Sean Faris booked the lead in a new film!

IMTA 1999 Junior Male Model of the Year Sean Faris has booked the lead in an independent film, Brooklyn to Manhattan. It sounds like a great plot; IMDB states, "Four people run for their lives in the Brooklyn subway tunnels after a botched drug deal." Sean will play Logan in the thriller set for release in 2008.

Faris competed at IMTA in 1999 where he won Junior Male Model of the Year. He started modeling immediately and was featured in several memorable campaigns, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Armani. Faris successfully transitioned into acting and starred on television in the cult classics Life as We Know It and Reunion. He also starred in the feature films Sleepover (with two other IMTA alums, Kallie Childress and Mika Boorem) and Yours, Mine and Ours (with IMTA alum Mateo Arias). His next feature film release Forever Strong has wrapped and is tentatively scheduled for release in 2007.

IMTA trivia: Sean is also friends with another IMTA alum, Eva Longoria. Here's a photo of them together at the 7th Annual Young Hollywood Awards in 2005.

IMTA stars shine at the Academy Awards!

The 79th Annual Academy Awards aired tonight live on ABC and IMTA alumni were glittering with hottest celebs in the business! During the pre-show, Jessica Biel's arrival on the red carpet was featured and Eva Longoria's newest commercial for L'Oreal debuted!

Jessica Biel presented the Best Achievement in Sound Editing Award and it was won by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest! Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has two IMTA alumni actors in the film, Americus Abesamis and Neil Panlasigui. Americus was featured as a Native Throne Guard next to Capt. Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp). Americus Abesamis is an IMTA Alumni of 1999 and 2000. Neil played the native child who meets Sparrow trying to escape. This was Jessica Biel's first time presenting an award at the Academy Awards and she was stunningly beautiful and poised in a pink Oscar de la Renta gown.

IMTA alum Elijah Wood's film Happy Feet won Best Animated Feature Film. Elijah voiced the main character Mumble in the hit film.



IMTA Oscar Flashbacks: Last year's Best Picture Winner was written by longtime IMTA friend Bobby Moresco, who won Best Original Screenplay with Paul Haggis for Crash. IMTA alum Elijah Wood's film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won the 2003 Best Picture Award (presented in 2004).

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Jessica White in Sports Illustrated!

IMTA alum and Supermodel Jessica White appears in the wildly popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Jessica White has been featured for four years now of Sports Illustrated! In 2005, she became the first African-American model to appear in three consecutive editions of the annual feature. This year she shot on location in Los Angeles with photographer Anne Menke. She was also chosen for a special feature "Models and Musicians" and was photographed with rock stars Gnarls Barkley.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is well-known for showcasing the most elite working models in the world. Jessica appreciates the honor it is to be a part of it. She says, "I've always wanted to do Sports Illustrated because it has made superstars out of all these girls and just to have this opportunity is amazing."

Jessica attended the New York 1999 IMTA Convention when she was 14 and has since been featured on international magazine covers and in numerous advertising campaigns and editorial layouts.

Check out Jessica's shots online and on newstands now!