With all of the Olympic excitement that's dominated my late summer, I've neglected to do any blogging for
Project Runway! And although it may lack some of the big personality of last season, it's nonetheless exciting. Here's a quick rundown of some of my thoughts on the first seven episodes.
Episode 1It's all about Austin Scarlett! OK, not really, but he's still fabulous. Anywho, this was a rehash of the very first challenge ever on the show. This time my favorite was Daniel's innovative blue plastic cup dress, but kudos to Korto for actually using food.
Episode 2Having the models do the shopping for this one was a stroke of brilliance. Although I can't stand his (inconsistent) use of the 3rd person singular, Suede definitely impressed with his complex woven gown.
Episode 3Repeating the photo inspiration challenge is fine by me. The judges were right on to get rid of Emily for her crazy frilly hot mess of a dress. As for a winner, there were a lot of garments that could be in the "love it or hate it" category. Like Kelli's, Stella's, or Terri's designs. I would have gone for one of those, but not Kenley. On a side note - I frakkin' love Stella! She is the leather fashion version of Penny Marshall, and I want her around just for the laughter she brings.
Episode 4What a great lead-in to the Olympics! The clear winner for me here was Korto. Her outfit was hot, great sportswear, and was believable as something to see in the opening ceremony.
Episode 5Team challenges are always a bit dicey, because I hate the whole "pit partner against partner" vibe at judging time. That being said, it should have been the perfect time to eliminate Daniel, who had outlived his usefulness. And I also disagree with the judges on a winner - I really thought Jerell and Stella knocked it out of the park.
Episode 6I love, love, loved this episode! It was the most fun we've seen on the show in a very long time. This reminded me of the coutoure challenge from season 4, where the designers were really asked to do something huge and over the top. And it was a lot of fun because most of the designers were having so much fun with it as well! Although I applaud Joe for his well-chosen outfit, I do think that Terri was robbed on this one. Side note - can we please have RuPaul as a judge every week?
Episode 7Product placement aside, the Saturn challenge was a real chance to see some innovation from the designers. The top 3 were definitely the best - so my hat is tipped to Jerell's futuristic dress and Korto's fabulous coat. That being said, the deserved winner was Leanne for her giving us an intriguing silhouette in a dress that certainly doesn't appear to be recycled materials. Side note - can we please get rid of Tanerexia (a.k.a. Blayne)? He is, as Leanne so eloquently put it, "barflicious."
And now you're all caught up! As we enter the latter half of the competition, here is how I think things should go to end the series on a high note.
Episode 8We already know that the challenge is going to involve the uber-fabulous Diane von Furstenburg. I'm thinking this will give a slight edge to the designers that don't shy away from patterns - Kenley and Korto. Blayne should be the next to go. He's been wildly inconsistent, and has yet to deliver a top-notch outfit. Let him go home with his bug eyes and tan himself until he becomes the poster child for melanoma.
Episode 9At this point we will probably have another team challenge. I'm picturing a disastrous pairing of Kenley and Suede, in which they both cry on the runway (him from some other dead relative, her because she just cries a lot). He will stand by his position as team leader and be eliminated for it.
Episode 10Kenley will finally get on everyone's nerves enough that they sew her into a straitjacket. Unable to complete her garment, she is out. Tim pretends to care.
Episode 11A high-fashion challenge with guest judge Donatella Versace really forces the designers to go for broke, but Joe plays it safe with some lame sportswear and is sent packing. He will think it's simply because he's a straight guy. No one really misses him when he's gone, because they realize he's really never designed anything exceptional for a biological woman.
Episode 12After hoping for the first all-leather challenge in Project Runway history, Stella is dismayed to find that they are instead designing tutus for the New York City Ballet's newest production of
Giselle. Stella tries to make a slyph-like design in studded leather, but it causes her model to collapse from heat exhaustion, and Stella shrugs as she's eliminated.
Episode 13It's really stressful leading up to the final 3, and the designers are challenged to take their inspiration after a guided tour of the Bronx Botanical Garden. Jerell repeats his wide collar from the drag queen challenge in red, taking his cue from an amaryllis. The judges hate to see the same thing again, and after a marathon deliberation, decide to give us the first ever all-female finale!
Episodes 14 & 15Tim goes to visit our finalists in their hometowns of Little Rock, Portland and Chicago. Terri is already done with all but 2 of her outfits, while Korto has a lot to do and should "make it work." Leanne's family decides to adopt Tim as the family pet.
Back in NYC, the designers are thrown for a loop as they are told that they have to create a final look...for their mothers! They are very stressed, but receive assists from Jerell, Joe and Stella, who help Leanne, Terri and Korto respectively. The guest judge is revealed to be contemporary fashion icon Cate Blanchett. I self-combust.
In the final runway shows, Leanne goes first and presents some unusual shapes and silhouettes that are the mark of a high-fashion show, but her overall collection is disjointed and confuses the judges. After dealing with the drama of a model showing up 5 pounds overwieght, Terri's collection goes off without a hitch. Her designs push the envelope of design for the modern urban woman, and is judged to be both marketable and wearable. Korto presents last, and her collection is full of volume and African influences.
At the final judging, Leanne is told that she did well, but is out. She is, however, elated to hear that Cate will be talking to her about a red carpet dress in the future. And in a 3-1 decision, Korto is crowned the winner of
Project Runway. She is happy, but takes it in stride as usual, barely showing enough enthusiasm to be believable. Terri is pissed and makes a bitchface.
So there you go - the whole season wrapped up in a neat package! Any questions?
Not to a new house or anything, this is far less dramatic.
photo courtesy of TheAssociationWebsite.com
Now it's your turn - tell me what old song you just have to have on your playlist!
Also in reality news, I did try the premiere of Survivor. (What? I told you to tell me not to, and you didn't.) It was totally the same old thing, nothing has changed. Even the sight of a gay crush and men doing yoga in their underwear wasn't enough to keep me watching.
But there is a beacon of hope in the darkness - How I Met Your Mother, which is still very, very funny! Thankfully Ted came to his senses and came around to the idea that New Jersey is a lovely place. In fact, I am proud to say that whenever we go up to the Big Apple, we always stay in the uncrowded pleasant shores of Jersey. Robin going overseas? Unacceptable!
©2008 Pottle Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman - This engrossing novel takes a personal approach to an epic tale. The gods of various religions and mythologies are living amongst us, but are in a bitter battle against the new gods of man - television, radio and celebrity. This is one that really had us talking in book club, which is the sign of a great novel. Gaiman's book Stardust was also recently made into a (pretty decent) movie.
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta - Although I didn't love this one, which pits a liberal sex ed teacher against a born again soccer coach, we did talk about it in club for a long time. I think it can really open the door for people to talk about religion and the roots of fundamentalism. Movie fans may recognize Perrotta as the screenwriter and author of Little Children.
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - I just finished this one, so we haven't talked about it in book club yet. It's certainly not what I was expecting - I thought it would be a light-hearted tale of office politics and shenanigans, but it is in reality far more serious. I feel ambivalent about it right now.
World Without End by Ken Follett - You might remember my earlier post saying I was going to tackle this tome, and I did finally complete it. Although it's not as fully satisfying as The Pillars of the Earth, it still reads with the same driving excitement that makes you want to see how it all plays out. Follett is still one of my favorite authors (when he writes historical epics).
Luna by Julie Anne Peters - An emotionally charged story about a transgender teen, I kept wanting it to be more than it was. It will certainly prove to be a great way to gently educate readers on the inner turmoil of a transgender person, but as a novel, it falls short.
I did see some sparks of life that reminded me of the show that once was. Claire vs. Sylar in her own home. The potential twist that Ando becomes a supervillain in the future. And Mama Petrelli's startling cliffhanger statement:
Then this week the girls had makeovers which were nice, but Elina cried over her big puffy red weave curls. But she rocked the photo shoot, so she's over it. Brittany was nothing more than pretty (according to the judges, to me she was mannish) and was sent home.
Meanwhile at Parson's, two designers were eliminated last week, one of whom was Terri which really threw off my predictions. She also was suddenly a mean, bitter person, so I guess I didn't see that coming. Tanerexia also went home FINALLY. And then this week the designers made over college graduates, and Joe was finally sent home as I predicted.
Scoop - Hugh Jackman is hot. Woody Allen is not. A positive plus a negative equals a zero.
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green - Yet another gay male film that is just trite and barely satisfactory.
Infamous - Another amazing biography of Truman Capote and his work on In Cold Blood. Don't compare this to Capote; completely different in its own beautiful way.
The Advocate - Truly bizarre French period drama about putting animals on trial for witchcraft. Seriously. Colin Firth? Not naked.
Baby Mama - The plot is formulaic, but you can't deny that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are darn funny.
The title of this post does not refer to the audience in the theater when we saw the movie. Still, it was an odd experience - like being in a meeting of the Malkovich Fan Club. I swear every time he came on the screen they just laughed and laughed - even when he wasn't doing anything! Bizarre.
I won't deny that there are some good laughs in the movie, but overall the plot feels pulled in two directions. On the one hand it's a buddy comedy in the Judd Apatow "nothing is sacred" genre. But on the other hand it's fiercely skewering stereotypical Hollywood action films to the point of absurdity. CB said that if you want to see humor like that - go see Tropic Thunder, which he reports is much, much better.
SUNDAY
FRIDAY
Joslyn says that she's been to something like 30 tryouts for this show! Perseverance is obviously key. She's a bit older and looks like it until the camera is on, then she looks fierce. I love her attitude.
Sheena looks like Kimora Lee Simmons mixed with the softer features of Margaret Cho, with a voice and attitude like Lil' Kim. She's positive, pretty and looks like a winner to me.
At the photo shoot, Tyra gets very serious about voting, which is pretty cool. (She even has the unregistered girls sign up to vote that day.) The girls all pose at a voting booth, representing various issues that Americans may be concerned about this year. Sharaun shows that she's even more stank than we thought as she catcalls Isis during the latter's shoot about privacy rights - "You need to shave that face, Isis." Bitch!
The good news is that Sharaun is sent packing, while Isis gets called second. HA! And under-confident Marjorie takes first place, although I thought she was just OK. I really preferred Elina (her issue was foreign relations) and Joslyn (unemployment) on this one.
But on the flip side, it's full of such hilarious lines and antics by Anna Faris that you lose yourself in the fun! She's proving to be one of the funniest women in Hollywood and deserves a great big career built around her. All those great zingers wouldn't be half as funny if someone else was in this movie. Viva la Faris!
In Track, Jamaica became the fastest country in short sprints, which means that we should perhaps rename it "Cheetahland." Just think of the Cheetos endorsement deals!
In a shocking upset while looking as cute as a button, Australian Matthew Mitcham took home the gold in the 10m Platform Diving final. He was really spectacular, so very happy to win, and he's one of the few openly gay athletes out there. I'm a total fan!
And in a final note to divine male hotness, the U.S. men's Water Polo team had an amazing tournament as the underdog, and should be most proud to win the silver medal in a close game against world superpower Hungary. Can we request more shots of the bench and underwater, please?
- In Gymnastics, it was time for the all-around competitions. Amongst the men there was a lot of hopping and falling going on, which allowed Yang Wei of China to sail to a win. But it was the tear-stained joy of Frenchman Benoit Caranobe winning the bronze that made it a fun watch. More fun was to be had watching the women, where it was a clear competition between the two Americans. In the end, the long lines and pleasant artistry of Nastia Liukin clinched the gold, but big ups to Shawn Johnson for being one of the sweetest silver medalists ever.
- Finally, NBC broadcast some Badminton on TV! We got to watch the gold medal match in the women's indvidual competition, which was between two Chinese women - Xingfang Xie and Lan Lu. I know you won't believe me, but it was so exciting to watch! Xie was so powerful, defending her title to take the gold. It almost makes me want to pick up a racket and play!
- Last night while at a party at Sterfanie's new place, we actually sat and watched the entire women's Marathon, and none of us really know why we did! And with so many women in a pack, we couldn't make out countries or names for a long time, so we gave them our own names. Sadly, party favorite "Pigtails and Knee Socks" did not place. It was Romanian Constantina Tomescu who was running ahead all by herself for the gold, while "Big Sunglasses" edged out "Rat Tail" for the silver.
Then Michael Phelps picked up another gold with an easy win in the 200m IM. But it was his unbelievable "by a fingernail" touch at the wall to win the 100m Fly that really had the world in disbelief - gold again! Next up was the "splash and dash" 50m Free for the men, where no one expected Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho to take it. For the women, it was German Britta Steffen who just edged out Dara Torres; but we love her anyway! The marathon event of the 1500m Free might not be a big ticket event, but it was a real joy to watch Oussama Mellouli win the first ever swimming medal for Tunisia! And then it came down to the closing events which are always exciting - the 4x100 Medley Relays. For the women, the Americans were really strong and should be proud of their silver medals, because those Australians were crazy fast. And in an incredibly exciting event, the American men won as once again it was my wonderful boyfriend JASON LEZAK who came from behind to take it all! And Michael Phelps enters history as the man to win the most gold medals ever in a single Olympics, with the blessing of Mark Spitz to go with it, but he can scarcely believe it.
Meanwhile the Chinese continued to dominate both Gymnastics and Synchronized Diving by winning the women's event in both sports. Memo to Alicia Sacramone: SHAKE IT OFF! Good grief, it's not like someone shot your dog.
It's that time again! The new season of Top Model is almost upon us, and there is some exciting news. Normally I'm not into hearing the cast before the first episode, but this is exceptional.
I'd like to introduce you to my new sports boyfriend, Jason Lezak. This amazing specimen of athleticism pulled out the fastest relay split EVER and came from way behind to out-touch for the win at the wall. He is absolutely remarkable! I'm not ashamed to say I sent him a little fan mail on his website.
- There were qualifying heats in Rowing. *snore*
Last night the games opened with a really spectacular opening ceremony put on by the Chinese. Although the huge spectacle was fantastic, what really impressed me was that so much was done by massive coordination of people, not machines. Hopefully it reminded everyone what is good and strong about China, setting aside the obvious issues the country faces in this century. Oh, and we kicked off the night by having Chinese take-out - of course!
OK, I'm game. ScottE sent me this little challenge from pricklygirl. I'm sure it will be embarrassing, but here we go!
