Thursday, July 17th - TV Week Continues - Project Runway, Season 5

I know I've been a TV-aholic this week in the blog, but I guess it is the only thing really going on outside of me doing reports.  I'm even tired of blogging about reports.  So, now you get TV.  Anyway, it was completely inadvertent that the Emmy nominations came out today, and this is coming from a guy who used to run an awards show website.  My, how far I've fallen...

Ah well, today I want to comment on Project Runway, and then tomorrow I will get to my Good, Bad, and Ugly for the Emmy Nominations (No Battlestar Galactica ... AGAIN ... You Bastards!).

Project Runway (spoilers ahoy):

Since I really didn't watch the show until the second season, the re-use of the very first challenge from the very first show didn't really fill me with nostalgia.  I had heard about it, and I do understand it was really what put the show on the map.  However, I have to say that I was pretty unimpressed with the results last night.  I think it is probably due to what happens with any reality show that has been around for a while.  The contestants just get so cerebral about the proceedings that they end up second guessing themselves which really cuts innovation off at the knees, and when you have a majority of people grabbing table clothes and shower curtains instead of being nontraditional with their "fabric", you know it's not going to end up well.  With that being said, I'm happy Tim seems to be more involved this year, and I think this was a good start to the season.  It really does seem to be a diverse crowd, which is always a good thing.

Blayne: Where to start with this one?!  He's 23, but due to his tanning bed addiction, he looks to be about 80.  I'm talking Magda from There's Something About Mary here in a few years.  It's obvious he's trying WAY too hard to be the Christian of the season.  Yeah, Christian without the talent.  His outfit was crapilicious, and I really can't describe it better than Missy over at EW: "he turned his poor model into what looked like a cracked-out Playboy Bunny who, in her high-flying haze, had decided to wander around the Lower East Side with a huge, white Astroturf maxi-pad on the outside."
Daniel: As much as I liked Kelli's outfit, I thought Daniel was really the best one.  Hell, he made a cocktail dress out of blue plastic cups buy cutting and ironing them.  I thought it was pretty damn innovative, and I think he has a good chance of winning -- except that he doesn't have a strong personality, which tends to tank people in group challenges.
Emily: The fact I had to just look up what she designed should tell you something.  She didn't register as a personality or a designer, other than she totally looks like someone else -- though I haven't figured out who yet.  Her dress looked like a weird, blue hemorrhoid donut landed on her model's neck
Jennifer: See Emily.  Her dress was nice, and I liked the flirty lipstick kisses.  However, she's just middle of the pack, and she'll probably stay that way.
Jerrell: Oy, another model turned designer.  It certainly helped Carmen last season, didn't it?  Well, he wasn't the first eliminated, but he didn't really make any impression other than his catty (and justified) comments about Blayne.  His outfit kinda looked like a ballerina got mauled by a bear and landed in some flowers.
Jerry: Oh Jerry, ye of the egotistical editing that just pointed to your elimination.  I have to admit I don't really like when they choose already established designers because I do not think they have as much to lose.  I loved Rami last season though, but I had the feeling Jerry was toast from the beginning.  The fact that his outfit ended up looking like something you'd see on the cleanup crew from CSI, well, that just sealed the deal.
Joe: This years token straight male (the jury is still out on Keith).  When he said he was from Detroit, I really thought...OMG...Eminem wear!  However, I think he turned in one of the better designs with pasta and other stuff attached to his Italian inspired dress.  Sure, it was a  bit macaroni art, but it was better than more than half of the stuff tonight.
Keith: Hmmm...Mr. God Gifted Talent.  Even though he used a tablecloth, I have to say the dress was well put together.  I always tend to root for someone who hasn't been to design school, and of course, the fact that he is oddly hot (from the neck down), well, I'm just going to hope for more tank tops of shirtless scenes.  Yes, Shallow...I know.
(ed: God, who the hell are these people...I think I bit off more than I can chew here)
Kelli: I liked her personality.  She's confident, but she's not bitchy about it or trying to hard to make an impact.  Plus, she actually showed some amazing skill and innovation with her dyed vacuum bag skirt and burned coffee filter top.  She's one to watch.
Kenley: Again, no impact on me.  I remember her skirt was made out of a folding chair fabric, and after looking at the picture, it is interestingly asymmetrical.  That's about it though...
Korto:  While I have to give props to her for making something that looked imminently wearable out of a bright yellow, paper tablecloth, (hmmm...how to say this PC) it looked like African native garb, which is fine, but since she is from Africa, I'm hoping that every design isn't going to show that type of influence.  Despite the good design, it was a muumuu. And adding a salad necklace...well...enough said.
Leanne: She only made an impact because of her personality.  I mean hell, she referred to herself as Leanimal!  Anyway, she made a tasteful pink dress, but then she affixed candy and meringue cookies on it.  Ugh..seriously.
Stella: Oh Stella...  You look like Cher, if Cher hadn't had plastic surgery, and your claim to fame is that you make clothing for Debbie Harry (she of the perennially worst dressed list) and Sebastian Back.  Really?!? I am glad she made it through to the next challenge, because she is by far the most entertaining one of the bunch, but then again, I think there had to be producer intervention on that one because her trash bag "dress" was much worse than Jerry's design.  Ah well...bring on the Hookahs!
Suede: You look like Baby Huey, and I can't stand people who refer to themselves in the third person.   Ugh, done with you!
Terri:  She seems like a rockin' babe, and I'm intrigued to see what she does.  She actually sat there and wove her top out of mops, and I really think she didn't get enough props for her design.  She could be a dark horse.
Wesley: Ah, the resident twink cutie. I question his sense of style though because he was always wearing shorts that were way above the knee.  Hmmm.  Anyway,  I kind of liked what he did with the decolletage on his dress, but he was also one of the tablecloth brigade.  For someone who has interned with Marc Jacobs, I expected a bit more.

All in all, I thought it was pretty lackluster on the design front, but I'm hoping that having a jolt this week will snap some people out of it.  It looks like next week is a group challenge, which never ends well, but you can bet that I'll be watching.  I'm not sure I'll be doing recaps.  I guess I'll see what you guys think. :)