Tyra Banks has finally convinced Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley to be a judge after 13 cycles of America’s Next Top Model. Banks first approached Talley when she began planning her show eight years ago but he turned her down because he said he wanted to see where it goes. Now that it’s a hit—and we’re sure that it’ll get to cycle 1,000 before going off air—Talley will sit at the judge’s table for cycle 14 ,which premieres March 10.

He will succeed runway coach J. Alexander, who will focus again on working with the contestants.

“I felt maybe I could contribute something to it that had not been on the show,” Talley says. “I just felt that it was a way to step out of the box and associate myself with a very important American success story, a very important brand — Tyra Banks,” Talley tells People.

Banks says Talley will help steer the show in a more high-fashion direction. “André speaks about fashion and he has such a passion, and the words — the adverbs, the adjectives — he uses!” she says. “I know it’s going to make the viewer at home go, ‘Wowww.’” She adds, “It might go over their head, but he’s educating them about a time, bringing them back to a place when fashion was life.”

This more high fashion direction Miss Banks speaks of might go over viewers’ heads because high fashion was never all-inclusive. Why would the average viewers be interested in something that was designed to keep “ordinary” folks away for years. It sounds like the show has jumped the shark.

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Faith Evans is the latest celebrity to join in on the reality TV craze.

Variety reports that the ex-Bad Boy artist has signed on for a show entitled It’s All About Faith.

The series, which will be produced by E1 Television and Ten2One Entertainment, will chronicle Faith’s return to music and follow her raising her four children with husband and manager, Todd Russaw.

The singer recently signed on with Prolific Music Group to release a new album.

On the show E1 Television CEO John Moaryniss said: “(This) is a perfect example of how E1 Entertainment is implementing its strategy of utilizing its three business pillars — television, film and music. This allows us to help them reach the largest possible audience around the world.”

There’s still no word on which network will pick up the show. It’s currently being shopped around to various networks.

Either way, it’s good to see Faith back. As talented as she is she never got as much attention as she deserved. Hopefully this show reminds people of how talented she is.

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Frankly, I did not watch the Super Bowl for either the Colts or the Saints because they were neither the Giants or the Jets. Yes I’m bias, but I digress. Congratulations to the Saints for making history! Moving right along…

My favorite part of the Super Bowl, even when my team of choice is playing, is the commercials! There were some gems this year. Here are my top three favorite 2010 Super Bowl commercials:

1. Dorito’s: House Rules
This is the best commercial I’ve seen all decade!

2. Coke: Hard Times

You can’t go wrong with anything inspired by The Simpsons.

3. Bud Light: Voice Box

I’m over the Auto-Tune trend but this commercial was amusing, especially the random guest spot from T-Pain.

VH1 is looking to offset its reality-heavy schedule with original programming. The network has been working with a lot of different production companies hoping to bring along fresh ideas to a network whose line-up can be best surmised as, “Date me, date me, help me lose weight, kick a drug habit, and then take me on another date.”

I say that with no shade intended, of course.

In any event, one person helping VH1 along the way is Queen Latifah and her production company, Flavor Unit.

Variety reports that Queen La has signed on to produce a made-for-TV movie.

Though the movie is still untitled, the comedic drama will focus on female best friends with very different takes on relationships.

The project – set in Atlanta – centers on the contrasting views of two twenty-something black  women: One an aspiring fashion mogul named Val and the other, former music video dancer Keisha.

The project was penned by scribe Stacy Littlejohn, who has worked on shows like All of Us and Life with Bonnie.

If the film is successful it could be adapted into a regular series.

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Who better to direct a film about Black comedy in America than Mr. Hollywood Shuffle himself? Yep. Robert Townsend is partly responsible for the groundbreaking film entitled, Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy. The documentary (produced by Codeblack Entertainment)—which originally screened at Sundance in 2009 in the Premiere section and features interviews with prominent scholars, politicians, cultural critics, and a host of notable comics including Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Steve Harvey and Katt Williams—examinines the history and cultural influence of American Black comedy.

“Why We Laugh is a major historical contribution to American culture,” said Codeblack executive vice-president Quincy Newell. “This film is a tribute to the way one courageous person with a microphone can change history.”

Why We Laugh tracks the evolution of Black comedy from Stepin Fetchit and minstrels in Blackface to the politically tinged humor of Dick Gregory, and from the television success of Good Times and The Jeffersons to the big-screen accomplishments of stars like Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg. The film also turns a perceptive eye on the controversial career decision of Dave Chappelle and the implications of corporate efforts to capitalize on the massive success of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam and Spike Lee’s The Original Kings of Comedy.

Showtime premiered it last night (and it was good, by the way) but don’t fret if you missed it, you can catch it airing on the network throughout Black History Month. See, I don’t always post reality TV junk.

“They trying to make it like Poprah is just a bully against this little crazy girl who just needs some help,” said Poprah who reached out to me to offer her side of the story on the alleged “beef” between her and fellow VH1 reality star, Danger.

As reported yesterday, Danger arrived at a benefit event for Haiti at the Laugh Factory Poprah hosted and caused a scene with eccentric antics that’s since become her trademark.

Poprah says before the show even got started she found Danger sitting on stage talking with the audience.

She says she initially played along but noticed Danger didn’t want to exit the stage. For those that wondered why she didn’t call security, Poprah pointed out: “No one ever came because they thought it was an act, like a routine that we made it but I don’t know this b*tch and I never met her a day in my life.”

Once Danger finally did leave and take her seat she allegedly started to pour water on the audience from above and heckled the comedians on stage. Poprah claims she also had an attitude the moment she arrived…uninvited.

Many across the blogosphere (self-included) think Danger’s personality can be described with the words almonds, cashews, and peanuts.

According to Poprah, though, she may have more sense than she lets on.

Poprah says the girl who cried wolf and gay rumors showed up with her camera crew and asked, “Where are all of the celebrities and when are they coming?”

And as we saw from the video footage after a while things obviously got heated between the two. But, Poprah claims that building animosity was exactly what Danger was looking for.

Poprah says she tried to interview her in an effort to expose her as someone simply looking for attention. Poprah explained: “Before she came on the carpet she said to me, ‘Poprah you need to just chill out because this will be a good beef, we can make money off of this.’”

Poprah added that she wanted people to see she wasn’t a part of Danger’s act and that her antics might have been part of an act.

On whether or not she thinks Danger is as crazy as she lets on, Poprah quipped:  “I think she does have a couple of screws loose, but the other side of it is she’s running around trying go into legitimate situations and create problems because Ray J ain’t giving her own show and she’s trying to keep her 15 minutes of fame popping.”

A good way to keep those 15 minutes alive would be drum up beef in Hollywood and pull stunts like say, channeling your inner Firemarshall Bill.

TMZ reported yesterday that the L.A. Fire Department received a 911 call from Danger’s apartment complex. Once they got there they noticed the fire had already been extinguished. Once arson investigators arrived to the scene Danger was detained and is currently under a 72-hour watch.

Based on what Poprah told me it sounds like Danger would love the audience.

Somebody get that girl a psychiatrist and an agent before she burns some other person’s house down accidentally on purpose or ends up on the sidewalk with a bruise as a second face tattoo.

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This is probably the most interesting beef I’ve seen since Jay-Z vs. Nas. I’m exaggerating, but still very serious. Poprah from I Want to Work For Diddy (season one) vs. Danger from For the Love of Ray J Season Two made me stop what I was doing to watch the madness. I’m confused about how it started but Poprah was interviewing Danger on the red carpet at a Haiti benefit and the pair got into a squabble.

Get this: Poprah, from what I saw, didn’t provoke it (at first). Poprah was asking Danger really good questions—professionally—and trying to give her a platform so that she could address the rumors surrounding her recent interviews where she made reckless statements about Ray J’s sexuality. However, instead of answering the questions like a sane human being, she rattled off random sarcastic blurts about her Creole/Mexican heritage and being royalty (and then I heard the Twilight Zone theme music playing softly in the distance). It gets better…

You know Poprah wasn’t having it! At the end of the “interview,” she reminded Danger that “crack kills” and suggested that Dr. Drew contact her asap. Danger walked away and continued running her mouth, so Poprah got in her face and told her to “act like a mature adult.” Danger promptly threatened to have someone kill Poprah because she has “that much power.”

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried, just watch the clip:

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Ray J has another show coming to VH1 and this time he’s bringing his entire family along.

Brandy has been tweeting for a second now about filming a new reality show and now she along with the rest of the Norwood family are ready to formally announce the debut of their new reality show, Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the show:

Siblings Brandy and Ray J Norwood are famous for their incredible vocal talent on the stage and screen. But they wouldn’t be anywhere without the support and guidance of their parents – entertainment manager and mom, Sonja and talented musical father, Willie Norwood. Viewers will get a first hand glimpse into the lives of the Norwood family unit and their family business – Rn’B Productions. Run by Sonja, Rn’B Productions features an impressive roster of musical artists including Brandy, Ray J and their father Willie, who also serves as the company’s vocal coach. But with Sonja ready to take a step down, Brandy and Ray J will have to fill her shoes quickly all the while taking the family business to the next level. Will they have what it takes to continue to stay in the limelight while growing an entertainment empire?

The show will feature both during the recording process with Brandy working with Timbaland and Ray J collaborating with Rodney Jerkins.

This actually sounds promising. Brandy’s always been a pretty solid actress, but her last foray into reality TV almost eight years ago, Diary Presents: Brandy — Special Delivery, wasn’t half-bad.

Let’s just hope Ray J leaves those ratchet girls from his other reality show off this one. Yes, that’s shade. An eclipse, for that matter.

Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business premiers on VH1 Sunday, April 11, at 9 p.m. EST.

Now tell me: Are you looking forward to the show?

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The Oprah Winfrey Netowork can’t get enough of Oprah (Duh!).

The media queen’s farewell from daily talk show life will be chronicled in a weekly primetime series, Behind the Scenes: Oprah’s 25th Season, to air on Winfrey’s OWN.

Oprah’s 25th Season will detail life on The Oprah Winfrey Show as it wraps up its daytime run. The focus won’t just be on Winfrey. There will also be details of all aspects of production, which makes featured players out of some of the personnel that helped the show become a massive hit.

I searched my brain for something smart to type (well, a little more sarcastic than the “Oprah overdoses on O” comment) but it’s Oprah. I feel like I’d get struck down or something. But anyway, I guess this could be interesting. Oprah stans would love to see behind the scenes footage of her final days as a talk show host. It sounds kind of sad but we know Miss Winfrey doesn’t want for anything so this is probably the best way for her (and fans) to move on.

OWN also said it is has added four potential hour-long series’ to its development slate, in addition to some TV movies. Looks like Lifetime’s got some competition.

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I am still reeling over news that Ugly Betty is not coming back.

Well, not really reeling per se. It’s not like I get a check from the show. Still, it’s sad to see what started out as such a quirky and promising show end on such a somber note.

It’s even sadder for folks who actually get checks to work on the series. Like the hilarious Vanessa Williams, who recently shed light about her and her fellow cast members feelings about the show’s cancellation.

Contact Music quotes the Ugly Betty star saying:

“I gotta be honest, we’re devastated. We’re sad, we’re not ready for it to end. We just moved to New York. We just got on a roll. Our season this year has been the best we’ve ever had. But numbers and ratings (were a concern). A lot of people couldn’t even find us. We switched – we were put on Thursday then taken off then (we were on) Fridays, now we’re finally on Wednesday nights. But we’re sad.”

She’s right. Not many people are home on Friday night to watch sitcoms and it’s always hard for a show to rebound once audiences forget what night it airs. That’s always a good way to kill a show’s momentum.

I really wish the network would reconsider if not for the fact that the show still has potential (this season has been strong), for the simply my desire to have more shows on broadcast networks that aren’t set in a law office or emergency room.

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