She's a supermodel, not a TV programmer, but that doesn't mean that Vendela doesn't have a strong opinion about NBC's decision to air the "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special: Class of '95," tomorrow -- Valentine's Day.
"They're [the viewers] all going to be out on dates," the model-turned- TV host recently said. But, she added, conceding her lack of expertise in the matter, "They [TV executives] tell me this is a really great night, so I have to believe them."
Vendela, who is from Sweden, is host of the hourlong special, which will run at 10 o'clock on the night of the day in question. It's her first gig as a TV host -- she's, of course, also in the magazine -- and so she's eager and hopeful that the show will attract a good-sized set-crowd.
She also understands, and admits, that, well, not all girlfriends and wives will want to hunker down and watch a bathing-suit special with their male mates, especially on a day set aside for romance.
But, she noted, "It's sports-related. There are musical things going on. It can be very entertaining. It's not like just watching these girls in bathing suits. It's also a history lesson on the [SI swimsuit] issue."
It's a history Vendela certainly knows something about, firsthand. She's appeared in four of SI's swimsuit editions, including an appearance as the 1993 cover model.
The SI special is Vendela's second nonmodeling TV appearance. During the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994, she worked as a correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight."
It was her work there that caught the eye of SI TV head Ted Shaker, who signed her up for tomorrow's special. She's got nothing but praise for Mr. Shaker and the way he structured the show, and her involvement in the production.
"I didn't just show up at the set and do my lines," she said. "I was very involved in the sets and the purpose of this [program]. It felt like I was one of the players on the team."
No matter what the reviews are for her work in the show, Vendela said she isn't aiming for a career as a talk-show host or TV anchorwoman. Her goal, she said, is the big screen. She's currently studying acting, reading scripts and going on auditions, all while working, seemingly nonstop, as a model.
Year in and year out, the SI swimsuit issue is the magazine's biggest seller. Invariably, the record sales are accompanied by a ton of controversy swirling around the question of exploitation. Not surprisingly, Vendela isn't troubled.
"I always feel it's a positive thing," she said of the issue. "They can say whatever they want, it's a free country. For me, its a positive experience. I'd never do anything that's degrading to women. I'm a total feminist."