14 DAY TRIAL // 2009 has turned out to be a year full of less than pleasant surprises in terms of developments in television, talk shows in particular. It first brought Oprah Winfrey’s announcement that her legendary show was breathing its last breaths and would end in 2011. Now, former model Tyra Banks is also confirming for People magazine that her own show too will come to an end after just five seasons.
Over the past years, with the help of The Tyra Show, the model set out to break boundaries both in terms of television achievements and manners of connecting with her largely female audience. Traditional concepts of beauty have been challenged, with Tyra even instating a national day for natural hair, encouraging all women to lose the weave and extensions. At the same time, Tyra has had on her show the hottest celebrities, speaking on the hottest topics in the media, from actor Robert Pattinson to singer Beyonce.
All this will end in the spring of 2010, when the fifth show wraps production, Tyra confirms for People. “This will be the last season of The Tyra Show. I’ve been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past 5 years.” the television personality says for the mag. Of course, that doesn’t mean Tyra will simply fade away. “Banks will focus on the launch of Bankable Studios, a N.Y.-based film production company currently reviewing possible projects. Sticking to her mission, Banks aims to bring ‘positive images of women to the big screen,’ says an industry insider,” People writes.
“Tyra is sad because she’ll be missing so much of the daily connection to her viewers, but excited at the same time to be taking on a new challenge,” the insider goes on to say. Having set her goals high, to “redefine[e] beauty for women in film,” the former model will make the final step and most certainly succeed breaking into film. “With Oprah’s big announcement this year, I think that gave Tyra the confidence to get out there and follow her longtime dream of film producing,” the source further says.
Beauty remains Banks’ focus in the media as well, we were also telling you a while ago. By means of her online beauty magazine (launched this year), the star has initiated a campaign meant to challenge old definitions of beauty, with the ultimate goal of showing the world that it comes in all shapes, sizes and colors, no matter whatever else we might be told.