Cheryl Shops

America's Next Top Model recap
Due to sweatshop like conditions at my office, I wasn't able to post a recap for last week's America's Next Top Model. Basically, all you need to know is that Cassie got the (well-deserved) boot and a piece of Toccara obviously died inside, having to put up with bitchy NYC designers (um, hello Nanette Lepore!) and super-bitchy wardrobe stylists. By this week's episode, Toccara was phoning it in (she couldn't find an outfit at Century 21, her eyes were dead at her photo shoot, all of her bubbly, conquering-the-world personality was g-o-n-e). It was down to Ann and Toccara in the end, and Toccara inevitably got the boot. Let me tell you, people on the message boards are pissed. I liked Toccara--I think she had a lot of personality and she has a beautiful face, but it was unfair for the producers to have put her in the competition in the first place. There's no way she can compete with the other "standard" size 2 and 4 girls; it was simply not a level playing field, because, sadly, high fashion rarely comes in a size bigger than 12. That said, I hope some plus-size division signs her up quick, because Toccara could have a very successful career as a plus-size model.

As for the other girls, Eva finally showed that she's human by freaking out over posing with a tarantula (which, I feel like, in the real world, you'd have to know about before you take the friggin' job, but, hey, this is TV), but then she turned out what I thought was the best photo. I now have a feeling that Eva is going to win, although she does have her height working against her. Yaya is proving to be a bigger and bigger bitch; I hope to god she doesn't win, but I'd be surprised if she does anyway because of her skin (unless Cover Girl wants her to shill their concealer). Unless Ann learns how to pose consistently well, she's going to be out soon, and they've got to axe Amanda soon because she's just too damn old--25 is like 50 in model years. Norelle, my early favorite, needs to pull her shit together; she obviously doesn't have as much confidence as the other girls, and it shows. But they're going to Japan next week, and Norelle has the kind of kewpie-doll look that the Japanese will wet their pants over. And as for Nicole, I can't figure her out. She photographs incredibly, but in person, she's kind of blah. She could be the dark horse in the running...

Again, next week the girls head to Japan, but first they get some "acting" lessons and practice with Taye Diggs (UPN cross-promotion!).