Project Runway Season 6 Ends, Not With a Bang but With a Winner
Episode 14: The End, part 2
—by Eric Walter
It's probably fair to say there were no real surprises in part 2 of the Season 6 finale.
Will Carol Hannah come through her bout of plague and go on to Bryant Park? Will Irina find the time to finish, or will she choke on her ambitious collection? Would the returning auffed designer-helpers serve out their time without adding their own drama?
The answer to all of the above is of course yes. (Disappointed?)
Things did get a little tense behind the scenes at the Fashion Week show. Tim loses his cool like a high-strung wedding planner with a late bride. His reputation is on the line, too, and he won't have any amateurish hiccups ruining his ... I mean, your show!
Make. It. Work. Now.
But in the end it all went remarkably well for everyone. And maybe that's the only real surprise of the season.
Some of best individual pieces were the notorious 13th looks Heidi assigned in last week's episode. It says a lot about these three women that some of their best work is done under pressure. It absolutely justifies the existence of the show and its totally unrealistic challenges.
The 13th looks, from left to right: Carol Hannah's dress added some more color to the collection, Althea's speedy street-smart ensemble impressed the judges, and Irina's black-on-black gown added some frill to a severe collection.
I didn't have a favorite going into this week. No one was grabbing me and forcing me to pay attention. It seemed there was no underdog, no chance of an upset. I kind of didn't care who won. I would have agreed with any result.
After seeing all three collections, however, I did have a favorite.
This Week In Fabulous 11/20: Big Butts, Big Muscles and Plenty of Shirtless Men!
Just a little preview of the hotness in this week's post!
--By Cory Stottlemyer
In honor of Levi Johnston's upcoming Playgirl editorial, this week's post is dedicated to hunky men! I'd say that's a pretty fabulous week.
5. Oprah's Nate gets his own show!
Gosh darn, he's adorable!
The ever so cuddly-looking Nate Berkus is getting his own show! I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before the magic power of Oprah spread to her favorite designer. Let's hope he's far more endearing than Oprah's past spin-offs (*cough* Dr. Phil *cough* Rachael Ray *cough*).
Bootylicious reality stars, hot mythical creatures and sexy males models after the jump!
2009 Thanksgifting Holiday Gift Guide: Blinged Out Edition!!!
This pooch is either dazzling and demure, or embarrassed to death. Photo via Nordstrom.com
Greetings! We last left you with some dazzling, sparkly items we found online and a series of fragrances that were to die for, so what better way to continue this series of awesome apparel and paraphernalia than with some BLING!!!?? Recession who? The holidays are all about "sparkle!!!"
Micro Pave Sterling Silver Guitar Rock Star Pendant
Of all the guitar-shaped items we researched, this one stood out. It literally looks as if some guy just chiseled a block of Sterling silver into this cool, futuristic, metallic, glittery mini-masterpiece. The company’s website offers a variety of similarly awesome merch.
Video Premiere: Beyoncé feat. Lady Gaga – “Video Phone” Whaddya Think??!!?
FIERCE!??
The gloriously overblown video for the Beyoncé and Lady Gaga collab “Video Phone (Extended Remix)” is finally here! It starts off with a Reservoir Dogs influenced teaser, where Beyoncé looks a tad bit like another superstar singer we might know of, and segues into Beyoncé prancing around in a futuristic two-piece and acting like some sort of ultramodern, robotic dominatrix as she’s surrounded by hard-bodied men with blue masks on…yeah, it’s strange, but coming from director Hype Williams, it’s to be expected.
Lady Gaga joins the proceedings halfway to have a dance-off for the ages against Beyoncé (both wearing the same sexy white outfit. And it’s a tie, in my book). And Beyoncé sporting a white Tee with a G-d up alien on the front towards the end of the vid is icing on the cake.
So what do you guys think? Is it too much? Not enough? I personally feel we needed more Gaga in the mix (it’s technically Beyoncé’s video, but still).
Outspoken Adam Lambert Leads the OUT 100! Plus, Wanda Sykes, Cyndi Lauper, Will Young, Ongina & More!
The heads of the big gay "Class of 2009."
The annual roll call of the queer who's-who and who's been sassy beyond belief in 2009 known as the OUT 100 has been unleashed on the public, officially. Ready?
Gracing the cover of OUT Magazine for this annual celebrity handjob/tribute is... Adam Lambert, Wanda Sykes, movie director Rob Marshall, legend Cyndi Lauper and "Don't Ask Don't Tell" warrior Lt. Dan Choi.
And f-word happy Adam Lambert has some great quotes in his profile...
Glambert on fame & pleasing gays:
“I’m doing the best I f*cking can, you know?” Adam Lambert asks, as if there’s any way to satisfy all his critics or fans, none of whom even knew his name a year ago.
On his American Idol performance:
“It’s about making a good TV show. I just wanted to be really careful that it didn’t turn into a f*cking pageant. I can sing my face off. All this other stuff is part of a personality, a persona.”
On coming out:
“I didn’t want to acknowledge [being gay] as a mistake or something I was ashamed of — I’m not. It’s part of who I am, but because our nation is the way it is, it’s an announcement. If I lose some fans, f*ck it. I need to be happy too.”
On sexuality:
“To some people, me being sexual is really offensive because I’m gay. They’re like, ‘He’s being really gay.’ And I’m like, actually, ‘No, I’m just being sexual.’ Male sexuality is frightening to America [but] female sexuality is all over the place.”
Adam Lambert: Breaking out, breaking it down...
You can view all of the fab photos and read the profiles on Out.com. It's got a big high-school superlative theme. Cute. But I know you just wanna see some visuals, so scroll down and peek after the jump for more fab pics of Wanda Sykes, Cyndi Lauper, Will Young, Bebe Zahara Benet and more!
Today's Lady Gaga News: Beyonce Duets! Gossip Girl! Her New MakeUp Guy! Christian Siriano! Lindsay Lohan!
Lady Gaga rocks Gossip Girl, duets with Beyonce, inspires Lindsay, and now gets made up by this guy, Billy B!
Another day, another massive onslaught of Lady Gaga news... Here's what I've got for you right now:
1.Gaga's duets with Beyonce are yours for the listening! You can hear their pile-up on “Telephone” (which will be on Gaga’s The Fame Monster) and on “Video Phone” (on Beyonker's big, fat re-release of I Am… Sasha Fierce). Idolator's got 'em. Enjoy!!!
3.Lindsay Lohan is saying she's dying to work with Gaga as she starts studio work on her third album. LiLo tweeted: "I want to do a mini-movie music video with Lady GaGa in L.A., NYC, and all over Europe." Hmmmm... Think Gaga would go for it?
4. The cool gays at World of Wonder have a dishy interview with Gaga's new makeup maven, Billy B, who's the silver fox responsible for her new, improved, outrageously glam looks as seen (so far) in "Bad Romance."
5. And below, fab design elf Christian Siriano recounts for MTV News his experience of dressing Gaga for her first Today show gig way back when. Meaning, last year!
Project Runway Returns to New York, and Doesn't it Feel Good?
Episode 13: The End, part 1
—by Eric Walter
Half the challenge of fashion in the City is not trailing your skirt on the filthy sidewalks or getting soaked from the soupy curb splash of a speeding cab. Keeping your shoes clean. That's a runway challenge.
Yeah ... Fashion Week is kind of a big deal, too.
Oh, Project Runway ... it's so nice to have you back where you belong.
But first! We get a liberal dose of the backgrounds of the final three, from Carol-Hannah's geeky, self-taught schoolgirl history, to Irina's first-generation American dream, to Althea's 5th-grade sewing machine Christmas wish.
A secret rendezvous in wintry Dayton, Ohio? No, just an adorable moment as Tim says good-bye to Carol Hannah.
CANDY: A New Uber-Glam Trans Fashion Magazine Launches! Sweet!
Lovely Andy over at Towleroad put up this above gorgeous magazine cover of Madrid-based uber-photographer Luis Venegas' new project, Candy, and I'm in love. The magazine is being touted as the first-ever "transversal style" fashion magazine; which means it's all about transexuality, androgyny, transvestism and more. That may be a cloudy bunch of not-necessarily complementary topics (if we get into semantics), and the results look largely fluffy and less in-depth and/or serious... BUT, I'm loving it.
Watch the gorgeous promo video below. You'll get a glimpse of the major talent involved. Icons like Lypsinka and Joey Arias share page-space with young mavericks like Andre J and Hercules & Love Affair's Kim Ann Foxman. And the shooters are big-time greats like Bruce Weber & Terry Richardson, and the style comes from visionaries like Christian LaCroix, Rodarte and V Magazine's James Kaliardos.
There are only 1,000 issues of this dreamy Candy mag, so scramble and get one now!
Maybe the next issue will feature more FTM topics? Photos by Catherine Opie? And I would live for a huge, multi-page uber-glam spread featuring the likes of Justin Bond, Our Lady J, Glenn Marla and other brilliant NYC trans talents... We'll see.
Will the Fur Fly in the Project Runway Season Finale?
Heidi make a surprise visit to torture the designers some more.
We have to assume that Christopher's fairy godmother was having a smoke break last week when he was voted off the runway. He sure had a long — and precarious — run, didn't he? I was beginning to wonder if he had struck a deal with the devil. Every week was another narrow escape until the luck ran out.
With Gordana sent packing as well, we've dispatched the gay and the woman of a certain age, and now it's down to a three-way catfight among the young'uns. Let us hope they live up to the drama.
Carol Hannah, Althea and Irina. I always got these three confused at the beginning of the season.
Tomorrow, in the first of a two-part finale, the designers are whisked away to New York City, and they show their collections at Fashion Week. Tim will visit and coach them. Pretty standard stuff. And then Heidi stops by the work room — and you know that ain't good.
But the bomb she drops is kind of a dud: Create one more look before we judge you. The kids look stricken. But ... really? For weeks now they've been making dresses under the gun. Big deal.What's one more?
They've had some time to get back to normal. But when you have Irina throwing shade around the workroom — in love with her own competitiveness but resentful that she should have to compete at all — the tensions rise right back up. Ugh, can't you just let me win? Why are these people here? In front of me. Next to me. You need the iron? Ick. Go away.
Irina may not be nice, but she doesn't have to be. She is out for the kill. Have you seen how much fur the girl uses? Be warned.
2009 Thanksgifting Holiday Gift Guide: Things That Sparkle, Dazzle & Shine
The holidays are coming! Rather than bore you with a typical holiday list that mentions items you’re bound to buy anyway, we've compiled a small list of four items we found online that were just too-cool-to-be true.
Vintage Lady Gaga Poker Face Just Dance Sunglasses
As pictured above, these glasses exude hot-pink savvyness with a tidy mix of sharp, too-cool-for-school brashness: the equivalent of wearing a neon sign on your face that advertises how awesome you are. Also comes in Black and White.
Rave Disco Neon Pink Light-Up Poker Sunglasses
A company called Atomic (proper name) actually sells these neon light-up poker sunglasses in a variety of colors. But pink's where it’s at! And besides sporting a long, bizarre title that reads like a horrendous Japanese translation of a product that shouldn't exist, these glasses are simply the shiznit (and for some weird reason, they remind me of slap bracelets).
La Roux on MTV2's "Download and Discover"! See Video for "Quicksand" now!
From myspace.com/larouxuk: Elly Jackson of La Roux
Embarrassed as I am to admit this, I've only recently discovered the English electropop duo La Roux—comprised of producer Ben Langmaid and vocalist Elly Jackson—whose singles "In for the Kill" and "Bulletproof" have torn up the charts in the UK throughout most of 2009 ("Kill" peaked the charts at number 2, while "Bulletproof" reached the top spot).
Their sound isn’t new— intentionally-mechanized beats over chilly synths that work well with Jackson's whimsically ‘80s vocals—but La Roux's take on early ‘80s synthpop and new wave is often fresh and inspiring—quite possibly the best pop music around right now (the new Annie album is out in two weeks, so we'll see if that changes).
For once Michael Kors can't complain about someone's look being too costumey! Broadway Speaks OUT's Marti Cummings hobnobbed with all flavors of celebs at Bette Midler's big annual Hulaween bash this past weekend. It's a big costume klatsch wherein fancy folks dress up to raise money for Midler's amazing NY Restoration Project.
Did you know that over the years Midler and her crew of green do-gooders have picked up over 2,000 tons of trash (insert your own "picking up trash" joke here; she'd approve) and they've helped create over 55 community gardens all over NYC! So nice.
In the video Martha Stewart threatens to ruin Halloween for kids everywhere, Michael Kors serves us a very gay Gregg Allman look, and Crosby Stills & Nash even puff through. Madness! And the towering out comic Judy Gold makes a rather convincing Abe Lincoln. Shocker.
The Best Global Destination winner is Rio de Janeiro. I've never been but I know it's all about the Carnival madness and sex, sex, sex. At least in my imagination it is.
Last Sunday my pal Marc and I went to the annual East Village Halloween Dog Parade in Tompkins Square Park, where it was a mob scene of canine costumery. There was a big contest and I have no idea who won, but these guys were our faves.
After the jump are about a zillion more pics. And more at FocusOnStyle.com, too. Need a costume idea for your pooch? Have a look!
And I gotta say, most of the pooches there seem to be having a great time. Especially, the lovable green Incredible Hunk (above). He was smiling (dogs can smile, right?) and bursting out of his jean shorts with pride. Grrrrrrr!
Bloody Halloween How-To Tips & Costume Shopping Snark! From Gays!
"BOO!"
Now that that's out of the way... You may be hankering for some homo-riffic Halloween how-to tips right about now. Luckily, the fabulous Brian Juergens (formerly of AfterElton.com) has got what you need over at the Camp Blood Horror Blog that he edits with his hubby, Andy. They're both big sweet horror movie geeks and Halloween fans, and they've cooked up a totally adorable (and terrifyingly fresh) video DIY Halloween Special!
In the video below, they've enlisted crafty friends to show you how to make cute Halloween tote bags, how to bake up tasty/ghoulish treats and how to apply your best scary face. Check their sh*t out below. And visit their gore-tastic Camp Blood site and blog to bone up on all things queer and scary.
Meanwhile, Kameron in the office here passed along this video (below). What happens when a snarky kid from the NYU Local Blog gets a video camera and goes costume shopping. Hijinks, dammit!
Austrian Farmboy Calendar May Induce Yodeling; The Hills Are Alive, Indeed
"Squeal like a pig, Rolf!"
"High on hill sat a lonely goatherd..." Lonely, except for the camera crew, makeup person, stylist, wardrobe mistress ("Need bigger lederhosen!!!") and some salivating production assistants, that is.
A friend sent this link to a piece on the website of the German newsmagazine Stern that's got a fun slideshow of a beefy 2010 Calendar of Austrian farmers. I can only imagine there's some charitable angle involved, though featuring a bunch of handsome milk-fed lads posing near-naked in barns, fields and haylofts seems a pretty good cause to begin with.
For more cute Austrian farmboys click on through. Plus, three more hot pics after the jump.
Michael Kors challenges the designers this week with postcards.
Episode 10: Wish You Were Here
--by Eric Walter
This week's challenge doesn't seem that, er... challenging, but it's funny to see how wrong some of the designers go. Michael Kors sets it up this week. He holds up some vacation pictures and matches each designer up with a different destination. Their task: Design an outfit inspired by that location. It's mainly kind of a cheap shot to get the cameras into his Rodeo Drive flagship store.
Lucky seven. Who's going home this week.
Most of the hour is dedicated to Irina trashing everyone. She doesn't have much of a track record actually predicting the worst outfits, though. Most of the people she thinks are the worst either win or make it to the top few, so I have trouble respecting her judgment.
Irina hasn't been in the top herself for a few weeks, but she sure has a lot to say about everyone else.
The fact is, the level of creativity doesn't seem to be increasing
for anyone. This week's collection is an exercise in minimalism. Nothing looks amazing. Even when the judges like something, they have something to complain about.
Even Tim seems let down.
Christopher has the most to gain, having struck out consistently for
more than half of the season. But he just can't bring it. He gives
us a fantastic belt but skimps on the dress. He dodges a bullet again
this week, but he seems close.
...But it's going to have a killer belt, says Christopher.
Aside from an AWESOME PROMO released a few months back, I didn’t know much about the album until the lead single, “11th Dimension,” debuted early last month.
The single’s been getting a lot of attention from music blogs and online magazines (including a glowing review over at Pitchfork), with cheerful, peppy synth flourishes accompanied by a muted drum beat that works surprisingly well with Casablancas’ so-bored-its-cool vocals.
Year-End Club Banger: Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)”
Just when I thought the well had dried up for any great dance releases this year, along comes this awesome remix from New York-based DJ and turntablist A-Trak of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ similarly awesome synthpop smash “Heads Will Roll” (my favorite track off YYYs’ solid third album It’s Blitz!).
DJ A-Trak
Officially released yesterday via Pitchfork via Discobelle, “Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)” is a nuts-and-bolts dance track that wouldn’t feel out of place in the early 1990s (club music’s beloved renaissance), delighting the listener in its willful simplicity: gleefully synthetic bass drums; the always reliable 808; thick, rubbery basslines accompanied by cheesy, Vegas-y synth flourishes—heaven in 6:25.
Grab your sparkles, kids! We're going for the glam!
Episode 9: Let's Put on a Show
—by Eric Walter
It's sort of a designer's dream come true on Project Runway this week. Dressmaker-to-the-stars Bob Mackie stops by to task the designers with creating an extravagant stage look for pop diva Christina Aguilera.
Nina is listening intently to Xtina as Bob Mackie wisely looks on. But all I can see are Nina's fierce shoes!
This is not fashion, he says. This is the stage. It's almost as if he's daring them to create a monstrosity.
At first everyone's kind of excited, but then they start to feel the pressure -- there are so few left -- and they all get a little nutty. Shirin seems totally lost, and Tim does not mince words with her.
More feathers!
Not slutty enough!
You're going to lose the purple thing, right?
Even Gordana freaks out and spends most of the challenge in a foul mood. Relax, lady; you've got immunity this week. (And it's a good thing too, Heidi tells her, out she would have been *this close* to being auffed.)
Ha! You are gonna hate this dress!
The only one who keeps her cool is Irina, who seems to especially enjoy sitting in her corner watching Shirin squirm and trash-talking Carol Hannah. Bad form!
Annie’s “Don’t Stop” (Finally) Hits Stores November 17!
Delayed for over a year (with a myriad of leaked track listings to boot), Norwegian electro-pop chanteuse Annie’s sophomore album, Don’t Stop, finally sees the light of day on November 17.
Though it’d be hard to expect another stellar pop album similar to its predecessor, Anniemal (named the 167th album of the 2000s by Pitchfork), I think the next album will show traces of maturity in both lyrical and musical content while still keeping a foot in the power-pop bliss that made the latter album such a fresh, rewarding listen.
The single “Songs Remind Me of You” sounds like she’s onto something promising, giving me hope the rest of the album doesn’t falter the way other sophomore releases quite often do.
Your Lady Gaga Halloween Costume Problem Solved! Check It Out!
New York Magazine has a big Halloween special thing going on right now, with suggestions for how to enjoy the spooky/drunky occasion. And yes, they have some suggestions on how to put together your own Lady Gaga look (and face it: we all know this year every queen is gonna be getting their Gaga on).
So to make things simple, go to Etsy and order your own wiggy Gaga hair bow (see above) now; then go steal your granny's wheelchair or your gimpy cousin's crutches. Toss some on some shades, a metal bustier or some tights and you're good to go!
The glam/injured look can be rocked by young and old alike!
Now you just need to find some voguing queens in tuxes to back you up. And a hot Nordic stud/TV-vampire to toss you off a balcony. Trick or treat!
Xtina looks like a shrinking violet next to Heidi.
—by Eric Walter
With a little help, Project Runway keeps gettin' better. As if in answer to our prayers, this week's episode features a very special celebrity guest star.
The five-time Grammy-winning, multiplatinum album-selling Christina Aguilera will be on hand to help judge who is in, who is out, and who's just dirrrty.
But that's not all!
We will also see the long-overdue return of Nina Garcia! Enough with those mean girls they've been playing musical chairs with in recent weeks! Finally some vicious invective from someone who deserves to spew it.
The designers get to help a cadre of divorcees live a fantasy by hacking up their old wedding dresses. The upshot: They get a new dress in the bargain.
Episode 8: There Goes the Bride
--by Eric Walter
With fewer and fewer designers, we notice every cut a little more each week on Project Runway. With so many boys gone, it's starting to look like a woman's game. And the battle of the sexes is directly behind the challenge this week: Free a divorcée from her post-marital identity by transforming her wedding dress into a hot new look.
Irina pulls a rabbit out of her hat.
These ladies are grateful for the services. Seems like they can't wait to tear through their old wedding gowns. It's a wonder they lasted this long. It's also kinda impressive that they all still fit into their dresses.
After turning the virginal white to a more experienced gray, Carol Hannah strips away year after year of someone else's failed marriage. Fun!
It may be a little cynical to celebrate the demise of relationships, the designers get even more cynical as they choose the biggest dresses first. They need all the fabric they can get with only $25 and a maximum of two yards of new fabric!
Tim looks unconvinced.
None of the designers thinks he or she will win. They're more concerned about not getting kicked off than actually winning. But poor Shirin really has reason to worry when she is left with the skimpiest dress of them all.
Shirin's diviorcée wants to get something that looks like a gypsy costume from Cher's Vegas show! Right...
Luckily she realizes her client is crazy and she puts the brakes on her "Half Breed" moment. Her reward: She doesn't win, but she isn't eliminated either.
Exclusive Interview with Fab Gay French Pop Star Sliimy: Watch! Love! Plus, More Sliimy News!
Sliimy, Sliimy, Sliimy!!! A chant is going up from far and near about the slender and delightful little new pop star-to-be Sliimy. He zipped through NYC a couple of weeks ago, played a showcase, and shot a bunch of cute videos that have been premiering on FredFlare.com (the fab design-y shop based in Brookyn) all week long.
Not to be outdone, we interviewed Sliimy too when he visited Logo, and he's got a lot to say. And dig that crrraaazzzy French accent. Ooh. La. La!
Sliimy's in Europe now, playing all over France next week. But he's also hard at work on the video for "Paint Your Face," the title track from his forthcoming album (getting released in the U.S. on Perez Hilton's Perezcious label).
More news, video & WIN $50 at FredFlare.com, after the jump!
Muppet Couture: Did Lady Gaga or Katy Perry Wear It Best?
Photo via People.com.
We've been posting lots of Lady Gaga coverage lately... How can we not? She's everywhere, especially where there are gays, these days; see you in DC, Gaga! But People.com posted this "Who Wore It Best?" query featuring Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and some hot Muppet couture, which you gotta love. Who needs Dolce & Gabban or Proenza-Schouler when you've got Kermit & Miss Piggy?
Of course the predictably dowdy folks commenting on People.com all give Katy props for her girly-girl take on Sesame-Street realness, but how can you overloook the fierceness of Gaga's poofy, fuzzy, Animal skirt. Divine!
Or maybe you just feel like one People.mag commenter: "F the muppets."
It's a time crunch! The designers have one day to make two cute little blue things. Sounds like a team challenge!
Episode 7: My Blue Hell
—by Eric Walter
Team challenges are always a pain in the pin cushion for Project Runway designers. This time they have to pair up and produce two looks in a single color: blue. This week's challenge doesn't produce anything new. Just the
usual team microdrama: someone's not doing enough; she's not giving me
direction; her top is a mess; I hate ruffles.
So the designers wax esoteric about blue — like it's intrinsically more complicated to work with than other colors. (Would green or pink really be better?) Then they all pair off like it's the last scene of Bambi.
Macy's guest judge, Martine Reardon,
chooses the team leaders.
The designers form their own little Macy's parade, one after the
other trying to impress Ms. Reardon.
The only notable team is Christopher and Epperson. I would be honored to work with Epperson, he says — "honored," really? — which leads to a love fest of high fives and buddy hugs that's pretty much the gayest thing on the episode.
Epperson and Christopher are convinced they are a dream team. Tim looks doubtful.
Nicolas has immunity this week, so he's the one to watch out for. The only thing preventing him from letting his teammate fail is his own sense of pride.
Nicolas grumbles that ruffles are only a gimmick to hide flaws. Louise's primary flaw is choosing the guy with immunity as her teammate.
It's not Nicolas' fault that Louise has a bad idea, but he has no incentive to prop her up or talk her out of her excessive use of ruffles. His motives are suspect, at best. He's definitely not afraid to trash-talk her sketches to the other designers. He even says, half-joking, at the beginning of the show: We have to get rid of one of the girls.
This Week In Fabulous 10/2: Questionably Hot Men, Delusional Reality Stars & Threesomes!
Britney is back! Well, she never left, but she's coming out with new music!
--By Cory Stottlemyer
Everybody celebrate because it's practically the weekend and that means we get to go over all the fabulous things that happened this week! Prepare yourself for some very exciting Britney news!
5. Shakira guest starring on Ugly Betty!
I'm surprised it has taken the producers this long to put her on this show!
Get excited Ugly Betty fans. The She Wolf herself will be making a guest appearance this season! According to reports, she'll be playing herself and will apparently be involved in a photo shoot in the Bahamas. I hope that means she's in a bikini becasue that woman is ferociously hot!
Ambivalent attractiveness, tiny singing power houses and a Tool Academy-esque father after the jump!
Is Ambrose Price TV's Next Design Mega-Star? Have a Look & See!
Will the festive Ambrose Price be reality TV's next hot-glue-gun-toting mess? Let's hope!
Next Monday night Logo debuts a new series The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price, which follows the looney exploits of Ambrose Price, a charming and kooky gay from small-town Newfoundland (as in Canada) who's determined to make it big as the next big design/homemaking/style guru. Should Martha Stewart be worried? Er... Let's just politely say it's a bit too early to tell.
To Price's credit, and in spite of his endearing if fumbling persona (which you see in the preview clip below) Price isn't a total rube. He was a breakout star on the Canadian version of HGTV's Design Superstar Challenge. He didn't win, but audiences loved him and he then got his own show up north. Have a look!
Price is pretty daffy to watch (in a fun way!). I keep wondering, "What's with that accent? Is he drunk?" But I do admire his spunky, fearless approach to everything.
The designers hit a movie set to receive their next assignment.
Episode 6: Genre Bender
—by Eric Walter
The fashions may be fun, but this week's episode is a snooze-fest. With the Nicolas-Johnny conflict resolved, the best we get now is a brief detour into Carol Hannah's crush on Logan. (Get in line, sister.)
Carol Hannah gazes dreamily under the brim of Logan's hat.
There's some workroom drama with a rash of bobbin theft. (Sabotage!)
And Louise stabs her finger tip with a sewing machine needle.
OK, that is kinda gross.
The personality conflict geiger counter is registering record-low
readings. There was no WTF moment this week.
No one's asking for Irina
to press an iron to Nicolas' face, or to use Logan's pin cushion as a
voodoo doll, but what is happening to the Project Runway we know and love?
Forgive me for saying this — where's Santino when you actually need him!
Once again Nina and Michael are M.I.A., and we have guest judges galore. What is this, The Fashion Show?
Perhaps sensing this, the producers have set us up for a team challenge next week. Working in pairs, the designers are always cable-ready for drama, and frankly I can't wait.
This time our intrepid contestants are tasked with choosing a movie genre and creating a character to live in it. But the judges favor couture over costume and leave us with, I think, some unfair results.
The challenge, apparently, is to create a look inspired by a genre, not something that would actually work in a movie. The judges adore Christopher's backless, sleeveless, totally inaccurate Victorian gown but don't much care for Gordana's perfectly lovely flapper dress. They go crazy for Epperson's western-genre denim-and-leather frills but make nary a comment on Shirin's saloon floozy.
Christopher goes all Merchant Ivory on us, but with a twist.
What, I ask you, is wrong with this lovely beaded confection?
Interestingly, the winner and the loser are both from the same genre: sci-fi. But between Nicolas' three cosmic queens living in Orion's belt and Ra'mon's alien-human hybrid, I don't expect a happy ending for either story.
Mika Says "Call Me Bisexual," Talks Hugh Jackman, Cuddles with Gandalf & Fashion Studs! See for Yourself!
Sir Ian McKellen gets some Mika love. Go Gandalf!
Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much comes out next week. I've already heard it and it's bloody fabulous. But Mika himself is also pretty fab. Who else thinks so? Apparently X-Men baddie and superwizard Gandalf, aka the world's most fabulous gay actor Sir Ian McKellen, who whooped it up in London for Mika's album release party there last week.
The album release party was a starry affair (Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jodie Harsh) and packed full of fashion superstars. I love the pic below of Mika getting cuddly with uber-designers Roland Mouret, Christian Louboutin and Matthew Williamson. Dandies galore! And can I say right now that Mouret is my new #1 crush? He's hot!
From left: Roland Mouret, Mika, mad-hatter Christian Louboutin & Matthew Williamson.
Also, the Dutch homo mag Gay & Night interviewed Mika, and when they quizzed him about his sexuality, he reportedly said "I've never ever labeled myself. But having said that, I've never limited my life. I've never limited who I sleep with. … Call me bisexual, if you need a term for me." Okay, that works! FUN!
Stop the Presses! Project Runway Goes 100% Recycled
Don't light a match! These papered ladies could go up like kindling!
Episode 5: Paper Dolls
—by Eric Walter
Against my better judgment, I watched part of Lifetime's Models of the Runway yesterday. And I'm glad I did! I learned that Logan, who I named as last week's "Best Gay," is not actually gay. Or the models don't think so, anyway.
Well, no one's perfect. (I mean Logan.)
I still think he was the Best Gay last week. Let's just call Logan an honorary gay. Everyone deserves to be, don't you think? Why should we have all the fun?
Anyway, I have a feeling I'm not the first to bestow this title.
So this week, we hit up an old-school Project Runway antic. Make a dress out of copies of the Los Angeles Times!
The winner will make headlines!
(And the loser will be wrapping tomorrow's fish and chips.)
Now, the best paper dress I can remember was worn in 1965 by Princess
Kay of the Milky Way. (Princess Kay is crowned annually at the
Minnesota State Fair.)
See right: It's made out of one-pound butter cartons!
The designers have their work cut out for them if they're going to surpass this genius.
As it turns out, it's a little harder than most people might think to fit a dress with paper. The material has no give. And it takes some solid engineering skills to get it off the dress form and on the model.
The pattern Althea creates shines like she's working with plates of brass.
Gordana is off to a good start with a pleated bodice.
This episode of Project Runway brought to you by ... Elmer's Glue.
The producers set up a nice little conflict between Nicolas and Johnny, and they end up in a bitter race to the bottom.
Ka-Ching! Time for PopLab Shopping Tips: Handy Bags for Fall Picnics? Yes, Please...
Tonight on the sassy NewNowNext PopLab music video show on Logo (airing at midnight EST), in between killer new videos from Keri Hilson, Anjulie, and Mary J. Blige you'll see interviews with Nelly Furtado, AND some handy shopping tips from PopLab's own retail/bargain guru, Jono.
For a sneak peek, check out the clip above wherein Jono serves up his recommendations for a batch of fun bags that will perfect for any little outdoorsy picnicking trips you may be making this fall. After the jump, full details about all the goods he's showing off -- and another clip of nifty gardening gadgets. Nice!
Fashion Week Roadkill: Lindsay, Gossip Girls, True Blood, Amanda Lepore & More! See the Photos!
Lindsay Lohan at G-Star: Is she looking very relaxed? Or very, er... relapsed?
Fashion Week is going full-throttle in NYC. The celebs are out and posing up a storm. Here's a quick look at some of the hotness (and NOT-ness) that's out parading in the name of style and glamour these days...
Looks like G-Star and Baby Phat were both hot shows, judging from the attendees. Is Lindsay toasted? Or just giddy with fashion glee? Who can say, who can say...?
Enjoy lots more pics of kids from Gossip Girl, True Blood, one of Destiny's Children, Kathie Lee & Hoda, Amanda Lepore, some hot Project Runway mess-ness and more all after the jump!
Driving Miss Gaga: The Lady Does NYC, Madonna & Marc Jacobs
Lady G pulls up to the bumper of the Marc Jacobs show.
OMG, Lady Gaga is killing me. Above is a shot of her arriving at the Marc Jacobs/V Magazine fashion week hootenanny last night in NYC. The hat! So club-kid goes dowdy... And she's peeking out of that limo like Miss Daisy pulling up to the Winn-Dixie or a ladies luncheon. Hotness.
In the pic below, Gaga poses with Marc Jacobs and Madge, and I love that she almost looks positively bored; and that Madonna looks smiley and amused. (BTW, Maddie's been in extra-nice mode of late. She even gave Gaga some props backstage at the VMAs.) And yes, MJ looks foxy, of course.
Anyway, NY Mag has a dishy write-up about Gaga's pantless/nipple-tastic performance at the Marc Jacobs/V Magazine afterparty last night. Bless this woman. AND... The brilliant kids at MTV's Buzzworthy blog have a genius recap of Gaga's assorted VMA looks.
This week the models are the clients: The lucky 13 designers must make their models an "eye-catching look for an industry event."
Episode 4: Who's the Boss?
—by Eric Walter
The simplicity of the challenges this season has me a little disappointed. I guess it goes to show you don't have to be working with garbage or car parts or groceries to come up with something that looks like crap. Fabric works just as well.
So the models this week get to choose what they wear for once. (Giving them their own show apparently wasn't enough.) Of course they go bonkers. They want to be unique and original and to stand out ... just like everyone else.
Most of the models have a pretty clear idea of what they want — or at the very least a list of adjectives. But some of them are all over the map. Make me every kind of dress — all at once! *snap*
Epperson reads some of his notes to a sympathetic Tim Gunn: "flowy, strong, punk, cocktail, tiger." It could be a bad Chinese translation of an American toilet cleaner brand. Whatever it is, if that's describing a dress, it already sounds like a disaster.
Epperson consults with Mattar. Long but not too long; tight but not too tight; revealing but not too revealing. Got it!
Among the most important revelations of this week's show are Tim Gunn's feet. Check out who's rocking the sandals!
Episode 3 - Surf and Terse
—by Eric Walter
This week California lends itself to one of the most simple and direct competitions of the series: Design a stunning beach dress and a surf-inspired avant garde look to accompany it.
Oh, and there's a guy there from Garnier to talk about hair.
I hope everyone's got their sunblock!
This is the first team competition of the season. Working in teams is great because it instantly brings out the best and the worst in the designers. The bottom two this week were the weakest leaders.
Mitchell wastes no time diving off the deep end, declaring that he chose Ramon for his team because he wants someone who can carry him. He hasn't brought much to the cutting table so far, so it's not surprising he feels this way, but most players would hold their cards a little closer. I don't know how he qualified for the show, but he must have left his self confidence back in Georgia.
It's the little things that count, right?
Mitchell sticks in a few pins and stitches up a petite swimsuit, but his most notable work shows up on the brow of poor Ra'mon, who has to take over the reins to avoid being on a losing team.
Ra'mon is working his animal spirit connections to stay on top this week. Ten bucks says he has a giraffe print on his underwear.
Heidi unveils special guest Rebecca Romijn and her buns in the oven.
Episode 2: Expecting
--by Eric Walter
This week, Project Runway throws a curve, and it's a big one. The designers are given the task of creating a chic, form-fitting look for gorgeous celebrity guest Rebecca Romijn — and her gorgeous baby bump!
Er, babies bump. She's having twins.
Not surprisingly, the three best designs are created by women and the three worst are designed by men — gay men, no less. Ouch. It's not a shining moment for our boys.
Strapping a pillow to those models' bellies is like a garter snake
swallowing an ostrich egg, but they gamely strap on the pregnancy
prosthetics and march down the runway.
Naked Male Models Make V Magazine's September Issue Festive! Have a Look!
Wild Things... I think I love you.
Hey fashionistas! And those of you who just enjoy a bit of man-skin! V Magazine, that big glossy oversized and rather heavy fashion mag has some nice naked scruffy lads in their big September issues. It's a shoot by Mario Testino, and the boys are used as accessories for nice gal models Carmen Kass and Anne V.
The actual clothes in the shoot present "a neo-hippie, anything-goes approach to dressing with furs, fringe, and everything animal-print." Great. But you're probably not noticing them. Bring on the pale, wrangly pretty guys!
Sorry, but the boys' own wild things are discreetly obscured... Still, enjoy a few more peeks after the jump.
Tim Gunn meets the designers on a familiar Hollywood location: the Emmys red carpet. Thank goodness Kathy Griffin is nowhere to be found!
—by Eric Walter
Episode 1: Project Runway is
Dead. Long live Project Runway!
After a year of silence and a quick, muted summertime promotion, Project Runway jumped back into the spotlight last night with the long-awaited Season Six premiere.
Fans might have worried about the series’ fate on a network made infamous by titles such as "Crimes of Passion: She Woke Up Pregnant," "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger," and "Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy."
As RuPaul might say, "Don’t f*&# it up, Lifetime."
But you can put your fears to rest. Tim and Heidi and Michael and Nina (a little softened – Marie Clare is treating her well) seem to have weathered the cross-continental risks just fine. It’s the same old Runway – literally.
A familiar, heart-stopping (for them), heart-warming (for us) sight.
The Los Angeles sound stage is an exact copy of the old New York set. The logo is the same. The lighting is the same. The catch-phrases are the same.
They even kept fabric supplier Mood, which reportedly opened a temporary satellite location just for the show.
This Week In Fabulous 8/21: Eric Dane, Miss Piggy, Marc Jacobs & Project Runway Galore!
Anderson Cooper who? Tim Gunn is the original silver fox!
-- By Cory Stottlemyer
For this week's edition of "This Week In Fabulous," there's plenty of fabulous in the form of delusional reality stars, celebrities who can't keep track of their home videos, and fashion! Now let's get started!
5. Heidi Montag will NOT be lip-syncing at the Miss Universe Pageant!
I wish Heidi would stop trying to be sexy. It's like watching a blow-up doll prance around and blow kisses.
This should be HILARIOUS. Heidi Montag will apparently be singing live at this Sunday's Miss Universe Pageant. Either I will want to stab my ear drums out, or I will laugh so hard I will stop breathing. I bet both will happen.
Eric Dane sexiness and fashion fabulousness after the jump!
Project Runway's All Stars Get Their Fill of Santino Rice
Rice Queen: Santino stirs it up! Bravo!
Has all of his time away from TV turned Tim Gunn into a big nervous nellie??? It sort of sounds that way. AfterElton.com has a fun post up about tomorrow night's big special Project Runway All-Stars special (8pm ET), which brings back a bunch of the best from past seasons of PR to compete in a one-off design throwdown.
They rounded up a great group -- Chris March, Sweet P, Jeffrey Sebelia, Korto, Uli, Daniel Vosovic, Michael Knight (sorry, no Laura Bennett or Christian Siriano). But evidently the big troublemaker in the show is (surprise) Santino Rice! In fact, Tim Gunn is quoted (practically hyperventilating) saying things like "I was as close to a psychotic breakdown as I’ve ever been."
Have you missed these fashion messes?
Why the drama? Blame Santino! "I don’t want to give him anymore press," said Gunn. "But that Santino Rice -- I was ready to take a cyanide capsule. I mean, he just sucks all the air out of a room." Oh lordy, Tim. Sounds like great TV to me!
Get more of Tim's kvetching on AfterElton.com. Strangely, none of the folks working on RuPaul's Drag Race have complained about Santino's histrionics. Maybe Tim should have called in Shannel to put Santino in his place. Lord knows she would have welcomed the opportunity.
Lady Gaga Celebrates Halloween Early in Out Magazine! See the Pics!
Bloody Fabulous: Gaga in OUT Magazine. Slurp!
The new, September issue of OUT Magazine features gay icon newbie Lady Gaga in a fiercely insane/spooky Ellen von Unwerth photo shoot... It's hard to realize that this time last year, Mizz G was still doing shows in gay bars (she even performed at an underwear party on Fire Island), right? Now she's global!
And maybe it's a True Blood thing, or it's just Gaga's own Goth tendencies, but the photo shoot is total b-movie retro horror fabulousness. And racy, too!
After the jump, see more pics... Summer just got a bit scary, y'all!!!
Hot QB Tom Brady Shows Us His Details: Nice New Pics!
Big September issues of fashion mags are coming, which means a 9,397-page issue of Vogue (and that's during this recession; usually the thing has 37,842 pages!) and also nice big issues of the men's fashon mags.
Football season is coming, too... So Details is celebrating this sporty occasion and the oncoming return of flannel-wearing season with their September issue. Yep, they've got big hot man-pony (and Gisele-accessory) Tom Brady on the cover. He looks dreamy, if a bit cardboard somehow... Not that I'm complaining.
More pics after the jump! Touchdown! Pics via NY Post PopWrap.
We're down to four! James Paul, Daniella, Anna, and Reco.
Finale: Part 1
-by Eric Walter
It's been 10 weeks since Merlin went home, and the remaining designers have been hard at work pulling together their beads, buckles and bows for the season finale of The Fashion Show. Now America votes.
But Isaac drops a bomb: America will indeed decide the winner — but among only three finalists. One is eliminated this week. If this is the only surprise this episode delivers, we'll take it! The final collections have been available to view on Bravo's Web site for a few weeks now, so there's nothing new to see here.
Aw... buck up, designers! The eliminated one still gets $10,000!
In their final fashion show of the season, populated by a handful of Housewives from New Jersey and New York, the designers give it their best. Thankfully, Theresa keeps her hands off the furniture and Caroline leaves her killer dogs chained up outside.
Dispensing with what worked and what didn't, let's just take a look at what everyone showed.
This week the designers are bewitched, bothered and BeDazzled.
Episode 10: Blood, Sweat and Sparkle
-by Eric Walter
The stakes are raised on this week's The Fashion Show when Isaac and Kelly announce that the loser this time will miss out on the chance to present a collection in the season's final fashion show.
I love the mini challenge: Make a dress with two yards of silk and 12 pins. It's super esoteric, yet simultaneously something that every lay person one can understand. Isaac pontificates about draping and the relation of fabric to the human body, but even I can see that this is the basis of a dress.
Professor Mizrahi presents Fashion Design 101: The Drape.
Frankly it's mystifying to me that this is challenge to any of them. Isn't this something they learned in design school kindergarten? (But we saw what happened when we assumed these kids knew how to sew!)
It's a good introduction to this week's challenge: the evening gown. And for good measure — and some glamorous integrated marketing — let's throw in $30,000 worth of Swarovsky crystals for a bit of the old razzle dazzle.
After weeks and weeks of tepid drama, The Fashion Show goes back to its roots and pulls a Project Runway-style coup by bringing back five eliminated designers to be paired with the remaining five contestants!
Andrew, Keith, Angel, Haven, and ... ta-dah! Merlin.
It's fun to see the familiar faces we hoped to see so much more from but who were gone so soon. *sigh*
(Plus, the producers had to get them back for season 1 before the show aired and any of them had a chance to see how they actually look on TV!)
The designers take a field trip to see a psychic. I predict Isaac will say "Harper's Bazaar Mini-Challenge" 12 times. No, 10 times.
Episode 9: In the Cards
-by Eric Walter
You want to mess with someone's head in the middle of an intense competition reality series? Take him to a psychic.
This week's episode of The Fashion Show goes occult on us when the designers are taken to visit a spooky tarot reader. They eat it up, even gasping in unison when she tells Johnny he's going to be traveling. In reality, she doesn't say much of anything useful: believe in yourself, don't worry too much about structure, be more practical, you have a good chance. Even worse, everything she says applies equally to all of the designers.
Is this lady any good? I want my money back!
They get to keep their card and create a design that embodies the meaning behind their reading.
Simon Doonan on How to Travel Fabulously - "Beautiful Moments" Vlog, Episode 7
Oh, dear. Please don't be upset, but this is the final episode of our "Beautiful Moments" vlogs with style guru Simon Doonan. This week, since we're about to say "Bon voyage," Simon pops by to lend some advice about "How to Travel Beautifully."
On "Beautiful People," the madcap Logo series based on Simon's life growing up in dreary suburban England (where he dreams of dashing off to live glamorously in London), Simon's always hankering to escape his hum-drum life. But in reality, Simon reveals he's something of a homebody these days! (Gasp, indeed.)
Still, he's happy to give props to killer vacation spots like the Grand Canyon, tres gay Brighton, England... AND, he tells you how to pack for stylish travel. Less is more, kittens!
This week's inspiration is like a fabulous box of very expensive crayons.
Episode 8: Ode to La Mode
-by Eric Walter
We're down to seven contestants, and it's getting harder and harder to say good-bye.
This week The Fashion Show's designers are tested on their knowledge of the legends who came before them. Are they merely brave little tailors, or are they true artists with an appreciation of the fashion trailblazers they owe so much of their inspiration to, whether they realize it or not?
School teacher Anna knows her history.
After a design history pop quiz, Anna comes out on top. Her reward: She will pair each of her competitors with the classic designer to whom they will be paying hommage in this week's challenge. Some of the contestants love her choice, and others cry sabotage; a few of them really hit the mark, and a couple of them really bite it.
In the end it comes down to Reco and Haven on the bottom.
Says Isaac: "It's not just about sewing. It's about knowing."
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