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Tyra Banks, the former supermodel turned actress, television producer, and talk show host, has scored once again. This week ABC announced that Banks and actor-producer Ashton Kutcher will produce a reality show for the network. The unscripted and yet-to-be-named series will reportedly have a beauty pageant theme. Banks and Kutcher will produce the show through Warner Horizon, Banks's Bankable Productions, and Kutcher's Katalyst production banner, which he runs with Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke. ABC has reportedly ordered eight episodes; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A combination of the Banks and Kutcher producing prowess could prove formidable.
Banks, who is ranked No. 3 on BLACK ENTERPRISE's "Top Moneymakers in Hollywood" list, produces The CW's top-rated show America's Next Top Model, which is now in its tenth season. She also hosts The Tyra Banks Show which, according to Entertainment Weekly, had 4.3 million female viewers per week in the November 2007 sweeps. Banks also recently inked a multimillion-dollar production deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment.

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LOS ANGELES - The number of homes facing foreclosure jumped 57 percent in January compared to a year ago, with lenders increasingly forced to take possession of homes they couldn't unload at auctions, a mortgage research firm said Monday.

Nationwide, 233,001 homes received at least one notice from lenders last month related to overdue payments, compared with 148,425 a year earlier, according to Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac Inc. Nearly half of the total involved first-time default notices.

The worsening situation came despite ongoing efforts by lenders to help borrowers manage their payments by modifying loan terms, working out long-term repayment plans and other actions.

"You have more people going into default and a higher percentage of the properties going back to the banks," said Rick Sharga, RealtyTrac's vice president of marketing.

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Fears of a recession coupled with an unsteady stock market, led President George W. Bush last month to introduce an economic stimulus package, which includes nearly $150 billion in tax rebate checks for low- to moderate-income earners and struggling businesses aimed at public spending and, hopefully, a revamped economy.

The president's plan is designed to be an interim solution to the fears of an impending recession. He has proposed a stimulus package approve by House leaders that would send rebates of $600 $1,200 to more than 100 million Americans who earn $3,000 or more, plus an additional $300 per child. Individuals who earn more than $75,000 and couples making more than $150,000 would receive less. The Senate's stimulus package proposal calls for rebates of $500 $1,000 for a larger group, including 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans, and individuals earning up to $150,000 or $300,000 for couples. This package also includes a $14.5 billion unemployment extension, $1 billion in heating aid for the poor, and a tax break for businesses suffering losses to reclaim previously paid taxes.

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