February 13, 2008
The race for the presidency is on, and celebrities have been weighing in left and right on who they believe should be the next leader of the country. While most have been discussing the reasons as to why they are supporting a particular candidate, one industry personality has been quick to comment on one presidential hopeful's style on the campaign trail.
"We gotta do something with John McCain,” fashion expert and host of America's Most Smartest Model Mary Alice Stephenson told the New York Daily News. “We gotta spiff John McCain up a little bit. I think he could pull off a little Valentino.”
February 8, 2008
When a reality television season comes to a conclusion here in the States, it usually means it starts its second life out in the rest of the world. So while the premise and outcome of VH1's reality competition series America's Most Smartest Model has been known for weeks in the US, the UK is just started to get its first taste of Andre Birleanu, Jeff Pickel, and Mandy Lynn late last month.
And, it turns out, some folks don't like that flavor at all. In fact some models were so insulted by the premise of the show they actually staged a protest. It turns out, though, that “staged” is the operative word.
February 1, 2008
Jeff Pickel didn't make it to the end of the series to officially become America's Most Smartest Model, but he seemed like he was going to do pretty well in the modeling industry even without the title. He's appeared in commercial ads for companies like Hyundai, Merck, John Paul Mitchell and Match.com. He's also had worked on the high fashion end for Prada.
Now he's going to be offering up his model smarts to other fashion hopefuls as he delivers some guidance through a new site, BigShotLive.com
January 21, 2008
Mandy Lynn didn't make it all the way through America's Most Smartest Model, and the way she was portrayed on the show certainly seemed to try to make her the butt of the joke at the heart of America's Most Smartest Model. The show might have said it aimed to show that there could be a combination of beauty and brains, but it sure got lot of mileage out of showing some of the dimmer moments of some of the contestants.
However, no matter the less-than-flattering light she was portrayed in, Mandy Lynn at least has had the business savvy to build her own kind of brand as a lingerie and bikini model. She also developed the internet presence for herself, and, as we saw on America's Most Smartest Model, takes a bit of pride in that.
January 18, 2008
It's been a few weeks since the finale of America's Most Smartest Model. What's been going on with some of the beautiful young things we met on the show? Have they been walking the runway and solving quadratic equations at an even more frenzied pace than usual?
Not exactly, but many of the stars are continuing to pursue their careers in the modeling and entertainment industry and seem to be keeping plenty busy.
January 11, 2008
In December, Aussie Rachael (Rachael Murphy) spoke out about her feeling that she had wound up on America's Most Smartest Model through a kind of bait-and-switch tactic. At this time she said, “I didn't anticipate for being involved in that kind of a show. It wasn't anything like I expected it to be. I was told that it was a show that was to be more structured. It wasn't going to be as voyeuristic or invasive…I really wasn't told much about the concept of the show. It wasn't something that I would have ordinarily signed up for.”
Maybe it was sour grapes at being kicked off the show, but her account is backed up by another America's Most Smartest Model contestant, Gaston Willig.
January 4, 2008
Ben Stein and Mary Alice Stephenson will have to work through another bunch of hopefuls as Vh1 renews America's Most Smartest Model for yet another season. The news dispels speculations that the competitive reality series might not be picked up for a second run given that Michael Hirschorn, head of development at Vh1, made a lackluster and uncertain reply when Stephenson made a hopeful plea to Page Six for the show's second season.
Giving more confirmation to the upcoming season is the fact that the network is now casting for participants who would soon compete for the title of America's Most Smartest Model.
December 28, 2007
For a while earlier this year, it seemed like there were going to be so many potential rivals aiming to knock Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model out of the top spot of the model reality show world, it would just be a matter of time until Tyra had to admit defeat. There was A Model Life and America's Most Smartest Model, and then Bravo announced Make Me a Supermodel.
Bravo's series hasn't yet started, but as of now, we're not seeing the other two as having made a significant dent in her viewership. It seems right now more likely that dissatisfaction with the outcome of last season might have more negative impact than the competition from a show like America's Most Smartest Model.
The show did fairly well, but unlike many other reality programs, even with the Writers' Guild strike hasn't spurred on VH1 to schedule a second season yet. One person sure wants it. Judge Mary Alice Stephenson appears unfazed by the less than enthusiastic response from some of the contestants to her direct style, and is ready to work through another pack of America's Most Smartest Model.