Monday, October 26, 2009

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!!!

I always forget about one of the best bonuses of Halloween until it's upon me: The annual screening of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." One of the true television classics, the "Great Pumpkin" has been airing annually since Oct. 27, 1966. Forty-three years later, it still feels current. A great holiday show for all ages! Watch it Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. on ABC.

Here are a couple of my favorite clips.



Friday, October 23, 2009

Project Runway: Chris' nine lives

Winner: Irina ...again

Auf'd: Nicolas ...yeah!

Challenge: To design a garment based on a geographical region.

Minnesota Chris has taken the cliche "by the skin of his teeth" to a whole new level. Four weeks in a row in the bottom. Meanwhile, Nicolas has actually won a challenge (somehow) and still managed to be the one to get kicked off last night. I think the judges saw something special in Chris those first few weeks, and they refuse to believe the work the past few challenges is representative of him. At least, that's what I hope. Still, one more bad week, and it has to be over for him. There's no more sucky designers left to take the fall.

That being said, his dress last night was darling, and I have no idea why the judges didn't love it. No, Chris did not go and find ugly shiny tourquoise fabric and try and shove Santa Fe down their throats (Santa Fe was the region he was assigned to design a garment to represent). He did it in a more subtle, classy way. I saw mountains and cacti in his colors. And the belt certainly was Southwest-ish. I thought it was lovely.

Actually, none of the designers did a bad job last night. I even liked Nicolas' white twisty shirt thing, even though nothing about the outfit said "Greece."

Irina won yet again with her brown slacks, sweater and faux fur coat combination. Certainly it said Aspen, but circa 1985. I was surprised she didn't get nailed for that. To me, the real winner of the night was Carol Hannah with a beautiful, flowy, floor-length printed dress, with braided detailing around the bust. Gorgeous. It reminded of Uli from ...last season was it? The season before?

Anyhow, I'll be interested to see who goes next. Certainly, Gordana and the sexy blond guy who's name always escapes me are weaker than anyone else. But I must admit, despite being Minnesota Chris' biggest supporter, one more bad garment and I won't protest him leaving.

Until next week!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Project Runway: Sequins Suck


Winner: Carol Hannah
Auf'd: Shirin
Challenge: Design a stage outfit for Christina Aguilera

A few things that need to be said first ...

1. Did anyone care AT ALL that Christina Aguilera was the guest judge? Besides Nicolas, that is. I believe he said something like, "This is the best 'Runway' moment ever." Maybe if you're a drag queen, but for the rest of us, Aguilera excites us about as much as Bob Mackie. Greeeaaaat.

2. If Nicolas doesn't get kicked off soon, I'm going to write a strongly worded note to Nina, Heidi and Michael. I've seen white feathers about as much as I ever cared to this season and they keep kissing his ass for it. (I've also seen his pasty white pumpkin face quite enough as well.)

3. Minnesota Chris, listen up. Get your crap together. This is the third week you've been in the bottom 3. For a stylish gay man, a challenge involving sequins should be no sweat. I'm disappointed yet again, especially with your sad little boy panties. You call that a reveal? I call it what Nina called it: Taste-less.

OK, now onto Shirin. Noooooooooooooooo!!! She was my little muse. So cute and giggly, and now she's gone. My jaw actually dropped when Heidi said her name. Shirin almost won last week with her wedding dress that she transformed into a cute little wearable cocktail garment. She's won a challenge, and I don't remember her ever being in the bottom before now. Chris, on the other hand -- as much as I want him to stay -- has been in the bottom three weeks in a row. I'm definitely feeling like last night the decision was made for shock value.

However, I can't say her dress wasn't awful. It really was. But so was everyone else's. I'd say Althea's silvery number was the least disappointing. Except for that black feathery jacket. That was crazy. Carol Hannah's black, floor-length dress was the winner. ... I don't know. Feathers? Pasted on satin? Not really my cuppa. But neither are sequins and sparkles.

But, we must look forward. Now we're down to seven designers, and here's how I would love it to go down: Chris gets his act together and earns his way into the final four. Joining him would be Irina (even though she's horribly mean), Althea and Carol Hannah. One of them would be eliminated right before Fashion Week by having the weakest collection, and I would want that to be Carol Hannah. She deserves a shot at it, but I just don't think she'd quite measure up to the clear vision each of the other three have. Obviously, that means the annoying Nicolas, the extremely lackluster Logan and the vision-less Gordana would be auf'd during the next three challenges. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed.

Until next week ... auf wiedersehen.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Runway: Divorced divas


Winner: Gordana
Auf'd: Epperson

We're back, everyone! After a two-week vacation, the "Project Runway" blog is back online, and just in time for a pretty cool challenge last night.

First, I must say, I've never been a fan of Epperson. And perhaps I had a momentary lapse in good taste, but I could not believe he got kicked off for that dress last night. The challenge was to take divorcees' old wedding dresses and turn them into something wearable, like a shedding of the skin and a reemerging or some lofty bull like that. Really, they walked out with the same problems, but some of them had something new to wear. But, anyway, Epperson made this cool dress with an elongated cinched waste with black geometric lines running virtically along the mid-section. I thought it was beautiful, and I actually didn't get the "Oktoberfest" connection until Heidi said it. Then, I sort of saw it a little bit. But certainly Logan's wool trousers that would make Heidi, herself, look fat were much worse.

Irina almost won her third challenge last night for what I consdered to be a shiny brown mess. It was lacy and old-fashioned and aged the already aging divorcee horribly. The judges loved it. Loved it! I don't get it.

The winner last night was Gordana. She was long overdue for a win. Her work is flawless, extremely well sewn and taylored. She's caught some grief for her lack of personality, but certainly last night she pushed the envelope. She dyed her fabric blue and made a cocktail dress with stripes of ruching all the way up the length of it.

As always, I must mention Minnesota Chris. For the past two weeks, he's really disappointed the judges and myself. Two weeks ago he couldn't even comment when the judges dumped on his outfits he co-created with Epperson. Why, you ask? Because he was sobbing. Dear lord. At least he kept it together last night when they were telling him he made a shiny garbage bag with a belt. It really was. I'm scared for him. He showed so much potential, and now he's gone downhill. Come back, Minnesota Chris!!!

Until next time, auf Wiedersehen.