FOR THE fourth time in 14 seasons of “;America's Next Top Model,”; a person with Hawaii ties has been chosen as a contestant on the reality television show.

Ewa Beach college student Tatianna Kern will appear on the CW Network starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, when she and 12 other finalists embark on a quest to be chosen as the winner of a management contract with Wilhelmina Models, a modeling contract worth $100,000 with Cover Girl and coverage in an upcoming issue of Seventeen magazine. Honolulu's Anya Rozova was named runner-up in 2008; Maui's Renee Alway and Tatiana Dante appeared on the show in 2007 and 2004, respectively.

Kern, who previously lived in England and graduated from high school in Maryland before moving to Hawaii in 2005, describes herself as an avid “;World of Warcraft”; player and never expected to audition for “;America's Next Top Model.”;

“;I was in Pearlridge, over by the food court,”; she said on Monday. “;I was just sitting there with my girlfriend, and a local guy came up and asked why we weren't at the audition ... in Kapolei.”;

Despite not really being a fan of the show—“;When you watch TV, sometimes it's just on, (but) I haven't followed any of the seasons, so I don't really know what goes on,”; she said—Kern is still pretty excited to be part of the production.

“;I'm kind of nervous but I'm still going to watch,”; she said. “;I want to see how I'm portrayed.”;

Hopefully, she'll make it farther on the show than she did in 2008 as a contestant in the Miss Hawaii pageant, when she didn't even crack the top 10.

Even if she doesn't, however, Kern isn't too worried about her future. With plans to graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in May with a degree in microbiology and then continue work there on a master's degree, she's well on her way to reaching her ultimate goal of becoming a doctor.

“;America's Next Top Model”; debuts Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Oceanic Time Warner digital channel 93. Visit www.hsblinks.com/22u for more about the show, or www.hsblinks.com/22v to see interview clips of Kern on YouTube.com ...

FRIDAY'S PICKS: Freestyle Fellowship co-founder Myka 9 returns to NextDoor this weekend after last visiting in September 2005. This time, he'll perform alongside Creed Chameleon and the Deadbeats with DJ Kavet the Catalyst hosting; Myka 9 will also play Jazz Minds on Saturday with Bridget Gray, Tempo Valley and DJ A2Z. Performances start around 10 p.m. both nights ... Pau Hana Productions presents the return of Reel Big Fish at Pipeline Cafe. Tickets for the concert are $25 and $50; doors open at 6 p.m. with music getting started around 6:30 p.m. Visit www.groovetickets.com to buy tickets online ... Filipina “;femcee”; Rocky Rivera is in town from San Francisco to get a taste of Hawaii's hip-hop scene. She'll perform tracks off her self-titled debut CD at Fresh Cafe tonight with Hopie Spitshard and Sylen after sets at Manifest and thirtyninehotel last weekend. Doors for the 18-and-over show open at 8 p.m. Call 688-8055 ...

SATURDAY'S PICKS: Head back to NextDoor tomorrow for another quality hip-hop show with California-based MC Bambu and DJ Phatrick. Creed Chameleon and the Deadbeats will return to open on Saturday as well, with fellow Hawaii hip-hop duo the Prolific Unknowns rounding out the lineup. Doors open at 9 p.m. tomorrow; cover is $10 at the door ... And back at Pipeline, Florida-based rockers Shinedown headline an 18-and-over concert that starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 and $60; visit www.bampproject.com for more details ... Congrats to alternative lifestyle promoters Downtowne, who celebrate three years with a top-hat party at Bar 35. Los Angeles' DJ Amara is this month's special guest; doors open at 9 p.m., and the night will also serve as the official launch of www.downtowne.com ...

TRY, TRY AGAIN: My apologies to promoter Tom Moffatt for the confusion surrounding the upcoming Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs concert in this space. It's happening March 11 at the Waikiki Shell, as I correctly reported on Feb. 12 ...

I'M ON vacation next week. “;In the Mix”; will return to the pages of HILife on March 19 ...

In the Mix drops Fridays in HILife. Contact Jason Genegabus by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 529-4766.