7Up Portfolio = Screencaps?
April 20, 2008 at 5:04 pm | Posted in Anya, Dominique, Fatima, Katarzyna, Lauren, promo, random thoughts, StacyAnn, Whitney | 2 CommentsSeriously? What is up with the 7Up portfolio on the CW site? Pretty much the only reason I ever go to the CW site is for their higher-quality candids of the girls throughout the episode. But this 7Up portfolio is really something of a joke.
Please note: The following photos were taken from the CW 7Up portfolio with absolutely NO resizing, editing, recoloring, or retouching of any sort from yours truly. Don’t believe me..? Go check out the gallery yourself (LINK).
Everyone is blurry, squished, and pixelated! The disproportion of the shot makes Dominique look like more of a plus-sized model than Whitney!
The graininess on these is enough to make any photographer cringe!
This one has GOT to be a screen shot… and not a very good quality one at that!
And why is Anya’s hair blue? Can they not figure out how to do a simple white balance correction?
On a side rant… why is “Supermodels” in the third full line capitalized?
Here’s a tip… 7Up… CW… whoever… get a better photographer. Or screencapper. Or whatever… because that was just ridiculous.
A Note to Parents
April 12, 2008 at 1:56 am | Posted in random thoughts | Leave a commentDear Parents,
It has come to my attention that there is a group of parents out there that are up in arms about Anya Kop’s nude photo shoot, which was recently featured on America’s Next Top Model (LINK). It was accused of being “irresponsible” and “indecent.” It was also said that “[p]arents and families are fed up with such blatant and continued disregard for decency standards.”
Did America’s Next Top Model set a good example of family values and wholesomeness as they chose to air this particular one-minute clip? Absolutely not! I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit surprised that they showed as much as they did, and yet again, on the other hand, I wasn’t.
After all, this is the show that nearly every cycle has some sort of nude or semi-nude photo shoot (sometimes even WITH male models!). This is also the show that features lying, backstabbing, selfish, conniving competitors who spend their time drinking, smoking, swearing, fighting, and has even been known to “feature” one particular model cheating on her boyfriend in a sexual encounter with a male model.
This is also coming from CW, a network known to bring some other rather “edgy” and mature shows, such as Gossip Girl — the story of snobish, oversexual upper-east-side underage yuppies whose favorite activities are lying, cheating, having sex, and drinking. Another CW show is The Pussycat Dolls — a reality show revolving around performers learning how to gyrate their hips while singing suggestive lyrics and busting out of their skimpy outfits.
Any parent having any knowledge of the CW network, or of America’s Next Top Model should have the common sense to realize that – regardless of what Tyra says about the girls being “role models” – ANTM is NOT a kids’ show. Regardless of what time of day it is, parents who allow their children to watch networks and shows that have historically shown themselves to be chock-full of sex, swearing, drinking, lying, and other vices have absolutely no basis on which to be surprised when these things once again occur. It’s like going to a circus and then having a panic attack when you find out there are clowns there.
Are ANTM and the CW morally bankrupt? Probably. Are these shows suitable entertainment for children? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
So, parents… here’s a simple solution for you in regards to censorship. Watch TV with your kids. Better yet, watch the shows that your kids WANT to watch BEFORE you let them watch it. Check it out for yourself, and see if there are any “red flags” that go up that tell you this may not be age-appropriate for your children. Talk with your children about the things that you see on TV. Or… (here’s a crazy idea) … when your kids get home from school at night and you feel like doing something fun together as a family… TURN OFF THE TV. Play a board game, a family-friendly video game like Wii Sports, read together, or spend an evening around the dining room table with a plate of chips and cheese just TALKING. Expecting ANY television show (especially ANTM) to teach your children morals and values is slacking off on your parental responsibilities.
Sincerely,
America’s Next Top Blogger
Favorites… 7 down, 7 to go
April 6, 2008 at 1:55 am | Posted in Anya, Dominique, Fatima, Katarzyna, Lauren, random thoughts, StacyAnn, Whitney | 5 Comments
Now that we’re down to the final 7 and half the girls have already gone home, I’m simplifying my favorites list, because — let’s face it — Claire was my absolute fave and now has no chance of winning. And, yes, I’m still sad about it, and still think it was a ridiculous elimination.
So, here’s who’s left! Katarzyna edged Whitney out ever so slightly ONLY because I love, love, LOVE her new makeover. In fact, I’m thinking of getting the same hairdo myself. Whitney has been kicking butt and taking names with a call-out average that is only beat by Anya’s. And, unlike any previous plussies, she’s keeping her personality and self-esteem while doing it.
After those top two, I’m really somewhat lukewarm about the next three — Anya, Stacey-Ann, and Lauren. Anya seems to be able to do no wrong in the judges’ eyes, and instead of that endearing her to me, it’s actually annoying me. Or I’m just still bitter about the “punk” photo shoot that was so obviously not punk. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if she won, but I wouldn’t be jumping up and down about it, either. I was impressed that Stacey-Ann won the go-see challenge, and that won her a few points in my book, but I’m still not quite sold on her yet. Lauren has been spiraling downwards both as a model and as a sane human being ever since the meat photo shoot, and I’m finding her awkwardness less and less attractive.
And, finally, we have my personal bottom two… Fatima and Dominique. Fatima stunned me with her photo this past week — I thought it was gorgeous — and made me finally see that somewhere beneath her bitter, precocious exterior there may actually be a model. Dominique, on the other hand… I’ll just put it nicely and say that I have absolutely no idea what the judges see in that girl.
So, what about you? Who’s your top pick? Who are your bottom two? How have your favorites changed now that we’ve reached the halfway point?
Episode 7 Predictions
April 2, 2008 at 5:40 pm | Posted in Anya, Claire, Dominique, Fatima, Katarzyna, Lauren, random thoughts, speculation, StacyAnn, Whitney | 2 CommentsTags: America's Next Top Model, ANTM, cycle 10, episode 7, predictions
Another week… another prediction post.
And FYI, I’ve decided to stop watching the Yahoo previews because I’m sick of sitting down to watch the episode and realizing that I’ve already seen 1/4 of it via the previews. I’d rather be surprised, I guess.
So… from last week:
- Dominique was indeed the girl most likely to make me throw something at the TV… her attitude and antics are getting rather old.
- Aimee did indeed cry during last week’s episode, as I predicted… poor girl. Personally, I would have been mad… but that’s just me.
- No one got criticized for their looks in judging… oh well.
- And, my elimination prediction was — unfortunately — dead on. It seems so ridiculous to me, especially since she had overall a much stronger portfolio than Dominique or Fatima… but, as we all know, they have to keep pot-stirrers around for dramatic effect, even if they are worse models.
Episode 7: If You Can’t Make it Here, You Can’t Make it Anywhere
So, this episode contains go-sees (hoorah!) and a Fuerza Bruta photo shoot in which Claire ends up injuring herself. Uh-oh.
Random predictions:
- Girl most likely to make me want to throw something at the TV: Dominique
- Girls most likely to be involved in the drama in the house: Dominique, Lauren, Fatima, Whitney
- Girl most likely to win the go-see challenge: Katarzyna (I’d love to see her win this one)
Elimination predictions:
As I said last week, these predictions are getting tougher and tougher, as we have reached the point where eliminations don’t necessarily have to make sense (i.e. Aimee being eliminated over Fatima or Dominique). No one is safe anymore, and the slightest, most random thing can get you in the bottom two faster than you can say “Tyra, please don’t shave my head.”
Anya – VERY UNLIKELY
Anya is the obvious judge favorite. And they’ve been doing a fairly good job of keeping her from talking too much, since their only complaint about her seems to be her voice. When her atrocious “punk” photo was so highly praised last week, I knew there was no way that Tyra & Co. are letting this diamond in the rough slip through their fingers. As long as she keeps doing what she’s doing, she’s guaranteed a top-three spot. At this point, I can’t think of any possible reason why they would eliminate her.
Dominique – UNLIKELY
Unfortunately, I think Dom is sticking around, at least for awhile longer. She keeps “improving” — at least by the judges’ standards, and they seem to like her — for whatever reason… I can’t figure it out. The only thing that she may have working against her is her harshness, which would not work well with commercial modeling.
“Dominique… We’ve seen you produce some beautiful photos, but if the designers look at you in person and don’t see you as someone that they would want to have wearing their clothes, you’re not going to be able to make it in this industry. The judges don’t think that you know how to be soft, delicate, and feminine… and that’s what the designers are looking for.”
Katarzyna – SOMEWHAT UNLIKELY
A new makeover is a good sign for her. It means that Tyra sees potential and is willing to invest in her. However, if she doesn’t do well on her photo shoot, it can also be used as a reason to get rid of her.
“Katarzyna… we’ve given you all the tools to be a good model. We even gave you a second makeover, hoping that would give you the edginess that you needed. Unfortunately, it turns out that isn’t the case, and you were unable to pull off a quality photo.”
Stacey-Ann – POSSIBLY
She’s been laying low up until this point, which could work in her benefit. However, her bottom-three call-out last week seemed unnecessarily harsh for a photo which wasn’t really that bad. Eventually, the judges are going to get sick of her same-old-same-old poses and expressions.
“Stacey-Ann… you came in here with so much energy, and as such a fun, bubbly person. When we look at your photos, we don’t see that ‘zing’ — that personality. Your photos are boring, and it’s the same thing every single week.”
Fatima – POSSIBLY
Though the judges liked her photo last week, in general she has not been doing well. Among the fans, certainly, expectations were high within the first few weeks, and I know that her photos have disappointed me week to week. Sooner or later the judges are going to tire of her “potential” and demand that she actually follow through on it.
“Fatima… when we started this journey, the judges were really pulling for you. We thought that you had a beautiful, Iman-like look, with strong features and a very modelesque frame. We have been disappointed, though… because although you have what it takes, you have no idea how to use it. So we begin to think maybe she’s just a pretty girl? Or maybe she just needs a bit more time to figure out who she is?”
Whitney – SOMEWHAT LIKELY
Her top photo last week might save her, but as we inch closer to the international destination, the question on everyone’s minds is whether Tyra is really going to let a plus-sized model make it overseas. And we all know that go-sees and plus-sized models don’t mix well; many designers don’t have higher sizes on hand. If she can make it through this week, I predict a top-three finish, but the go-sees will tell for sure one way or another whether or not she’ll make it.
“Whitney… you’ve taken some beautiful pictures in your time here, and the judges have all been impressed by your presence and your personality. In order to make it in this industry, though, you have to convince the designers that you are exactly what they need… a pretty picture and a smile just isn’t enough.”
Lauren – SOMEWHAT LIKELY
She’s been getting by on what the judges deem to be excellent photos, despite the fact that her walk is horrendous and she doesn’t look or act like a model in person. But, since this episode is all about go-sees, things may turn around rather quickly for her here. While some designers may like her edginess, her lack of confidence in her abilities is sure to come through. The big question will be whether her photo will save her from elimination again this week.
“Lauren… through your weeks here you’ve gone through a great physical transformation. The judges are disappointed that this physical transformation hasn’t come through when we see you in person. And the designers at your go-sees seemed to think the same. Not every pretty, tall girl that takes good photos is cut out for the pressures of this industry.”
Claire – QUITE LIKELY
As much as I HATE to say this (since Claire is my fave)… the editing is NOT in her favor. Just as the week before Aimee’s demise, we saw a different side of her; so last week we saw a different side of Claire which portrayed her in a less-than-flattering light. Combine that with this week’s injury, which could easily be blamed on her not following directions or not considering her safety first, and the odds are stacked against her, regardless of how fantastic her walk is, how amazing her photos are, and how bright her personality is.
“Claire… in order to succeed in any industry, you need to look out for your own health and well-being, and you need to listen to what is being said to you by the people that are in charge of the shoot. The judges don’t think that you know how to listen and follow directions.”
What do you think? What are your predictions?
Favorites Update (Post-Episode 6)
March 29, 2008 at 5:00 pm | Posted in Anya, Claire, Dominique, Fatima, Katarzyna, Lauren, random thoughts, speculation, StacyAnn, Whitney | 1 CommentTags: America's Next Top Model, ANTM, cycle 10, episode 6, favorites
As you can see, Claire is still my top pick. I had to do some thinking about that placement, since I’m not sure anymore about the probablility of her actually winning it. Certainly past winners have gotten into catfights at times, but the level of Claire-hate among the online forums is at an all-time high, and you would think that the editors wouldn’t have portrayed her like that if they wanted everyone to agree upon her as the eventual winner. Of course, then again, it’s been shown time and time again that what the fans think doesn’t really matter much anyways… so, maybe she’s till got a good chance. Regardless, I think that she was justified in pretty much everything she said/did last episode… really, Dom had it a long time coming and they’ve been plenty patient with her up until this point. And as far as her last photo goes, I didn’t think it was that bad at all, and if they didn’t want it to look hokey and contrived, they shouldn’t have given her such a ridiculous costume. But, enough about her for now.
Katarzyna has been impressing me more and more lately, and I guess you could kind of consider her as tied for first with Claire. She’s also one, though, that I don’t necessarily think is going to win (due to Tyra’s tendancy to eliminate the strongest competitors too soon). I also like that the eliminated girls always have nice things to say about her, and I think she’s going to totally rock her new haircut.
Whitney and Lauren keep flip-flopping for me… and honestly, I really disliked both of their photos this week. I think both have a fairly good chance of making final three, at least, and I’m really interested to see Lauren blow up at Fatima next week.
Anya and Stacey-Ann both impressed me this week, but in different ways. I thought Anya did great at the challenge — I wasn’t surprised that she won — and though I wasn’t impressed with her photo this week, we did get to see more of her personality/attitude, and I really appreciated her laid-back calmness in the midst of all the drama. I really liked Stacey-Ann’s picture and thought it was really underrated. I was glad to see her trying out different poses, and thought she should have at least been given props for that, even if they did seem a bit “posey” still.
Fatima moved up a bit, but only because Dominique moved way down my list of favorites. Fatima can be an obnoxious instigator of drama, but Dominique’s self-centered, “it’s-all-about-me,” and plain delusional personality is such a huge negative that it’s hard to appreciate her photos, even when she does pull off a decent one. And did I mention she’s completely delusional???
Technical Difficulties?
March 27, 2008 at 10:47 pm | Posted in random thoughts | 11 CommentsThis post will be replaced by the Episode 6 recap as soon as someone uploads the video to YouTube (or some other site… I don’t really care which). It’s almost 24 hours later and I can’t find it online anywhere. Anyone else suffering from these issues as well?
UPDATE (3/28)
Well, it looks like this is a sad day in ANTM-land. Not only is it Friday morning (36 hours later) and the last episode is nowhere to be found, but one of the best ANTM photo galleries out there, all-antm.net has been taken offline due to lack of funds. You can help out with the $30/mo fees by donating via PayPal here (LINK). So far it looks like they’ve got $30 out of the $360 they’ll need.
In the meantime, I’ll be checking YouTube and my other video sources throughout the day. The whole situation is already super-annoying… I already accidentally ran across the call-out order, and I hate knowing who the bottom two are before actually watching the episode.
UPDATE 2 (3/28)
Good news! I have heard rumors that the torrent is now available, which means that the good folks who download the torrent, convert it, and upload it to YouTube for us every week are now going to be able to get it to us. Hang in there; the wait is almost over!
Episode 6 Predictions
March 26, 2008 at 2:08 pm | Posted in Aimee, Anya, Claire, Dominique, Fatima, judges, Katarzyna, Lauren, news, random thoughts, speculation, spoilers, StacyAnn, Whitney | 1 CommentTags: America's Next Top Model, ANTM, cycle 10, episode 6, house of pain
Let’s review last week’s predictions.
Last week’s “Girl Most Likely to Make Me Throw Something at the TV” actually was NOT Fatima as I had predicted. It was Dominique, with her antagonizing and diva attitude. In fact, with Dominique doing so well at the photo shoots and Fatima not doing so hot, I think that Dom may actually end up in that top-four spot normally reserved for antagonists such as Bianca C9, Renee C8, Melrose C7, Jade C6, etc. – which I had previously assumed would be reserved for Fatima this cycle.
The challenge winner last week was Claire, which was a pleasant surprise. Anya and Katarzyna did very well, too.
There was no crying in the last episode! Huh? I don’t remember anyone crying! Not even Fatima!
No one got criticized (at least on air) about their outfits in judging panel by the judges. I, however, highly criticized a few of them, including Dominique’s receptionist outfit.
And, obviously, Marvita was the girl that “began to feel the pressure of it all,” which, according to post-show interviews wasn’t because she felt defeated – she was just having a bad day. As we all know, however, Tyra NEVER has a bad day, so Marvita obviously wasn’t cut out for America’s Next Tyra Banks.
EPISODE 6
This episode is entitled “The House of Pain,” obviously as a joke on Tyra teaching them to pose in the dance studio. In the preview, Tyra plays on this by telling each girl to pose as if a part of her body were in pain. Uh-huh. Also, we’re told that one girl (who the previews have already revealed) “gets to” work with Nigel in a nude photo shoot for the challenge prize. And, as usual, there is drama in the house. This time, centering around a girl who doesn’t know how to turn her alarm clock off in the early morning hours.
Random Predictions:
- Girl most likely to make me throw something at the TV: Dominique
- Girl most likely to cry this episode: Aimee (followed closely by Fatima)
- Girl most likely to annoy a judge or photographer: Fatima
- Girl most likely to get criticized for her look in judging panel: Katarzyna (as usual, too sexy!)
Elimination Predictions:
Predictions at this point are going to get tougher and tougher, basically because it is at this point that the “fillers” have mostly all been sent home and the judges’ reasons for eliminations get more and more “out there.” For instance, this was the week in cycle 7 where AJ, who had been leading ALL the other girls in call-outs, got sent home for not being invested enough in the competition (although obviously she was still invested enough to continue getting top-five photos up until that point!) It’s also at this point in the competition that Xiomara C2 is eliminated, despite the fact that she had gotten the 2nd place photo the week before. In C6, MollieSue was eliminated at this point, which was a frustration to many fans, especially now seeing her gorgeous post-show work. The main point: No one is “safe” anymore. A bad photo, a discontented look, a misspoken phrase, and they could be the next one to go. But, regardless, here are my predictions:
Anya – UNLIKELY
As one of the girls tied for the top position, her elimination at this point would be exactly akin to AJ’s, and I doubt the judges would make that error again. And after seeing Tyra raving about her poses in the preview, there’s no way she’d go home. Even if she produced a roll of film worse than Lluvy’s Pisces photo, she’d end up in the bottom two, but get saved for her prior consistency and “potential.”
Claire – UNLIKELY
Claire and Anya are tied for the top position right now, with Anya having more first call-outs, but Claire having more consistent phots – none below fifth place in the call-outs. An elimination at this point is unlikely, since it seems for the most part that the judges still like her and feel she has a lot of potential and drive.
Lauren – UNLIKLEY
If she were to perform poorly, I could see them throwing her in the bottom two to test her drive and desire to be there, but I don’t think Tyra & the gang are quite done with her transformation yet. Plus, this photoshoot (according to the preview on cwtv) seems to be some sort of music/rock theme, which seems right up her alley.
Dominique – SOMEWHAT UNLIKELY
Of all the girls, Dominique has made the most improvement in the judges’ eyes, going from the bottom in the first two eliminations to the top in the past two (much like Brittany C4, Jade C6, and Jael C8, who all made it overseas). Tyra & the gang like seeing improvement, and Dominique keeps impressing them despite herself… I see an “antagonist top-four” spot for her.
Stacey-Ann – POSSIBLY
She is improving from week to week, going from the end of the pack, to the middle, to – just last week – the top. The judges seem impressed with her improvement, which is a good thing, but once you’ve hit the top, it’s hard to keep improving and not just plateau. Norelle C3, Furonda C6, Natasha C7, and Bianca C9 all had a similar progression in the first episodes and all made it quite far, so I think we’ll see Stacey-Ann around for awhile yet.
Whitney – POSSIBLY
Her elimination or lack thereof is probably going to be based solely on whether or not Tyra wants to let a plus-sized model make it overseas. In the first few episodes, I thought she had a chance of being treated on an equal plain as the other girls, but the ridiculous accusation last week that she wasn’t really invested in the competition just reiterated to me the fact that Tyra really does EXPECT the plus-sized models to lose their drive and self-confidence, and drop off around the halfway point.
Katarzyna – SOMEWHAT LIKELY
The negative critiques keep piling up, and she was back in the bottom four last week, even after the previous week’s top-three photo. I thought her photo was good, and the only real comments on it were about her eyes, which the judges said they loved… so why was she in the bottom four? It seems that the judges are either out to get her, or that they’re breaking her down for a miraculous and fantastic comeback (in the style of Saleisha, who did poorly throughout the first part of her cycle as well).
Fatima – QUITE LIKELY
She’s gone from middle-of-the-road callouts to bottom-three call-outs, making her the statistically weakest model. With Dominique providing all the drama a reality TV producer could ask for, their need to keep Fatima around is becoming less and less. Plus, we haven’t heard about her circumcision or her rough life growing up in Somolia in quite awhile, which means they’re now downplaying her sob story… possibly so we don’t feel so bad for her when she’s eliminated?
Aimee – QUITE LIKELY
Aimee has gone from having top five photos in the first two episodes to bottom five photos in the last two – not a good sign at all. She also was given a ridiculous negative critique last week about being too versatile, which seems to me that Tyra & the gang are for whatever reason just trying to think of bogus reasons to eliminate her. Add that onto the fact that Tyra said she was only giving her a B+ on her posing, and that she wants A+s… it doesn’t look too good for our sweet little ex-Mormon.
Episode 5 Favorites Update
March 24, 2008 at 7:34 pm | Posted in Aimee, Anya, Claire, Dominique, Fatima, Katarzyna, Lauren, Marvita, random thoughts, StacyAnn, Whitney | Leave a commentTags: America's Next Top Model, ANTM, episode 5, favorites
Well, the Easter weekend has set me back a few days on my blogging, but here are my updated favorites from after watching episode 5.
My top four remained the same: Claire, Katarzyna, Lauren, and Whitney have all been performing rather well, fortunately. Although personality-wise, I like Aimee better, Anya has week after week been producing some of my favorite photos, so I think it’s about time I gave her some credit for that. Despite Marvita’s “issues,” I actually grew to like her a bit better in this past episode, and I thought she handled her elimination very gracefully. Dominique lost major points by driving me nuts, calling Whitney a racist, talking about herself nonstop, and being overall rather arrogant. Certainly that doesn’t effect her marketability as a model, but it sure does effect my desire to watch ANTM week to week. Oh, and then there’s Fatima… who has the face, body, and makeover of a model, but has no idea what she’s doing. I’m getting rather sick of hearing her insult the other girls as well.
So, who are your favorites? How have they changed since the pre-show promos?
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