EXTON, Pa., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not an accident that your baby is so darn irresistible ... good looks tend to run in the family and, oh baby, did your little one catch the cute gene! Although he or she may be too little to grace the cover of Vogue, it's not too early to show off that winning smile and hereditary good looks next to Mom or Dad on the cover of the Fall 2007 Graco(R) Catalog! Graco Children's Products, a leading manufacturer of infant and juvenile products, is putting a twist on the traditional baby model search by bringing Mom or Dad into the picture! All that's required for the My Graco Baby Model Search is a priceless picture of mom or dad with a baby under the age of 12 months to be entered to win a spot on the cover of the catalog and a lifetime worth of bragging rights!
Moms and dads interested in entering in the contest can log onto Graco's website at http://www.gracobaby.com/ and click on the contest's link or go directly to http://www.modelsearch.gracobaby.com/ and upload their favorite photo with baby. The photo will be featured in the Graco(R) baby photo gallery with all other entries for friends and family to view. After Graco(R) has selected the three finalists in August, viewers will be invited to vote on their favorite mom or dad with baby. Finalists will receive round-trip airfare and accommodations to appear on-air and online during the interactive talk show, "iVillage Live" in Chicago where the winner will be announced.
The winner will be featured on the cover of the Fall 2007 Graco(R) Catalog and all three finalists will receive $500 worth of Graco(R) products, a professional photo shoot and a weekend getaway to Orlando Florida including a free pass to Universal Studios just for being so adorable!
For more information and a complete list of rules and regulations, log onto the Graco model search website at modelsearch.gracobaby.com. Contestants are invited to submit a photo now through July 15, 2007. Finalists will be announced online in August.
About Graco(R)
Graco Children's Products Inc., a Newell Rubbermaid company headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of juvenile products. Graco(R) is a proven innovator in the development of baby swings and soothers, strollers, travel systems, car seats, highchairs, portable playards, monitors, activity centers and jumpers. For more information on Graco products, please visit http://www.gracobaby.com/.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Star! The Channel Announces Fall 2007-2008 Programming Highlights
““South Side Story”
What celebrity superstar would buy a sports team full of buff dudes who like to get bloody and knock the ‘living snot’ out of each other? Who else but the phone-chucking, Oscar®-winning actor - Russell Crowe! In this six-part series, watch as this tireless supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, one of Australia's premiere rugby teams, tries to revive this once grand but now failing franchise.
“"This Is David Gest”
American celebrity and soon to be ex-husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest, stars in his own ‘fly-on-the-wall’ series, granting exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the music producer’s life. Does he really have a maid called Vaginica Ceaman? Do his parents only have one leg? All this and more will be revealed as the cameras follow David around the clock, as he embraces his exciting new life (post-Liza), battles with the camera crew and makes a number of life-changing decisions.
““Awesome 80s”
Were the 80s awesome? Star! thinks so and has the show to prove it! The 80s had it all - music that rocked, movies that kicked and fashion that...well it felt right at the time. “Awesome 80s” features all-new interviews with icons from the era and industry experts who can shed some light on the events that shaped the famous decade. Re-live the good times, scrunchies and all, because if it happened in the 80s, it was awesome man!
A Star! Original Production.
““This Is”
They leave you breathless with amazement and admiration. Now get a rare glimpse of what the greatest and most influential stars are really like. “This Is” digs deep to tell the true stories of the Hollywood A-List: from the first glimmer of stardom to their biggest breakthroughs, break-ups and breakdowns. Tune in to “This Is” for the inside story on the secrets, struggles and successes of the Hollywood elite.
““Make Me A Star”
A new weekly, half-hour, reality series that follows the life of Star!'s very own Sean Gehon, as he desperately seeks out stardom. From stand-up comedy, to runway model, pop star to rehab, there's nothing Sean won't try in order to become a star! A Star! Original Production.
““Battle of the Stars”
Pitting celebrities against each other, a panel of in-studio judges determine which celebrity will reign after they're heavily critiqued on their careers relationships & fashion choices. Let the battle begin! A Star! Original Production.
What celebrity superstar would buy a sports team full of buff dudes who like to get bloody and knock the ‘living snot’ out of each other? Who else but the phone-chucking, Oscar®-winning actor - Russell Crowe! In this six-part series, watch as this tireless supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, one of Australia's premiere rugby teams, tries to revive this once grand but now failing franchise.
“"This Is David Gest”
American celebrity and soon to be ex-husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest, stars in his own ‘fly-on-the-wall’ series, granting exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the music producer’s life. Does he really have a maid called Vaginica Ceaman? Do his parents only have one leg? All this and more will be revealed as the cameras follow David around the clock, as he embraces his exciting new life (post-Liza), battles with the camera crew and makes a number of life-changing decisions.
““Awesome 80s”
Were the 80s awesome? Star! thinks so and has the show to prove it! The 80s had it all - music that rocked, movies that kicked and fashion that...well it felt right at the time. “Awesome 80s” features all-new interviews with icons from the era and industry experts who can shed some light on the events that shaped the famous decade. Re-live the good times, scrunchies and all, because if it happened in the 80s, it was awesome man!
A Star! Original Production.
““This Is”
They leave you breathless with amazement and admiration. Now get a rare glimpse of what the greatest and most influential stars are really like. “This Is” digs deep to tell the true stories of the Hollywood A-List: from the first glimmer of stardom to their biggest breakthroughs, break-ups and breakdowns. Tune in to “This Is” for the inside story on the secrets, struggles and successes of the Hollywood elite.
““Make Me A Star”
A new weekly, half-hour, reality series that follows the life of Star!'s very own Sean Gehon, as he desperately seeks out stardom. From stand-up comedy, to runway model, pop star to rehab, there's nothing Sean won't try in order to become a star! A Star! Original Production.
““Battle of the Stars”
Pitting celebrities against each other, a panel of in-studio judges determine which celebrity will reign after they're heavily critiqued on their careers relationships & fashion choices. Let the battle begin! A Star! Original Production.
Graco Children's Products Announces Search for America's Next Top Mom (or Dad) and Baby Model!
EXTON, Pa., June 5 PRNewswire — It's not an accident that your baby is so darn irresistible ... good looks tend to run in the family and, oh baby, did your little one catch the cute gene! Although he or she may be too little to grace the cover of Vogue, it's not too early to show off that winning smile and hereditary good looks next to Mom or Dad on the cover of the Fall 2007 Graco(R) Catalog! Graco Children's Products, a leading manufacturer of infant and juvenile products, is putting a twist on the traditional baby model search by bringing Mom or Dad into the picture! All that's required for the My Graco Baby Model Search is a priceless picture of mom or dad with a baby under the age of 12 months to be entered to win a spot on the cover of the catalog and a lifetime worth of bragging rights!
Moms and dads interested in entering in the contest can log onto Graco's website at www.gracobaby.com and click on the contest's link or go directly to www.modelsearch.gracobaby.com and upload their favorite photo with baby. The photo will be featured in the Graco(R) baby photo gallery with all other entries for friends and family to view. After Graco(R) has selected the three finalists in August, viewers will be invited to vote on their favorite mom or dad with baby. Finalists will receive round-trip airfare and accommodations to appear on-air and online during the interactive talk show, "iVillage Live" in Chicago where the winner will be announced.
The winner will be featured on the cover of the Fall 2007 Graco(R) Catalog and all three finalists will receive $500 worth of Graco(R) products, a professional photo shoot and a weekend getaway to Orlando Florida including a free pass to Universal Studios just for being so adorable!
For more information and a complete list of rules and regulations, log onto the Graco model search website at modelsearch.gracobaby.com. Contestants are invited to submit a photo now through July 15, 2007. Finalists will be announced online in August.
About Graco(R)
Graco Children's Products Inc., a Newell Rubbermaid company headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of juvenile products. Graco(R) is a proven innovator in the development of baby swings and soothers, strollers, travel systems, car seats, highchairs, portable playards, monitors, activity centers and jumpers. For more information on Graco products, please visit www.gracobaby.com.
Moms and dads interested in entering in the contest can log onto Graco's website at www.gracobaby.com and click on the contest's link or go directly to www.modelsearch.gracobaby.com and upload their favorite photo with baby. The photo will be featured in the Graco(R) baby photo gallery with all other entries for friends and family to view. After Graco(R) has selected the three finalists in August, viewers will be invited to vote on their favorite mom or dad with baby. Finalists will receive round-trip airfare and accommodations to appear on-air and online during the interactive talk show, "iVillage Live" in Chicago where the winner will be announced.
The winner will be featured on the cover of the Fall 2007 Graco(R) Catalog and all three finalists will receive $500 worth of Graco(R) products, a professional photo shoot and a weekend getaway to Orlando Florida including a free pass to Universal Studios just for being so adorable!
For more information and a complete list of rules and regulations, log onto the Graco model search website at modelsearch.gracobaby.com. Contestants are invited to submit a photo now through July 15, 2007. Finalists will be announced online in August.
About Graco(R)
Graco Children's Products Inc., a Newell Rubbermaid company headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of juvenile products. Graco(R) is a proven innovator in the development of baby swings and soothers, strollers, travel systems, car seats, highchairs, portable playards, monitors, activity centers and jumpers. For more information on Graco products, please visit www.gracobaby.com.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Time for Tyra to pull plug on Top Model
From time to time the most casual of acquaintances will phone me up and ask if I have tapes of a show they have forgotten to record. And the most-asked-for programme is, no, not Coronation Street, but America's Next Top Model.
You wouldn't fathom it but all sorts of people are devotees of what is possibly television's most formulaic programme and one that is now into its umpteenth series.
If you watched that awful show on emaciated movie stars who were too rich and stupid to eat, then you'll be a big fan of America's Next Top Model because the girls on this show are so skinny they have to run around in the shower to get wet.
The good news is that Tyra Banks, the so-called last of the great supermodels, (her skeleton will be a candidate for the Creationist Museum), has gradually stacked on the weight so that she now looks quite human in contrast to her underlings, who are strangers to the knife and fork.
Greedy old Tyra really ought to have pulled the plug on the show this season because everybody seems to be in agreement that this year's batch are pretty ordinary, so much so that you could rename this show America's Next Huckery Moll.
Take, for instance, the twins, who survived well past their use-by date, and Melrose, the second-placegetter, who had such a bony face I'd be worried about her around a dog.
As for this season's winner, CariDee, I was absolutely amazed to observe, when she was standing before the judges dressed in a denim mini-skirt and high heels, that her legs were so bandy you could have driven a milk cart clean between them.
I mean, don't the judges notice these things? If you'd seen CariDee stripped down to her rompers at the school I went to, you would have naturally assumed she was captain of the hockey team.
And what about the twins' lack of chests, which were so beyond flat they were actually sunken.
Twiggy, who is now a judge on America's Next Top Model, could relate to the lack of bosom but, coupled with incredibly plain looks, the twins made our Inghams look like Angelina Jolie.
Fortunately, this show isn't all about best-in-looks and personality does come into it, which is why the very likeable CariDee won.
The judges evaluated CariDee's personality as wild and unpredictable, probably because she had the nerve to insult Nigel Barker. He's one of the "takes himself seriously" judges who had a long pole in his hand when CariDee had the unmitigated gall to pipe up and say something like: "Did you remove that from your arse?"
Well, you should have heard the carry-on and the lectures about showing respect to your betters and elders. She deserved to win on that comment alone, for British photographer Nigel really is insufferably up himself and about as vivacious and alive as the still photographs he takes.
I don't know why they keep that terrible old queen J. Alexander on as a judge. He's so tragique – the kind of exhibitionist queen you find lip-synching in down-at-heel gay bars when last drinks have been called and he's wheeled out to encourage the punters to stampede for the exit door.
But he's under divine protection because every supermodel simply must have a breast of adoring gay men to bolster the ego, especially as a woman grows older. Ouch.
Sure, Tyra was wise enough to retire from the Victoria's Secrets catwalk last year, but she made such a song and dance about it, the whole thing was a clever ploy so that her fans would rally and say, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, you have the supermodel body of them all, Tyra."
But I guess she was piling on the beef and what's the point of having all that money if you can't have a decent feed? I bet she's been dying to utter the phrase that has been struck from the model's lexicon – "Yes, please, I'll have fries with that" – for decades.
If there's a next series of this show the judges should be banned from berating the girls with the question, "I want to know how much you want this" and from saying, "I'm still not sure how badly you want this" as the shyer girls refuse to walk across cut glass in response to the imperative.
*****
Speaking of next series, I have been so disappointed by the new batch of Goldstein ads but I adore the latest one, where Goldstein's boss goes to visit a Kiwi farm with a view to buy and is dressed in a red-fringed Brokeback Mountain cowboy shirt and ten-gallon hat.
When the farmer extends his arm and snaps on a rubber glove and tells Goldstein's boss to lend a hand with the probing of an animal's internals, the boss is completely traumatised.
In the final shot, we see Goldstein driving post haste away from the farm with the boss sitting in the passenger seat, looking wild-eyed and speaking in a deep whisper: "Goldstein, we shall never speak of this again."
It was like the good old Goldstein days.
You wouldn't fathom it but all sorts of people are devotees of what is possibly television's most formulaic programme and one that is now into its umpteenth series.
If you watched that awful show on emaciated movie stars who were too rich and stupid to eat, then you'll be a big fan of America's Next Top Model because the girls on this show are so skinny they have to run around in the shower to get wet.
The good news is that Tyra Banks, the so-called last of the great supermodels, (her skeleton will be a candidate for the Creationist Museum), has gradually stacked on the weight so that she now looks quite human in contrast to her underlings, who are strangers to the knife and fork.
Greedy old Tyra really ought to have pulled the plug on the show this season because everybody seems to be in agreement that this year's batch are pretty ordinary, so much so that you could rename this show America's Next Huckery Moll.
Take, for instance, the twins, who survived well past their use-by date, and Melrose, the second-placegetter, who had such a bony face I'd be worried about her around a dog.
As for this season's winner, CariDee, I was absolutely amazed to observe, when she was standing before the judges dressed in a denim mini-skirt and high heels, that her legs were so bandy you could have driven a milk cart clean between them.
I mean, don't the judges notice these things? If you'd seen CariDee stripped down to her rompers at the school I went to, you would have naturally assumed she was captain of the hockey team.
And what about the twins' lack of chests, which were so beyond flat they were actually sunken.
Twiggy, who is now a judge on America's Next Top Model, could relate to the lack of bosom but, coupled with incredibly plain looks, the twins made our Inghams look like Angelina Jolie.
Fortunately, this show isn't all about best-in-looks and personality does come into it, which is why the very likeable CariDee won.
The judges evaluated CariDee's personality as wild and unpredictable, probably because she had the nerve to insult Nigel Barker. He's one of the "takes himself seriously" judges who had a long pole in his hand when CariDee had the unmitigated gall to pipe up and say something like: "Did you remove that from your arse?"
Well, you should have heard the carry-on and the lectures about showing respect to your betters and elders. She deserved to win on that comment alone, for British photographer Nigel really is insufferably up himself and about as vivacious and alive as the still photographs he takes.
I don't know why they keep that terrible old queen J. Alexander on as a judge. He's so tragique – the kind of exhibitionist queen you find lip-synching in down-at-heel gay bars when last drinks have been called and he's wheeled out to encourage the punters to stampede for the exit door.
But he's under divine protection because every supermodel simply must have a breast of adoring gay men to bolster the ego, especially as a woman grows older. Ouch.
Sure, Tyra was wise enough to retire from the Victoria's Secrets catwalk last year, but she made such a song and dance about it, the whole thing was a clever ploy so that her fans would rally and say, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, you have the supermodel body of them all, Tyra."
But I guess she was piling on the beef and what's the point of having all that money if you can't have a decent feed? I bet she's been dying to utter the phrase that has been struck from the model's lexicon – "Yes, please, I'll have fries with that" – for decades.
If there's a next series of this show the judges should be banned from berating the girls with the question, "I want to know how much you want this" and from saying, "I'm still not sure how badly you want this" as the shyer girls refuse to walk across cut glass in response to the imperative.
*****
Speaking of next series, I have been so disappointed by the new batch of Goldstein ads but I adore the latest one, where Goldstein's boss goes to visit a Kiwi farm with a view to buy and is dressed in a red-fringed Brokeback Mountain cowboy shirt and ten-gallon hat.
When the farmer extends his arm and snaps on a rubber glove and tells Goldstein's boss to lend a hand with the probing of an animal's internals, the boss is completely traumatised.
In the final shot, we see Goldstein driving post haste away from the farm with the boss sitting in the passenger seat, looking wild-eyed and speaking in a deep whisper: "Goldstein, we shall never speak of this again."
It was like the good old Goldstein days.
Todd is America’s next top-fuel model
TOPEKA | In his best days, his early days, John Force wasn’t being asked to model designer jeans or chichi men’s fragrances.
Ditto for the other top drag racers of his era. They could install valves in a Chevy big block between quarter-mile runs, and they could tell off-color stories until bleary-eyed bartenders insisted that they be on their way. But sell Swiss watches? Forget it.
J.R. Todd’s black cotton shirt is Sunday-pressed as he pulls up to his top-fuel team’s hauler on a motorbike at Heartland Park Topeka. You could cut flank steak with the shirt’s creases.
His hair is neatly cropped, his soul patch looks as if it has been drawn onto his chin and he’s got a smile and a demeanor that immediately sets you at ease. Got any Swiss watches?
Meet the gen-next of the NHRA.
It’s good looking, it’s articulate and it can still drive the bejeezus out of top-fuel and funny cars.
“I definitely think these kids, like J.R., Ashley (Force), Brandon (Bernstein), Morgan Lucas, they are the future of this sport,” says top-fuel veteran Cory McClenathan. “And I think the future of the sport is in good hands.”
Nothing has been handed to the NHRA’s young kids. Even Ashley Force, who was in prime position to have the best of everything turned over to her by her father, came up the long way, what old-timers would call the right way. Her father insisted that she go to college and start at the bottom.
Todd came up the right way, too. His father drove flat-track dirt bikes, so J.R. grew up around racing. Asked why he didn’t do bikes like his father, J.R. said his father wouldn’t allow it.
“He was too scared” to allow it, Todd said.
So Todd got into drag racing.
“After first run, I was hooked,” he said. “Speed is the best adrenaline rush you can get.”
He went through the NHRA junior program. Then he spent time on Bob Gilbertson’s top-fuel crew. He did that for three years.
He landed a driving gig in top fuel in ’06 at age 24.
Once in the show, he proved almost immediately that he belonged. He won three times as a rookie, twice beating Tony Schumacher in final rounds.
McClenathan said it just doesn’t get that way very often. But he knows why Todd was able to do it as quickly as he did.
“He watches everything,” McClenathan said. “He’s a sponge. Soaks it all up. He adapts.”
This year, Todd has won twice. He won the season opener at Pomona, Calif. Then he won at Houston three races later. That was a remarkable victory because in the interim he had lost his crew chief, Jimmy Walsh, to Kenny Bernstein’s team.
But it may be the time that Todd spends without a helmet on his head that makes him a big part of the NHRA’s future.
“Yes, I guess we are considered the future of the sport,” Todd said. “Me and the crowd I hang around with, Brandon and Morgan, we’re the young generation. Hopefully it opens up some doors and gets new fans involved in the sport and broadens the fan base.”
Thursday night in Topeka, it opened the doors of a local restaurant best known for its scantily clad women. Todd and Bernstein and Lucas were invited to judge a bikini contest. And, he added, he was invited to judge another on Friday night. He didn’t think he’d make that one.
Marketers hope Todd can broaden the fan base beyond the youthful demographic. Todd is the first black driver to win a national top-fuel event. He is aware that his heritage may make him attractive to sponsors and the series. But he doesn’t seem to care.
“I’m just a driver who happens to be African-American,” Todd said. “It’s good to represent the minorities in the sport, and hopefully we can get more involved, but when I put my helmet on, nobody will know if I’m black or white.”
Ditto for the other top drag racers of his era. They could install valves in a Chevy big block between quarter-mile runs, and they could tell off-color stories until bleary-eyed bartenders insisted that they be on their way. But sell Swiss watches? Forget it.
J.R. Todd’s black cotton shirt is Sunday-pressed as he pulls up to his top-fuel team’s hauler on a motorbike at Heartland Park Topeka. You could cut flank steak with the shirt’s creases.
His hair is neatly cropped, his soul patch looks as if it has been drawn onto his chin and he’s got a smile and a demeanor that immediately sets you at ease. Got any Swiss watches?
Meet the gen-next of the NHRA.
It’s good looking, it’s articulate and it can still drive the bejeezus out of top-fuel and funny cars.
“I definitely think these kids, like J.R., Ashley (Force), Brandon (Bernstein), Morgan Lucas, they are the future of this sport,” says top-fuel veteran Cory McClenathan. “And I think the future of the sport is in good hands.”
Nothing has been handed to the NHRA’s young kids. Even Ashley Force, who was in prime position to have the best of everything turned over to her by her father, came up the long way, what old-timers would call the right way. Her father insisted that she go to college and start at the bottom.
Todd came up the right way, too. His father drove flat-track dirt bikes, so J.R. grew up around racing. Asked why he didn’t do bikes like his father, J.R. said his father wouldn’t allow it.
“He was too scared” to allow it, Todd said.
So Todd got into drag racing.
“After first run, I was hooked,” he said. “Speed is the best adrenaline rush you can get.”
He went through the NHRA junior program. Then he spent time on Bob Gilbertson’s top-fuel crew. He did that for three years.
He landed a driving gig in top fuel in ’06 at age 24.
Once in the show, he proved almost immediately that he belonged. He won three times as a rookie, twice beating Tony Schumacher in final rounds.
McClenathan said it just doesn’t get that way very often. But he knows why Todd was able to do it as quickly as he did.
“He watches everything,” McClenathan said. “He’s a sponge. Soaks it all up. He adapts.”
This year, Todd has won twice. He won the season opener at Pomona, Calif. Then he won at Houston three races later. That was a remarkable victory because in the interim he had lost his crew chief, Jimmy Walsh, to Kenny Bernstein’s team.
But it may be the time that Todd spends without a helmet on his head that makes him a big part of the NHRA’s future.
“Yes, I guess we are considered the future of the sport,” Todd said. “Me and the crowd I hang around with, Brandon and Morgan, we’re the young generation. Hopefully it opens up some doors and gets new fans involved in the sport and broadens the fan base.”
Thursday night in Topeka, it opened the doors of a local restaurant best known for its scantily clad women. Todd and Bernstein and Lucas were invited to judge a bikini contest. And, he added, he was invited to judge another on Friday night. He didn’t think he’d make that one.
Marketers hope Todd can broaden the fan base beyond the youthful demographic. Todd is the first black driver to win a national top-fuel event. He is aware that his heritage may make him attractive to sponsors and the series. But he doesn’t seem to care.
“I’m just a driver who happens to be African-American,” Todd said. “It’s good to represent the minorities in the sport, and hopefully we can get more involved, but when I put my helmet on, nobody will know if I’m black or white.”
Friday, June 1, 2007
Model from Val Caron wows judges of Canada's Next Top Model
Wednesday night was the television debut of a Val Caron resident, Cori MacKinnon. She is one of the contestants on the reality television show Canada's Next Top Model, which aired this seasons first episode.
Portrayed as an underdog at first, by the second half MacKinnon clearly asserted herself as a strong contender for Canada's Next Top Model. Making this season possibly the most exiting yet for Greater Sudbury residents.
Canada's Next Top Model is based on the American version America's Next Top Model and has begun running it's second season.
Unfortunately, according to CityTv publicist Amy Doary, MacKinnon and her family and friends are sworn to secrecy until she either wins the contest or is voted off the show.
The first segment of Wednesday's episode featured Mackinnon as one of twenty contestants. The beginning of the show explained how the judges decided who the top ten finalists would be. Each contestant was briefly interviewed and had a chance to strut their stuff in front of a three person panel. The panel was made up of the shows host Jay Manuel, creative director, Nolé Marin and runway coach Stacey Mackenzie. This panel chose the top ten finalists including MacKinnon. Unlike the majority of the of contestants who waltz up to the table of judges as if on a catwalk, MacKinnon looked timid and awkward upon entering the room. Wearing a gray tank top and a pair of jeans, she described the hardships she has recently faced, after being probed about them by Manuel. Her boyfriend was in a car accident, then her dog and grandmother both died.
One of the judges, Marin was so moved he said he almost burst out in tears.
Compared to some of the harsh comments made about the other girls MacKinnon faired very well against the competition. The three judges had nothing negative to say about her, cori"she has a beautiful face, a real diamond in the ruff," said Mackenzie, of the 5'8 light haired beauty. During the second half of the program the top ten finalists faced a new judging panel, which consisted of three industry gurus, including fashion photographer Paul Alexander, creative director Nolé Marin and fashion journalist Jeanne Beker also the shows host Manual and a model, Yasmine Warsame.
MacKinnon and the other nine finalists were escorted to a chic, glass laden mansion in an unknown area of Toronto. This will be home for the girls during the contest. Each week a girl is selected to leave the house and the show.
In order to build suspense, the camera zoomed in on Mackinnon's face as Manual announced that by the end of the show one of the girls was going home.
But MacKinnon, a former Confederation Secondary School student, wowed the judges and is safe for another week.
A risque photo shoot was the first thing asked of the girls. Most contestants including MacKinnon appeared nervous and out of their element, posing nearly nude with a male model.
After the shoot MacKinnon stood before the panel of judges, with her freshly taken photo on a screen behind her. The show host Manuel said "Look at this little girl, all sweet and nervous up here in font of us, but that girl.." he said while pointing to the photo of MacKinnon with a male model, "that girl is blowing me away."
At the end of the show judges had decided which one of the ten finalists was going home. It was then that viewers could see the strength and potential
MacKinnon has to become Canada's Next Top Model. "She has so much potential it's exhilarating" said one judge, Beker. As Beker spoke about MacKinnon she nodded her head in assurance and clutched her fists with excitement.
Portrayed as an underdog at first, by the second half MacKinnon clearly asserted herself as a strong contender for Canada's Next Top Model. Making this season possibly the most exiting yet for Greater Sudbury residents.
Canada's Next Top Model is based on the American version America's Next Top Model and has begun running it's second season.
Unfortunately, according to CityTv publicist Amy Doary, MacKinnon and her family and friends are sworn to secrecy until she either wins the contest or is voted off the show.
The first segment of Wednesday's episode featured Mackinnon as one of twenty contestants. The beginning of the show explained how the judges decided who the top ten finalists would be. Each contestant was briefly interviewed and had a chance to strut their stuff in front of a three person panel. The panel was made up of the shows host Jay Manuel, creative director, Nolé Marin and runway coach Stacey Mackenzie. This panel chose the top ten finalists including MacKinnon. Unlike the majority of the of contestants who waltz up to the table of judges as if on a catwalk, MacKinnon looked timid and awkward upon entering the room. Wearing a gray tank top and a pair of jeans, she described the hardships she has recently faced, after being probed about them by Manuel. Her boyfriend was in a car accident, then her dog and grandmother both died.
One of the judges, Marin was so moved he said he almost burst out in tears.
Compared to some of the harsh comments made about the other girls MacKinnon faired very well against the competition. The three judges had nothing negative to say about her, cori"she has a beautiful face, a real diamond in the ruff," said Mackenzie, of the 5'8 light haired beauty. During the second half of the program the top ten finalists faced a new judging panel, which consisted of three industry gurus, including fashion photographer Paul Alexander, creative director Nolé Marin and fashion journalist Jeanne Beker also the shows host Manual and a model, Yasmine Warsame.
MacKinnon and the other nine finalists were escorted to a chic, glass laden mansion in an unknown area of Toronto. This will be home for the girls during the contest. Each week a girl is selected to leave the house and the show.
In order to build suspense, the camera zoomed in on Mackinnon's face as Manual announced that by the end of the show one of the girls was going home.
But MacKinnon, a former Confederation Secondary School student, wowed the judges and is safe for another week.
A risque photo shoot was the first thing asked of the girls. Most contestants including MacKinnon appeared nervous and out of their element, posing nearly nude with a male model.
After the shoot MacKinnon stood before the panel of judges, with her freshly taken photo on a screen behind her. The show host Manuel said "Look at this little girl, all sweet and nervous up here in font of us, but that girl.." he said while pointing to the photo of MacKinnon with a male model, "that girl is blowing me away."
At the end of the show judges had decided which one of the ten finalists was going home. It was then that viewers could see the strength and potential
MacKinnon has to become Canada's Next Top Model. "She has so much potential it's exhilarating" said one judge, Beker. As Beker spoke about MacKinnon she nodded her head in assurance and clutched her fists with excitement.
Spacious VW Golf comes to U.S. as Jetta Estate
WOLFSBURG, Germany -- Volkswagen has taken its time with the introduction of the station wagon version of the Golf. Not that there is much time between the world premier in Geneva, in March, and its arrival on European markets, this weekend. But the current Golf has been on the market for quite a while and the new generation is 'under construction' already. Rumours indicate that the next Golf will not bow in 2011, but instead by the end of next year.
Such a speedy model change would be the result of the high production costs of the current Golf and thus not generating enough profit. That is why people doubted if VW would come up with the Variant, the name for the estate in Europe. But at the Geneva auto show in March, the Golf Variant, made its world debut and it will arrive on European markets today.
As the estate is based on the Golf sedan, Jetta in the U.S., it will be dubbed Jetta SportWagon and it will arrive early September.
Between 1993 and 1999, nearly 580,000 Rabbit estates were sold worldwide, while the second generation that was on the markets until last year nearly 625,000 found a customer, most of them Europeans. Since the trend is to move away from large SUVs to more fuel efficient models, the station wagon may find its way back to the hearts of American customers.
No doubt that the Jetta SportWagon will attract people who love a practical, roomy and compact car and Volkswagen hopes to sell at least 18,000 units a year.
The SportWagon shares the 101.6 inch long wheel base with the Jetta sedan and will just like the Jetta be built in Mexico. Both models have the same length and width (179.5 and 70 inches) but height of the estate (59 inches) is 1.6 inches higher.
The rear end of the station wagon shows taillights that are fully integrated in the fenders. They emphasize the cargo loading width of the rear opening of 39.9 inches. Furthermore, the Jetta station wagon has some design features that shows the family ties with the Passat Variant, such as the rear window that wraps around the D pillars and the roof edge spoiler.
The European station wagon has roof rails, but they are not functional. If you want to transport something on top of the car, you need to buy the optional 'functional' roof rails.
Most people will have enough space with the luggage compartment that has a maximum volume of 54.7 cubic feet. The former model had 51.9 cubic feet of cargo space.
Behind the rear bench and with the flat floor (underneath is a flat cargo space for a lap top or so) the SportWagon has16.5 cubic feet of luggage space. Typical for the European Volkswagens is the lack of extra's such as a luggage net. You can get it, but you'll have to pay. What the equipment will be on the American model is not yet known.
In the U.S., the Jetta SportWagon will be available with a 2.5-liter I-5 engine from the market introduction, followed by the 2.0 Turbo in November and the 2.0 TDI diesel engine in March.
The power plants will not be any surprise, the flexibility of the interior will. It offers more possibilities than before with a foldable rear bench seat, an optional passenger seat with foldable back. It is a pity that VW does not offer a rear seat that is really easy to fold. Now you have to slide the front seats forward to fold the seats of the rear bench forward in order to lay the backrest flat. That does not even go without taking out the head rests.
The feeling in the cockpit of the SportWagon is not different from that of the Jetta. The atmosphere is businesslike and there is a fair amount of leg and head room, both in the front as well as in the rear. Also driving the Variant is familiar. We were especially interested in a new engine version for Europe, the 1.4 TSI, but that motor was not yet available. So we took the well known 2.0 TDI, that as mentioned before, will also come to North America. It will undoubtedly be equipped with a particle filter then, but in Europe you can still get it without such a soot filter. On the old continent, motorists drive a diesel without even thinking about it. You only notice it when you turn the ignition key, but on the road nothing tells you that there is a diesel under the hood. You only feel it because of the torque, that in the case of the 2.0 TDI is maximum 236 pound-feet at 1,750-2,500 rpm. The diesel is reated at 140 horsepower.
For the station wagon, Volkswagen did not change the suspension of the Jetta sedan, but only adjusted springs and shock absorbers. It proved to be adequate during my first test drive in the area surrounding VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The SportWagon is stable and feels reliable, also when driving through fast corners. The direct steering is pleasant, but that is something that is in order with the Golf and Jetta as well.
Closer to its market introduction in September expect to get pricing for the new VW.
Such a speedy model change would be the result of the high production costs of the current Golf and thus not generating enough profit. That is why people doubted if VW would come up with the Variant, the name for the estate in Europe. But at the Geneva auto show in March, the Golf Variant, made its world debut and it will arrive on European markets today.
As the estate is based on the Golf sedan, Jetta in the U.S., it will be dubbed Jetta SportWagon and it will arrive early September.
Between 1993 and 1999, nearly 580,000 Rabbit estates were sold worldwide, while the second generation that was on the markets until last year nearly 625,000 found a customer, most of them Europeans. Since the trend is to move away from large SUVs to more fuel efficient models, the station wagon may find its way back to the hearts of American customers.
No doubt that the Jetta SportWagon will attract people who love a practical, roomy and compact car and Volkswagen hopes to sell at least 18,000 units a year.
The SportWagon shares the 101.6 inch long wheel base with the Jetta sedan and will just like the Jetta be built in Mexico. Both models have the same length and width (179.5 and 70 inches) but height of the estate (59 inches) is 1.6 inches higher.
The rear end of the station wagon shows taillights that are fully integrated in the fenders. They emphasize the cargo loading width of the rear opening of 39.9 inches. Furthermore, the Jetta station wagon has some design features that shows the family ties with the Passat Variant, such as the rear window that wraps around the D pillars and the roof edge spoiler.
The European station wagon has roof rails, but they are not functional. If you want to transport something on top of the car, you need to buy the optional 'functional' roof rails.
Most people will have enough space with the luggage compartment that has a maximum volume of 54.7 cubic feet. The former model had 51.9 cubic feet of cargo space.
Behind the rear bench and with the flat floor (underneath is a flat cargo space for a lap top or so) the SportWagon has16.5 cubic feet of luggage space. Typical for the European Volkswagens is the lack of extra's such as a luggage net. You can get it, but you'll have to pay. What the equipment will be on the American model is not yet known.
In the U.S., the Jetta SportWagon will be available with a 2.5-liter I-5 engine from the market introduction, followed by the 2.0 Turbo in November and the 2.0 TDI diesel engine in March.
The power plants will not be any surprise, the flexibility of the interior will. It offers more possibilities than before with a foldable rear bench seat, an optional passenger seat with foldable back. It is a pity that VW does not offer a rear seat that is really easy to fold. Now you have to slide the front seats forward to fold the seats of the rear bench forward in order to lay the backrest flat. That does not even go without taking out the head rests.
The feeling in the cockpit of the SportWagon is not different from that of the Jetta. The atmosphere is businesslike and there is a fair amount of leg and head room, both in the front as well as in the rear. Also driving the Variant is familiar. We were especially interested in a new engine version for Europe, the 1.4 TSI, but that motor was not yet available. So we took the well known 2.0 TDI, that as mentioned before, will also come to North America. It will undoubtedly be equipped with a particle filter then, but in Europe you can still get it without such a soot filter. On the old continent, motorists drive a diesel without even thinking about it. You only notice it when you turn the ignition key, but on the road nothing tells you that there is a diesel under the hood. You only feel it because of the torque, that in the case of the 2.0 TDI is maximum 236 pound-feet at 1,750-2,500 rpm. The diesel is reated at 140 horsepower.
For the station wagon, Volkswagen did not change the suspension of the Jetta sedan, but only adjusted springs and shock absorbers. It proved to be adequate during my first test drive in the area surrounding VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The SportWagon is stable and feels reliable, also when driving through fast corners. The direct steering is pleasant, but that is something that is in order with the Golf and Jetta as well.
Closer to its market introduction in September expect to get pricing for the new VW.
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