Worried that you may have ‘seen it all’ on America’s Next Top Model?  Well, put those fears to rest.  Tyra Banks has reinvented the series for Cycle 14, delivering a lot more spunk, says Nigel Barker—tears, jeers and old-school counsel.  “We’re not up there as judges to get along,” the noted photographer adds.  “We’re there as experts in our own right, and there are a few head-to-head battles where the judges get at it.  And there were tears this season.”  Outspoken new panelist Andre Leon Talley is likely at the center of those squabbles.  “I can be nice and harsh,” he tells E!  Talley has no tolerance for models that deflect critique.  “When we give them observations, whether personal or professional, I just don’t think they should make excuses.  They should take notes and say ‘thank you.’  We are the teachers,” the Vogue editor-at-large explains to WSJ.  Expect a greater emphasis on ‘life coaching,’ as opposed to all portfolio and catwalk skills.  The 13 finalists are quite a handful, as you can see in their intro videos, and they’ll face the dreaded Ty-overs in this week’s extended premiere.  Incidentally, casting has already begun for Cycle 15 which will air this fall.  If you’re 5’7” or taller, between the ages of 18-27, and think you have fierce modeling potential, click here for application details and submit your tape by April 6.  New this year, contestants can also easily apply online; however, the photo deadline is March 30.

Four weeks from now, CW viewers will be introduced to the male equivalent of Tyra Banks’ formidable personality.  Andre Leon Talley joins America’s Next Top Model as a judge for cycles 14, 15 and 16, freeing Miss J. Alexander to take on a greater tutorial role with the contestants.  According to WWD, Talley will also bring something the series has lacked:  high fashion.  As Vogue editor-at-large, Talley is one of the fashion industry’s most influential style-setters.  “A lot of people can speak about fashion, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to strong television,” Tyra observes.  “Andre has such a passion and the words; it’s going to make the viewer at home go ‘Wowww.’”  Miss J agreed, telling New York magazine, “Andre’s verbiage is absolutely insane.”  Already, he’s coined the term ‘dreckitude’ to describe a model’s subpar performance or mind-numbing attire.  “I was constantly repulsed by the complete popularity of what I call the cult of the ugly shoe…clodhopper, high-platform clunky-clunk,” says Talley.  We like him already.  His on-air wardrobe includes 13 custom-made Chado Ralph Rucci cloaks (yes, cloaks), based on 17^th-century Edo samurai tunics, “something that would pop on TV.”  Ironically, Tyra recruited Talley—who she’s known half her life—eight years ago before the reality competition even launched.  He preferred waiting until he could contribute something fresh to the established show.  Nigel Barker returns to the panel, along with ten rotating guest judges from the modeling industry, for what Miss J believes “should be the best cycle yet.” 

As the New Year and new episodes quickly approach, let’s take a quick glance at each CW series and choose the storylines which promise to keep us on the edge of our futons: 

One Tree Hill:   This is a tough one, since many conflicts wrapped up nicely two weeks ago.  It’ll be interesting to see how the Brooke-Julian-Alex love triangle develops, but the show really needs Dan Scott to revive his villainous ways—or a new troublemaker to ride into town pronto.   Returns Mon., Jan. 18 

Life Unexpected:   Critics call this heartwarming gem The CW’s “next big thing.”  Who are we to argue?  You’ll be hooked from the first ten minutes.  Premieres Mon., Jan. 18 at 9pm 

Gossip Girl:   There’s juicy drama dripping from every corner here; however, so many lives will be turned upside down by the imminent appearance of Serena’s long-lost father…and Chuck’s long-dead mother.  Returns Mon., Mar. 8 

90210:   Now that Annie and Jasper have flung their criminal cards on the table, will they walk away hiding each other’s secret?  And what drives one of our West Beverly friends to attempt suicide?  Returns Tue., Mar. 9    

Melrose Place:    Well, we know the producers want a more “fun” show, and hopefully that means a lot more Heather Locklear.  Wonder if she’ll rip that complex apart looking for her $19-million painting?  And is it coincidence that David shares her larcenous hobby?  Speaking of David…is he the father of his half-brother?  Returns Tue., Mar. 9   

America’s Next Top Model:   The panel of judges for Cycle 14 will have an outrageous flair, with the addition of sassy Andre Leon Talley and Kimora Lee Simmons.  Let’s hope for some fierce, opinionated controversy.  Returns Wednesdays in Mar.  

The Vampire Diaries:   Yeah, just try to narrow this one down!  More vamps and witches are coming, along with a werewolf and a crypt full of new faces.  But the real mystery involves raising Katherine and those other 26 vampires from their ‘prison’ beneath the 1864 church remains.  Is it humanly possible for the series to get any better?  Returns Thu., Jan. 21 

Supernatural:   What’s more suspenseful than the outcome of the Apocalypse?  As Lucifer said to his expected vessel Sam, “I’ll see you in Detroit in six months.”  Along the journey, the Winchesters make another trip into their parents’ past and also encounter Bobby’s dead wife.  Returns Thu., Jan. 21

Smallville:   ‘Epic’ may not begin to describe the two-hour movie event, Absolute Justice, premiering on Feb. 5.  What began as an ambitious reunion of several Justice Society veterans has evolved into a full-scale landmark phenomenon that’ll have comic book geeks abuzz for years.  Details are being kept under close wraps—but suffice to say, don’t make other plans.  Returns Fri., Jan. 22

Awards Season is fast approaching and the one ceremony which relies on fan balloting needs our early input.  The 36^th annual People’s Choice Awards want to condense their list of potential nominees in each category from a dozen to the top five.  There are ten television-related groups, plus 12 for movies and nine for music.  If your favorite is not already listed, voters can also write in their own choices.  Here are the current WBNX-related names which appear on the ballot: 

Favorite Competition Show:  America’s Next Top Model

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show:  Smallville, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries

TV Comedy:  The Office, Desperate Housewives

TV Comedy Actress:  Jenna Fisher, Sarah Chalke, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria

TV Comedy Actor:  Steve Carell, Zach Braff

TV Drama:  Lost, Law & Order: SVU

TV Drama Actress:  Blake Lively, Evangeline Lilly, Mariska Hargitay

TV Obsession:  Gossip Girl

TV Talkshow:  The Tyra Banks Show

Movie Actress:  Jennifer Aniston

Breakout Movie Actor:  Ed Helms (The Office)

Breakout Movie Actress:  Rashida Jones (The Office)

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail received several nominations.

We know there are other CW stars and series you’d like to include, as well.  To take part in this month-long nomination process, log onto peopleschoice.com and vote often.  In December, you’ll be given the chance to select winners in each category, who will then be honored on January 6.

If every picture’s worth a thousand words, then many thoughts are conveyed by the Cycle 13 preview snaps just released for America’s Next Top Model.  Prior to this round, contestants met a height requirement of at least 5’7”, but in a much publicized reversal, this fall’s competition will focus solely on girls 5’7” and under.  So what do these photos tell us—can you spot a top fashion model among them?  Early favorite Ashley is pretty stunning, while Bianca is bald, Lisa is channeling a diva, and Lulu could use the hair makeover episode.  When Tyra and the Two Jays get done with these young ladies, their looks will be much different and, as we’ve seen in past cycles, unlikely front-runners can quickly emerge.

(models listed from left to right, beginning with first row)
Ashley, 22, a 5-foot-6 artist from Chicago, IL (currently in Brooklyn, NY)
Bianca, 21, a 5-foot-7 student from Columbia, SC (currently in Washington, D.C.)
Brittany, 21, a 5-foot-5 student from Livermore, CA (currently in Santa Clara, CA)
Courtney, 22, a 5-foot-4 cheer instructor from Plantation, FL (currently in Ft. Lauderdale)
Erin, 18, a 5-foot-6 student from Kenosha, WI (currently in Spring Grove, IL)
Jennifer, 23, a 5-foot-5 model from Philadelphia, PA (currently in New York, NY)
Kara, 19, a 5-foot-7 student from Fort Wayne, IN (currently in Chicago, IL)
Laura, 19, a 5-foot-6 waitress from Stanford, KY
Lisa, 19, a 5-foot-5 student from Queens, NY
Lulu, 19, a 5-foot-7 student from Brooklyn, NY
Nicole, 18, a 5-foot-7 student from Louisville, CO
Rachel, 18, a 5-foot-5 customer service rep from Woodland, CA
Rae, 21, a 5-foot-6 homemaker/mother from Rochester, MN
Sundai, 18, a 5-foot-3 student from Bakersfield, CA
Tyra Banks, creator and host of America’s Next Top Model

The girls will be shorter, but the guest list is decidedly longer.  That’s the thumbnail preview of America’s Next Top Model cycle 13, which launches early next month.  Tyra Banks has booked 11 guest judges and coaches to assist with the upcoming round, which for the first time will feature 14 finalists 5-foot-7 and under.  Here’s a list of their appearance dates:

Chanel Iman, Sep. 9, One of the world’s most in-demand
runway models.
Lauren Conrad, Sep. 16, TV personality best known for The Hills.  Debuts her own fashion line this fall.
Jaime Rishar, Sep. 23, Petite print and runway model.
China Chow, Sep. 30, Actress and fashion model.
Josie Maran, Oct. 7, Petite cover girl, recognized as the face of Maybelline.
Jessica White, Oct. 14, Runway model who has also been the face of CoverGirl, Chloe and Gap.
Kim Kardashian, Oct. 21, Reality TV personality, with her own designer clothing store, online shoe company, and (coming soon) her own fragrance.
Jessica Lowndes, Oct. 21, 90210 star will test the contestants’ interviewing skills.
Kirsty Hume, Oct. 28, High-fashion catwalk superstar.
Marisa Miller, Nov. 4, Victoria’s Secret Angel and popular print model.
Ann Shoket, Nov. 11, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen Magazine.

Most of these beauties will be seated beside Miss J. Alexander to critique the week’s photo challenge and help decide who’s going home.  It should add an interesting dimension to the show, mixing an outsider’s unique perspective with votes from Miss J., Tyra and Nigel Barker—the trio often swayed by a girl’s progress (or lack thereof) over the course of the competition.  Do you favor the rotating panelist concept?

• Mark Pellegrino will play the devil this fall on Supernatural, beginning with episodes one and three, but last season he was a finalist for the angelic role of Castiel, reports zap2it.  Series creator Eric Kripke says Misha Collins won them over just a little bit more, and he later offered Pellegrino the dark role without an audition.
• Michelle Trachtenberg (pictured) has another show in the works, but will always make time to portray the scheming troublemaker on TV’s most popular teen soap.  “Georgina (Sparks) isn’t going anywhere,” the actress tells Daily Intel.  “She’s always going to be an element of Gossip Girl.  She’s never gonna die; there’s nothing you can do to kill her.”
• One Tree Hill apparently did a U-turn on one romantic pairing.  “Owen and Brooke were originally scripted to wind up together,” Joe Manganiello reveals to TDW.  “We shot those scenes, but the producers had other plans for them and had us reshoot a different plot.”  Brooke (Sophia Bush) eventually fell for Julian, played by new series regular Austin Nichols.
• America’s Next Top Model will soon take us to the Hawaiian paradise of Maui.  People reports that Tyra Banks is staying at a private home on the island and driving to the opulent Grand Wailea resort for filming.  This is likely the site for Cycle 14, which will air in early 2010.
• Callum Blue teases a few details about his dual character, Mason/Zod, who appears in 16 upcoming episodes of Smallville.  “He’s a younger version of General Zod,” Callum tells KryptonSite.  “He hasn’t blown up Krypton yet, he’s not in the Phantom Zone.  All of that is to come, so they can play a bit with the idea—are they going to change the future?”

There’s no shortage of great roles at The CW, and casting directors have been working overtime to fill out the series rosters with regulars and guest-stars.  Below are some of the recent announcements, in case you missed them.  And we’re still awaiting news on three major characters: the devil on Supernatural, new heartthrob Teddy on 90210, and wild model Alexis on One Tree Hill.

• MELROSE PLACE: Josie Bissett reprises her role as Jane Andrews Mancini, the sibling of diabolical Sydney (Laura Leighton).  Thomas Calabro (Michael) is the ex-husband of both sisters—twisted!  He and Laura are series regulars.
  Series Premiere:  Tue., Sep. 8
• AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL: Reality star Kim Kardashian is signed as a guest-judge for Cycle 13, which features contestants all 5-foot-7 and under.
  Season Premiere:  Wed., Sep. 9
• SUPERNATURAL: Remember Sam’s girlfriend, Jessica, who died on the ceiling in the series pilot?  Adrianne Palicki returns for an episode this fall.  Rob Benedict (Chuck the prophet) and Julie McNiven (Anna the angel) are also back to help the Winchesters in their new war with the underworld.
  Season Premiere:  Thu., Sep. 10
• ONE TREE HILL: Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle) will play Nathan’s sports agent, Clayton.  And newcomer Shantel VanSanten (The Final Destination) moves to the stump as Haley’s sister, Quinn.  Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice drops by as himself in an early episode.
  Season Premiere:  Mon., Sep. 14
• GOSSIP GIRL: Joanna Garcia (Megan on Privileged) is the new love-interest for Nate.  And Chris Riggi has his own secret agenda, returning as the supposedly-dead-but-really-alive offspring of Lily and Rufus.  Who will be cast as Serena’s long-lost father?
  Season Premiere:  Mon., Sep. 14
• THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE: Corbin Bleu (HSM) was originally slated to appear in the first episode, but he’s wisely been upped to series regular.  Corbin is the wingman to fellow model roomie and resident party-machine Jordan Woolley.
  Series Premiere:  Wed., Sep. 16
• SMALLVILLE: Callum Blue (The Tudors), pictured, has been cast as General Zod, the Kryptonian military leader sentenced to the Phantom Zone for his crimes.  The legendary DC Comics villain found an escape in the season finale, and he’ll be trouble all year.  Brian Austin Green (BH: 90210) will be introduced as Daily Planet reporter John Corben, alias Metallo—a cyborg villain powered by the green rock.  Both Metallo and Zod make their debut to kick off the new night.
  Season Premiere:  Fri., Sep. 25

WBNX stars and series garnered 34 nominations when the 11th annual Teen Choice Awards released its first wave of categories this week.  A glaring omission for the second straight year is Supernatural—coming off arguably its best season—which was again edged out for a nod as Best Drama by the cancelled Terminator, and for Drama Actor by Dustin Milligan, who was axed from 90210.  So there are flaws in the system.  However, 25 primetime CW nominees is impressive, led by 10 for Gossip Girl, six for 90210, five for Smallville, and three for America’s Next Top Model.  Gossip Girl racked up more nominations than any other show on television, and continues to be one of the most-viewed series online, in addition to its devoted Monday night audience.  Fans between the ages of 13-19 can now vote daily for their Teen Choice favorites by clicking here.  Winners will be announced August 10.

Chat.  Text.  Blog.  Tweet. There are so many methods to talk about your favorite TV shows, and after previewing The CW’s impressive Fall slate, we’re gonna need every gadget we can get our hands on.  All four new series look tantalizingly good—so much so, it’s difficult to choose one that stands above the others.  Melrose Place will be paired on Tuesdays with 90210, and returning veteran Laura Leighton (Sydney) is immediately established as the shrewd villainess viewers will love.  The Beautiful Life follows Top Model on Wednesdays, with driven characters we quickly relate to…and a roster of drop-dead gorgeous actor/models.  “They don’t seem to have a problem finding good-looking people,” one media buyer told TV Week.  The Vampire Diaries will lead off Thursdays, as top-rated drama Smallville slides over to anchor a strong Friday.   Midseason newbie Parental Discretion Advised is described by CW exec Dawn Ostroff as “Juno meets Gilmore Girls,” deservedly-high praise for the offbeat family dramedy featuring Shiri Appleby and Kerr Smith.  “The buzz the CW generates transcends television,” Ostroff says.  “It’s become part of the fabric of pop culture.”  TV to talk about.