Tag Archives: Fox8

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Same Same but Different for Cycle 24 of America’s Next Top Model.

TModel
Cycle 3 winner Eva Pigford and Nigel Barker return this season of Top Model

Tyra is back ya’ll!  The face and name associated with America’s Next Model has snatched back the hosting gig out of the lingering grasp of last years host Rita Ora and is making a change (but not really a change) to the modeling competition reality show she has hosted for all but one of the 24 cycles.

Now onto cycle 24 (yes 24!!) Tyra is back and smizier than ever, joined by Paper Magazine editor Drew Roach , model Ashley Graham and celebrity stylist Law Roach as judges.

Kicking Rita Ora to the curb, Tyra set out to put together the ‘most diverse group of models ever seen on Top Model’, taking it back to an all female casting call, removing the age limit of 27, bringing in more than one plus-sized contestant and throwing in the ability for any girl to be cut at any time seen fit by Tyra and her co-judges.

From here, we’re back to the usual Top Model fare with the annual ‘casting session’ where a random selection of girls are trotted out, interviewed and are then to present the judges with one of their own photos from their over-filtered Instagram or a previous photo shoot.

Cut to an actual photo shoot on the grounds of Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles featuring some elaborate couture outfits where we get a quick glimpse at some of the girls who straight-up outshine the others, a quick cut of some of the girls who struggled and a runway walk to determine the 14 finalists making their way into the model mansion.

Once inside the mansion, our models true colors start to shine and the ‘normal’ girls are identified and hushed away while the cray cray ones are singled out for ‘editing purposes’ such as 19 year old Idaho native Liberty could have been our front contender for the ‘unstable one’ classification as the gushes about her political support for Trump, but it’s loose cannon Liz and sapsorrow Brendi who get singled out as the troubled ones in the season – and..as you will quickly see….rightfully so.

This cycle 24 offers a few ‘Flashback Friday’ feels to it with former judge Nigel Barker coming back for a shoot along with cycle three winner Eva Marcille (Pigford) returning to recreate one of her most memorable shoots from her cycle.  There’s also contestant Erin, who at 42 years of age looks flawless and brings all her 90’s model glam to each and every of her shoots.

In reality though, there is never going to be anything new within the world of Top Model.  We’ll pick our favorites, they’ll do some photo shoots, they may or may not make it to the finale, we’ll watch with glee as some of the girls literally meltdown right in front of our eyes and the group will segregate themselves into ‘bitchy’ and ‘not that bitchy’ groups.  There’s tears, tantrums, walkouts and Tyra – but did we ever really need anything more from Top Model for it to be classed as our guilty pleasure?!

And as always, the make-over episode is the one to watch!  It comes pretty early on this season too and will see one girl literately loose all her hair – and still look stunning.

America’s Next Top Model begins June 26th, 8.30pm on Fox8.

ANTM, Foxtel, TV

ANTM Cycle 22 is Full of Crowns, Boobs and Blokes.

This is a true quote #PreAndPostOp
This is a true quote #PreAndPostOp

To be fair, I, for the life of me, cannot remember the last cycle of America’s Next Top Model that I actually watched.  I’m pretty sure the cycle number was in single digits, Twiggy/Janice Dickinson/Paulina Porizkova along with Miss Jay’s were judges, Mr. Jay was dealing with photoshoots and Nigel Barker was there too.  I don’t know why I stopped watching, but it might have something to do with the shows constant failure to actually produce a next top model (unlike our Aussie version – Aussie Aussie Aussie!)  So there, in my email sat the first two episodes for cycle 22 and I reluctantly pressed play…

So, to my shock horror, it turns out, Cycle 22 is waaaaaay different from the last thing I remember watching.  I don’t know how long this change has been in effect ( I could Google but really….) but silver haired Mr.Jay is gone, no haired Nigel Barker is gone and what’s this?  There’s men now in this competition?!

Men?!

Men?!
                                              Alright, who broke Bello’s crown?!

For the most part in cycle 22, there are men, and then there are those more determined to discover what happened to their crown…(just saying).  So on the topic of men, it turns out a bloke won cycle 21 (who knew?) which is making these new bitches even more douchier thirstier than ever before to take home their very own ANTM crown, plus a NEXT Model Management contract, an editorial in Nylon magazine and a $100,000 deal with Zappos (here’s their site in case you have no clue like me)

If one thing is still the same, it’s the varied range of crazy models that end up on this show…some of which are of course purposely kept to get under our skin.

Of the ‘men’, there’s Devon who is an unusual creature and claims to be signed to “six agencies” at the time of his casting to the show…

NO ONE!
NO ONE!

There’s shy Mickey who relies on his hair and literally jumps into testosterone filled puberty by episode two..

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There’s also Bryant…but i’ll let the following GIF do the talking about him –

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Among the girls this cycle is Ava, your token Jesus lovin’, bible fearing gal

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There’s Hadassah, a pageant girl looking to make the move into modelling cause’ she’s not here to make friends..

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and we already got to meet Alexa and her twins right at the beginning of this post.

To say I was getting more of a ‘MTV’s REAL WORLD’ vibe from this show would be an understatement.

So the problem with me and these kinds of shows it that while I originally might be less than enthusiastic to watch, when I do, I become very invested, and very quickly and I always tend to root for the one that’s always in the background or the one that somehow manages to get to fifth place or the one where you ask ‘whats her name again?’ or “is she still even in the show?” like Gage, below, who has literally 20 seconds of screen time by end of episode 2 and who i’m pretty sure is still in the show…

Zac Effron anyone?
Zac Effron anyone?  btw – this is all anyone see’s of Gage after two episodes…

You have to give it to Tyra and her model search empire though.  22 cycles in and this show, just like Tyra, is showing no signs of ageing or slowing down.

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 22 begins Thursday night, August 20th, 7:30pm on FOX8.

PLL, Pretty Little Liars, Season Finale

A is For Answers in Pretty Little Liars Summer Finale

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There’s some worry floating about the world of Pretty Little Liars as it leads up-to it’s massive summer finale being touted as THE episode to give us all the answers to all the questions we’ve been asking over the past five years.

The worry being “we’ve been down this road before” where we were all told we’d finally find out the identity of A – the faceless stalker harassing Spencer, Emily, Aria, Hanna, Alison and their parents – during the season five finale only to have some random named Charles thrown at us as an answer leaving many many many fans frustrated at once again having another question awaiting an answer.

In the past 6 seasons, the only major questions that have been answered include – Melissa was black swan, Alison was actually alive the whole time and Mona was the first of Big A’s helpers…it’s not much when you look back at 6 seasons worth of unknowing.

I must admit, I’ve been wavering with my dedication to the show backing up from the revelation A-is-Charles-but-who-the-heck-is-Charles storyline.  Concerned with the amount of unanswered questions that continuously pop up, the finger pointing at possible secret identities only to have them washed away with the introduction of another secret identity…it’s only my loyalty to Laura Leighton (Ashley Marin) that had kept me continuing on with the show, but show creator I. Marlene King is telling us all to put aside our worries….

There you have it – It’s NO lie, answers are coming to questions that have been asked throughout the past 6 seasons of the show.  “Who is Charles?  Who killed Toby’s mom?  Who hit Alison in the head with the rock the night she went missing? Who is Red Coat?  Who killed Bethany?  Who is the Black Widow?  Why has ‘A/Charles’ been targeting the liars all this time?

And while the answers are coming, they too bring with them the possibility of disappointment – especially with something that has been built up so much and for so long.  The identity of A/Charles has been the driving force behind the show and fans won’t accept some new character (like Sara, Rhys or Leslie) to be our main protagonist which begs the question….

“Who is Charles and who will make us happy to be revealed as Charles?”

As evidenced by the last episode (6×09) none of our main liars could be Charles, neither could Toby, Ezra or Caleb (they’re all at the prom) and our mom’s – Ashley, Ella, Pam and Veronica can be ruled out too (as they are currently locked in the DiLaurentis’ basement – and Charles is Alison and Jason’s sibling).  Characters like Wren, Lucas, Mike, Jenna and Paige have all played along throughout the show but will we be satisfied with a secondary character claiming ownership of such a big part of the show?

Pretty Little Liars has a lot riding on this episode with literally millions of people worldwide investing 5 years into this show leading up-to this episode that is revealing ALL.  I’m hopeful Marlene and the writers will produce some well thought out answers that not only work but also make sense.

For me – answer wise – I’m leaning towards Wren or Lucas being A/Charles, Jenna being redcoat and Ashley Marin as the Black Widow secretly working against A/Charles..

Tell me your thoughts and predictions for A/Charles, Red coat and Black Widow in the comments!

Pretty Little Liars Summer Finale airs

Tuesday night, August 11th at 8pm on ABC Family (USA)

Thursday night, August 13th, 7:30pm on Fox8 (Australia)

Can’t wait until then?  Check out a sneak peek look at the first 2 minutes of the summer finale below!

http://content.jwplatform.com/players/9Rlr8XR4-RiPpdJ98.html

Australia's Next Top Model, FOX8, TV

Australia’s Next Top Model Final 2 – Who Will Win?

Alex, dear Alex, we were rooting for you to win!
                                                           Alex, dear Alex, we were rooting for you to win!

Anyone else like me and feeling a little ‘ripped off’ when top model hopeful and obvious final two choice, Alex, was sent packing in the pre-finale double elimination?  I know more than a fair share echo my thoughts…

One interesting comment I came across regarding the elimination was how the final photo’s chosen in the Nigel Barker photo shoot differed from what we had seen the models do and what would happen if the models themselves were to chose their photo.  Let’s take a look below:

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Front runner Brittany was the weakest during this shoot and even when she ‘got it’ she was still quite stiff when compared to the other girls.  She of course ended up with a stunning photo and rightfully nabbed her place in the final two.

TM1

It also too some time for Jess to warm up-to the outfit and platform sneakers but when you compare her chosen shot versus her actual shoot, you can clearly see a huge difference in the energy in the image.

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Lucy came out guns blazing from the go for the shoot, but she also had the easiest of outfit’s to wear.  Her chosen shot almost matched what we had seen her do during her shoot.

TM2

Last but not least is little Alex.  The bulkiest of outfits, we saw this girl running and jumping and leaping and working that outfit for….this chosen shot on the right.

CONSPIRACY THEORY!!!

So we have our final two – tomboy truck driver Brittany from Victoria and sweet as pie teen Jess from QLD.  The Aussie Top Model crew are changing it up this year by removing the live finale and the choice of winner based on public vote and in return, giving us a pre-taped finale with Top Model Mother Tyra Banks selecting the winner.  The negative here….the winner has already been leaked.

Guess it means no one can stuff up the winners announcement.

Tell me your thoughts people – Lucy or Brittany?  Who is Cycle 9’s Australia’s Next Top Model Winner?

Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 9 finale airs Thursday night, 7:30pm on FOX8

Drama, Gillian Anderson, Hannibal, TV

Meet the Bride of Hannibal in the New Season 3 Trailer

Gillian Anderson as Bedelia Du Maurier
Gillian Anderson as Bedelia Du Maurier

They say marriage is a sacred institution.  One that is not to be entered into lightly and as the traditional vows go “Till death do us part” and judging by the new Hannibal season three trailer, death may be more imminent in a surprise new union.

In the closing moments of the season two finale, Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) was seen leaving on a jet plane with his former therapist Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) and it seems by the trailer above, this new relationship will be the focus of season three.

Showrunner Bryan Fuller recently told Digital Spy that Anderson has “quite a big role in the first half of the season”, and has one “hilarious” episode in particular.  It’s such a treat because you don’t see a lot of comedy from Gillian Anderson in her roles, but she’s very funny as a human being and incredibly funny as an actress when she turns it on,” he said.

Hannibal returns

USA: Thursday, June 4 on NBC
Australia: TBA on FOX8

Australia's Next Top Model, FRONT, Reality TV, TV

First Look: Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 9

AUSNTM-TXANNOUNCEMENT-NEWS(2)
Didier Cohen, Jennifer Hawkins, Cheyenne Tozzi and Alex Perry play judges and mentors in this new AusNTM cycle

We’re almost at that time where I get to plant myself in front of the TV, watching wannabe models battle for top spot, with a large glass of moscato in hand and an over sized plate of various cheeses and crackers in my lap – seriously, it’s my guilty pleasure!

April 30th will see Cycle 9 of Australia’s Next Top Model begin on FOX8 and this year, there are changes aplenty that not only shake up the competition but also makes me question just how personal the judges will be in their critiques of the models with some new-found power.

The first of the major changes is a new point system brought in to ‘fairly’ rank the models from best to worst on a week to week basis.  The girls will each earn points out of 10 for their mini challenge and their maxi challenge (photo shoot), with the model on the lowest amount of points sent packing.  As of writing, the three episodes I have seen to date, judge Alex Perry is the final judge to offer up his score, thus determining which model stays and which one goes.

So, a word of advice to the models – don’t piss off Alex Perry!

And while we’re on the topic of Alex Perry, he seems rather pissed off this season.  That familiar facial growl looks more darker than normal…I know he’s happy with the final 12 (he says it’s the best to date)..perhaps he’s trying to bring some sharp edged fork tongue to the panel but so far, 3 episodes in, Perry is yet to look like he’s enjoying his experience with the show.

Fresh off beating Naomi Campbell on The Face Australia, the ridiculously stunning Cheyenne Tozzi joins the show as a mentor along side regular Didier Cohen.  I don’t know if her time spent with Campbell on The Face gave Tozzi some coping skills but we see her calmly deal with models having anxiety attacks back stage at a catwalk challenge and erratic bitch fit tantrums over ill-fitting shoes at a photo shoot all-the-while offering words of wisdom and friendly critiques.  Didier Cohen is still the same however…not that that’s a bad thing.  The girls fawn, I fawn, he smiles, the girls smile, I smile…it’s a win win.

Tanahya, Alex and Kaitlyn are just some of the new faces this season. Source: Fox8
Tanahya, Alex and Kaitlyn are just some of the new faces this season. Source: Fox8

With the sudden death of my favorite judge Charlotte Dawson, a judges chair has been left wide open, so Cycle 9 sees an injection of international faces on the judging panel (none of whom can match Dawson’s biting wit) with Victoria’s Secret angel Alessandra Ambrosio, TV personality Kelly Osbourne, fashion designer icon Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kim Kardashian (via video) and Tyra Banks among other names, all set for appearances.

So let’s talk those with their ‘smize‘ on the prize for cycle 9.  There’s your typical fare of gorgeous blondes and brunettes (Jessica, Phoebe, Lucy, Tanahya etc) and the one who’s stunning but Alex Perry finds too short (Alex), there’s your sweet girls with legs up-to their ears (Kaitlyn, Jordan, Lauren, Jess), your token bogan-turned-model (Brittany), the girl who knows shes fabulous but can’t walk in heels (Ayieda) and finally the if-she-were-anymore-laid-back-she’d-be-dead girl (Jess).  To be honest though, there’s no real surprises with the top 12 here, but then again, it’s a modelling competition so as long as the girls look good and can squeal with delight over famous folk, then there off to a good start.

Last but not least is host and judge Jennifer Hawkins.  With a full season now under her tiny belt, Hawkins now seems very at ease with her hosting duties and interactions with the models.  The awkward and uncomfortable banter from season 8 is gone, replaced with a more confident host who seems to have found her stride in getting the job done.

Thursdays first episode opens with ‘Top Model’ herself Tyra Banks praising our local version of the show, noting the numerous success stories that have come from the model search and touchingly, adds a beautiful message and tribute to our dearly departed Charlotte Dawson.

There’s no messing around this season as we jump straight into a final 12 selection who are thrown right into a catwalk in-front of 400 fashionistas.  Yes…there are tears and also a moment where you’ll be uttering the words “It’s like watching Bambii learn how to walk”.  Who will be the first model sent packing?  Who will win?  When will Georges Antoni turn up to grace my screen take stunning photos of the models?  Will Jean-Paul Gaultier whisk one of the models away to France? How much cheese will I have to buy to see me through the entire season?  It all begins Thursday April 30th, 7:30pm on FOX8

FRONT

Pretty Little Liars Unmasks Big A

Ashleymarin363
Ashley Marin (Laura Leighton and Hannah (Ashley Benson) have words)

5 years.  Yep, we’ve spent half a decade with Aria, Hannah, Emily, Spencer, Alison and a myriad of wayward teens, sexed up parents and shirtless hotties trying to decipher clues as to the identity of Rosewoods main antagonist and finally, this Friday night (March 27th) on FOX8, we’ll be given the biggest clue – the identity of A.

Well sort of.

Without offering spoilers, we’re not given a definitive answer as to who is Big A, but you’ll leave this episode with not one, but two massive revelations and a possibly the answer to the question…”Is ‘blank’ actually Big A?”

When you see the episode, you’ll see where i’m going with this!

The episode which aired Tuesday night in America was one of the most watched episodes of the show this season with PLL’s creator Marlene King saying “This is an episode that’s not just shocking and action-packed and scary as hell — it’s demented and emotional.  I just think there are many, many things that are going to feel new to our fans, and that’s what’s so exciting about it.  It’s the most important episode we’ve done so far so. It’s just balls out, and a really fun, new, and interesting direction for the show.”

The Pretty Little Liars Season 5 finale airs Friday night, March 27th, 7:30pm on Fox8

Drama, FOX8, FRONT, PayTV, Sci-Fi, TV

Taking the Glitter Away from Vampires. The Strain Reviewed

Sean Astin as Jim Kent. Souce: Supplied
Sean Astin as Jim Kent. Souce: Supplied

Without beating around the bush too much, The Strain (airing Wednesday July 30th on FOX8) resembles a horror movie that may have come out in the mid 1990’s – you know, the kind that went straight to DVD.  I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing, just that, here, The Strain is purely for scares and gore while only slightly relying on a deeper story-line.

Now that deeper story-line is either about ancient vampires coming to New York or lead character Dr. Ephraim Goodweather’s failing marriage…i’m not to sure as to which as we’re drowned with too much personal information about Ephraim, his distant wife and their son right off the bat.

So just like FX’s creepy disease based Helix, The Strain (also from FX) brings us another biological catastrophe involving the CDC and those affected by a mysterious disease, but unlike Helix where all the action takes place in the isolated Arctic, The Strain takes place in heavily populated New York City.

According to FX, The Strain is about “a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism” and is based on the series of books from Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Guillermo del Toro is also credited as the creator, writer and director) where the central character of no-good is, well, he’s the ancient king of Vampires named The Master.

Now the vampires here in The Strain are nothing like you have ever seen before.  Gone are the tweenie glittery human loving creatures we’ve been saturated with of recent times and in their place, creepy hooded monsters that rely on blood seeking and sucking worms over fangs and del Toro (a master in the field of scares and gore) goes to lengths to create a dark and eerie visual that offers up some jump worthy scares.

The cast is pleasant enough to watch and while some of the acting is a bit kitsch and over the top, it fits perfectly into the theme of what we are being offered up….Lord of the Rings star (or Goonies star to me) Sean Astin is there along with Alias’s Mia Maestro and House of Cards actor Corey Stoll taking the lead as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather.

So in the end, Helix stands miles above what The Strain is, but as a show where you don’t really need to think too much and can get a few decent scares and some gross out gore then The Strain should sit nicely into your weekly viewing.

The Strain begins Wednesday July 30th on FOX8.

ABC, Drama, FOX8, FRONT, Pretty Little Liars, TV

Pretty Little Liars Renewed for Seasons 6 and 7

Laura Leighton stars as Ashley Marin in Pretty Little Liars
Laura Leighton stars as Ashley Marin in Pretty Little Liars

Just before season 5 begins (there’s now less than an hour to the premiere) ABC Family have given their crazily popular teen drama the networks first ever multi-season pick-up announcing that Pretty Little Liars will be back for a sixth and seventh season which will see the show on our screens in 2016.

The show, which stars Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Tyler Blackburn, Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Laura Leighton, Shay Mitchell, Janel Parrish and Sasha Pieterse has been the networks number one series in total viewers and holds the record as the most-tweeted scripted series telecast of all time, it has generated the highest average number of tweets per episode (675,000) of any TV series during the 2013-2014 broadcast season.

Season 5 begins shortly (in the USA) and picks up right where season 4 left off with Ezra suffering a gun shot wound by A and Alison rejoining the girls while her mother was being buried alive.

Season 5 begins in Australia, Friday the 13th on FOX8.

Comedy, Drama, FOX8, FRONT, TV

Cancelled: The Carrie Diaries and More from the CW Network

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Looks like we’ll never get to really find out what happens to Carrie Bradshaw in those years between high school and her column in The New York Starr as the CW network finally announced they have pulled the pin on the Sex and the City prequel series.

The series which debuted two years ago followed a young Carrie Bradshaw (played by AnnaSophia Robb) in her teen years, struggling to find a balance between home life, romance and her aspirations of a successful writing career in New York.  The show never really reached the ratings highs the network had hoped for nor caught the interest of fans of the original series and most were genuinely surprised when the show was renewed for a second season.

The sad part is, the show was cancelled just as opportunities arose to really develop Carrie’s Manhattan back story with season two closing out with Carrie saying goodbye to home life in Connecticut to embark on a new life in New York.

Two other shows – The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed have also suffered the same fate and will not return for a second season, though The 100, Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast will return.

The CW’s full schedule including a complete list of cancellations, renewals and premiere shows will be announced next week. 

The Carrie Diaries, The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed all aired on FOX8 through Foxtel here in Australia.