Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast . The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams ( Omar Epps ), a track star who struggles with academics; Kristen Connor ( Kristy Swanson ), a shy and naive girl; and Remy ( Michael Rapaport ), a lonely and confused man seemingly out of place in his new environment.
54-456: The film also featured Tyra Banks ' first performance in a theatrical film. Laurence Fishburne won an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture"; Ice Cube was also nominated for the award. This was the last film appearance of Dedrick D. Gobert, who was shot dead in 1994 prior to the film's release. The exterior shots and outdoor scenes were shot on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) while
108-430: A 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's consensus states; "It's hard to fault Higher Learning ' s goals; unfortunately, writer-director John Singleton too often struggles to fit his themes within a consistently engaging story." On Metacritic , it has a score of 54% based on review from 20 critics. Singleton commented: "If you look at Higher Learning , which I
162-469: A band and needed a singer and bassist . Michael Kotch met Colleen Fitzpatrick while both were in school at New York University ; she became the group's singer and together they formed the group Eve's Plum. Chris Giammalvo joined the band on bass guitar. He would later be replaced on bass by Theo Mack in 1994. Eve's Plum toured independently throughout 1991 and 1992. The band signed a recording contract with Sony Records in 1992. Their debut album, Envy ,
216-573: A book entitled Tyra's Beauty, Inside and Out . She announced in May 2010 that she would be writing a novel, titled Modelland , loosely based on her own modelling experience. It was published in September 2011, intended to be the first of a planned three-part series; Modelland topped The New York Times Best Seller list in October 2011. In 2018, Banks and her mother, Carolyn London, co-authored
270-664: A book entitled "Perfect is Boring". In August 2016, Banks accepted a position as a personal branding guest lecturer at Stanford University . Banks dated Norwegian photographer Erik Asla during the 2010s. Banks struggled with infertility and her and Asla's attempts to conceive through in vitro fertilisation were unsuccessful. January 2016, their son York Banks Asla was born via gestational surrogacy . Banks has stated that she tends to avoid drinking and has never used other recreational drugs. Banks has spoken out about abusive relationships in her past. In 2005, when asked about her relationship history, she stated, "I won't be using
324-545: A camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE. Eve%27s Plum Eve's Plum was an American New York City -based rock band, active in the 1990s. The band was fronted by Colleen Fitzpatrick, who was later known by the stage name Vitamin C . Eve's Plum released two albums and seven singles on 550 Music / Epic Records , before breaking up in 1998. In 1991, Ben Kotch who played drums , and his twin brother Michael who played guitar, had been looking to start
378-462: A compilation), "Ice Cream", "The Way You Look", "So What", and "Twist It" (released as a B-side ). They continued to perform after being dropped by their label. A cover version of " Save a Prayer ", on Mojo Records ' 1997 The Duran Duran Tribute Album , was their final released recording. Colleen Fitzpatrick has had commercial success with a solo career under the name Vitamin C . Michael Kotch, who married Fitzpatrick in 2004, went on to play in
432-518: A condom. Monet, Kristen's roommate, discovers her crying and receives a racially offensive call from Billy; she then decides to seek help from Fudge, who recruits his friends to confront Billy at a frat party to severely assault him for the racist remark, and Kristen identifies Billy to the black students, who force him to apologize to Monet for racially insulting her during his phone call, unaware that he sexually assaulted Kristen. Shortly afterwards, Kristen joins Taryn's student group, confiding in her about
486-416: A contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, launching advertising campaigns for the cosmetics company. She was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. In the mid-1990s, Banks returned to America to do more commercial modeling. Banks was the first Black woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and the first African-American woman on the cover of GQ . In 1997, she received
540-507: A conversation near a converted Christopher Columbus statue, reflecting on the recent events. While Kristen believes the shooting was her fault for organizing the peace festival, Malik reassures her that she is not to blame, and that it was the right thing to do at the time, before walking away from the campus, leaving his fate at the university undisclosed. The film concludes with Fudge, Taryn, and others graduating from Columbus University. The closing shot features Professor Phipps walking beneath
594-509: A daytime talk show aimed at younger women, which premiered on September 12, 2005, and ran until May 28, 2010. In 2008, Banks won the Daytime Emmy Award for her work and production on The Tyra Banks Show , and won for the second time in a row for outstanding, informative talkshow in 2009. Banks's first big screen role came in 1994, when she co-starred in the drama Higher Learning . She then co-starred with Lindsay Lohan in
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#1732765071529648-404: A dismal grade on a midterm essay and accuses him of selling out to the white establishment, Phipps explains the various spelling and grammar errors and emphasizes the importance of taking personal responsibility. He shares with Malik his perspective that black people have to work twice as hard to attain the same socio-economic status as white people. Afterwards, Malik improves his writing skills with
702-462: A guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in an episode entitled "Chinatown". Banks started her production company, "Ty Ty Baby Productions"—soon afterward changed to Bankable Productions —which produced The Tyra Banks Show , America's Next Top Model and the 2008 movie The Clique . Banks is the executive producer and former presenter and judge of America's Next Top Model . In addition, she hosted The Tyra Banks Show ,
756-430: A lot of names on the show , but a specific relationship had not just cheating but emotional abuse. It was really bad, but that made me strong." In 2009, she opened up about her past relationships when she made a guest appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show , hosting alongside Oprah Winfrey. The episode was dedicated to dating violence in response to the assault of Rihanna by Chris Brown . In 2011, Banks enrolled in
810-491: A music video featuring contestants from cycle 2 of America's Next Top Model . The video premiered on UPN. Banks released a single with NBA player Kobe Bryant , entitled "K.O.B.E.", which was performed on NBA TV . She also had a single on the Life-Size (2000) soundtrack called "Be a Star". Banks recorded a song with musician Todrick Hall for his 2021 album Femuline , entitled "Fashón". In 1998, Banks co-authored
864-532: A new Jewish roommate named David Isaacs, but his frustration grows when Malik mocks him after winning a video game. Shortly afterwards, feeling increasingly isolated from his peers at the University, Remy befriends a group of white supremacists led by Scott Moss, who live close to the Campus; influenced by their racist beliefs, he eventually joins their ranks as a Nazi skinhead. After Malik confronts Phipps over
918-411: A quiet white man from Boise, Idaho and fellow freshman, contacts campus police to break up the party due to the loud rap music which is interfering with his studying. Fudge argues that the police unfairly target black students while ignoring white students playing loud " hillbilly music ". Taryn, an openly lesbian feminist junior, who warns Kristen about walking alone at night and invites her to join
972-488: A student group. Meanwhile, Malik and Kristen both take a political science class taught by Maurice Phipps, a conservative black man from the British West Indies. Phipps assigns his students a semester-long project of formulating their own political ideologies instead of allowing others to categorize them. A turning point occurs when frat boy Billy McDonald rapes Kristen, ignoring her refusal to have sex without
1026-564: Is a computer consultant. She has a brother, Devin, who is five years older. In 1979, when Banks was six years old, her parents divorced. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. Banks has said that while growing up, she was teased for her appearance and considered an "ugly duckling"; when Banks was 11 years old, she grew three inches and lost 30 pounds in three months. On America's Next Top Model , Banks discussed
1080-485: Is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine. She is also one of only seventeen models to be ranked as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com. Tyra Lynne Banks was born in Inglewood, California , on December 4, 1973. Her mother, Carolyn London (now London-Johnson), is a medical photographer, and her father, Donald Banks,
1134-700: The Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . In addition to "Higher", performed by Ice Cube, the soundtrack includes original music by OutKast , Liz Phair , Tori Amos and Rage Against the Machine . The character Malik, played by the same actor, Omar Epps, appears in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood , a comedy movie that parodied some popular black movies of
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#17327650715291188-729: The VH1 award for "Supermodel of the Year". That year, she was the first African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog, and became a Victoria's Secret Angel . In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models . Banks is now a contributor of the Vogue Italia website. In 2013, Banks transformed herself into 15 supermodels, in collaboration with fashion photographer Udo Spreitzenbarth . In 2019, Banks came out of her modeling retirement to pose for one of
1242-408: The 1990s. A year later, after the graduation of a friend, Malik had returned to the university where he was shot and killed by a new Skinheads member. Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX , is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California , she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and
1296-414: The 1996 Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Fishburne won. The film received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert commended John Singleton's direction of the film: "He sees with a clear eye and a strong will, and is not persuaded by fashionable ideologies. His movies are thought-provoking because he uses familiar kinds of characters and then asks hard questions about them." He awarded
1350-645: The American flag, with the caption "Unlearn" superimposed over it. The band Eve's Plum performs, as Themselves, at the Peace Fest. Higher Learning grossed $ 38,290,723 in the United States, with $ 20,200,000 in rentals. It ranked #44 for yearly domestic gross and #17 amongst R-rated films in 1995. For their performances in Higher Learning , Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube were nominated for
1404-496: The Disney Channel show Shake It Up as a school librarian. In 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that Banks would co-create and produce an ABC comedy series based on her teenage years titled Fivehead. In 2015, Banks starred in the round table lineup talk show FABLife alongside model Chrissy Teigen , fashion stylist Joe Zee , interior designer Lauren Makk, and YouTube personality Leah Ashley. Banks quit
1458-477: The Disney film Life-Size , playing a doll named Eve who comes to life. Other films she has starred in include Love Stinks (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Coyote Ugly (2000), Halloween: Resurrection (2002) and Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). Banks appeared in the fourth episode of the third season of Gossip Girl playing Ursula Nyquist, a larger-than-life actress. She also appeared on
1512-457: The Stars for its 29th season , also serving as an executive producer. In 2010, Banks published a young adult novel titled Modelland , based on her life as a model, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011. She also has her own production company, Bankable Productions , which produced The Tyra Banks Show , America's Next Top Model , and the 2008 film The Clique . Banks
1566-444: The Stars . In August 2020, Banks signed a deal with ABC Signature . In March 2023, Banks decided to leave the show after 3 seasons to focus on business commitments. In 2014, Banks founded the cosmetics brand Tyra Beauty, which she completed a non-degree certificate program at Harvard Business School specifically for. Tyra Beauty uses a multi-level marketing system to recruit sales distributors, who are called "beautytainers" by
1620-819: The company. Banks held a casting call to find faces for her line, eventually selecting Melody Parra, Monique Hayward, Katy Harvey and Top Model Norge contestant Marita Gomsrud as the cosmetic line's original beauty models. In March 2011, Banks launched her fashion and beauty website called "typeF.com", which she co-created with Demand Media. In 2015, she launched "tyra.com", an interactive cosmetic e-commerce site. Banks has appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson 's " Black or White ", Mobb Deep 's "Trife Life", Tina Turner 's " Love Thing ", George Michael 's " Too Funky " (with models Linda Evangelista , Estelle Lefébure , Emma Sjoberg and Nadja Auermann ) and Lionel Richie 's "Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2004, she recorded her first single, "Shake Ya Body", which had
1674-771: The covers of magazines such as Elle ; Harper's Bazaar ; Spanish Vogue ; Cosmopolitan ; Seventeen and Teen Vogue . She walked in fashion shows for Chanel , Oscar de la Renta , Yves Saint Laurent , Anna Sui , Christian Dior , Donna Karan , Calvin Klein , Perry Ellis , Marc Jacobs , Givenchy , Herve Leger , Valentino , Fendi , Isaac Mizrahi , Giorgio Armani , Sonia Rykiel , Michael Kors and others. She appeared in advertising campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent , Dolce & Gabbana , Escada , Tommy Hilfiger , Ralph Lauren , Halston , H&M , XOXO , Swatch , Versace , Christian Lacroix , Victoria's Secret , Got Milk? , Pepsi and Nike . In 1993, Banks signed
Higher Learning - Misplaced Pages Continue
1728-466: The drama Higher Learning (1995). In 2000, she had major film roles, such as Eve in Disney Channel 's Life-Size and Zoe in the box-office hit Coyote Ugly . Banks had small roles in the romantic sports film Love & Basketball (2000), the horror film Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and in the television series Gossip Girl (2009) and Glee (2013). In 2003, Banks created
1782-520: The film three out of four stars. Time Out wrote: "A stylish, intelligent film-maker, Singleton interweaves the threads of his demographic tapestry with assurance, passion and a welcome awareness of the complexities of the college community's contradictory impulses towards integration and separatism." Writing in The New York Times , Janet Maslin felt that the movie fell short of its goal, saying it "turns out to be an inadvertent example of
1836-434: The fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , in which she played lead character Will Smith 's old friend Jackie Ames . She made seven appearances in the series. Other TV credits include Felicity , All That , MADtv , Nick Cannon 's Wild 'n Out (in which she was featured as a special guest host and team captain) and The Price Is Right (guest-starring as a " Barker's Beauty "). She also appeared as
1890-445: The help of his girlfriend, fellow track athlete Deja, and learns valuable lessons about self-improvement. Remy's hatred and racism escalate as he pulls a gun on Malik and David, using racial slurs. He eventually drops out of the university and, encouraged by his Neo-Nazi friends, attacks with a sniper rifle from a rooftop during a peace festival organized by Kristen and Monet. Deja is killed and campus police restrain and violently beat
1944-425: The interiors were shot at Sony Pictures Studios . Kristen Connor, a friendly but naïve white woman from Orange County, California , and Malik Williams, a black high-school track star on an athletic scholarship, both incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University, attend a dorm party hosted by Fudge White, a militant Afrocentric activist who has been attending the university for 6 years. Fudge's roommate Remy,
1998-402: The long-running reality television series America's Next Top Model , which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons, until the series' cancellation in October 2015. She remained executive producer for the revival of the series in 2016 and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the twenty-fourth cycle . Banks
2052-506: The nine-week Owner/President Management Program (OPM) at Harvard Business School . Banks completed the executive education training program in February 2012, earning a certificate. She has come under criticism for implying she is a Harvard graduate. Jenna Sauers, writing for Jezebel , referred to her statements on Harvard as "disingenuous", and called upon her to "stop lying" about Harvard. As of 2012, Harvard professor Rohit Deshpande
2106-425: The rape, and Taryn encourages her to report the crime. As they grow closer, Kristen begins developing romantic feelings for Taryn. Eventually, Kristen decides to continue a relationship with Wayne, a college student and friend of Malik she was already dating before meeting Taryn. When Remy criticizes Fudge's habit of constantly disrupting his studies with loud music, Fudge mockingly threatens him. He moves out and gets
2160-426: The results of an Ancestry.com genealogical DNA test that gave her "79% African, 14% British, and 6% Native American" results. In an interview, she added that she is also "1% Finnish ", saying: "I'm 14% British, 6% Native American, 1% Finnish, and all the rest African." In February 2012, Banks completed a nine-week course at Harvard University's Owner/President Management non-degree extension program. When Banks
2214-451: The same small-mindedness it deplores". Reel Film Reviews wrote that the film is "consistently entertaining and well-acted all around. While it's not a perfect movie – Cube's character disappears for a 30-minute stretch and Singleton's approach often veers into heavy-handedness – it is nevertheless an intriguing look at the differences between races and how such differences can clash", and awarded it 3.5 stars out of 4. Higher Learning holds
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2268-424: The series after less than three months to focus on her cosmetics company. In 2018, Banks returned to acting for her starring role in Life-Size 2 , which premiered on Freeform on December 2. Banks will also star and executive produce Beauty , a documentary series for Quibi . In 2018, she signed a deal with Universal Television. In July 2020, it was announced that Banks would be the new host of Dancing with
2322-587: The summer of 1996 they wrote a few new songs and performed a show in Albany, New York . The show was recorded, and released as Eve's Plum Live in Albany . However, it is extremely rare and it is unknown if any surviving copies still exist. There are a few songs which were performed live but didn't make it to a studio album, such as "Ride with You" (which was supposed to be on Cherry Alive ), "Lost in Space" (recorded for
2376-482: The three 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers; the other cover models being Camille Kostek and Alex Morgan . It marked her third cover for the publication, 22 years after her first. She also announced that she will now go by the modeling name BanX. In 2024, Banks came out of her runway retirement to walk for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show as the closing model. Banks's television career began on
2430-528: The vengeful Malik. After apologizing for his actions, Remy commits suicide in front of campus police by shooting himself in the mouth to avoid further humiliation and imprisonment. In the aftermath, Malik discusses his future with Phipps, explaining that he feels discouraged and unsure about continuing his studies after all that has happened. Phipps expresses trust in Malik's judgment. Malik and Kristen, who have previously had minimal interaction with each other, have
2484-648: Was 15 years old, she started modeling while attending school in Los Angeles. She was rejected by four modeling agencies before she was signed by L.A. Models. She switched to Elite Model Management at age 16. When she got the opportunity to model in Europe, she moved to Milan. In her first runway season, she booked 25 shows in the 1991 Paris Fashion Week . Banks appeared in editorials for American, Italian, French, and Spanish Vogue ; American, French, German, and Spanish Elle ; American, German, and Malaysian Harper's Bazaar ; V ; W and Vanity Fair . She appeared on
2538-507: Was 25 years old making it, I'm like chock full of everything that would concern young people: lesbianism, and racism, and everything I could put in that movie. It was a great movie. A fun movie to do. But you could never get that movie made now. Never. The guy shoots everybody, know what I mean?" The soundtrack , containing hip hop, R&B, rock and jazz music, was released on January 3, 1995 by John Singleton 's New Deal Music label through 550 Music / Epic Soundtrax . It peaked at number 39 on
2592-407: Was a limited release. That same year Chris Giammalvo left the band and was replaced by Theo Mack on bass. In 1995, Eve's Plum recorded the single "Eye", for the soundtrack to the film Higher Learning . The band also appeared in the film performing the song during the carnival scene. The group's second album, Cherry Alive , was released in September 1995. The first single released from the album
2646-565: Was called "Jesus Loves You (Not As Much As I Do)". The single failed to chart. Although three more singles were released from Cherry Alive to radio: "Wishing the Day Away", "Cherry Alive", and "Fairy Princess", none of the singles were successful for the band and 550 Music dropped the group in 1996. Shortly before being dropped by their label the band, after wrapping a promotional tour for Cherry Alive , returned to their home of NYC to write new songs for what would have been their third album. In
2700-496: Was not on the album - as well as the songs "Blue" and "Envy" from the album. The band's second single "Die Like Someone", also failed to make an impact. The album's third single, "I Want It All", became the only single of their career to chart. It spent one week on the Modern Rock Chart at number 30. It was also featured in the film The Next Karate Kid . In 1994, Eve's Plum released the I Want It All Alive EP . The EP
2754-603: Was preparing a case study on Banks's company, Bankable Productions , for use in future coursework in the OPM program. Banks established the TZONE program, which aimed at leadership and life skills development. She has also established the Tyra Banks Scholarship , a fund aimed at providing African-American girls the opportunity to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School . In 2005, TZONE transformed from
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#17327650715292808-525: Was produced by Roger Greenawalt and released in 1993. The group's debut album failed to chart on the Billboard 200. The first single, "Blue", was also released in 1993 and was shown on an episode of Beavis and Butthead but did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. A "demonstration" version of the single in CD format was also released to radio stations that contained an additional song, "Twist It" that
2862-411: Was the co-creator of True Beauty (2009–2010), and had her own television talk show, The Tyra Banks Show (2005–2010), which aired on The CW and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. In 2015, she co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months. In 2017, Banks was the host of America's Got Talent for its 12th season . In 2020, she was the host of Dancing with
2916-558: Was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue , on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models . Banks began acting on television in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) and made her film debut in
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