At long last, the sartorial madness of Project Runway has returned to television. But now it’s on Lifetime. Is that good? Is it bad? Let’s discuss.
Well here’s the good news – the show is pretty much exactly what you know, love and remember from it’s previous 5 seasons on Bravo. There is no discernible change in the variety of the challenges. Tim is still there giving his pithy comments, and Heidi adds amusing commentary with her delightful accent. The runway shows are set up exactly the same, right down to the music. And that means – you guessed it – the drumbeats of doom are still there, too!
The biggest change is that this season is taking place in Los Angeles, although the final runway shows will still be back at New York’s Fashion Week. The move to the west coast isn’t a big one – the work room at FIDM is similar to Parson’s (although a bit roomier), and there’s even a branch of Mood nearby. We do get some establishing shots of sunny weather, of course.
But the real change with the move to LA is that the number and wattage of the celebrity judges is increased. We’ve already seen Lindsay Lohan and Rebecca Romijn. We know that Eva Longoria Parker is coming up in the near future. Who knows who could drop by? Now, all that might make you worry that we’re not going to see many luminaries in the fashion world, but never fear – we’ve already had Monique Lhuillier sitting in for Michael Kors this past week.
As for the designers, it’s hard to keep up with all of them at this early stage of the game, but I certainly think that Christopher is a cutie to watch. Of course, if he keeps up the “I have no formal training” shtick every week, he’s going to wear on my nerves. I’m also starting to like Althea, who seems to just be very genuine and sweet.
So – overall, the show is really all that you love, and you’ve got nothing to fear by switching your channel to Lifetime. Sit and debate with your friends which network is more for gay men.
There is a change that comes with the new producers – Bunim/Murray of The Real World infamy. They’ve developed a short follow-up show called Models of the Runway, where we see all of the model selections/eliminations, and the girls all live in the same house. But America’s Top Model this ain’t. It’s bland, full of shrieking girls with mashed potatoes for brains, and a complete waste of time. Do yourself a favor – when this show comes on, turn the TV off and curl up with a good book. I recommend the one I’m currently reading – My Life in France by Julia Child.
I don’t know, J-Lo, I’m having mixed feelings about this season. I know I’m lame, but I don’t like that it’s on later (it is later, right?). I also can feel the “Real World” aspect hitting the show hard and it’s bugging me… like the first episode where I thought the drug addict guy was going to lose it because, “I didn’t think it would be like this” I have empathy for that guy in his own personal path, but that’s not why I tuned into The Runway!
I actually like the female contestants this season quite a bit and am looking forward to seeing what happens. But I do miss them being in NYC.
So far so good. No major complaints yet, except for Nicole Kidman.