The girl who played it straight

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Montgomery contestant finishes in final four on ‘Top Model’

Shoe seller. Dental student. Mom. And now, TV model.

For two months, Dionne Walters of Montgomery lived the fantasy of flashy clothes, international travel and celebrity encounters. But on last week’s episode of “America’s Next Top Model,” the 21-year-old hopeful went home in fourth place.

The CW reality show ends its eighth season Wednesday with one of three contestants winning a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl.

Walters spoke by phone today to talk about facing the panel, being away from family and keeping it real.

(more…)

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hold on to your muffins

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Steady as she goes
until big changes sweep us
along to new spot.

• • •

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leaves be gone

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Yard care is easy
with right tools: telephone, pen
and open checkbook.

• • •

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marker of a man

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Legacy summed up
in 162
words on special plaque.

• • •

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line dancing

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Confessions lead to
confusion over how far
to go in the truth.

• • •

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cross purposes

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

My soul-crushing task
destroys from within as I
seek a better world.

• • •

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Models, Inc.: A tribe called fetch

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

The mean girls may love Sydney but hate Natasha. The fab four turn ugly on “America’s Next Top Model.”

The contestants learn the art of aboriginal storytelling, but the real story ends up being poor, sick Natasha vs. Renee, Jaslene and Montgomery’s Dionne Walters. Go native, go overboard or go home.

All the photos, after the jump …
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slope hope

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

Semi-grassy knoll
awaits new plantings. Lushness
can migrate uphill.

• • •

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highland avenue hijinks

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

Patio tables
lure revelers as birthday
boy pulls in a crowd.

• • •

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misery may

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

Shaking off a cold
in winter doesn’t compare
to one in warm month.

• • •

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the fruit of knowledge

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

View from the inside
can be eye-opening and
kind of scary, too.

• • •

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Kickball, the thrill of the feet

Sunday, May 6th, 2007

kickball

The Football Capital of the South has taken up a different kind of foot-ball.

Birmingham Kickball has assembled dozens of players for monthly matches in the sport of (schoolyard) kings. The group’s most recent match pitted two semi-randomly selected teams in an 18-17 extra-inning blowout at Crestwood Park.

And while the trash talk ran high — including a mooning — it was all for fun, if not charity.

The good-natured rivalry always leads to the same results: a post-game celebration at Rojo on Southside.

We interviewed Sam Frazier Jr., indie filmmaker and self-described kickball lackey, about this retro-hip game.

• Who started kickball in Birmingham?

As far as I’m concerned, kickball for adults started with Arik Sokol when he organized a charity game day three years ago. With the exception of a very painful and unpleasant personal incident I experienced at the hands of one of the “charities,” it was considered a smashing success and the most fun any of the participants had had with his or her clothes on.

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