Sunday, August 06, 2006
My New Second Favorite TV Show
Actually, I've been watching this one for the first two seasons as well, and the third season of Project Runway is as good as ever. I love that show. I have no idea if I'm in their target demographic (probably not), or if other people like me are watching this show (if not then they should), but I can't get enough of it. Kathy loves it as much or more than I do, so this is obligatory viewing in my house every week.
I love that it's a reality show where people have to actually have skill and get to show it off to the audience. Hell's Kitchen or the Bravo Top Chef show are in the same vein, but you can't really taste the concoctions of the chefs, so it's not really the same. You can look at the outfits the designers made, though, and decide right away if you like them or not.
Also the drama that surrounds everyone on that show is great. Fashion design is a pretty artsy craft and seems to attract those artsy types of people, so the interplay between all of them is fantastic. I like to see the interpretations of the challenges and the working together in the sewing rooms. Most of the designers have a certain crazy streak in them, some more than others, and that together with what is probably the usual solitude of fashion design makes for interesting TV. What's also great is that it kindof reverses typical gender roles. The female designers tend to be the more sane ones and the, shall we say, fierceness of most of the male designers lends itself to a very fascinating type of melodrama. And that's no to imply a general homosexual sterotype, but I suppose it is to imply a rather specific stereotype of men who choose to be fashion designers. Though the couple of men on the show who are not homosexuals are often very intersting as well.
Easily the best part of the show is Tim Gunn. I love the way he talks. He sounds like a contrast between a mad scientist and a nervous Jewish mother. And since he's not in the typical reality show role of someone who's judging the contestants or making decisions on whether they stay or go, it's clear that he really cares about all of them and wants them to do well, and that's a good character to have in a reality show.
Everything about that show is entertaining, but my favorite moment of any of the three seasons so far is Santino doing his impression of Tim Gunn trying to reconcile his relationship with Andre in Red Lobster. To this day I can't pass a Red Lobster or talk about Red Lobster without going, "Awn-dray, let's not fight in Red Lobster."
I love that it's a reality show where people have to actually have skill and get to show it off to the audience. Hell's Kitchen or the Bravo Top Chef show are in the same vein, but you can't really taste the concoctions of the chefs, so it's not really the same. You can look at the outfits the designers made, though, and decide right away if you like them or not.
Also the drama that surrounds everyone on that show is great. Fashion design is a pretty artsy craft and seems to attract those artsy types of people, so the interplay between all of them is fantastic. I like to see the interpretations of the challenges and the working together in the sewing rooms. Most of the designers have a certain crazy streak in them, some more than others, and that together with what is probably the usual solitude of fashion design makes for interesting TV. What's also great is that it kindof reverses typical gender roles. The female designers tend to be the more sane ones and the, shall we say, fierceness of most of the male designers lends itself to a very fascinating type of melodrama. And that's no to imply a general homosexual sterotype, but I suppose it is to imply a rather specific stereotype of men who choose to be fashion designers. Though the couple of men on the show who are not homosexuals are often very intersting as well.
Easily the best part of the show is Tim Gunn. I love the way he talks. He sounds like a contrast between a mad scientist and a nervous Jewish mother. And since he's not in the typical reality show role of someone who's judging the contestants or making decisions on whether they stay or go, it's clear that he really cares about all of them and wants them to do well, and that's a good character to have in a reality show.
Everything about that show is entertaining, but my favorite moment of any of the three seasons so far is Santino doing his impression of Tim Gunn trying to reconcile his relationship with Andre in Red Lobster. To this day I can't pass a Red Lobster or talk about Red Lobster without going, "Awn-dray, let's not fight in Red Lobster."
# posted by ChuckJerry : 8/06/2006 12:31:00 PM
