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Brand new season is coming!…Top Model 8 will feature 13 girls (one girl fewer than the franchise record 14 contestants that the show’s third and fourth seasons featured) and a judging panel comprised of Tyra, supermodel Twiggy, photographer Nigel Barker, and runway expert J. Alexander. As in previous seasons, Top Model 8 will also feature additional special guest judges.
The winner will be receiving the same prize package as in the previous seasons….a management deal with Elite Model Management, a $100,000 contract with cosmetics company CoverGirl, and a cover story appearance in an issue of Seventeen magazine. Pretty amazin and very exciting for the starting of this new season tonight!

The 13 women competing on the eighth season of America’s Next Top Model are:

- Brittany, a 21-year-old bartender from Savannah, GA

- Cassandra, a 24-year-old college student from Seattle, WA

- Diana, a 21-year-old college student from Garfield, NJ

- Dionne, a 20-year-old college student from Montgomery, AL

- Felicia, a 19-year-old sales associate from Houston, TX

- Jael, a 22-year-old band manager from Detroit, MI
 
- Jaslene, a 20-year-old online college admissions advisor from Chicago, IL
 
- Kathleen, a 20-year-old hairstylist from Brooklyn, NY

- Natasha, a 21-year-old college student from Dallas, TX

- Renee, a 20-year-old stay-at-home-mom from Maui, HI

- Samantha, a 19-year-old sales associate from Pinson, AL

- Sarah, a 20-year-old photographer from Lake Zurich, IL

- Whitney, a 21-year-old college student from West Palm Beach, FL

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<strong>America’s Next Top Model 8: Interview with Cassandra</strong>

The world of modeling can be a cold, cruel one. It was certainly a cold one, according to Cassandra, the 24-year-old college student, who became ANTM’s third casualty of Cycle 8. Cassandra possessed a beautiful personality, was supportive of the other models, and had the philosophy that you could be true to yourself; yet, be nice to the people around you. Were Cassandra’s photos uninspired? Does Cassandra have potential? Can one pose as a jellybean, while holding ice cream, without looking “stiff?” You be the judge.

Hi, Cassandra. How are you doing?

Hi. I’m great.

I was sorry to see you eliminated last night.

Oh, thank you.

How did you get interested in becoming a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, and did you have any previous modeling experience?

I did have previous modeling experience. I was working with an agency called Seattle Models Guild at the time, and I was approached while I was shopping in a store, and the lady said, “You look like you would be awesome on Top Model. Would you like to be on the show?”

I said, “Yeah!”

She basically took two photos of me; I went to a little audition and got picked.

Well, that’s wonderful! You were a college student. What were you majoring in?

I’m actually in a community college. I’m getting my AA [Associate of Arts] degree, and then I’m transferring to a four-year.

From your first introduction on the show, you were memorable. You were the girl with the wig sewn onto your head, and you were wearing some wild clothes. Tell me more about that—especially the wig-sewing.

Well, I didn’t have time to have a full-head weave, so I said I’m just going to have one of my favorite wigs sewn onto my head. It was a long, curly wig, and they just sewed it around my hairline to make it look kind of natural—like it was my own hair.

Did you actually sew it yourself?

No, I went to a shop and had it done.

I always thought they made it sound as though you sewed it yourself, and how on earth can you do that?

[laughter]

I probably would have poked myself a lot of times.

Yes. Exactly.

What was it like living in the house with all those crazy girls?

It was actually not as bad as I thought. I felt that it would be hard because we had one phone, two bathrooms. You know everybody is having PMS, and it’s really difficult, but it wasn’t. We actually all kind of compromised with the phone and the bathroom—at least while I was there.

Who was your roommate?

My roommate was Natasha and Kathleen at first, and they’re absolutely fabulous. It was like it was fate that we got stuck together. And, then, it was Renee and Natasha. Renee was actually a really cool roommate. She was really nice to me. She was not evil, as they portray her on the TV. She took care of me when I was sick. She had a really warm heart, and Natasha was a fabulous girl that was one of my favorites.

That’s good to hear.

You seemed to get along well with all the girls, and you were very supportive of them. Was there anyone with whom you were particularly close?

I was close with Kathleen, Natasha, Jael, and Jaslene. All my favorite girls.

Week-to-week, there is always some kind of drama going on in the house. Is there anyone who’s the catalyst for all this drama? Is there one person it’s coming from, or is it just kind of different each week?

In my eyes, it’s different each week because everyone has their own issues with someone. So, it just depends on what they want to show on TV.

The past episode, it was Brittany and Renee having problems.

Yeah.

When that is going on, does it affect the rest of the house and the rest of you girls? Are you able to go on with your own business and ignore it, or is there just a tension in the air?

Oh, definitely, the girls are able to go on and ignore it. It depends on if you want to get in it or not. You can put yourself in it, or you can ignore it. I mean either way. I think I chose to steer away from it, so that’s why I didn’t get in it.

That was probably wise.

Yeah!

Our readers always like to hear a contestant’s take on the other girls in the house. Would you mind telling me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear these names?

Brittany: Unique

Diana: Voluptuous

Dionne: Southern diva

Felicia: Dancing queen

Jael: Fun

Jaslene: Puerto Rican mommy

Kathleen: New York’s finest

Natasha: Russian goddess

Renee: Misunderstood

Samantha: Quite and mysterious

Sarah: Very informative

Whitney: Chocolate beauty

How about Cassandra? [laughter from both]

I would say positive and fun!

All right! There you go! I couldn’t let you not say something about yourself. [laughter from both]

You went from a sewn-on wig to an afro weave. What did you think of your make-over, and how long did it take?

The make-over took about six hours.

Oh my goodness!

I loved the afro. I thought it was hot. I thought it was a very proud statement. It’s something that my mother had when she was younger, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful because it’s an afro. How much better can you get?

So, I take it you kept that look?

I kept it for quite a while, yes.

How tall are you?

I’m 5’ 10 ½”.

You looked really tall, but sometimes it’s kind of deceiving because you’re so slim.

Yes.

You get a make-over, and then you have a make-up challenge. It seemed to be utter chaos for those 10 minutes you had to complete that task. How were you able to do that?

Well, I was running around and actually was done before all the other girls, but I ran to put some extra eyeshadow on, thinking I was going to be dropping the items where I was, and they would come check my makeup. I didn’t know we had to run to a certain spot. So, I looked up after putting on the eyeshadow, and I heard five-four-three-two-one, and all the other girls were on the other side of the garden. So, that’s how I was late.

It had to be heartbreaking to be disqualified. Time-wise it looked really close—as in seconds. How late were you?

I was about just three seconds away.

You know, I timed it, but we don’t really see things as they are on TV, and I was thinking it was only two or three seconds. I was very disappointed, too.

Was the disqualification brought up in panel, and if so, how much of a factor do you think that might have played into your elimination?

It wasn’t brought up at all during panel. No.

Did that surprise you that it wasn’t?

Umm, no, it didn’t surprise me that it wasn’t because I noticed in the past that they didn’t bring up negative things that happened in other challenges. So, I didn’t think they were going to bring that up.

Oh, that was good.

You had three photo shoots: A carnivore, a cheerleader, and a, what . . . jellybean? Those were kind of diverse themes! How do you get into character for things like that?

I just try to picture whatever they’re making me be. Like the carnivore, I pictured kind of being like a meat-eater. Kind of being like an animalistic type of human. For the cheerleader, you know I thought about being fun and cheery, but then they told me that I was a cheerleader who wanted to be a rocker, so I had to be more mad about being a cheerleader.

Ah, we didn’t get to hear that part.

Yeah! [laughter]

Then, for the jellybean one, I thought I had to be kind of fun and growl-y. I was trying to growl and do something fun instead of doing something more high fashion with more of a dramatic, passionate eye.

Did you like that theme? I wasn’t impressed, myself.

Jellybean?

Yes.

I thought it was fun. The body paint was really fun, but I just was sad that I didn’t get to have eye makeup done. All the other girls had eye makeup, and I only had my natural eye and jellybean paint all over me. So, I thought if I would have had eye makeup, it maybe would have made a difference.

Well, yes. Having your eyes done tends to make them pop a bit.

Yes.

Which photo-shoot was your favorite to do, and which picture did you think was your strongest?

My favorite photo shoot was the meat. The meat photo shoot. It was really fun, and it was really sexy and scary at the same time. I think that was my best photo shoot out of all of them.

You had a nudity shoot, and it showed you were up first. Were you up first?

I was up first.

How did you feel about doing a nude photo-shoot, and how difficult was that?

The nude photo shoot was fine to me because I knew I was not going to be portrayed in a pornographic way, so I was fine with it. My body parts were covered, and I was able to conceal those with my hands and do little different things. But, the ice cream was really cold in my hand, and I got frostbite from the ice cream being so cold.

I was going to ask you if you still had sensation in your hand after holding that ice cream, and how long did that session really last? Ice cream was melting everywhere for everyone.

Definitely, and it lasted about 20 minutes—me holding the ice cream bare-hand, and I got a really bad first-degree frostbite burn, and I had to go to the hospital. But, the other girls got Vaseline, luckily, because they realized after my shoot that you can’t hold ice cream for that long.

So you were, unfortunately, the guinea pig. It’s good they found that out for the other girls.

Yeah!

Getting back to your nudity shoot, you had all that junky stuff on your body. How long did the make-up session take for that shoot?

The makeup for that was pretty quick, because they didn’t do eyes on me. That was a little bit quicker. It was probably an hour.

When you were doing that photo shoot, were you getting feedback during it, and was it helpful?

I was getting feedback, but it wasn’t too helpful because the ice cream was really cold. So, I was kind of thinking about how cold the ice cream was instead of, you know, what I should be doing with my face. It wasn’t as helpful.

At panel, the viewers were shown complete silence when your picture was shown? Is that how that really happened?

It is. [laughs] That is what they do when the picture was shown. They were very silent, they were shocked, and they didn’t like it.

So, how did that make you feel?

Well, I felt they kind of balanced me out because they loved my walk. They said I had a great runway walk, and they said that I didn’t have enough passion in the eyes. So, I took the bad with the good, and it kind of balanced. I believe they picked the best girl for the rest of the show.
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A Beverly Hills pharmacy filed suit against the reclusive pop star Wednesday, claiming that Jackson was $101,926.66 behind on payments for prescriptions filled. On Friday, Jackson’s rep, Raymone Bain, issued a statement saying the pharmacy “has been paid” and that the lawsuit was due to trouble the singer had with his former business managers, who he’s now suing.

Mickey Fine Pharmacy sued Jackson for breach of oral contract and common count, meaning simply that the business’ proprietors were after the money they were owed. According to the complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, they sought the remainder of Jackson’s bill as well as court costs and any other relief the court decided to award them. 

Jackson made his last payment to Mickey Fine in mid-2005 for prescriptions filled over the last two years, the lawsuit stated. Moreover, per court documents, the Thriller artist had not responded to monthly bills requesting payment. 

Sadly, the notion that Jackson hadn’t made good on a pharmacy bill isn’t exactly shocking. The legally beleaguered performer has been plagued with financial issues for years, coming close to bankruptcy at least several times and becoming the target of multiple lawsuits demanding payment for services rendered.

A sampling: 

In an April 2003 article on Jackson’s finances in Vanity Fair, it was reported that, from October-December 2000, Jackson owed $62,645 to Mickey Fine, as well as $250,000 to his music attorney, $15,000 to his dermatologist, $99,831 to some place called Celebrity Costumes, $114,847 to the Hôtel d’Angleterre in Switzerland and $850,000 for “payroll.” 

Another article about Jackson by Fox News in 2002 that focused on that same time period reported that Jackson also owed more than $500,000 to his litigation firms, more than $78,000 to two PR firms, $214,000 to two different limo companies and $200,000 to Santa Monica Video & Audio Center (which, on Jackson’s behalf, is an authorized Sony dealer, after all). 

And that was before Jackson’s 2005 trial on child molestation charges.   

Since being acquitted of all charges, the erstwhile King of Pop has mainly been living abroad, shuttling between the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain and Europe and promising, then reneging on, plans for a comeback. He finally touched down in the U.S. last month, appearing to speak at the public memorial for James Brown in Augusta, Georgia last month.

The independently owned and operated Mickey Fine—which came under fire in Los Angeles magazine a few years ago for touting its celebrity clientele as a marketing ploy (“Stop in to fill a prescription and you may rub elbows with Jennifer Lopez or Nicole Richie,” the slogan read)—is run by third-generation owner Jeff Gross.

The upscale shop, which stocks all sorts of luxurious and hard-to-find items along with your run of the mill Colgate and Oil of Olay, also boasts an old-fashioned lunch counter and soda fountain and is known for its motorcycle-riding delivery people.

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Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday made the company’s long-awaited jump into the mobile phone business and renamed the company to just “Apple Inc.,” reflecting its increasing focus on consumer electronics.

The iPhone, which starts at $499, is controlled by touch, plays music, surfs the Internet and runs the Macintosh computer operating system. Jobs said it will “reinvent” the telecommunications sector and “leapfrog” past the current generation of hard-to-use smart phones.

He said the name change is meant to reflect the fact that Apple has matured from a computer manufacturer to a full-fledged consumer electronics company.

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Over the weekend, Brad Pitt made Palm Springs the latest stop on his world tour with a solo appearance that even had the other stars getting all worked up.

The crowd roared as Brad made his way down the red carpet, waving to fans.

“I want to scream too,” Jessica Biel joked with Access Hollywood. “Oh, Brad!”

A solo Brad (“The family is back in LA,” he told Access) caused hysteria at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Saturday night, donning a nice black suit and thin white tie – clean shaven with his blond hair slightly spiked.

After Brad took a few minutes to greet his fans, he delighted photographers by posing with his “Babel” co-star Rinko Kikuchi. The whole cast won an award for Best Ensemble.

“It’s a big deal for us, especially given the international nature of the cast, coming from all over the world, different languages,” Brad said of the film. “We’re very proud of this film.”

On the red carpet, Brad joked that since he’s averaging three children a year, he and Angelina Jolie will either adopt, or birth, another one soon.

“We’ll let you know when we get there,” he grinned.

In the middle of the media mayhem, a lucky Sienna Miller was called over by Brad for a quick greeting kiss.

“He’s ugly, isn’t he?” Sienna joked with Access.

“And really mean. Not nice either,” she laughed.

Meanwhile, Brad is already working with Cate Blanchett (Brad’s leading lady in “Babel”) again on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which will temporarily relocate Brad and family to New Orleans.

“It’s going really well,” Brad told us. “We wrapped about 6 a.m. this morning and then got on a plane and got our crusty asses here.”

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It seems Angelina Jolie has a thing or two to teach Madonna about the right way to combine globetrotting and adoption. The Oscar winner, who boasts two Third World adoptions to Madonna’s one, has reportedly blasted the pop star’s Malawian venture as “illegal,” and said she would never have adopted a child under the same circumstances. Though Jolie said she was “horrified” by all the criticism Madonna received over her choice to take 16-month-old David Banda into her home, she said the singer should have known what to expect. “Madonna knew the situation in Malawi, where he was born,” Jolie was quoted as telling the Paris-based magazine Gala. “It’s a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. “Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal.” Jolie’s adopted children, five-year-old Maddox and two-year-old Zahara, were born in Cambodia and Ethiopia, respectively. She is also the mother of six-month-old Shiloh, her biological daughter with Brad Pitt. While Jolie may not be fully on board with Madonna’s adoption intentions, the Malawian government has expressed admiration for the Material Mom’s maternal instincts. Under the terms of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s interim custody arrangement, they were required to submit to monitoring by child welfare officials for 18 months, after which point David’s adoption may be finalized. “We have been monitoring her,” spokesperson Adrina Mchiela told Reuters on Friday, “and so far we see a loving mother in Madonna, and David is very fine.” That should come as welcome news to Yohane Banda, David’s biological father, who said last week that he would like to contact Madonna to learn how his son is doing, but that he does not have her number or any way of getting in touch. The first official court assessment of Madonna’s adoption process is expected in May. In November, a coalition of 67 Malawian human rights groups was granted its request to be a party to the assessment. As for Jolie, while she may not be looking to Malawi when it comes to expanding her family, both she and Pitt have indicated they could be adding to their brood in the near future and would be likely to resume the adoption route the next time around. “Yes, we have Shiloh, and it’s been a wonderful experience, but we want to find another brother or sister in the world for our family,” Jolie told Diane Sawyer in an interview last month. On Saturday, Pitt echoed his partner’s sentiment, telling People magazine that he and Jolie were “of course” eager for more children. The twosome also remain devoted to each other, with Jolie gushing to Gala about her feelings for Pitt. “Don’t go repeating it whatever you do, but yes, I love him. I love him a lot,” she told the magazine. “After I met him, my life seemed more harmonious.” However, the couple still has no plans to walk down the aisle anytime in the near future. “I’ve already done it. Two times and without success,” Jolie told Gala, referring to her failed marriages to Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller. Pitt, also a veteran of a failed marriage, told Esquire in September he and Jolie would not consider getting hitched until “everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able.”

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The wait is nearly over, but the hype is just heating up. We’re just hours away from the best college football game of the year.

Both Ohio State’s and Florida’s rosters are chock-full of premier athletes and senior quarterbacks who have experience in big games. Ohio State has the advantage in this matchup because its running game is much better than Florida’s. Antonio Pittman has gained 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. The Buckeyes backs will attempt to take some of the pressure off quarterback Troy Smith. That may be easier said than done.

Florida boasts the nation’s sixth-best rushing defense, holding opponents to less than 75 yards per game on average. Smith’s mobility will help against Florida’s pass-rush, which has been good all year. Smith should also look to put the ball in the air against Florida’s weak secondary.

Defensively, Ohio State has not faced the type of spread offense that Florida runs. The Buckeyes will have to work hard in space and cover the Gators‘ speedy receivers. Ohio State’s defense has been stout all season and the offense continually steps up in big games.

The BCS Championship game at SkytowerCasino and Sportsbook, Live Odds are available.

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Ohio vs Southern Mississippi 8pm EST

The former Nebraska coach Frank Solich is back in the national spotlight after a difficult stint replacing Tom Osborne with the Cornhuskers. He’s engineered quite a turnaround with the Bobcats (9-4), who posted their first winning season since 2000. Ohio has lost its only two previous bowl appearances, falling to Richmond in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl and to West Texas State in the 1962 Sun Bowl. After the Bobcats went 4-7 in his first season, he guided them to a 9-3 mark in 2006 before a 31-10 loss to Central Michigan on Nov. 30 in the Mid-American Conference championship game. Ohio had a seven-game winning streak snapped with the loss in the MAC title game.

The ground game is something that Southern Miss (8-5) relies on heavily, with freshman Damion Fletcher having rushed for 1,330 yards and nine touchdowns. The Golden Eagles’ biggest weapon in their passing attack is All-Conference USA first team selection Shawn Nelson, a tight end who had a team-high 506 yards receiving. Southern Miss is making its fifth straight bowl appearance and has won the last two, beating North Texas and Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl.

The GMAC Bowl will be the penultimate contest of the college football season, with the BCS national championship game between Florida and Ohio State set for tomorrow  night. Check out the Live Odds for the GMAC game at SkytowerCasino and Sportsbook, don’t miss the Action.

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Rather than taking custody or guardianship of a child, DiCaprio is instead opting for financial sponsorship of a little girl he met while filming Blood Diamond.

“You can’t help but not be affected when you’re in a situation where there is a horrible AIDS rate and there is violence going on and there is poverty,” the actor told E! News. “You have to get involved.

“Certainly there was a girl on set that I sort of became attached to and I went to her orphanage and I’m supporting her and supporting the orphanage.”

DiCaprio met the girl last year while filming the Ed Zwick-directed drama in Mozambique’s capital city of Maputo.

“I’ll be affected by that experience forever,” he said. “I won’t look at life the same way.”

It’s unknown exactly how deep into his considerable pockets DiCaprio is dipping to support the girl, whose name and age have not been divulged, or how long he plans on playing benefactor to the orphanage.

But his magnanimity has seemingly earned him serious karma points.

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