Carol Alt Seeks America’s Next “Cover Girl”
August 26, 2008
NEXT YEAR’S MODEL SEARCH SWEEPSTAKES
Supermodel Pairs with Publisher and Lord & Taylor
To Seek Fresh New Face to Launch Cover of 2009 Novel
NEW YORK, NY; August 4, 2008 — Avon A/an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers is launching a interactive online contest, along with supermodel Carol Alt (author of This Year’s Model) and Lord & Taylor, to help discover the fresh new face who will grace the cover of Alt’s 2009 novel in the NEXT YEAR’S MODEL Search Online Sweepstakes. The contest will launch on August 26, 2008, the date This Year’s Model goes on-sale. From August 26 to November 20, potential cover girls from 16 to 25 years of age can submit photos to the contest feature page at www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel. (Meanwhile, a distinguished panel of judges will select finalists, with new finalist pictures posting weekly at http://www.flickr.com/groups/nextyearsmodel/.) On November 21, the judges, led by Alt, will announce the 4 top Next Year’s Model entrants, launching all participants into an exciting fan-based voting contest at www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel. On December 11, 2008, NEXT YEAR’S MODEL will be announced, and arrangements will be made for the winner and a guest to be flown to New York City. The grand prize winner will be awarded a professional photo shoot, a meet-and-greet with a top modeling agency, and a wardrobe prize from Lord & Taylor! Avon A intends to feature the winner on the cover of Alt’s upcoming book, Next Year’s Model, in stores in 2009.
Alt, a savvy and innovative marketer whose creative skills were recently featured when she became a top-2 runner up on Celebrity Apprentice, concepted this contest as a way to help a young woman break into the competitive world of professional modeling. In her debut novel, This Year’s Model (in-stores August 26), Alt introduces readers to the high-stakes world of modeling – and gives valuable life lessons to all young women looking to break into the field.
“(Modeling) is one of the only businesses where a woman makes more money than a man,” says Alt, “and in which a young girl can achieve financial stability, meet great people, and travel the world – all while becoming famous and securing her future.” Widely regarded as one of the world’s most recognizable faces after launching the supermodel industry, Alt believes that modeling can be a healthy and empowering career for a young woman — and wanted to offer a hand in helping a new talent into the industry with the NEXT YEAR’S MODEL online search.
Contest Description:
August 26 - November 20, 2008: Contestants, aged 16-25, can enter the contest at www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel and send a photo for consideration. New finalists will be posted daily at Avon’s contest feature page at http://www.flickr.com/groups/nextyearsmodel/. (Please note: entrants can also send a photograph of themselvesf together with a 5X8 index card with their name, address, telephone number and date of birth to Next Year’s Model Contest, c/o Avon Books/HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022. Photographs must depict the entrant only, and photographs including other people will be disqualified.) About the photo submissions, Alt recommends contestants “do not waste money and valuable time, on a portfolio,” when selecting photos to showcase their looks on the NEXT YEAR’S MODEL contest website. Alt continues, “My agents took one look at me, at my face, and made the decision right there that I had ‘it.’” She recommends unposed, natural snapshots, pictures from family vacations and other settings where a young woman’s natural beauty and spirit shine through.
November 21: Carol Alt, with a panel of distinguished judges, will review all photo submissions, and select the Top 4 NEXT YEAR’S MODEL contest entrants, which will be posted online at www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel!
November 21 - December 10, 2008: www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel will host an interactive voting platform, where fans, friends and anyone interested in the glamorous world of modeling can enter into an interactive voting platform, selecting their favorite photos of contest contestants. Poll results will be viewable!
December 10, 2008: Voting closes. A grand prize winner is determined by popular vote (in case of a tie-breaker, Carol Alt and the panel of judges will select a grand prize winner).
December 11, 2008: Grand prize winner announcement on www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel!
Prize Package:
Avon A/an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers will fly the NEXT YEAR’S MODEL grand prize contest winner and a guest or chaperone to New York City, where they will receive two nights hotel stay in a four-star establishment. The grand prize winner will also receive a professional photo shoot; HarperCollins will consider the image for the cover of Carol Alt’s next book. The prize also includes a Lord & Taylor wardrobe gift valued at $500. (Total prize package valued at $6000.)
25 Runners-up will receive a signed copy of Carol Alt’s This Year’s Model. (Runner-up prize valued at $13.95.)
Panel of Judges:
Carol Alt - Carol Alt’s face has appeared on the cover of more than seven hundred magazines. Her calendars, posters, and exercise videos have all sold millions of copies.
LaVelle Olexa, Lord & Taylor - LaVelle Olexa is Lord & Taylor’s Senior Vice President of Public. As such, she is responsible for Publicity, Special Events, and the creative direction for the flagship’s Fifth Avenue windows. A consummate professional, LaVelle started her career modeling and has held a variety of positions in the fashion industry, including the marketing and fashion direction of Lord & Taylor.
Mumtaz Mustafa, Art Director, Avon A/an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers - Mumtaz started at HarperCollins as an assistant designer 6 years ago and is now the art director for Avon and Rayo.
About Carol Alt:
Carol Alt’s face has appeared on the cover of more than 700 magazines. Her calendars, posters, and exercise videos have all sold millions of copies. She was a recent contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice, is the bestselling author of Eating in the Raw and The Raw 50, is a frequent guest on talk shows, and has acted on stage, television, and in more than 65 movies. This Year’s Model is her first novel.
About This Year’s Model (on-sale 8/26/08):
Supermodel Carol Alt takes on the world of up and coming models in This Year’s Model, her biting, witty, and insightful debut novel. Melody Ann Croft had a lot of plans for her life. Being a model was not one of them. Discovered while working in restaurant, whisked off to New York, and christened “Mac,” she soon learns that plans have a way of…changing. Stepping into her new life is easier than Mac expected. But once you’re on top of the world, all it takes is one wrong step to bring it all tumbling down. In the cutthroat world of fashion, it all comes down to who you can trust. And it won’t be long before Max learns that hanging on to her self will be the toughest battle she’s ever fought.
More information about the NEXT YEARS MODEL contest available at: www.harpercollins.com/nextyearsmodel.
About HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children’s books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world’s foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.
CAROL’S FIRST NOVEL, “THIS YEAR’S MODEL”, HITS THE SHELVES IN AUGUST, 2008
August 22, 2008
Carol Alt, already a successful author (”Eating In The Raw”, “The Raw 50″), has now turned her considerable writing skills to fiction. Her debut novel, “This Year’s Model” (Avon A, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 97800611366246), goes on sale August 26, 2008.
Loosely based upon Carol’s own brilliant and unparalleled career in the world of high fashion modeling, “This Year’s Model” follows the exploits, both professional and personal, of a beautiful young woman as she enters and conquers the intriguing world of agencies, photographers, runways and romance.
This novel is a “must read” for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the fashion industry, as well as for their families, or for anyone who’s just plain curious about this very glamorous - and to most people, mysterious - life.
Attached you’ll find the press release from publisher, Avon A, which offers more information on this fascinating novel, as well as some tips from Carol on how to safely navigate a budding career as a model.
Here’s what the L.A. Times had to say:
http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-books.0810-pg,0,1413205.photogallery?index=2
“This Year’s Model” can be ordered now at Amazon.com:
Or at Barnes & Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/This-Years-Model/Carol-Alt/e/9780061366246
SUMMERTIME AND RAW EATIN’ IS EASY
August 5, 2008
When the subject of summer vs winter raw foods is brought up, Carol Alt knows that in this day and age, there is virtually no difference between the two in terms of easy availability. Access to foods that are grown internationally and transported all over the world is commonplace and relatively inexpensive, thanks to modern transportation methods. No more waiting for the first warm days of summer if you crave strawberries, grapes or asparagus. Winter vegetables? No longer any different than the summer ones. With very few exceptions, all fruits and vegetables are now available year-round.
What does seem to be seasonal, however, is the way many people think of summer vs winter meals. In the wintertime, nothing seems more inviting that a hot cup of soup, followed by a rich, heavy, warming plate of…well, you name your favorite foods.
But who wants a heavy meal during the heat of summer? Certainly not raw food enthusiasts and really, not too many other people, either. We all want to cool off and a terrific, interesting salad, or a plate of fresh fruit, can be just what the doctor ordered.
Carol loves the variety of dishes available during the long, warm days of summer, and is happy to share a few choice ideas. For example, a beautiful, yet simple salad composed of cucumbers, dill and cold-pressed olive oil. She sometimes includes her own homemade kefir and a little sea salt in the dressing, for variety.
“I love kefir and since it’s so easy to make, especially during the summer, when it’s warm outside, I keep some going all the time”, says Carol. “Ask your favorite Indian restaurant to sell you a kefir ‘bud’, which is just a scoop of their own kefir. Heat your milk (about a gallon) until just before it comes to a boil, let it cool, and add the kefir ‘bud’. Set the bowl outside in the sun (cover it with a towel or plastic wrap), come back 8 hours later and voila! you have your own homemade kefir! If the kefir isn’t quite thick enough, just leave it in the sun a while longer, until it’s the consistency you want”. Carol likes to add granola to her kefir when it’s ready to eat and of course, you can add whatever fruits you prefer. “Kefir contains more beneficial bacteria than yoghurt and by making my own, I know that the ingredients are not chemically altered”, something that fits right into Carol’s raw and healthy lifestyle.
Back to the salad dressing, Carol says there are countless variations on the cold-pressed olive oil and kefir base: Curry, a pinch of cayenne (if you like things spicy), minced onion, garlic, etc., can all be added to suit your taste. “Experiment with it. You’ll discover a lot of different tastes that work beautifully with fresh salad greens, as well as other raw vegetables. By using the cold-pressed oil, you also know that the dressing will be of the highest possible quality, especially in terms of raw.”
If you can’t resist eating pasta, Carol urges you to try rice pasta. Chop up some fresh tomatoes, a little cilantro or basil, celtic sea salt and cold-pressed olive oil. “Don’t cook the mixture - in Italy it is called ‘pomodoro al fresco’ or ‘cold tomatoes’”, Carol advises, “but even if you HAVE to have a hot tomato sauce, which will probably give you heartburn, at least add the oil after cooking…” and toss it with the hot pasta. “When I gave up wheat pasta, along with the other wheat products that I no longer eat, I never had another cold, or sinus infection, or allergy attack!”, she says. “Before I changed that part of my diet, I was constantly taking aspirin, cold medicines, allergy medicines - I was sick all the time. Never again.”
Depending on where you live, the myriad summer fruits - cherries, peaches, mangos, berries, pineapples, etc. - can be cut up, tossed together, and served with a kefir-based “dip” or dressing. Add a little honey and some of the juices from the cut fruit to the kefir for a lovely, slightly sweet dressing.
Speaking of something sweet, Carol will combine a fresh banana, some fresh fruit, perhaps a little freshly squeezed orange juice and kefir, all whirled together with a little ice in the blender, for a delicious slushy. And to cover her bets during the winter, or if she forgot to go to the market for fresh items, Carol freezes some fruit (including cut-up bananas) for emergency use. She also recommends keeping commercially frozen fruits in the freezer year-round, with the caveat that they not be processed with added sugar or syrup.
These are just a few of the ideas and recipes included in Carol’s book, “The Raw Fifty”. The book covers nearly 130 menu ideas and recipes, which help raw enthusiasts (and anyone else looking for delicious additions to their usual fare) come up with easy, tasty, family-pleasing dishes.
In case you’re wondering - and who doesn’t? - how the calorie count in raw fruits and vegetables stacks up against that of the same foods when they’ve been cooked, Carol has a great analogy. “I compare the foods we put into our bodies to the gasoline we put into our cars. It’s all going to be burned up, but if you put cheap gas into your car, it’ll leave a residue and not burn cleanly. That will ultimately damage your car’s engine. The higher quality the gas, the cleaner it burns. With our food, the purer it is going in, the cleaner and more energy-efficient it will be. What can be more pure than raw fruits and vegetables?”.
One of the things that Carol emphasizes is that “raw” really means “unprocessed”. Every time you open a can of something - anything! - the food in that can has been processed, meaning that in a very basic way, it has been altered molecularly. The human body then has to process the altered food differently (and less efficiently) than it would if the same food were raw and unaltered.
Carol has given lectures and even spoken to doctors and other medical professionals about the molecular changes that occur when raw food is cooked. She is trying to teach everyone that by eating raw, your body receives the purest possible energy source and is really forced to burn it all off in the cleanest, healthiest way.
In a future article on this website, Carol will explore what it was like being a fat - yes! you read correctly! - kid. But for now, she hopes you’ll push back from the computer, and take a walk…maybe to a fresh foods market nearby, for some of that luscious summer produce she’s been talking about
