Tyra Banks
News (Page 2)

As a kid, Tyra Banks described herself as a "tall beanpole freak" who did not think she was beautiful. No wonder people don't take kids seriously.

The 5'10" knockout went on to become the first African-American to grace the covers of GQ and the iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

After becoming a mainstay for lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, Tyra Banks blazed a trail beyond the modeling industry by serving as creator, producer and judge on America's Next Top Model.

But, it was with her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, in 2005, that she really became "far, far more than just a body in a bathing suit" according to Time, who has twice listed Banks as one of their 100 Most Influential People in the World.

The supermodel mogul and Russell Simmons pal works with teenagers at her camp, Tzone, helping young women build self-esteem, and launched her "So What" campaign that promotes positive body images for women.

All that is fairly common knowledge. But here are five fun facts about Tyra Banks that you probably weren't aware of...

1. The runway veteran admitted to having cellulite and wearing control-top undies. "My silhouette looks fine, but... I have dimples in the backs of my thighs," Tyra Banks tells People.
2. Tyra appeared as one of the morphing faces at the end of the 1991 Michael Jackson video "Black or White."
3. "I've been afraid of [dolphins] ever since I was 8 or 9," Tyra Banks says. "I have dreams that I am in a pool and there are dolphins bumping me and I'm frightened."
4. Even though she used to model lingerie, Banks used a butt double to stand in for her nude scene in the low-budget movie Larceny.
5. After being the first African-American model featured solo on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, Tyra Banks revealed some interesting modeling secrets. "The oil on our bodies reflects muscles that aren't even there... I don't really have muscle tone, but it looks like I do on the cover because of the oil."

This is just a little gossip tidbit located in the New York Post, so take this for what it's worth, but ... Tyra Banks, New York's hottest dine-and-dash fiend, looked cozy with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas as they lunched at Club 66 in Midtown Tuesday.

"They looked like they were really enjoying themselves," our spy said.

More interestingly, the supermodel and Knicks fan, who arrived in her private limo, left the eatery with Thomas, jumping into the passenger seat of his SUV.

Thomas says he and Tyra Banks are just friends, but this fits the profile of what interests him. Huge upside, but does show signs of being flawed.

Isiah strikes the Scoop staff as the kind of guy who would buy a $6 million ring for a girl after she impressed him for only a short time. This kind of thinking can only lead to bad things... like divorce, or Jerome James. 

Banks' hit reality TV modeling competition, America's Next Top Model, returns with an all-new episode this evening.

As for Thomas, he's rumored to be negotiating a deal to host the new reality TV spin-off Deadliest Catch: NBA, in which aspiring GMs battle to snag the most overrated, overpriced and thuggish players during the offseason.

And the Reality TV Scoop staff thought we were the only ones who still pulled the dine-and-dash routine in New York City.

Wait, did we say that out loud? Disregard.

Anyway, Tyra Banks finally paid a brunch bill Thursday after "mistakenly" leaving a Manhattan eatery without settling the check last weekend.

On Saturday, the supermodel ate at the Brooklyn Diner with music mogul Russell Simmons and his children - but the party left without paying, according to Alexis Reyes, who runs the diner.

"Everybody waved goodbye and there was nothing in the billfold," Reyes saiid. "We kind of figured it was okay. It was so chaotic, she thought someone must have paid the bill."

As Banks explained on The View Thursday morning, she had offered to pick up the check, then Russell Simmons insisted he would, but ultimately neither did in a misunderstanding.

On Wednesday, the celebrity gossip fiends at the New York's Daily News reported that Banks "dined and dashed," which made her realize the mistake.

"I read the [newspaper] and they're saying I'm cheap and I didn't pay the bill," the America's Next Top Model host said on The View Thursday. "So I'm on my way after this with my $120 and I'm going to give it to them."

Indeed, Banks showed up to make good on the check, Reyes confirmed.

"She was really apologetic and also she was really embarrassed," he says. "She was great. She was very much a lady."

As for the gratuity, Reyes says of Banks:

"She left a wonderful tip. She was quite generous."

She usually is. Too bad there was no tip that could save Jael Strauss.

We're not surprised that Banks, one of our favorite reality TV stars, would make good on her promise and make up for her mistake.

She's no Jason Wahler.

She's a hot model. A top model, even.

Not to mention the host of America's Next Top Model. She's a famous and busy gal, but that does not mean Tyra Banks can't make time for fun. Check out the pictures below, in which Banks attended the New York Knicks-New Jersey Nets game the other night at Madison Square Garden. 

Banks, an NBA fan long before she was a reality TV star, was animated as always... as were her pals - Kimora Lee Simmons, Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z - seen in these pics.

Tyra and her Top Model cohorts return for an all-new episode tomorrow.

Size does matter.

That's the take of the Los Angeles Times, on America's Next Top Model, which has bid farewell to both plus-sized models on its current cycle.

Tyra Banks and her judgin' cronies decided several weeks ago that Diana, whose heart never seemed fully in the contest, should get whacked.

Last night, Whitney was dismissed after landing in the bottom two three weeks in a row.

It was a tough road for Whitney (pictured, right) - who is stunning in person and extremely charismatic - but her photos never seemed to reveal her full personality and almost always made her look like a Sears catalog reject.

It didn't help that the America's Next Top Model photo shoot fates were stacked against her - last night she was required to pose in a bath towel and high-heeled shoes - a look that's really not flattering for anyone (seriously, try it).

The judges were consistently harsh toward Whitney, with Twiggy in particular, being hugely dismissive, referring to her week after week as a mere "pretty girl," but not a model.

In the end, Whitney pondered if modeling was the right career path for her (um, she goes to Dartmouth - why isn't she wondering if being a Supreme Court Justice is the right career path?) and decided that maybe she would try her hand... at acting.

Because Hollywood, after all, is far, far more accepting of women who don't fit into the elfin mold. Come on. Even the stereotypical rail-thin blonde, The Hills' Heidi Montag, just got a boob job.