Beauty, Behavior, and Brains. Looks like supermodel-turned-businesswoman, Tyra Banks, has the whole package. And she’s about to score some extra points because from what we heard, Ms. Banks is hitting the books.

The Boston Herald confirmed that Tyra Banks enrolled in Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program. She’ll be able to take courses for a couple of weeks, which is in contrast with the school’s two-year MBA program.

Tyra Banks has probably been thinking about going to Harvard as she doesn’t mind spending $31,000 for tuition. Or maybe her Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot about two years ago ignited the spark within her. Tyra once posed as Michelle Obama, donning a Harvard sweatshirt in one of the photos.

The seemingly harmless photograph turned out to create outrage from some Harvard people. Bazaar editor, Laura Brown, stated:

“There were some people from Harvard who couldn’t believe we put a Harvard sweatshirt on Tyra and thought it was outrageous.”

Well, she’s going to Harvard for real now, and the SoJones family would like to wish Tyra success on her studies!

Source

The 16th cycle of Tyra Banks’ reality competition show, “America’s Next Top Model” returns to the CW on February 23.

Once again, Tyra, will take 14 model wannabes and transform them into model maybes, and one lucky girl will win the grand prize, which includes placement with a modeling agency, a spread in a fashion magazine and a contract with CoverGirl.

If you want to be “on top” in cycle 17, Tyra is accepting online applications now.

Get a quick look at the new season below.

Old HQ candids- Tyra leaving restaurant

TYRA BANKS is adding to her business empire – she has stepped behind the camera to create a mini-movie.

The former supermodel has branched out into business, creating a TV empire with her worldwide hit reality show America’s Next Top Model and her own talk show, as well as being an accomplished photographer.

And she can now add director to her resume – on an upcoming episode of her model hunt, Banks will make and edit an “over-the-top Italian drama” to showcase the remaining beauties in the current season of the competition.

Banks admits learning about moviemaking was a challenge.

She tells People.com, “A lot of designers and people in the fashion industry are feeling like the future of fashion is not just still photos, but they’ve been doing mini-movies where the models are acting things out.

“Photography has been my own personal hobby for the last eight years, so I was ready for movement. But it was so hard. It was 100 degrees and the girls were really struggling with the heat. But when I got to editing, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I love this!’”

Source

We’re down to four contestants on cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model.

On Wednesday night, each one will meet with Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani. They’ll also be directed, for the first time in show history, by Tyra Banks herself.

The following preview and clip reveal exactly what’s in store for the remaining ladies, highlighted by what is known as a “motion editorials.” Tyra seems mighty excited by the prospect. The finalists? Not so much, especially when they learn that two will be going home…

Source

Supermodel Tyra Banks will donate one of her designer outfits to augment enough money for electrification jobs in Rwanda and Haiti.

Banks, 37, will do the good deed along with other fashion
muses including Brooke Shields and Elle Macpherson in collaboration with an online auction site, Contactmusic reported.

“We have asked about 30 top models, including Tyra Banks, Eva Herzigova, Brooke Shields, Elle Macpherson and Christy Turlington to donate ‘one frickin dress’ they have worn on the red carpet,” organiser Elletra Wiedemann has said.

Designer pieces up for grabs feature a Bally dress worn by Christy Turlington, a pink Ralph Lauren outfit, a white Roberto Cavalli gown and a gold gown crafted by Michael Kors and seen on Brooke Shields.

“These gorgeous dresses will be auctioned off on Charitybuzz and the money will go towards buying solar panels for clinics that currently have zero access or very limited access to electricity in Rwanda and Haiti,” Wiedemann said hoping to raise at least $ 100,000.

The collaboration between OneFrickinDay charity and online auction site Charitybuzz is part of the Model Behaviour initiative for this cause.

Source

She is giving five former America’s Next Top Model contestants a second chance. They are Somali-Ethiopian Fatima Siad, and US-born Dominque Reighard, Lauren Utter, Renee Alway and Bianca Golden.

The contestants move into a New York City apartment while cameras follow their every move. They give updates on their personal and professional lives since they left the show. In this episode, Siad admits that she has a hard time making ends meet. Reighard reveals that when she returned home from the show, she found out that her boyfriend had made another woman pregnant.

Each woman has a story that she believes held her back from reaching her full potential.

They will face a series of challenges along the way to being crowned the winner of Modelville. The winner will walk away with a modeling contract worth $50000.

R&B superstar Ne-Yo will also appear to talk about his career, his love life and perform two of his songs.

Source

Suzanne Collin’s teen series, The Hunger Games, has another celebrity fan—none other than Tyra Banks! The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are centered around the annual “hunger games,” where 24 teenagers are chosen to fight to death, on live TV, while Mockingjay, the last book in the trilogy focuses on the horrors of war—pretty adult topics for a series marketed at youngsters.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Tyra Banks tweeted that she just finished Catching Fire, the second book in the dystopian trilogy, calling the novel, “Soooooo good!!!” Tyra’s not the only celebrity who has taken a liking to The Hunger Games. Other fans include Kristen Bell, John Gallagher Jr., Melinda Doolittle and Elizabeth Banks, who recently tweeted, ““MOCKINGJAY!!! Clearing three days of my life to devour this book. 3rd in Hunger Games trilogy. Read these!”

So why are all these stars such fans of a young adult book series? The answer’s simple—The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, are fast-paced and compelling reads And Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist and heroine of the series, is a strong-willed, likeable young woman, who despite only being a teenager, is wise beyond her years.