The blessing and curse of Bravo is that, if you miss an episode of one of the network’s original programs, you simply aren’t trying very hard. It’s almost as easy as finding an airing of the Law and Order franchise. (The curse part is when they decide everyone wants to see The Real Housewives of Orange County over and over.)
I’m still obsessively fascinated with Project Runway, and I’ve enjoyed the fourth season quite a bit. The contestants represent a really interesting mix of points of view, and they seem to have focused more on creative endeavor rather than attention-hogging drama.
I thought the reunion show was really weird. It was like if Harold Pinter wrote a sketch comedy about a competitive reality program. Maybe it was the editing and the odd, long silences, or the fact that the lack of actual inter-contestant bitchery kind of forced them to re-frame things in ways that were dramatic enough to fill an hour. And while it’s really fun to see the customary reality-show demographic reversed (one straight guy among a sea of gays instead of the other way around), the “is Kevin really straight” clip package struck me as too much. (Seeing pictures of Michael Kors in all of his 1980s finery with a giant, golden man-perm was priceless, though.)
Judging by the photos I’ve seen from the final Fashion Week shows, I hope Christian wins, though I find him obnoxious. I’ve found other finalists obnoxious and overconfident before, but Christian’s clothes are innovative but still seem like they’d translate into something a person might actually wear. His ego actually seems to be commensurate with his talent, with is a nice change of pace. (I’ve seen a few knowledgeable sources tar him as too derivative of Alexander McQueen, which could certainly work against him.) Rami’s clothes are beautiful, but they look too mature to me. It’s like he’s always dressing a high-end fund-raiser at a country club. I think both he and Jillian should have long careers as designers, because they’re both very talented, but I can’t see either of them winning.