Fancast: Inside TV

It has only taken 13 months and I expected the show to be a little bloated and full of itself, but instead the fashion pond has once again been stocked with interesting fish and this time the designers look more established than ever. Let’s meet them!

RAMI He’s an LA staple that has been recruited heavily by the show for his interesting designs and deep connections to famous red carpet trollers. He’s the real deal and probably the best of the bunch. He’s from Palestine.

CHRIS MARCH He is a NY drag circuit staple who looks like he’ll be versatile in obscure materials challenges, but his quirkiness may be his biggest liability when “taste level” (i.e. couture challenges) comes into play.

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO He is the big mouth who thinks he has more going on than he really does and was obviously cast for a flicker of talent that is clearly overshadowed by his conflagrant mouth. He’ll talk shit and people will hate him, although the judges loved his puffy old lady jacket.

CARMEN WEBBER Former model who’s WAY too impressed by her background as a catwalker. Hubris anyone?

JILLIAN LEWIS Works at Ralph Lauren (along with 5000 other people) and she had a boring dress that looked like an orange balloon. Didn’t have a lot to say this week, but from previews you won’t be able to shut her up in the next.

KIT “PISTOL” SCARBO The photos of her clothes during her intro looked amazing, but her mismatched outfit was VERY questionable. Jury’s still out, but hot girls tend to fair poorly on the Runway.

KEVIN CHRISTIANA Looks like he was cast as an extra for 500, but this denim mogul is quick to point out his jeans were on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalogue…last year. What have you done for me lately, K Jeans?

JACK MACKENROTH A former Berkeley swimmer with great abs and a lot of potential and, sorry to burst next week’s surprise, he’s the show’s 1st HIV positive designer. He is brave and beautiful and I hope he delivers on all that promise.

STEVE ROSENGARD Who?

SIMONE LE BLANC At first I thought she was ripping off Simon Le Bon, but then I realized she’s not clever enough to be that ironic. She supposedly has some Paris couture experience, but according to Santino Rice her preview collection for the show sucked donkey wieners. She was kicked off first for a poorly sewn unimaginative frock.

ELISA JIMEMEZ Crazy, insane, new age. She is so Sedona it hurts, and her touchy feelie blog is hysterical. She calls her time on the show a “vision quest”; were the judges pounding peyote buttons when they kept her?

MARION LEE He wears ascots and works in a flower shop. He has a long way to go to prove why he should stay. I say go back to your carnations before your look spoils anymore.

SWEET P VAUGHN She was in an all girls motorcycle gang called Hells Belles and has the tattoos to prove it. She had a seriously boring first dress but I hope to God there is some talent buried under her pools of ink and pain. She’s too good to lose so soon.

VICTORYA HONG Chloe Dao she is not, although her unpractical dress was sophisticated. Who needs function when you look stunning?

RICKY LIZALDE Boring old lingerie designer already has a case of the yips and fashioned a tired baby doll out of wrapping paper. Could’ve been the first to go, will soon follow Simone Le Bon as a Project Runway trivia question: “I’ll take irrelevant designers in season 4, Alex.”

This will be a great season, although I think the first challenge was too broad. It’s going to pick up like a 3 on 3 basketball game above 125th street. Put me in coach!

Our Reality Remixer, Kennedy, taps into last week's most incredible Project Runway episode.

Surprise, Surprise: Last week’s show promised a gasp worthy fashion icon to die for and design for on the Runway, and we’ve seen this clown car leave the circus before. Barbie anyone? Do you remember Santino charming the knickers off Nicky Hilton? Who were they going to get this year, Tara Reid? Behold the power of the most popular reality show in the entire landscape. I present the mole bearer herself, SJP.

Fabulous Moments In TV: When Sarah Jessica Parker waltzed through the FIT doors and into Tim Gunn’s waiting arms I thought I had fallen asleep only to awaken in a fabulous dream, like the one where my husband let me date Oscar De La Hoya for a week or that one where me and Madonna became best friends and shopped around Prague in matching forest green crushed velvet pant suits. Unreal! I soon realized Mrs. Shrewd McBroderickson was actually shilling for her bargain line Bitten, but still! It’s SJP and she’s on cable, not the arty kind where you get to swear, but actual cable with commercials!

Designers had to pitch Sarah and her mole (and her very taut face) a 2 piece line that would retail under $40, and I was surprised how honestly the star reacted to the crap pitches. Usually everyone’s just so damn nice! Chris March was so taken aback he actually started crying, but his waterworks were in vain as Sarah balked at his pitch and seemed to look off camera for guidance from a producer or her security detail. She picked Elisa, Kit, Victorya, Marion, Ricky, Christian and Rami’s designs, and this magnificent seven had to choose a partner from the remaining 7 rejects.

Nuts & Bolts: Elisa is crazy as a Barrymore on a dope binge and has a new age lexicon that would dwarf Deepak Chopra at a seminar of Sedona cat ladies. After last week’s jersey disaster I thought she’d surely find her way stuck to the bottom of this week’s boot, but miraculously (and with some crafty partnering with Sweet P) she was saved from the tread and dazzled Carrie Bradshaw with her dress and poncho combo. You have to realize however that SJ has worked with both Kim Catrall and Patricia Fields, so middle aged crazy might not phase her now. The other stand out was Victorya and Kevin’s swing dress with the big bow and cute racer back vest that got cat calls from the catty judges, and even SJP called her sweet vest “lovely”, which is an adjective she overuses as much as her Laura Mercier crème blush. It was a slugfest til the end with Victorya narrowly edging out Elisa from completing her Cinderella worst-to-first come from behind victory. That would have been a little TOO trite, because though the girls did have an appetizing pair that sings harmoniously next to anything in the Bitten line it just wasn’t as stylish as Vic and Kev’s higher end dress and vest.

In a reverse fate Christian went from being the shit to becoming the piss boy as his retro 80s creation looked too costumey and dated to impress Sarah. She thought the design looked too “severe” in person, and said if it had more length and less snugness it might have fared better. Translation: this could only be worn by a slut, not a properly married rags-to-riches Buckeye who persevered over adversity to become Annie and Carrie in one lifetime. This only left poor Marion and limp Steve who tried to go high end with a frumpy limp knit that looked like a skinned ewok that was used as a stand in for Weekend at Bernie’s 3: Do You Smell That?

Auf Weidersein: They were doomed the moment their vivisectioned muppet flopped onto the runway in a heap Heidi called “dirty” and “out of the basement”. Ouch. There are taste problems and execution problems and problems with design, but when you misfire on all three it is a handwritten invitation for a Judas’ kiss blown in German. Auf weidersein. Marion my dear boy, you’re out.

Personal Opinion: I have got my eye firmly fixed on the Runway, and if there is one show you have to catch on the go it’s this one. Download it today and rewatch in ecstasy on a long plane flight or a slow day at the office. My other pick to nab for your PDA is Everest: Beyond the Limit on Discovery. Both these shows can be watched and rewatched for clues and juicy bits you may have missed the first go round.

We learned two critical pieces of information on last night’s Project Runway: Kevin is the lone straight guy and Jack finally revealed he is HIV positive. Neither of these revelations will necessarily change the outcome of the show, but they are interesting tidbits that help round out a couple of characters. I am still waiting to see how Jack handles telling the rest of the house, it should be emotional and enlightening.

The rush of last week’s Sarah Jessica Parker fix was replaced with tepid half-joy as Tiki Barber (famed NY Giant and Today Show correspondent) introduced himself and asked for an outfit. Neat! At first I thought this was a wash, a big waste of time, but after designers posed a few simple questions for this week’s guest (yes, Tiki likes details and color) it became quite clear the challenge would be complicated. Most of these people have never designed menswear, and although suits and ties look boring and basic their simplicity leaves little room for error as you can’t hide flaws beneath bows, belts and forgiving fabric.

Jack upset some curmudgeons by whipping off his shorts, using them as a pattern and passing them around like a joint for others to partake in, and it poses a legitimate question about rules on the show. Should designers be allowed to make patterns and use someone else’s handiwork to better their designs? If Jack had used a pair of shorts he made as a template I don’t think I’d have an issue, but shedding his short pants to make a perfectly fitting pair of trousers does seem a little shady.

Elisa’s still crazy. She wouldn’t touch her model and turned away when he changed because she only touches her boyfriend. What’s wrong, Taos, can’t trust yourself in the presence of another man, or is your boyfriend so jealous he’ll go postal if he finds out you’ve been fondling another guy’s goodies? Whatever. Elisa ended up having a cute and passable olive sweater/brown vest combination that made those of us watching say, “Hmm…not bad!”

There were plenty of janky ass get ups making their way down the runway, including Sweet P’s oversized Pee Wee Herman collar, Carmen’s goofy swatch of blue fabric she tried to pass as a scarf/shirt, and Ricky’s bad collar that Tiki called “messy”. Chris March did not land in the top three but his all dark ensemble looked smooth and Tiki-like, and Kit and Kevin both impressed the well dressed running back with their notable numbers. Jack ended up winning the challenge with his pin stripes and perfectly fitting pants (Michael Kors even commented on the good fit), but edging out other designers with his shorts seemed less than fair given the difficult task they tackled without help. Carmen’s sharf sent her to auf weiderseinville, I guess her experience as a model only applied to women’s clothes when it came time to make it work.

by Kennedy, host of Reality Remix

It was all about Donna Wednesday night on the Runway. Nina Garcia hardly mentioned the guest judge, but those of us who love Barbra in an off-the-shoulda-numba were as in awe of the Donna as we were of Sarah Jessica Parker. Welcome to make it work time, believe me Donna Karan, you’ve already made it work.

Designers were given a series of pictures of outdated fashion trends like pleather, neon, big sweaters and shoulder pads and had to break into teams of three to combine the past disasters into “cohesive” and “modern” 3 piece collections. Christian, Kit and Jack paired up, and though Christian can be a disastrous over the top gossip he has some moments of interest that could equal brilliance combined with last week’s winner Jack. Victorya had the misfortune of teaming up with the two weakest designers Ricky and Elisa, and their horrendous combined trends neon, cut outs and underwear as outerwear spelled early ruin. Another weak team was Sweet P, Steve and Chris, but the strongest by far seemed to be the adults, Kevin, Jillian and Rami. Kevin has a successful denim line, Jillian designs for Ralph Lauren and Rami is one of the most sought after new designers in LA. Is this the Project Runway Season 4 trifecta, a glimpse into the future of the finale? Goosebumps, Donna!

Ricky stepped up to be the leader and instantly clashed with Victorya over their neon color block collection, and as Ricky nit-picked Victorya for being passive aggressive he neglected his own dress and it was slowly circling the drain into Snow White land. Jillian’s team was having problems of their own as Miss Ralph Lauren took issue with Kevin’s time management when he took too long sewing a pair of shorts. They looked doomed. Christian, Kit and Jack looked confident as they brought their extreme and impossible looks together and celebrated before their models stepped foot on the runway. Chris’ 3 designs only had color in common, and even after Tim warned the trio to lose the bad bolero jacket it held the critical shoulder pads and they would have been doubly doomed if they left them out.

As the teams designs made it down the runway it became obvious who worked together and who fell apart. Surprisingly Jillian, Kevin and Rami made a very cohesive and updated set of their overalls, poodle skirt and 70s flares, and it soared above the other three teams. Without a moment of deliberation the judges declared them winners, and Christian and crew were left with a less exciting second place finish for their tight and modern (though slightly less moving) collection. This left Chris and his mismatched camel costumes. He was joined in the bottom by sad Ricky who hoped he could use his feud with Victorya against her, but instead the judges complimented her on the fit of her dress and she was safe along with Sweet P. Elisa and Steve. It was down to portly drag designer Chris and feeble Ricky, but in the end the judges cast out the fatty boom-boom for his grandma shoulder pads that were distasteful, inflated and too retarded to allow him to spend another day in the graces of Germany’s finest frauline.

by Kennedy, host of Reality Remix

I had assumed from earlier previews and the manner in which Jack revealed he was HIV positive (all by himself to the camera) that the dramatic meeting was simply him revealing to his fellow designers the status of his condition. Instead Jack had developed a staph infection in his face called a “mersa”, and although Jack has been living with HIV for 17 years and has a strong immune system he still has to be aggressive with these infections that have sidelined him in the past. Jack had no choice, he had to leave the show prematurely to seek treatment, and that meant a one-two punch of absences that took talented Jack and recently eliminated fun boy Chris.

The challenge apparently involved average women in baggy clothes. A stream of formerly portly women lined up on the runway decked in their favorite outfits from their previous lives as zaftig fat bottom girls. Some had lost over 100 pounds, so needless to say their favorite clothes gave the designers a lot of fabric to work with. One woman actually wore her wedding dress; a tent like garment made from polyester and an ocean of pearls, and in the hands of an unimaginative designer it promised to be a disaster. As luck would have it ruby-lipped Steve picked her button and immediately fell into an abyss of self doubt and panic. He clearly lost his muse.

The busy designers were still reeling form their losses but were quickly revived by the triumphant return of Chris March, sent in at the last minute to fill the hole left by Jack’s untimely departure. He was given the entire night to work on his garment, and Tim Gunn wisely advised him to plan as much in advance as possible and gave us a glimpse into his wild past with this quote, “I’ve made more bad decisions after 3 AM than I can list.” I bet you have, Tim. I bet you have.

Come runway time it was clear Chris’ all-nighter wasn’t enough to save him from his over-the-top costume addiction, and he ruined a navy skirt with an inelegant red belt and mismatched royal blue tank. Michael Kors noted all she was missing was a beret and a cigarette and she could have been Shirley MacLaine’s hooker with a heart of gold. Steve and his wedding drama also bombed on the runway, not because his beading gave him troubles, he actually hardly used the original garment. Steve also used the costume crutch and bought some plain black fabric and quickly turned his lady into a pilgrim, complete with stiff white cuffs and collar. Confident Kevin and concerned Victorya tried in vain to save his shipwreck, and even after resorting to glue Steve couldn’t keep his outfit together. The judges couldn’t mask their disappointment and aptly described his dress as “French maid”. Nina also thought the black took her from a wedding to a funeral, and a funeral it was as Steve was unanimously aufweiderseined.

Christian and Kevin both felt confident in their outfits, and given Christian’s spotty track record and his model’s disdain for skirts and anything but black I thought he’d have more trouble than anyone. Kevin made a beautiful strapless mini dress out of a canary yellow blazer that his model rocked with confidence. Unfortunately he threw leggings underneath it and Kors called him on it for pairing something so beautiful with such a common accessory. Christian also won over guest judge and head Gap designer Patrick Robinson for being young and modern, and with that the guy who’s kind of a big deal finally won kind of a big challenge. He’s pretentious, but he’s growing on me.

Steven Rosengard was booted from the last episode of Project Runway after failing to transform a formerly overweight woman's wedding gown into something svelte and sexy. What's the funny Rosengard doing today? Rosengard spoke to TV Guide:

TVGuide.com: So what are you up to these days?

Steven: Well, I am certainly keeping busy with the Museum [of Science and Industry in Chicago]. They're making me assistant curator after the first of the year. I'm also trying to expand my business of designing [women's apparel]. I have more and more clients. I just hope that everyone doesn't say, "Oh yeah, now that you got kicked off the show we don't want you to do anything for us anymore."

TVGuide.com: But surely being on the show has been a good thing.

Steven: Oh yes, the show's been really great. It was certainly a life-changing experience, but I hope this isn't the last life-changing experience I have. I certainly don't want to have an obituary that only says "Steven Rosengard, one-time contestant on Project Runway." [Laughs] God forbid that should happen. So I guess now the rest of my life will be dedicated to making sure that doesn't happen.

Funny enough, in a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rosengard was asked what he was up to and he said, "The very first project I had coming back from the show was a wedding dress for a woman who's a size 22. I think the irony is just lovely.

Lady wrestlers. Divas. Designers! Last night's Project Runway was downright fierce. Fierce, as Christian urged Tim Gunn to say. Although the self-loving, not merely egotistic but egotastic Christian could have easily claimed his chaps were not just haute but steaming hot enough to win, Chris walked off with the night's decision. "Of course I end up winning the tackiest challenge," he said, smiling. It was another terrifically entertaining episode from this series enjoying its best season yet for the simple reason the cast is its best yet. Open and honest and tossing out terms like Tranny Chic, they seem way more fun than Fashion Week. Oh yeah, Ricky lost. No surprise. Auf wiedersehen.

Think Heidi Klum came up with the idea for Project Runway? Think again! Watch this video that explains the show's conception on the “mean streets” of Seattle.

Tonight's season 4 finale of Project Runway concludes with full collections showcased on the runway at Bryant Park. Taped last month, Runway producers attempted to limit speculation on who the final three designers were by allowing the final five - Chris March, Kathleen “Sweet P” Vaughn, Rami Kashou, Christian Siriano and Jillian Lewis - to show their collections. The photographs below offer a peek at some of the designs coming down the runway on tonight's episode. To remind yourself of what a thrill showing at Bryant Park is for these designers, watch this clip from last season's finale.

Gather round designers! Here's some news: Project Runway is sew over New York, it's all about making it work in LA now. According to EW, when the reality favorite moves from Bravo to Lifetime for its sixth season, the show, and it's host Heidi Klum, will also change zip codes. What does this mean for the future of Tim Gunn? Is he auf'ed by default if he stays in New York? Don't start fretting yet, the fifth season which debuts this July on Bravo will still be in New York, and will still have plenty of Gunn action. In the meantime, watch all your favorite moments from Runway's past here on Fancast.

Can Project Runway get more reality TV? Apparently so, since Page Six reports that Bunim-Murray Productions, creators of The Real World, have replaced Magical Elves in the production of the show. The show has been undergoing other magical changes, with the production moving from New York to LA.

However, all original faces will remain the same, with Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum returning on the new season as well. This is the story of a bunch of crazy fashion designers picked to live in a house...

Check out all the crazyness (which is about to get more real!) on Project Runway clips at Fancast.

Can Project Runway get any more reality TV? Apparently so, since Page Six reports that Bunim-Murray Productions, creator of The Real World, has replaced Magical Elves in the production of the show. The show has been undergoing other magical changes, with the production moving from New York to LA.

However, all original faces will remain the same, with Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum returning on the new season as well. This is the story of a bunch of crazy fashion designers picked to live in a house...

Check out all the crazyness (which is about to get more real!) on Project Runway clips at Fancast.

Project Runway, Real World, Bunim-Murray, Heidi Klum