“What’s jarring is the marriage between the series and its new home. Project Runway is Barneys; Lifetime is Kohl’s. The cable outfit that broadcasts Army Wives and Reba reruns maintains an ethos that says, ‘Viewer, I see your cellulite; I’m down with your fibromyalgia; I know your menopausal misery.’ …the current season [of PR] is loaded with the unwrinkled: 9 of the 16 competitors are under 30, possibly a function of the fact that the casting is now conducted by Bunim/Murray, producers of The Real World. And yet there is no mistake that you’re watching Lifetime when you encounter Qristyl, a 41-year-old woman who designs plus-size clothing and makes no excuses. “I don’t call it plus-size,” she tells us, ‘I call it plus-sexy.’” —Ginia Bellafante in her NY Times review of the new season of Project Runway.
Quote of the Day
Aug 20, 2009 @ 11:32am
Barneys, Bunim/Murray, Ginia Bellafante, Kohl's, Lifetime, NY Times, Project Runway, The Real World
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posted by guest
Aug 20, 2009 1:04PM
because not hating fat people is for quirky losers with menopause! hahaha..hah..ha........
i'll be watching tonight, just to see how it is. i'm a little bit obsessed with the tom and lorenzo blog, project rungay, and they got a sneak preview and said it didn't suck. here's hoping.
4
posted by guest
Aug 20, 2009 1:05PM
Magical Elves is still in charge of the shows production, so it may not be that much different (except for the whole LA instead of NY vibe)...also, this particular season was filmed while Bravo still had the rights, so even though there is a 41-year-old contestant that fits the "Lifetime" profile, it's only a coincidence.
p.s. next season the show returns to NY.
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posted by guest
Aug 20, 2009 1:24PM
wait, i thought bumin/murray of real world infamy took over production and magical elves is no longer working on pr. that's what i read on the cut.
i sort of hate it already for being on lifetime (what channel is it on in nyc? does anyone know? does time warner broadcast it in hd? ugh) and that it's in los angeles. pr belongs in nyc, dammit! but i will do my best to reserve judgment until tonight. all the critics are saying it's fundamentally the same. there's still hope!
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posted by guest
Aug 20, 2009 8:22PM
From what I understand (from what I read in my local paper), it was all in the can before the yearlong battle started, and according to Heidi Klum, it's the same but in L.A. And while I agree that Lifetime is Kohl's, Bravo has sort of a cheap-around-the-edges feel too, perhaps because of the innately messy filming quality of reality shows, of which Bravo has many. Plus the fact that so much in those shows seems to be manufactured (not that I still don't love watching 'Real Housewives').
But what I've been noticing (though I don't think this is related), is that Lifetime really changed the tone of things. Whereas Bravo has those cheesy everybody-says-three-words promos where each contestant talks about he or she is the best and that there will be "drama," Lifetime has these promos that are mini profiles of each designer. Which is much more engaging, makes it much more enticing to watch, and gives it a much more positive, un-yucky "there will be [at times manufactured] drama and long dramatic pauses" feel.
Whoa that was long.
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posted by astralgirl02
Aug 21, 2009 2:23AM
What is going on with the NYT and their war against plus-sized people? This is getting a bit ridiculous!
posted by Belle de Jour
Aug 20, 2009 11:35AM
Good one Gina!