or just extremely camp, his title is runway director, and another Jay who is Director of photography shoots.

Tonights episode was just a flash of girls, so it was impossible to get a handle on all of them.

Standouts, by which I mean most controversial, was Dani from Texas who in her audition tape said she was a true blue republican, which meant she was anti-everything, gays, abortion, blacks etc.

Yeah baby well done the host is black, and the sidekicks are gay. She was not that pretty and was only there for the tv value, by being offensive. She however did not make the final 13.

Jade 26 an outspoken New York chick did make the grade. It will be interesting to see how many people she will rub the wrong way in the next few weeks. But that is the point of reality tv, good entertainment.

I was pleased to see the triumvirate did not put through the farm girl Andrea, who kept on crying because she was missing her family, and also appeared to have an eating disorder.

Next week they are in the house, so it will be game on.

Runway to LA is an Australian series with Jordan Loukas the girl who came third in Australia's Next Top Model, and Charlotte Dawson as her mentor. They are going to go to LA together to see if she can crack that market over there.

I remember Jordan from her work at my local boost juice store, in my spiritual home land Marrickville Metro. She once served me a smoothie it tasted ok, so I wish her well.

The show starts with supposedly A list Charlotte, leaving from her "home" in Point Piper. After a disastrous marriage to Scott Miller, didn't she slink off with her tale between her legs back to her homeland New Zealand?

Her career was resurrected after being a guest judge on the last season of Australia's Next Top Model, she was seen as talent, and at one stage was mooted as taking over the hosting role from Jodhi Meares.

Jordan lives with her mother and sister in Marrickville, and Charlotte started hyperventilating once she hit Newtown (for those who don't know Sydney, Newtown is a fairly trendy inner western suburb) " Oh my God, I am now in the Western suburbs," with a sneer in her voice, and her nose upturned. The Point Piper princess act was not working for me considering she had about three big tattoos on her and they were the ones we could see. Hello any tatts on Susan Renouf, or Lady Sonia MacMahon.

Anyway that comment was not going to win her any fans from viewers west of Surry Hills.

The premise of the first episode was for Jordan to get over her many fears and paranoia's one of which includes a fear of choking so can only eat soft things. So working at Boost Juice must have been good for her. She had to swim with the sharks, have a boot camp work out with a ok looking personal trainer, and an all day photo shoot which included a snake draped over her.

At first I thought Jordan just whinged alot, however after reading an article about her in this weeks NW, she is being really honest, about her not so glamorous past, and the effect it has had on her.

In a nutshell, her mum was really sick when she was 12, she started going of the rails by truanting from Newtown Performing Arts High School, the one Matt Corby did not get into. Pot smoking, then speed taking, and a few run ins with the police.

She appears to be a bit unmotivated considering this is a pretty huge break for her so I hope the whinyness gets out of her voice, unless this is how the producers want to present her, so they can show later on the changes that life coach Charlotte has managed to make.

Also I hope Charlotte's over acting and hammyness settles down.

On the photo shoot, Charlotte took her to task for having love handles, and her appalling dietary habits.

Fish and chips for lunch, and tea with five sugars. All a big no no.

Next week an old rival Paloma will be entering the mix who says" Why didn't I get my own show I am much more interesting" To be honest I think she is right. She has attitude with a capital A.

This show will be worth a second viewing.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just catching up after an OS sojourn...

Two things:

1. Is Jordan Chrissa's daughter?
2. This is an OLD series of Top Model... the NEW series started this week on FOX - do you want to know who won????????

Reality Raver said...

If Jordan is Chrissa's daughter the question would be which high profile lawyer would be the father?

I know it is the old series. However as there is a lack of reality shows on TV until the start of American Idol in the New Year.

I am also watching the Tuesday night one which has just started.

I don't want to know the winner.

Any shows seen in the US that the Aust should copy?

Anonymous said...

Absolutely... Shot at Love with Tila Tequila... don't think it's on here yet although the better half tells me she may have been out here recently so it may not be too far away... I wouldn't copy it, I'd just go with the original.

Is billed as the "first bisexual Batchelor-style program" which sees Tila, the diminutive Eurasian sexpot, choosing between a (very) diverse group of boys and girls in the usual appalling style of such shows...

Have to say, can't help but think Tila didn't have much say in choosing the "finalists" because the contenders range from majorly hetero studs to lesbians whose major hobbies are truckin' and construction (made that up but you get the picture...)

In the last ep before I returned, Tila had been out to meet the remaining contestant's parents and had done a lap dance for one of the player's grandmother - charmed I'm sure... This followed the "best" scrag fight the week prior one is likely to see this side of Jerry Springer...

Anyway, overall it falls into the reality category of "so bad you can't help but watch it..." Was on MTV in the US so not sure where it would end up there...

The biggie over there at the moment, in terms of controversy generated and ratings is "Kid Nation". Saw one episode of it and it was truly disturbing in a Lord of the Flies way. From what I could pick up, a bunch of kids aged from 5-ish to mid teens have been dumped in a deserted town and told to form and run their own community. I saw some stuff about it on my other fave show "The View" when it first started and the first couple of episodes had five year old kids pictured rocking back and forth crying for their parents while other kids of 9 or 10 tried to comfort them - kinda sick in a way but having watched this episode down the track it's clear that whatever has happened in between, they've established a community that appears to be being run on democratic principles and leaders/decision makers have emerged etc. Not sure what damage the kiddies have suffered and how the network will go 20 years down the track defending the negligence claims when clearly a five year old can't "consent" to such treatment but if it arrives here it would be a must see...

Apart from that, the NEW Top Model has an interesting cast member this year (seen as a finalist in this week's opener here - Heather) with aspergers... she was being hailed on morning TV the week I left as a "role model" for yoof... see what you think...

Apart from that, not a great deal to report. Survivor China and a new series of Amazing Race were both on and I think the former is now on here. Seven started a new series of Amazing Race tonight but I think it's an old one????

On a non-reality front, Womens Murder Club is the one I'm waiting for. It has my favourite ex ADA from Law and Order (can't think of her name, very attractive brunette with the deep husky voice) plus the ditsy blonde from "Dead Like Me" (one of my faves that never made it to free to air).

Anyway, must finishing unpacking...

Ciao