ACCORDING to HBO, 'the USA's premier cable station', the girls featured in Ford Supermodel Of The World 1994 (Pearl, 9.30pm) are caught by the camera in spontaneous situations. These situations include riding bikes, exercising, swimming and having lunch. Such is the life of a supermodel. Not only do they look great, but they throw spontaneous lunch parties as well.
There is more to this telecast than mere spontaneity. There's the exotic location (Maui, which is part of Hawaii), there are interesting features (an interview with Ford supermodel Nona Gaye) and there's a celebrity host, Christie Brinkley.
Ms Brinkley opens the programme by describing the format and introducing the girls. By now you should be crying out for more. The girls talk one-on-one to another celebrity host - you could hardly move in Maui for celebrity hosts when they were filming this - Patricia Velasquez. A third celebrity host, Lucky Vanous, is wheeled out to do his turn. Mr Vanous is a top male model and, with girls in tow, meets some of the locals.
The reason for all this celebrity hosting is to find the Ford Supermodel of the World, Ford being a big modelling agency, not in this case a type of car. Last year's winner was Veronica Blume who turns up this year as a celebrity host. She attends a Maui photo shoot 'where the models strike sexy poses for the photographer'.
The Ford Supermodel competition has been going on, though you might not have realised it, for 13 years. The participants number 35, one of whom will win a US$250,000 modelling contract and, one presumes, a chance to appear next year as a celebrity host. Some Ford models have gone one further and become famous, among them Candice Bergen, Andie MacDowell, Kim Basinger, Renee Russo, Sharon Stone and Isabella Rossellini. Ms Rossellini does not return as celebrity host. If she did I would be preparing my video recorder along with the rest of you.
KEANU Reeves is in Permanent Record (World, 9.35pm), which is why World is showing it. There is no other reason to show a well-meaning but dull drama of teenage angst.
