J. ALEXANDER: Off the Cuff, Part One

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Although he's one of the most intriguing personalities to ever come out of the genre some of us all know (and love) as Reality TV, J. Alexander isn't the media fixture Tyra Banks, Jay Manuel and -- dare I say -- Eva Marcelle Pigford have become.

There is a reason for this.

The gender-bending enigma doesn't subscribe to celebrity.

At all.

"I just do what I do," the 'America's Next Top Model' personality scoffs at the notion of being called a TV star. "A model coach, I guess is a TV star, okay fine. If that's what they want to call it, then so be it."

During an intimate chat with The BV Newswire, the ageless South Bronx native was in the midst of putting together a special event honoring fashion legend Marc Jacobs at The Savannah College of Art and Design, taking place May 19.

"Everything is going to be absolutely fantastic," he beamed about the event which bestows the esteemed Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award upon a special fashion icon. "We do this whole thing in Savannah every year, each year. In the past, we've honored a designer Karl Lagerfeld, Muccia Prada, Vera Wang, Zac Posen and this year it's going to be Marc Jacobs."

And the special event will not have a red carpet.

Alexander, also known as Miss Jay on The CW's top rated phenomenon hates them.

"A lot of times, I try to avoid red carpets as much as possible because I just think it's overdone," he chides.

"Everybody has a carpet for every damn thing. I just think that maybe a red carpet should only be legitimized for The Oscars. And that's it."

Regarding the latest season of 'Top Model,' which culminates May 16, Alexander had to gather his thoughts to get into the right frame of mind.

"After the show gets shot, I go away and do other stuff I leave the country," he explains. "I don't live in the states. And I just get confused about which show I'm on and I be saying the wrong girl's name..."

With the help of the independent publicist hired to "manage" media for the show, he does remember the final four girls who are vying for the top spot as the top model (the eighth one crowned.)

On Jaslene: "I've always said that she reminds of Janice Dickinson and she's a firecracker. I think she's amazing. She is a go-getter. She was raised by drag-queens so she knows her s&#%."

On Renee: "The mother of one thought, for her, that she just had everything. And it was a great thinking process because what it has done was put her there in the top four, and she's good. She [caused] a bit of a stir to the girls and that's what made it really more insane. So between her, Jasleen and Natasha I think right now those are different fire crackers and their fuses are all about to explode."

On Natasha: "She's just special to me. She's from the east. She's from the eastern block so those girls know how to work hard. They know how to go and get it. And she's managed to get it. She's managed to get it. She has managed to get it. And I think that's the thing that really irritates everybody with her. She is constantly sitting back and saying 'I'm beautiful,' and we don't care. We can say she's really busted up and this and that, and she says, 'Thank you, but I'm beautiful." That's fierce. That's fierce. She's like 'I don't care what you guys say about me. I know I'm fierce. I know I know I'm beautiful. I know I've got what it takes and I can be and I will be Americas next to model. Point blank and period."

Hmmm. Looks like Miss Jay done gave the show's ending away.

Regarding Dionne, who got booted off last week, he revealed, "She wasn't one of my favorites. She --point blank-- was not one of my favorite girls until Tyra convinced me. Tyra saw something that I did not see and I think that's what makes the panel. We all see different things. .. Killer body, I just didn't see model."

But what about her beautiful bone structure, I venture. What about her bone structure? It's to die for.

"But remember, it's not about the bone structure and cheekbones and to die for, it's about everything else that goes along with it. I mean if I see every beat up, broken down b#$%& on the street with high cheekbones and say you can be a model, that is not it. I've seen broke down girls, busted, broke down, tall, skinny and think they can be a model. No, you can't."

Alrightee then.

The unlikely celebrity said that he was shocked that 'Top Model' made its fourth season, and had initial reservations for returning to it its debut.

"I didn't think it was going last by four, and no one knew my black ass would be there by eight," he deadpans. "I had no idea. Actually I remember in the beginning I didn't want to come back. I asked myself 'What am I doing? This is not making any sense to me. It's not how I work. It's not serious fashion' and then I realized that when they asked for the month, I hesitated and I said 'Uck, let me stick to my real fashion. Let me stick to the designers, the runways of Paris, and Milan.'

And then I thought about it and said, 'Well, this is not about me, its about a TV show and this about the girls.' And then you realize it's just a job."

Well thank God for second thoughts.

Miss Jay was too many things during the interview session. And there's more where that comes from. Check out Part Two of this enthralling interview, where he talks about his family life, Andre Leon Talley, Eva Pigford and being black and beautiful.