If there was anyone else hosting ANTM, I might actually watch it.  But seeing Tyra Banks on ANTM is close to what must happen in Guantanamo Bay.  T-O-R-T-U-R-E.  I might even consider it my personal hell.

After an NYC casting call for America’s Next Top Model turned ugly Saturday as hundreds of hopefuls were caught in a stampede resulting in three arrests and six injuries, the show’s host and executive producer Tyra Banks tells aspiring models that they will still have a chance to compete.

“To all the Top Model hopefuls who were affected by the New York casting, we are doing everything we can to make sure that ALL the girls who weren’t seen, get an opportunity to audition — we’ll update you on our plans very soon,” Banks told Usmagazine.com in a statement Monday.

She added: “It is so important to me to redefine beauty and make sure that everyone gets a fair chance to pursue their dream. I am beyond excited for Cycle 13; for the first time ever, young women 5′7″ and under have a shot at becoming America’s Next Top Model!

“I encourage each girl to come out ready to rock the runway and show off their fiercest pose. I’m rooting for all of you!”

As aspiring models waited in line at the Park Central Hotel, fights broke out as news of a supposed car on fire began to spread.

Police were forced to shut down the casting call, and arrested two women and one man on charges of disorderly conduct and inciting to riot, according to the Times. Two people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, while four others refused treatment.

“We are concerned by the events that occurred Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the New York City casting call for the next cycle of America’s Next Top Model,” executive producers Banks and Ken Mok told Us in a statement earlier on Monday. “At this time, we still don’t know all the details of what happened or what triggered the incident. We appreciate the efforts of the NYPD and will assist them in any way possible in this matter.”

America’s Next Top Model debuted its twelfth cycle earlier this month.

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I like how you can see the spanx through the dress… I have a reaaaallllly hard time liking her.  She annoys the crap out of me.

Splash

Splash

Tyra Banks had no problem fitting into her dress for a Harper’s Bazaar party held in her honor at Highbar in NYC on Sept. 3.

“I’m still 160 pounds,” Tyra said proudly. “I want to be healthy.”

After an unflattering picture of the 5-foot-10 former supermodel on the beach surfaced in 2006, Tyra was attacked for packing on the pounds. But she’s making sure there isn’t a repeat of that unfortunate incident. “I think my weight’s just redistributed,” Tyra, 34, says of her curvy shape these days. “I kayak. I go to dance class. I run around a lot at Jackie O’s Reservoir [in NYC’s Central Park]. So I’ve been doing a lot of cross-training, but it hasn’t changed the number on the scale. I’m between 159 and 162.”

And that’s a number she’s happy with. “I want to be fit,” says Tyra. “Always!”

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Tyra Banks has been named the hardest-working person in showbusiness in a new online poll.

The model, talk show host and TV presenter has become a minimogul since she stepped down from the catwalk in 2006 – and now she has landed at the top of a new survey aimed at finding America’s hardest-working celebrity.

Banks beat American Idol host and DJ Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Sean `Diddy’ Combs to claim the top spot on Parade.com’s annual Summer Pop Culture poll.

The poll also claimed Oprah Winfrey as the celebrity most people would like as a next-door neighbour and Nicole Richie beat Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise to become the celebrity with the Most Improved Reputation.

Meanwhile, voters chose Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer as the Most Unlikely Couple and Halle Berry beat out Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba to claim the Hottest New Mama crown.

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WENN

Model-turned-TV chatshow host Tyra Banks dedicated her Daytime Emmy Award to talk show “Queen” Oprah Winfrey – hailing the TV powerhouse as her “inspiration.”

The supermodel-turned-talk show scooped the gong for Outstanding Talking Show in the Informative category, beating off stiff competition from A Place Of Our Own and Winfrey’s protege Dr. Phil.

And when she was presented with her award, Banks was full of praise for the veteran presenter.

She says, “I want to thank Oprah Winfrey for her inspiration. She is the queen. She will always be the queen.”

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WENN

Janice Dickinson has accused Tyra Banks of using her book to give young girls advice on sex and drug use.

The catty fashion queen hit out at her model rival after spotting a paparazzi photo of Banks in a magazine carrying a copy of her book, No Lifeguard on Duty.

Dickinson claims Banks is wrongly using her work to help young people – and taking credit for it, reports New York gossip column PageSix.com.

She says, “And she’s using my book. I mean, the thing looks so worn it’s like she’s been reading it on the toilet. It’s pathetic. Where’s her originality? Does she have no shame?”

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WENN