Reality Ravings

Shire uber model Cheyenne Tozzi was called in as a replacement judge for Charlotte Dawson at the Townsville casting call for Australia's Next Top Model.

Charlotte stayed in Sydney to be near jailed boyfriend Matthew Rhodin. Matthew who is up on fraud charges, spent the weekend in jail as he had yet to post the $100,000 bail. I wonder if Charlotte will help come up with the cash?

Anyway all reports from Townsville was that Cheyenne, who is only 19, acquitted herself very well.

Full story on Daily Tele.

Ricky-Lee Coulter To Be A Divorcee at the age of 22.
The men in Australia will be rejoicing today now it has been revealed her marriage to Jamie Babbington is over. Ricky-Lee's publicist cited "distance and time apart" for the split. Ricky-Lee moved to Sydney to be a co-host on Australian Idol.

The couple were together for seven years. So she must have been 15 and he was 24 when they started going out. I am not sure what I think of that.

Full story on Daily Tele.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia auditions in Brisbane Today
Brisvegas dancers were out in force today for the auditions of SYTYCD Au. Season 1 winner Jack Chambers was from Brisbane, he will be permanently moving to New York in March. Part of his prize money has gone towards buying an apartment on the Upper West Side. Nacho Pop and Jack were also at the auditions today.

Brisbane Times has more details.

Charlotte Dawson's Boyfriend Is Doing Jail Time.
Now what is it with Next Top Model judge Charlotte Dawson and her propensity for men who have difficulties with the law. Her former husband Scott Miller currently has drug charges laid against him, and her current squeeze Matthew Rodin just spent the night in jail on fraud charges.

$100,000 is required to get him out of jail. Now Charlotte seems like a sensible woman she needs to ditch this guy and fast. Does she really want to be schleping to Long Bay Jail each weekend if he is convicted? The charges relate to a $7.5 million fraud.

The Australian has the full yarn.

America's Next Top Model Cycle 12 Spoiler Alert.
NY Mag has a little article saying the overseas trip for the Cycle 12 models is in Sao Paulo.

After thinking it was a dead cert that Charlotte Dawson would be the new host of Australia's Next Top Model, it has been revealed she will stay as the 'forthright judge'.

Foxtel clearly don't think the more hard-arsed, some might say bitchy Ms Dawson would not be appropriate as host, and they are looking for a more 'mothering' host. Well lets hope mothering does not mean insipid as that was what Jodhi Meares was.

Apparently Charlotte is angling for a variety show on Foxtel - I am presuming that may be something like an Ellen or Kerrie Ann Kennerly type show.

Full story on the Daily Tele Website.

Also Farmer Wants a Wife Appears To Be Turning Into Farmer Wants a Bloke. No that does not mean a gay farmer has been revealed to be on the next season of the popular Channel 9 series, something personally I reckon would be fabulous, but women farmers will be able to cast around for a mate.

The two women Jenny from Wagga, and Shona Isod from the Northern Territory both look like quite a catch. To apply to meet them and the other male farmers their profiles are now up on the official website Farmer Wants A Wife.

Lets hope they don't change the show to the more PC title Farmer Wants a Partner - not quite as catchy.

Charlotte Dawson may have managed to combine two of my favourite things, reality tv, and sex tapes (please note dear reader, I never managed to see any sex tapes not even Paris Hilton's but I like these revelations as they always amuse me.)

It has been revealed that Charlotte Dawson judge on Australia's Next Top Model may have been in a sex tape a few years back on a New Zealand reality tv show The Player.

Charlotte who at times has mentored the model's on the show is using the much used "I cannot recall excuse."

A few years ago when Charlotte's career here tanked, this coincided with the breakdown of her marriage to Scott Miller (now on drug charges), she scuttled back to her homeland New Zealand.

This is when the sex tape supposedly occurred.

The New Zealand Herald reports:
Now based in Australia, Dawson told the Herald on Sunday she was so drunk the night the so-called sex tape was filmed that she didn't remember what happened.

"It's always been this urban myth of what happened in this apartment," she said.

"I remember being there, I remember being drunk."

Dawson, who was wearing thigh-high patent leather boots on the night in question, said she remembered being on one contestant's shoulders while pointing a knife at the camera and saying "**** you Julie Christie".

"I'm not proud of that night, I'm not proud of that time in my life. It was one out-of-control night."

Dawson denied she and the other woman had sex with the two contestants at the apartment but two sources told the Herald on Sunday that the tape did exist.

Dawson had been at Auckland's Boogie Wonderland club with a group of friends, including Nicky Watson and her ex-boyfriend Matthew Ridge and some of the male contestants. Dawson, a friend and two of the contestants went back to the City Life apartment, where multiple cameras recorded the footage.

Christie said in her email that the group would have known the cameras were there. Dawson said Christie has held the existence of the tape over her.

"I will not be bullied about something that happened four or five years ago. My career is going well and I don't want someone like Julie... trying to ruin my life. I don't deserve it so I will fight back."

Hilarious - if they can get an excerpt Charlotte could give the girls a lesson on what not to do on reality tv.... also may liven up the series a bit.

It makes the faux lesbian kiss between Leiden and one of the other girls look positively lame.

Full story here.

Australia's Next T0p Model judge, Charlotte Dawson, has copped a pasting on popular overseas website http://www.gofugyourself.com/ because of the outfit she wore to the MTV awards last week. It is pretty bad it looks like she put the stockings and jacket on, but forgot to put on the dress.

Australia's Next Top Model commences tonight on Fox 8, and the media frenzy continues unabated.

The Sydney Morning Herald here has an article talking about how with the overseas success of last years winner Alice Burdeau has inspired a higher quality of entrant this year.

Executive Producer Josie Mason said "A lot of girls who were already with agents saw last year that you can be in Top Model and it can actually propel your career."

Mason also comments on the issue of eating disorders with the contestants:

We handle it on a case-by-case basis and we're very careful," she says. "[Host Jodhi Meares] is very passionate about girls being healthy and fit and one of her big things is that you have to last often a 16-, 18-hour day, and if you're not eating there's no way you're going to be able to do that ... What surprises me is how much these girls can eat. They can put it away."

There was no sign of that when The Guide visited an early challenge, a shoot for Perry in an Alexandria warehouse. During the lunch break, the crew's plates groaned with food while the models floated by with a lone piece of sushi or finger sandwich. To be fair, they were in the middle of a shoot and it's hard to imagine Perry looking kindly on a model stuffing her face.

Don't expect to see a plus size model on the show soon if Alex Perry has anything to do with it:

When asked what he thinks about the US version's efforts to promote plus-size models, he snorts with derision: "Get. Over. It. Get over it. They haven't got an Alice. In how many seasons? You know what? You can wrap up that fat model story anyway you want - they're not meant to be."

Jodhi Meares also has an interview in this weeks Woman's Day. Link here.

Jodhi's comments on the format of the upcoming series:
It's a similar format but I think it's more exciting. The challenges are more exciting. There has been a lot more going on. I think it is a more even playing field this year. It's not as obvious — there were more 'stand outs' last year. This season has been much harder on the judges and there definitely are more split decisions each week. We're all disagreeing, all the time — it's been very difficult. You'll see more sparks flying. Mainly from me — I get on my soapbox and start yelling at the two of them — the gargoyles! They rev me up and tease me relentlessly too.

Charlotte Dawson one of the judges appears to be having a big week co-hosting the Astra Awards last night, ex-husband Scott Miller being arrested for being in a drug ring last week, and moving out to a new flat as she had broken up from her partner Ed Harbour. But you have to give it to her in the picture here from last night shows her looking fab.

In this weeks New Weekly (NW) hard copy only Charlotte Dawson gives her own summary of what the she thinks of the contestants below.

Leiden: "Leiden's got that Angelina Jolie quality about her. She's a tomboy, so we're trying to refine her."

Alexandra: "Alexandra's extremely confident and thinks she knows her fashion back to front. However, she doesn't take criticism well and tends to pass the blame."

Emma: "She's really, really beautiful, but she's the most awkward of all the girls. She doesn't believe in herself or her beauty, although the other girls think she'll be the winner. She needs more confidence before she can go further."

Kristy: "She'll be a good working model"

Kamila: "She's a pint-sized ballbreaker with an awful lot of ambition."

Jamie: "Jamie's one of the nicest girls. She's got a great face and photographs really well, but she has a very athletic body and muscular legs. All the boys will love her."

Demelza: "Pop her in Miss Universe and she'd win it. She has the potential to be the next Jennifer Hawkins. She's a bit young at this stage, but she's incredibly beautiful so it will be interesting to see how she blossoms."

Alyce: " Alyce can annoy us with her giggling, so we'll have to knock that out of her. She's a really sexy girl but tends to over-pose."

Alamela: "Alamela is a purely beautiful human being. She has a unique work ethic but sometimes I wonder if she's secretly an axe murderer."

Bec: I think she's incredibly beautiful and has the ability to channel Megan Gale if she puts her mind to it."

Sam: "Sam is quite something. Her in front of the camera really is magic."

Caris: "My secret favourite. She is actually a nice girl and I get good energy from her. Caris is exceptionally beautiful, but she has braces and a bad student diet, so she has a bit against her."

Belinda: "She is an absolute diamond in the rough. She's never worn high heels before and is really kooky but has an endearing personality and a lot of potential."

Hopefully Charlotte Dawson Is Not Mentoring Those Innocent Australia's Next Top Model Girls, as Ex Hubby is in deep s**t.

Charlotte Dawson who is a judge on Australia's Next Top Model, ex husband Scott Miller has been arrested as part of a production of an illegal drugs syndicate.

Charlotte who had an acrimonious divorce from him, including suing Woman's Day successfully fled to New Zealand for a number of years after the split.

She won't be happy about being tarnished by him again especially as she has successfully reestablished her career and social life in Sydney.

Link to full story on the drug bust here.

Tarasai Vushe Australian Idol Contestant from last year claims she was kidnapped and held by ex-boyfriend for 8 hours.

Gosh I feel I like I am writing a crime blog today. Tarasai has claimed she was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and held for 8 hours before she was released. However she is refusing to go to the Police, but willing to talk about her ordeal with the media. Does this mean the media is more powerful then the police in NSW??

Seriously if she was a victim of domestic violence she should go the police and be a role model for other women in these situations.

Tarasai who went out of Idol in a blazing tantrum, refusal to go the Police will only result in further criticism from the viewing public.

Story from News.com.au here

Kristy Lee Cook and Nigel Lythgoe Spotted Flirted At American Idol Taping.
Ok maybe I am reading more into this then I should but a very interesting article on the taping of the Mariah Carey elimination show on EW here reveals that there was quite a bit of giggling and chat between Idol producer and SYTYCD judge Nigel Lythgoe and Kristy Lee in the breaks.

Well weirder things have happened, look at Russian President Putin who is allegedly about to marry a 24 year old ex-gymnast. I blame French Prime Minister Sarkovsky for starting the trend when he married the ex super model Carla Bruni. What next Kevin Rudd with Jennifer Hawkins. Yuck.

For Survivor Fans Behind the Scenes Look At Survivor China
This link will take you to some short videos on Behind the Scenes look at Survivor China. I found it quite interesting, there seems to be a squillion people working on the show. The one linked there is about the Dream Team, these people test the challenges. All the vids are hosted by Jeff Probst.


Natalie Bassingthwaite is the new face for Garnier Nutrisse

Natalie Bassingthwaite the girl everywhere at the moment has now been signed for 12 months as the face of Garnier Nutrisse, they will include colouring and cutting her hair. So we can judge the products on Sunday's show some of her do's on the show have been tres ordinary.

More details here.

The episode opens with Charlotte Dawson, life coach, telling Jordan Loukas that she was going to a second casting with Ed Hardy aka Christian Audiger.

This time the casting was to be in his shop.

Charlotte says" Do what ever he want you to do and give 100%" , and then "Really blow his mind" then she dumped her alone at the Ed Hardy store.

At this point I perked up thinking I was going to see some casting couch action in a town which is notorious for it. However that did not happen.

This is where Christian and his head stylist Ray pretend to be in deep conversation with the camera on them, Jordan walks in.

This is where I think this show needed a bit of cash for comment subtitle. Clearly the Producers have made a deal with Christian Audiger, be it money or publicity, so it is getting a bit boring that they are presenting this as a real modelling opportunity when it is obvious the whole thing has been set up for her.

The purpose of this casting wast to get the Audiger shop on TV. Yes it looked great. They did not even bother to get her to catwalk again. She was then sent outside while Christian and Ray conferred and came to their final decision. Which shock horror they were going to let Jordon to be in the LA Fashion Week show.

In line with their agreement and it must be a good one was that Jordan and Charlotte could take any clothes they wanted from the shop. That would have been cool, and they took stacks of stuff. I am sure no other model in his show was offered that.

Next Jordan does an Ashley Paige swimsuit shoot on Venice Beach surrounded by male models. Different props were standing on the top of a human pyramid, standing on a surfboard in high heels, and freezing her tits of in the water whilst groping spunky boy.

Then some of the shots are sent to Jordan's hotel. As Charlotte peruses them Jordan remarks "Her face was expressionless". That is because of all the botox Jordan.

However after pretending to hate them Charlotte gave them the 2 thumbs up.

Next it is time for the Ed Hardy show, and it was quite a spectacular, celebs like Brandy, and some midget rapper called Bow Wow, and even The Hoff.

Christian then announced that Jordan would open the show. A huge honour one that usually goes to the highest profile model. I presume this was another part of the contract between the producers and Ed Hardy.

Jordan looked great, but very nervous. I would have liked Miss Jay to critique her catwalk style.

Anyway now that is over, it was time to come home from LA, with Jordan promising she would be over there soon.

She did not outline when she would be going, and last I had read about her she had been cast in some bands music video.

Good Luck Jordan.

Runway to LA shows that Americans do reality TV better then Australians.

I know that reality TV is that you set situations up so you can then film what happens at them, however this show feels too set up. Well this particular episode did.

I think this episode could have been subtitled "The Ed Hardy Promo Episode"

This episode Charlotte Dawson, and Jordan Loukas were still in LA, and the first scene were the two of them exercising/running through a canyon. Charlotte whinged that Jordan was not showing any humour or personality whilst exercising. Who does? Jordan appeared in a Ed Hardy top.

Next Charlotte says that Jordon is going to attend a networking party with fashion people, models, and musos. Apparently they were Charlotte's contacts. Well they turn up to the Roosevelt Hotel, and Charlotte then tells Jordon she will in fact be hosting the soiree, and will have to circulate. Charlotte will be watching on a monitor from a room.

The party was small with only 15 people, you wondered where they wrangled them from. Some probably did not even know why they were there.

I would have thought that prior to LA they may have tried to do some confidence building skills with Jordan, as it was quite embarrassing having to watch her make pretty poor small talk around the party.

You get the feeling if Paloma or any of those girls from America's Next Top Model had been at that party they would have been working on it.

Some guy saved her with some chat about salsa dancing, then Charlotte rang her and called her to the room.

Jordon had a meltdown, when she got in the room, and said I cannot go out there again and kept on crying.

At first they were going to put an ear piece in Jordan's ear so Charlotte could talk her through it. Then I think the producers took Charlotte aside and said you better go out there with her, as the 'special guest' had arrived.

It was none other the Christian Oderjai the designer/owner of Ed Hardy.

They are at the bar and Charlotte forces her to talk to him, finally it it agreed she go for a casting for his show next week.

This bit was obviously set up, and must be a part of the contract of the promotion of his clothes on the show.

Charlotte then takes her down to Sunset Boulevarde to practice catwalking. After that it was onto Hollywood Boulevarde to cat walk in a bikini, considering there are so many freaks in that area Jordan did not look out of place.

The people dressed up as super heroes kept on following her.

Next up was a visit to Perez Hilton, who apparently had writing about Jordan before when he was at a fashion parade in Australia and she had a wardrobe malfunction - boob fell out of dress. Unfortunately I could not find the article on his website.

Perez tells her she should thank him for the exposure, also if she wants to get along in this town she should expose her boobs and beaver.

Charlotte disagreed at this point. He also said "Develop a thick skin", "Self-promote and be confident without being cocky".

He did not tell her to get a high profile boyfriend, this always helps to get media space. Maybe she needs to date an Australian cricketer, as this has kept Lara Bingle mediocre career going.

It is time for the Ed Hardy posting, and she is arriving there with hairy armpits, and skanky nails.

Christian is there. As is Ryan the runway trainer, why are all runway trainers gay and male?

She is dressed in a cute little outfit with beret, however they are not impressed with her walk. You could tell the assistants were extremely underwhelmed as they thought she looked to young. I never thought that was a liability in modelling.

Then she was put in some lingerie, and told to walk really sexy. Again she did not blow them away. They were concerned about her nervousness and how that makes her go within herself. They were unsure whether to cast her.

Christian aka Ed Hardy was going to give her one more shot he invited her and Charlotte to an event tomorrow night, as he wanted to see how she went.

Again the Ed Hardy promotion was on when he picked them up from their hotel in his car. Then they went to the party and walked the red carpet. Jordan got to face the paps with Christian, and once in the party he made her do her cat walk which she did do much better. But it was still up in the air whether she would get to do the show. How promos for next week shows that she does do it.

Ok when are they actually going to get to LA? This was episode 2 and the only plane they had gotten on was to go to Melbourne.

This episode I actually found quite irritating. What with Jordan Loukas being called a Marrickville Ghetto chick - from my viewing her family lived in a very nice terrace, with no signs ice smoking paraphernalia in sight.

I know Marrickville Metro can get ugly on Centrelink payment day but I would not call it South Central, LA. The deadliest weapons you see are star war light sabres that toddlers get from the local $2 dollar shop.

The other issue if Charlotte Dawson is so upmarket why does she have more tattoos then a bikers moll?

Also Jordan's constant whining was getting on my nerves. Does she really want to end up flipping burgers at the local yeeros shop for the rest of her life talking about what she could have been.

Jordan seems to have seen the one and only episode of the Victoria Beckham welcome to LA series and is channelling her in a bad way like using her accent, not the not eating bit however.

As an aside I think they should do more episode's on Posh Spice it was a hoot that show.

First up Jordan met Charlotte to look over her picture portfolio which they did over a car bonnet somewhere ?Wooloomoollo to get the harbour view in the background. Wouldn't it have been easier to do this in a coffee shop? What was the point of that?

Some of the pictures are great, but Charlotte tells her she needs to tone up and lose her muffin top. So stop eating carbs honey. Jordan apparently has a fear of choking so only eating smooth things, hence the job at Boost Juice, she could get all the free smoothies she wanted.

Charlotte castigates her for knowing nothing about fashion, and takes her to Jayson Brundson's, top Australian Fashion designer, store to work in retail for the day.

She gets put in a little cocktail dress, which she has to keep on hitching up as it is to big on her. This is the bit where I wondered how staged it was, as she was definitely playing up to the cameras.

Also then Charlotte, and Jay, who Charlotte had told Jordan that he was in New York, watched her on a tv in another room.

Jordan annoyed me with her ohmigod I going to have to work in a shop attitude and clearly could not give a shit.

Charlotte was over acting huffing and puffing with how terrible she was. Clearly Jordan is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but would she be that stupid to come across as so lacklustre about the task with the camera's on her.

Finally Jayson goes in as a "pretend customer" and then Charlotte cannot stand it anymore as "it is embarrassing for Jayson". Agreeing to be on this show is embarrassing for Jordan, especially when she was bagging out his designs.

But Jordan seem quite non-plussed about the telling off from Charlotte. "I should have put more effort in" etc. She seems to make excuses about everything that she does wrong.

Also did not apologise to Jayson when he told her he had ruin his dress.

Next Charlotte takes her to Melbourne to be in a fashion parade at the Royal Melbourne Show. To try and add spice to proceedings Paloma is there and Charlotte tells Jordan that whoever is best she will take to LA.

Paloma was pissed Jordan got her own show and say "She was the more entertaining one" and at this stage of the episode I had to agree.

Jordan goes out on the cat walk and glowers at the crowd. After the first show Charlotte comes backstage and gives her some good advice, "use your props like the mirror ball etc".

Jordan does second show - no change. Again Charlotte comes backstage to give the same advice.

Jordan does third show - no change. Charlotte walks out supposedly angry. Actually I don't blame her. Jordan says "I just look fierce, and don't do anything at the end of the runway that is what I do." She did not want to do what Charlotte advised her to do then gets upset when she walks out.

"My two fathers rejected me and now Charlotte has" Jordan sobs. I think she needs to show some sense of responsibility. I had a feeling that excuse had been used a lot for every fuck up she has ever done.

I really want to like Jordan, but this episode I was finding it very difficult to.

The next day Jordan got taken for a make over including speech lessons to get rid of her Marrickville accent. Maybe they mistook the whine in her voice as a inner western dialect.

After she is all gussied up she is taken to a nightclub where Charlotte sprung on her she would be co-hosting a fashion parade with her, and gave her a script to learn.

This time Jordan did do well, even though the way Jordan was dressed (Sunday afternoon croquet game) was different from the Ed Hardy clothes she was promoting, which are young, casual and funky.

So Charlotte and her were back being best friends after that.
Next week finally they get to LA.