Daytime talk show host, Tyra Banks, attended the 2009 BET Awards last night.  She seems to have slimmed down a bit for summer but I really did not like her outfit and hairstyle.  She looked happy and upbeat, though, so that’s a plus! 

Tyra also presented the Best Male Athlete award to NBA superstar, Lebron James.  I’m guessing she was excited that he won? 

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Talk show host/model/businesswoman, Tyra Banks, was spotted at the Calvin Klein Collection and Visionaire 56 Solar launch at The Standard Hotel yesterday in New York City.  From what I’ve read, Calvin Klein’s collaboration with Visionaire is pretty significant since “Visionaire 56 Solar is the first publication to use patented, formulated inks that have the ability to transform black and white images into brilliant colour.”  That’s amazing and completely relevant to the fashion industry!

To be very honest, I don’t think she looks all that well in these pictures but maybe it’s just the heat from the summer?  I love the dress and the shoes since they look so crisp and nice for this time of year but Tyra just looks warn out and tired. 

Tyra Banks was spotted as she attended the 2009 CW Network UpFront at Madison Square Garden.  CW announced their 2009-2010 lineup which includes Tyra’s hit reality fashion contest America’s Next Top Model.  The show ranked first in its time slot among adults and women between the ages of 18-34 and was the sixth highest-rated show on television among female teens last season. I personally love the show (I disagreed with this year’s winner, though).

It was recently revealed that Paulina Porizkova was fired from her job as a judge on America’s Next Top Model and I was really surprised.  I actually liked Paulina and I am sorry to see her go.  I know that she and Tyra sometimes didn’t agree but I really didn’t expect this.  Paulina, clearly, is not happy about being let go and has actually starting doing something I really don’t admire – trash-talking. 

When speaking to Access Hollywood she said:  “I must admit I was having a little bit of an issue with Tyra being late for every judging.  It’s six hours later and I feel like I am being told my time is not as valuable as hers. They pointed out that I should shut up and be grateful for the job and that Tyra is really busy.  I think that my little hissy fits about ‘Well, we are all here on time. Why can’t she (Tyra)?’ didn’t go over all that well. 

Could Tyra have been jealous of Paulina?  “I don’t think that in Tyra’s universe that’s even a consideration. I don’t think she cares,” she said. “I’m not even sure she was aware that I existed way out there in Siberia, much like I am not sure she knew Twiggy existed.  I wouldn’t know [what kind of person Tyra is] because all I know of her is literally when we are on set talking to each other in front of the cameras.  That is the only time she would speak to me.”

MEOW and WOW!  That’s really disappointing on so many levels!  I had really thought that Tyra and Paulina would have been friends after working in the  same industry and then on the same show all this time. 

In response to all of the chatter, Tyra claims that Paulina was fired as a result of the sagging economy and released the following statement:  "The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide.  America’s Next Top Model is not immune to these financially challenging times. We’ve had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts."

Someone couldn’t have told Paulina this herself?  I think that if she had been fired in a dignified way, we wouldn’t be hearing all this cattiness and I certainly feel that Tyra, herself, should have been the one to call up Paulina and break the news.  Not cool.

Paulina image: Zuma Press, Tyra image: Bauer-Griffin

At last, the nominees for this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards have been announced! Of course, some of our favorite talk shows and talk show hosts have been nominated so here is a list of some of the categories and nominations.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show has by far taken the crown for the most amount of nominations this year with over six of them! Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil got a good amount as well. Who are you rooting for? I have no idea who’s going to win for Outstanding Talk Show. It’s quite a close match, so it should be interesting to see who takes it!

This year Vanessa Williams will be hosting the awards show! Make sure to catch the event on August 30th at 8 pm E.T on the CW Network!

OUTSTANDING MORNING PROGRAM

• “Good Morning America”
• “The Early Show”
• “The Today Show”
  

OUTSTANDING TALK SHOW / ENTERTAINMENT

• “Live With Regis and Kelly”
• “Rachael Ray”
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”

More after the jump!

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Over the weekend, Tyra Banks attended the White House Correspondents dinner and she looked amazing!  At the annual event, the White House Correspondents’ Association presented awards to journalists but it was the humor of Wanda Sykes and the speech from President Barack Obama that has everyone talking. 

Sykes is known for her off-color jokes (no pun intended) but it’s quite another thing when she is poking fun at the president and First Lady.  I was seriously almost in tears laughing.  Watch this video:

There was a huge number of celebrities on hand (many of them gasping and/or laughing through Wanda Sykes’ monologue).  Here are some more pictures:

Tyra Banks looked fierce at the ‘The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion’ Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art last night in New York City.

There was a lot of star power at the event which was made possible by the honorary chair (and amazing designer) Marc Jacobs and his co-chairs Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake (really?) and Anna Wintour.

The spring 2009 exhibition which “explores the reciprocal relationship between high fashion and evolving ideals of beauty, focusing on iconic fashion models in the latter half of the 20th century” is located in the Tisch galleries on the second floor of the museum and will be open until August 9, 2009.

Tyra Banks is always telling her guests and the contestants on her show, America’s Next Top Model, to never bow down to fear and to stand up for themselves.  She proved that she really believes those words by setting an excellent example today when she took a stand against her alleged stalker, Brady Green. 

When talking about the man who recently claimed that the two were “friends,” Tyra calmly explained the following on the stand: "I fear my safety. I feel extremely vulnerable. I fear the safety of my staff. My family. The people in my vicinity.  [My staff doesn't] tell me about fans.  They said this person threatened one of my staffers. At that moment that was it. The first thing is there’s this person who’s more than a fan."

It’s affected her life and her ability to come and go as she pleases.  She described one chilling event:  "I was at work one day about to leave and a bunch of people on my staff said, ‘No! You can’t go.’ [Green] got past security and you need to be here. Never in my career had staff reacted like this. I had to stay in my dressing room for a while."

She also explained that she’s the type of person who enjoys going to movies and restaurants alone but now she has to always travel with security.  She also mentioned the extra expense of having to hire additional protection.

Green faces a maximum of 90 days in jail if convicted.  I think stalkers should spend at least 90 days in a mental facility. 

NBC Photo: Heidi Gutman

Talk show host, Tyra Banks, was a panelist at the "Broadcasting Reality: Show Me the Money!" newsmaker luncheon yesterday.  The panel was moderated by Survivor host, Jeff Probst. 

I couldn’t find a lot of information about the event but I do know that it took an in-depth look into the creation of successful reality TV programs.  I’m guessing Tyra was included due to her hugely popular show America’s Next Top Model.  Tyra’s fellow panelists included Mark Burnett, Michael Davies, Mike Fleiss, Allison Grodner, and Arthur Smith.

The man who has been allegedly stalking talk show host, Tyra Banks, claims that the charges against him are baseless since the two of them are actually friends.  The evidence against him must be compelling, though, since even his legal team could only describe him as "an overzealous fan who had hoped to be in Banks’ studio audience." 

Brady Green, 37, reported to Manhattan Criminal Court last Friday to face charges of stalking, harassment and criminal trespass.  Some of the things he’s accused of include telling a Tyra show employee that he was going to slit their throat for failing to divulge Tyra’s whereabouts.  He sent her flowers with a note that said "when I see you, I love you".

It was his words to the police, however, that gave me the chills: "I know her. She knows me. We’re good friends," claiming the two "had a thing together. I sent her flowers. I sent her cards. Should I plead no contest? I’ve got satellites watching me and recording us."

So far, Green has pled not guilty to the charges but is due back in court on April 27, 2009.

image: Bauer-Griffin