Thursday, August 21, 2008

Drag Race!

Last night's episode of Project Runway had a really fun premise -- the designers were to create a look for their clients, who were all drag queens. Fun, right? Drama, outrageousness, maybe a catfight or two, no? NO. It was mostly a yawn. Chris March came in to explain the challenge to them and introduce the clients, and then he walked around and commented on their designs with Tim, but we didn't really get to see him much. And I like Chris! And did he get to be the guest judge? NO. It has to be someone famous, so of course it was RuPaul. Who was actually thoughtful and funny, so okay, but I still missed my Chris. And I insist that he was robbed of being fan favorite last season. That little fierce Christian slip of a dude, come on; must have been the gay vote.

ANYWAY. The episode was pretty good, some funny moments, and it was pretty interesting to see what each designer came up with. One funny moment was Tim telling Suede to stand his ground about his design and telling his client... and here Tim censored himself, and it was funny because, well, it's Tim. He doesn't curse. Not on Project Runway, anyway. So he was like, "You just have to say, 'You'll just have to *gesture (not obscene)* deal with it, sister' -- and I am more in love with Tim than ever. That's probably not what he said, but it was something similar in spirit and vague form, at least. I'm working from memory, people!

Also, Suede had a difficult queen who asked him if he made gloves because he was too lazy to make sleeves (answer: uh, no), so he talked to him the next day and said I considered your suggestions, and I made a few changes but I don't want you to go out there and... whatever, as I said, I'm working from memory and I don't remember exactly what Suede said, but it was refreshing that he was direct and handled it in a mature and decent way and his client was all, Oh, honey, let's just drop all that and start fresh! And everything was great and they sang a song and danced a little jig.

Okay, disappointingly there was no song and no jig, but they did make up and everything was great and Go Suede! For once someone on a reality show handled something in a direct and adult way. Oh, but he did sort of defuse the drama element, didn't he? Hm. Well, that's okay, that's not my favorite kind of drama anyway. I was looking for it in the outfits. And they DID disappoint.

Here were the best, in the judges' opinions:

Third best:




















Second best:




















Best!



















I have to agree with them. And one of the funniest things about the episode, to me, was that the winner was the straight guy!

Go Greek! Or not.

When I first went to college, I went through Rush, against my inclination. After getting through all the (fake) parties and (phony) hoo-ha, they told us all not to go suicide (choosing only one sorority instead of three in order of preference) because if you don't get that choice, then you won't be in a sorority at all. (Horrors!)

I was too young and unsure to go with my gut instinct to only put one (because I only really wanted that one), so on the day of the big REVEAL (I don't remember what they actually called that day) I toddled up to the student union with all the other young hopefuls to find out who wanted me. (This was in the days before the computer, y'all. We had to actually go up to the building and look at a PAPER on a WALL. Old school, yo.)

I got my second choice. Which I didn't want. So there I was, surrounded by squealing, excited, screaming, happy, and did I mention squealing? girls, absolutely gutted. I went home, disappointed, embarrassed, angry, and humiliated. You know, if I'd gone suicide, I would have gotten a call the night before the big results day and could have just stayed home and nursed my humiliation in private.

So thanks for that awesome experience, Greek system at LSU! You rock! No wait, remove r-o and insert s-u. That's it.

Friday, August 01, 2008

Pwoject Wunway

Have you noticed that Heidi seems to be making more effort to pronounce her r's this season? It's a shame, really, because I loved it when she said Bwuefwy. It's endearing. I mean, look at her.


















And that's after having three children! So, you know, it's nice to see something a little less than perfect. Or hear, rather.

Anyway, about the actual show... I missed the first episode, but I've watched the last two, and... Suede? It's annoying enough that he calls himself Suede, but the fact that he LITERALLY CALLS HIMSELF SUEDE is cringe-inducing. Referring to yourself in the third person is so... eighties. And it was pretentious and stupid then. Suede needs to get some other shtick because this one is old and tired. Okay, Suede? Can Suede do that?

And Blayne... Why did he stare at Kenley and then say "I'm going to eat you" (or whatever strange thing he said)? The boy's not right.

Ugh, and the whole Holla atcha boy thing... Blayne trying to get Tim to say it (though Tim, hilariously, persisted in saying "Holler at your boy") then giggling because it was so incongruent, as if Tim looked silly... No, dear idiot, Tim rarely, if ever, looks silly. You, on the other hand...

I adore Tim. I love how he stopped and said, "What?" when Blank (Blayne) said Holla atcha boy and they had to explain it to Tim, and really, to me, it served to make the slang-throwers look like the illiterate nitwits they are, and yet Tim didn't intend to insult them or anything, he just managed to (in my opinion). In the nicest way possible. He's just so darn NICE. PR will tank if Tim ever leaves it.

In an aside, did anyone else notice how fabulous he looked walking around New York with the drove of designers? He was wearing jeans (I think) with a raincoat and still looked stylish. It didn't hurt that the designers were given ugly orange rain ponchos to wear so by comparison I might have even managed to look pretty good, but he looked good even before that. Man knows how to dress, is what I'm saying.

And the designers should ALWAYS listen to him. When he comes around to check on them and gives them his opinion and advice, he's usually spot on. When they persist in their little ideas after he's shaken his head at it in his I'm-so-sorry-but-that-just-doesn't-cut-it way, they always get negative reviews from the judges. Usually about whatever it was that Tim didn't like.

As for the show structure, what is with the plethora of celebrity judges? I think PR is popular enough without them and they don't bring anything to the show. And the other judges apparently don't listen to them anyway. I mean, in the last episode, Sandra Bernhardt obviously didn't like Kenley's dress but it won anyway. I think Leanne was robbed, her dress was MUCH better. It totally benefitted from not looking like Alexis Carrington's dress just exploded on one side, or got so sick of itself that it vomited tulle.

Sorry about that.

But look.

Vomitous...



















Not-vomitous...



















I think Kenley's dress was well-made, but I didn't get it. Mostly because the print and the style (high neckline, big shoulders) are so 80's and I detest 80's "fashion." It's odd when you consider that Kenley defines her aesthetic as 40's-50's. I'd say she missed that mark by a country mile with this dress.

I do love how she has created a look for herself; she looks like Bettie Page. Except, you know, dressed.