“America’s Next Top Model”
Wednesday 8pm, CW
The dawn of Cycle 11 brings several exciting developments. For the first time in years, Auntie Tyra has blessed us with a two-hour premiere, meaning we actually get to see the girls in action (and one of them get the boot) rather than form totally insensitive judgments based on, like, five minutes of screen time. The season will also feature a “Top Model” first, as one of the Final 14 is transgendered. Isis—who appeared in the background of last season’s homeless shoot—is a pre-op, male-to-female transsexual. And finally, Charlottesville has its first homegrown “ANTM” hopeful in the form of 20-year-old Lauren Brie Harding. Harding’s a pretty girl, but she’s got stiff competition in the looks department from McKey (my personal fave), Hannah, Elina and several others. It looks promising, and maybe Cycle 11 can finally break the odd-cycle curse; seasons 7 and 9 were awful, y’all.
“Stand Up to Cancer”
Friday 8pm, NBC/CBS/ABC
Sorry, I can’t be snarky about a cancer charity. Instead, I’ll be sincere: This massive telethon aims to raise funds and awareness for the title organization, founded by leaders in the entertainment industry who have been affected by cancer. The SU2C folks have used those media ties to bring in some big stars to appear on the multichannel program, including Sally Field, Scarlett Johansson, “American Idol” David Cook and, perhaps most poignantly, Christina Applegate. Applegate—the comic actress known for “Married…with Children,” Anchorman and her current show, “Samantha Who?”—was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and, spurred by her family history with the disease, opted to have a double mastectomy last month. She’s 36 years old. Pretty powerful stuff.
“True Blood”
Sunday 9pm, HBO
Vampires are hot right now, as evidenced by the mania surrounding Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books. HBO is freezing cold at the moment, and hopes to catch some of that undead heat. So the once-mighty cable net has turned to the man responsible for one of its biggest hits, Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under,” American Beauty), who has in turn turned to books and found inspiration in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris. The show takes an interesting twist on the Nosferatu tale, as a synthetic blood substitute developed by a pharmaceutical company has spurred vampires to come out of hiding and work toward human, er, vampire rights. It’s all told via the microcosm of a small Louisiana town where a telepathic waitress (Anna Paquin, gone too long) falls in love with a handsome young vamp (Brit Stephen Moyer).
