Photos of the ladies from the ninth installment of America’s Next Top Model, premiering Sept. 19 on the CW, have begun to circulate. Many of them, at this stage of picture-taking, are not very impressive. But isn’t that the beauty of ANTM? If these girls were the right height and weight and/or had the right look, they’d probably already be models — use as evidence the fact that only a small percentage of contestants, and even winners, actually go on to become real models. But who cares how modelly (Tyra’s word, not mine) these girls are, though? I will be glued to the CW on Sept. 19. Check out their individual pics after the jump.

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This happens so rarely on reality shows I watch, I barely know how to handle it. The person who I think deserves to win usually gets booted out a couple of episodes before the finale, and I become less emotionally invested in the whole thing. But last night on So You Think You Can Dance,** a show that American Idol could seriously learn a few tricks from, Sabra Johnson, my favorite, actually won.

I am at peace.

_{** a show that I have an irrational obsession with, obviously}

Despite his stereotypical “angry black man” rant a few episodes back, Rock Harper won the 3rd installment of Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen,” or as I like to call it, The Cooking Show That’s Not As Good As Top Chef.

In an interview after the season finale, he said his goal is to become “the best black Italian chef in the country.” Why not just the best Italian chef? Anyway, you’re on your way, Rock. You’re on your way.

Intent on saturating the entertainment market with his face and voice and name, Akon’s coming out with a new reality show called “My Brother’s Keeper,” which will follow the adventures of his two look-alike brothers

Akon’s two brothers, who according to him, “look exactly like me,” go around town posing as Akon and reaping the benefits that come with being a high-profile performer…

“They are going around getting VIP treatment, girls, free food at restaurants, free everything and everybody is falling for it,” Akon said. “It’s a real life thing, which has got really out of hand in Atlanta, so I decided to take the situation and make it into my advantage by making a reality TV show out of it.”

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Love Kimora Lee Simmons or hate Kimora Lee Simmons — an hour of procrastination on hump day is priceless, isn’t it? AOL Black Voices is showing Kimora’s new Style Network show, Life in the Fab Lane , up until it’s televison premiere Sunday night.

I haven’t watched the whole thing, but the first segment — during which Ms. Simmons tells her daughters that there’s going to be a Kimora Barbie doll, and little Aoki asks, half-worried, “Are you turning into one or making one?” — had me hooked.

Watch the episode .

Who’s the latest fading star to allow television cameras to invade their family’s privacy in the name of money and fame? Snoop and co. just announced he’ll have an reality show on E! before the year is out. Something tells me this won’t be much like Run’s House.

The as yet untitled half-hour show, slated for a late 2007 debut, will follow Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, and his family as the Doggfather goes about his daily business, which has expanded over the past decade to include producing, acting, hosting a radio show, helming a youth football league and tacking -izzle onto the end of every other word.

On the home front, Snoop and his wife of 10 years, Shante, have two sons and a daughter.

I can just imagine the Cosby Show-esque family scenes now, like Mr. Broadus explaining to his daughter that, although he “don’t love dem hoes,” she will always have a special place in his heart. Or when he lectures his oldest son about drinking as they share a blunt in his Escalade. This will be a must see.

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BET’s much hyped new lineup of original programming began last night with the very MTV-sounding Hell Date and the Toccara and Joe Clair-hosted game show Take the Cake, which AOL Black Voices gives . Apparently, the buxom ANTM graduate is better in front of a still camera than a video one.

Despite their missteps last night, BET claims it’s trying to class up its lineup with an original sitcom Somebodies and its Laguna Beach-inspired Baldwin Hills, which premieres tonight at 10pm. It’s just a shame that whatever inroads the network has made in programming will be erased by Hot Ghetto Mess. Just when you think BET is changing for the better…

[NYT]

Pardon all the YouTube, but it’s the Friday after the 4th of July (meaning slow). Plus, this is interesting. Well, more shameful than interesting. Hopping on the reality show train is Luke Campbell, who would like to let everyone know he’s a normal family man — the kind whose prepubescent sons spend most of their time on Myspace under user names like “Lil Pimp.” From the looks of things, it hasn’t been picked up by a network yet. As soon as VH1 sees it, they’ll be all over it.

[AHH]

• Says James Madison from the grave, “Can’t we just forget this ever happened?”. [DMN]
• Good news for Stereohyped: high speed internet access use has tripled in African American homes in the past two years. [CT]
• If you’re in or near Baltimore, check out the African American Heritage Festival this weekend. [BS]
• Is Beyonce’s next big-screen role going to be Aida in Disney’s movie adaptation of the popular play? [JHM]
• Guilty Pleasure Alert: BET will premiere its “black Laguna Beach” show, Baldwin Hills on July 10. [RTW]

Being Bobby Brown was a guilty pleasure. Flavor of Love, I didn’t watch per se, but when I did catch the show, it was like a train wreck that I couldn’t look away from. That said, I will never, ever, ever watch Beauty in the Beast, a new reality show starring Ice-T and Coco.

Unless it’s really good.

[AHH]