AND THE WINNER IS....

ANNOUNCING AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL LIVE 2012!!  TORONTO’S NEWEST CONSUMER FASHION AND SHOPPING EVENT FOR THE FUN, FIERCE AND FABULOUS!!!!

It’s official!!!  America’s Next Top Model Live is coming to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on May 4 – 6, 2012!!!!  Get ready for the ultimate fashion, beauty, modelling and shopping event of the year!  I am your inside ticket to the creation of what is sure to be a fixture on your social calendar! 

For those of you who are already fans of America’s Next Top Model, the fabulous Miss Tyra Banks and all things fashion, this will be the place for you to rest your heels and contemplate the television fixture that is ANTM.  You will surely know all about looking good H2T (Head to Toe), putting on your best SMIZE (Smiling With Your Eyes) and being as FIERCE as you possibly can!  As for the rest of you, jump right in, the water is warm and you do not have to watch the show to be interested in immersing yourself in a wonderful weekend of retail therapy, beauty advice and the Top Model experience!

Hello ANTM Fanatics!!!

Here we are at the finale of America’s Next Top Model and I have to say I have no idea what I will be doing at 8PM on Wednesday nights now that the show is on hiatus till the fall.  We will have to live off the fodder of discussion about all things ANTM until then!

The show opens up on a reflection of both girls’ journeys into the final.  Brittani talks about her mom going through panic and anxiety disorder and how challenging it has been growing up on welfare for 8 years.  Molly talks about her past drug addiction, her time in rehab and how things can change in the blink of an eye.

The next day brings the girls to a country club where they meet the VP of IMG models, Ivan Bart.  Ivan reviews both girls’ portfolios and thinks that although Molly doesn’t come across that well in person, he thinks that ‘something happens with hair, make-up and magic’ and she is transformed.  Ivan then meets with Brittani and thinks that she has a wonderful attitude and a beautiful face.

The girls then see Mr. Jay who informs them that they will be shooting their Covergirl ads, both in print and on camera against a white backdrop.  The girls are introduced to famed photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari (what a great Italian name), who will shoot the ads.  Brittani expresses her nervousness around having to speak on camera and Molly talks about how she feels like an idiot during filming.  Both girls get off to a rough start and have a tough time looking and sounding natural.  Brittani eventually finds her groove and comes across as quirky and fun, while Molly tries to get past her natural awkwardness on camera. 

During the photo shoot, Pierpaolo says that Molly has a beautiful mouth and bright eyes, while Brittani comes across very strong and reminds him of models from the past.  I loved Brittani’s styling in the photo shoot; she has a very old Hollywood feel that gives her a classic look. 

The next day at the Italian Vogue shoot, the girls meet Valentina Serra, who is the stylist for Vogue Italia.  Brittani is extremely fierce and really strikes interesting poses.  Molly is cranky, cold and hungry going into her shoot, so she has a hard time from the outset and keeps having to be reminded by Pierpaolo and Valentina to not loose energy and to not look sad.  Pierpaolo says that despite what you are feeling inside, ‘you need to be a volcano’ during a shoot.  Molly says she will ‘be so pissed’ if she doesn’t win and Brittani rejoices in the fact that Molly is psyching herself out of winning.

After the shoot, Molly arrives back at the apartment to see her adoptive parents waiting for her.  She is instantly emotional and relieved to see them.  It is really nice to see Molly with her parents because she shows a much softer side and you start to understand that her harshness comes from her difficult past.  Brittani’s mom can’t travel because of her panic attacks and a recent back surgery, so she gets to talk to her mom via video chat.  Brittani talks about how all her life she is used to looking around and seeing no one there because of her mom couldn’t be there for her.  Molly’s mom is great and lends both girls her support and tells them she is proud of them.

The next day Molly says that the runway show will dictate the rest of her life.  Both girls meet Mr. Jay in a beautiful Moroccan castle and he explains that they will float from room to room showing off clothes from Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Anglomania’ collection, with is themed after current British fashion trends.   Mr. Jay then brings in some former models from Cycle 16 to walk in the runway show, including Kasia, Alexandria and Hannah.  Last season’s winner, Ann Ward also makes an appearance.  The former contestants are asked who they are rooting for and are split down the middle in terms of which girl they would like to see win.

All the girls get BIG hair of epic proportions for the show and it is amazing to see Brittani with so much real estate up top.  Molly talks about how she can see herself doing this for a living and acknowledges that she might get cranky and want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sometimes, but she feels completely capable of making her model dreams a reality.  Brittani feels good going in and rocks the runway, as does Molly.  Each girl tries to one-up the other in fine form and the clothes are bright, interesting and fun.

During the last runway walk before the finale, Brittani and Molly strut together side by side and  strike poses with one another.  Brittani falls out of character and breaks out into a laugh when she and Molly have an awkward moment together.  Then on their way backstage, Brittani slips on some rose petals and falls hard into the back wall and hurts her ankle. To her credit, Brittani gets up and joins all the models for the final walk despite the pain she was in. 

After the show, the girls are informed the Tyra has a new look in mind for both of them during panel because the race to become America’s Next Top Model is so close.

The next day at elimination, the spotlights come up to reveal Molly and Brittani with super short haircuts that truly highlight their faces.  Molly looks a lot like Chynna Phillips a la Wilson Phillips era with longer bangs in the front and an asymmetrical cut along the back.  Brittani has a really short pixie do that reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. 

Tyra looks stunning in a gorgeous red gown and expresses her excitement at their new looks.  The panel consists of Andre Leon Talley, Nigel Barker, Tyra and Jay Manuel.  They reflect on the performance of both girls and the judges go back and forth about who they feel would be the best candidate to win.  The judges feel that Brittani is romantic with an emotional soul and that Molly is young, fresh and new. 

The judges deliberate some more and Tyra then announces that Brittani is America’s Next Top Model!  Molly expresses her sadness about not winning, says she is happy for Brittani and says her first order of business is to take a nap and eat a pulled pork sandwich!  Brittani talks about how it doesn’t matter where you come from or how you are raised, you can do anything that you set your mind to.

And so ends this enthralling cycle of America’s Next Top Model!  I can’t wait for the All Star edition; I will announce all of the contestants later this week!!!

Stay tuned!!!

Till next time my Glamazons!

Cecilia J