Even though she made several public appearances in the wake of the MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift still vanished from the Twitterverse for a week following the Kanye West stage-crashing incident. It was an unusual break in the routine for Swift, who normally tweets several times a day. But she made her return last night, knocking out a series of messages that narrated her night out in Nashville with guitarist Grant Mickelson, Paramore singer Hayley Williams and New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert (who is also Williams' boyfriend). Her first message was a somewhat cryptic one, as she wrote, "Just picked out the exact dimensions of my future fireplace. It was exhilarating."

But soon the evening got rolling, as she got together with Mickelson to meet up with Williams and Gilbert. "In the car with @grantmickelson and he's running into things trying to back out of the driveway," she wrote. "My yard will never be the same." The quartet got together to go see the Megan Fox horror flick "Jennifer's Body," which everybody liked (at least according to Gilbert's Twitter).

Clearly good times were had by all. Mickelson wrote, "Thanks ya @yelyahwilliams @xchadballx & @taylorswift13 for a fantastic Monday night! I'd thank Megan Fox too but I'm afraid she'd eat me!" Swift agreed, as she wrote, "A priceless night with @yelyahwilliams, @xchadballx and @grantmickelson! Quoting Megan fox, reminiscing about M2M and 'Bewitched' over coffee." Gilbert echoed the same sentiment, as he tweeted, "@taylorswift13 and @GrantMickelson are my two new favorite people! Good hang tonight!" If cities are to be judged by how much fun the kids are having, then Nashville is the new hot spot.

Somewhere in the depths of the Nokia Theatre, I'm convinced there is a secret underground vault filled with pixie dust, a man-size vat of Velveeta and a rhyming dictionary that is the source of every "American Idol" winner's song.

Jordin Sparks' "This Is My Now." David Cook's "The Time of My Life." Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" (not so much). Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This." What do they have in common? All terrible, schmaltzy songs that even the superfans who instantly downloaded them have probably deleted from their iPods long since.

And then there was Tuesday night's addition to the canon, "No Boundaries," a titanic mound of turgid clichés co-written by none other than judge and professional songsmith, Kara DioGuardi. This über-"Idol" winner's song had it all: opening lines about time slowly ticking away and wanting something (Simon's approval?) forever! But having to wait for it! (Typically 58 minutes.)

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Oh no she didn't!!!

On Tuesday, my old friend Tyra Banks gave me a little shout-out on her talk show. When I heard that I'd been mentioned, I thought, Could this be about successful "America's Next Top Model" alums? News reporters? MTV on-air correspondents? Modeling? Why is Tyra talking about me again?!

And then it came to me with a rush of "shockingly predictable": The show was called "Straight Girl, Gay Crush" and asked the question, "Is everybody a little bit gay?"

On my season of "ANTM," I had a somewhat brief (depending on how much you know) fling with a girl named Sarah Rhoades, a self-proclaimed straight girl. So, naturally, Tyra was using our notorious limo kiss as an example of a straight girl getting involved with a gay girl — so surprising, considering the three times I was on the Tyra show were centered around my apparently very exciting sexuality. Oh great!

Still, though. I'm a sucker for Tyra, so I'll bite.
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I recently visited the "Real World" house in Red Hook, Brooklyn, expecting simply to hand Real Worlder Chet the mock MTV News that he had hosted the week before. (Chet is interested in an on-air position at MTV, so we thought we'd set him up with a little test run.) But I encountered a hell of a lot more when I got there.

There's this condition called PTRSD. Don't worry — it's nothing serious. And while the numbers are growing, only a small percentage of the population is affected. It develops in the days and months (in some cases, years) after any or all of the following experiences:

1. Having zero control over your minutes, hours and days, and taking orders from people you cannot see (perhaps via telephone or message) Read more...

The photo shoot on last night's episode of "America's Next Top Model" started innocently enough. Queen Tyra had the girls act out awkward, unscripted scenarios at a fictional awards show. The photos ranged from tripping onstage to not being able to pee in a fancy dress. (Classy!) And then there was this scenario: "The Interviewer With an Attitude."

That's an odd awards-show scenario, isn't it? I don't really think that particular situation would pop into most people's heads when they hear "unscripted awards-show moment." But whatevs, just last week Tyra called traffic a "natural disaster," so I'm used to this show making my brain hurt.
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[Editor's note: MTV News correspondent Kim Stolz was a finalist on "America's Next Top Model" in 2005.]

Six cycles and three years after Nigel Barker nicknamed me "Tim" (like, I get it — he thinks I'm too gay), "America's Next Top Model" has announced that one of the contestants of Cycle 11 is transgender. This, no doubt, is quite a historic move for the show, which previously had a sort of unspoken "must be born a woman" clause. However, from scrolling through the photographs of the Cycle 11 girls, Isis looks just as — if not more — qualified than the rest. She's more model-esque than most of her competitors, with long, skinny legs, and it's clear that she's had top surgery (her boobs are bigger and prettier than almost all of the girls' — oh my!). Plus, I'd bet my "ANTM" earnings (OK, fine, a lot more than that) that she's got the best walk of the bunch.
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This in from MTV News intern, "Gossip Girl" expert, and "Top Model" obsessive Rya:

So it seems that some of you really ran with my story about Whitney’s magical triumph as the winner of this cycle of “America’s Next Top Model.” There were enough, um, passionate comments that it seems necessary to get analytical.

Let’s start with the positive. Whitney, if you’re out there in cyberspace reading this: you’ve got a helluva fan base. Many have taken a shine to the idea that a toothpick with limbs didn’t win big. “Real Girls are not anorexic...Real Girls have meat…Whitney’s got that, thank you,” wrote Mawlo. Reader Wendy was especially happy with the show’s results because “She will be a positive role model for MANY girls/women in America. It’s great that she will be representing the average woman in the international modeling world!”

Others interpreted the win as a kind of patriotic statement. Georgetown Hoya got even loftier, attributing Whitney’s win to a political shift happening in America: “This is the era of change! We can see this in politics as we have Obama and Hillary running. America is finally being mobilized in a positive way, and I'm hoping the same mobility happens in the fashion industry. Stop hating on Whitney!” Hope! While Lacey Cloverdale made me want to wrap myself in the American flag when she declared, “Anya was nowhere NEAR being an American -- unless she just took her citizenship test. No American has that kind of accent. She could barely speak ENGLISH, and this is ‘America's Next Top Model.’ Whitney was the only one left. Good for her.” Hmm. Lacey, sweetheart, have you not noticed how Eastern Europeans, Russians, and Dutchwomen are dominating the pages of Vogue these days? Larger conversation!

But there were worlds more comments that were negative... Read more...

MTV News intern and resident “Gossip Girl” expert Rya has expanded her overly personal obsessions to include "America's Next Top Model" -- and just in time for the finale:

So last night’s episode of “Top Model” was the grand finale, which I watched with the sincere hope that the show is actually aware of its all-consuming campiness. I mean, Tyra knows, right? Anyway!

If you didn’t know (how would that be possible?), the glorious final three was composed of Fatima, a gorgeous Somalian; Anya, a Russian/Hawaiian goddess; and (hold onto your chairs) Whitney, a pretty normal-sized, beautiful woman we at MTV News have totally been rooting for.

There were so many amazing, hilarious, and amazingly hilarious moments in the “Top Model” finale. (Like Miss J's rhinestone eyebrows. Note to whoever thought up such a facial accoutrement: I'll have what you're having.) My rundown after the jump. Read more...

After being in the bottom two twice in a row, Whitney (looking particularly rock & roll above) broke the curse last night and made it into this “ANTM” cycle’s final three. Don’t say we never told you so!

It’s ironic that a plus-sized beauty would triumph in a particularly food-averse episode -- the girls ganged up on Dominique behind her back, calling her out for eating candy and snacking at 2:30 in the morning (scandal!) -- but that’s just what happened. Continuing the corny themes inspired by the Roman backdrop, the girls were forced to “act” once again (gag), this time running down some steps with their (surprisingly short) Italian model “boyfriend” while being stalked by a paparazzo. Whatevs. Tyra, woman, those pseudo-concepts are so Cosmo/Allure/Seventeen -- i.e. not haute fashion! But what do you expect from a TV competition sponsored by Cover Girl? We wouldn’t be surprised if Oxy sponsored cycle 11…

Anyway, Whitney took some OK pics, as did the rest of the gang. Not an inspired/inspiring week. But what we came away with is the fact that, as the Blonde Bombshell herself put it, “America and ‘America’s Next Top Model’ are ready for a plus-size model to win the competition.” Yes, we are! Bring it!

So will Whitney take it all the way? It’s looking like a real possibility. What do you think…?

Along with her Miley Cyrus obsession, we have learned that MTV News intern Jackie is also a devotee of the Tyra Banks-athon, “America’s Next Top Model.” Here she shares her thoughts on contestant Whitney, the plus-sized model currently dominating this season:

Being a self-proclaimed religious viewer of La Tyra’s “Next Top Model,” I find this season to be the most exciting for one reason: Whitney. The stunning 20-year-old from Atlantic Beach, Florida, has gotten farther in this competition than any of the previous “plus-sized” girls, and I’m sure a lot of women would agree that it’s been a long time coming. Last night, although in the bottom two, she was pushed through to the final four, sending the once-favored Katarzyna packing.

I, for one, was getting a little tired of the same sort of girl winning every season, and when Whitney stepped in the room the first episode, I wondered if finally we would see a “plus-sized” girl win. Modeling shows have become so popular, it’s great to see a normal body type – one you’d see in your mom or best friend (or in the mirror?) -- getting closer to winning. Read more...