Shortbus to Brokeback Mountain

September 27, 2006

All week I'm taking a short bus to GE Leadership Training in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Yesterday, after learning that I am a D and an I on the DiSC (tm) leadership scale, I showed incredibly commanding leadership by attending the premiere of John Cameron Mitchell's "Short Bus."

If you didn't read the 40,000 word article in Sunday's New York Times, I can promise you there'll be another soon. Lemme just break it down for you and say this movie is a big deal, a nudie romp with tons of actual sex that would make Jack Valenti short circuit.

The unrated (XXX) film pushes the boundaries of nudity in film and will be playing in art house theaters in various cities starting October 4. It is going to be interesting to see what kind of shit this stirs up among people who don't want skin on screen. I dont think Laura and Condi will see it at their Girl's Night Out. (They should though).

Mitchell uses real people in the film's orgy scenes (he calls them sex-tras) and depicts real sex and real orgasms and every body part you can think of in every state. I was looking forward to seeing this thing for the nudity, but also cuz Mitchell came to TRIO over three years ago seeking funding for the film. He was so enthusiastic about his passion project (everyone who came to TRIO to pitch was enthusiastic about their passion projects -- which was amazing) and it took him all those years to make exactly the film he wanted.

I loved it.

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Post-PR, Queer Eye Jai Dissed

September 26, 2006

Here's some headline news: there is actually stuff on TV besides "Project Runway"! I got a ton of messages Wednesday night yelling at me for Bravo's airing a Runway rerun. Sorry Charlies, but wasn't it an exciting opportunity to go fishing for fresh tv in your TiVo's? That's what I have been doing.

I'm still watching KATIE COURIC'S EVENING NEWS and I like it. There's something great about recording that show and watching at 1 in the morning. There's only about 10 minutes of actual news so it is not a time committment. The only thing I don't like is the kicker pieces about extraordinary Americans. I can't. I like that lady and her frosty lips tucking me in at night so that's when I watch it.

I saw STUDIO 60 when Bravo replayed it Wednesday night. Loved it! I have never seen WEST WING so I can't speak to the genius of Aaron Sorkin, but I am really excited to get into this show. And I also can't wait for 30 ROCK. Not only do I work in the building, the show looks funny.

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Up Close With Tattoo Man

September 25, 2006

Love him or hate him, you gots to agree that Jeffrey Sebelia is one of the most upfront and outspoken designers in Runway history. I called him yesterday out of the blue to chat it up.

HEY MAN - WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?

I'm just in LA looking at fabric at a vendor who gets a lot of stuff from Italy!

EVERYBODY READING THIS DOESN'T KNOW YET IF YOU ARE THE DECOY SHOWING AT FASHION WEEK OR IF YOU'RE STILL IN THE COMPETITION OR WHAT, BUT WE KNOW THAT YOU SHOWED - DID YOU HAVE FUN IN NYC?

I had a lot of fun. All of this was so much work every step of the way. I have fun working hard but the fun was really at the end of it getting to show at Bryant Park - that was the payoff.

HOW DO PEOPLE RESPOND TO YOU ON THE STREET?

Luckily the only people that come up to me are huge supporters - it's all been really good. The demographic of the show is crazy. Little young punk rock kids and little old African American ladies tell me they love my work and my honesty.

SOME PEOPLE HATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ANGELA'S MOTHER. I HAVE GOTTEN SOME NASTY EMAILS ABOUT YOU! WAS IT DIFFERENT WATCHING THAT EPISODE?

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Runway Recuperation

September 19, 2006

I think I might have the Runway Rickets - or need a Runway Resuscitation- because I am still not really rested after last week's madness. After the big finale show under the tents, it was a quick drop by the Bravo Ad Sales brunch and then back to Parsons to wrap up the series. Friday night was a wrap party that pretty much all the designers attended. It was good to finally be able to talk to them without worrying about saying something that I shouldn't or couldn't about the competition, like "You're going to PARIS in an HOUR!"

Here are some photos of the morning....

How is it possible that Laura can be so calm and glam an hour before stepping in front of the Fashion Firing Line?

Bravo exec Frances Berwick and I make a pre-show sandwich out of Sir Tim!

Is TOP CHEF Harold Dieterle ready to join the misadventures of the Fab 5?!

The judges are judging!

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Runway Letters Answered by Production Boss!

September 14, 2006

I love getting emails from you guys and every so often they give me cause to pause. Here's a recent batch of questions and my answers.

Linda emailed two weeks ago and said: "The Paris episode last night crossed the line from "creative competition in a fishbowl" to something more closely approaching pointless cruelty. Why take people to Paris who have never been there only to put the 'loser' right back on a plane?"

Hey Linda. I got a lot of emails like this. Angela did spend the night in Paris after she was eliminated. She spent 24 hours in Paris, though ... that's 24 hours more than she'd spent there in her life! She was a great sport about turning back around and viewed the whole experience with a great attitude. There was a moment in time when we considered having Catherine Malandrino at the AIRPORT GATE to do the elimination after they'd stepped off the plane, but we decided that was just plain mean.

In response to the blog where Ralph Fiennes interviewed me about Runway, RP wrote: "I have one question: How did you become 'pals' with Ralph? If it is true, you seem worlds apart."

Yes, RP, we are worlds apart. I got a bunch of questions asking me if that interview was fake, so thanks for your faith in me, everybody! I wouldn't fake an interview with someone and post it. I've known Ralph for five or six years through some mutual friends who are actors and former co-stars of The English Patient.

Max writes: "My question is about the double-elimination that resulted from auf'ing Bonnie after Keith left. Does this mean we are down an episode now? Was there later supposed to be a team elimination that got scaled back? I hope so! I mean, maybe Bonnie's cowl was a little on the dowdy side -- but surely it wasn't so ugly as to suck an entire episode of PR down the drain! :-)"

Max, you are very observant and I might hire you to work in programming at Bravo if you are up for it. We actually had planned on doing a double-elimination later in the season and scrapped the idea when Keith was eliminated. I am personally not a huge fan of double eliminations, in case you care. We produced exactly the amount of episodes we set out to this season and didn't cheat you out of one!

Lisa is from Albany and wrote this after Keith was eliminated: "Hey Andy, it is all over the internet that Keith's application was nothing more than stolen designs from the best of the best. So what is the real story ... did you kick him off for a trumped up reason of books and disappearing because you are embarassed that the fashion aficionados missed the obvious, or is this internet thing a farce and you truly are dismissing him for infractions?"

ANSWERS CONTINUE...

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Project Rungay

September 13, 2006

Here are the 10 things that make Runway the gayest show on TV! (Even gayer than "Good Morning America"!)

10. ANDRAE'S FACIAL EXPRESSIONS! Was there anything more grand than watching Season 2 designer Andrae Gonzalo's reactions to every little thing? He is a one man cutaway-machine!

9. AUTHORITY FIGURES! Excuse me, but on what other show are all the male authority figures gay homosexual manlovers? I can't think of one. So Tim and Michael, you rule the school, and the tube!

8. KAYNE! What do you get when you throw pageants and rhinestones and fierce determination and Dolly Parton and hob nobs in a blender? Kayne Gillaspie! The boy knows how to fit clothes on a woman, too.

7. HAIR AND MAKEUP MONTAGE! Just when you think you're going to flatline before the Runway show comes a :30 explosion of Tresseme and L'Oreal with some hot makeup and hair boys (Bata and Ralphie) thrown in! This way to beauty!

6. REFERENCES! The vocab of Runway directly correlates with that of your fave Splash bartenders: Empire Waist, A-line, Marilyn, Diana Ross, Chartreuse, Dolce, Fierce, Heidi, Bandeau, Boring, Jet-Set, Red Carpet, Costumey.........

5. NINA Some people call her Meana Garcia, I call her a fierce gay icon. "It is inherently not pleasing!"

4. BARBIE REDEEMED! We took shit for playing with them cuz we KNEW that they those damn dolls would come into play later in life! It was up to Runway to show us that Barbie matters!

3. WENDY PEPPER More proof that breeders are filthy and ridiculous.

2. CATHERINE MALANDRINO Throw a beat behind every word she utters, remix the shit and dance. The fiercest guest judge of all the fierce guest judges was insane!

1. AUSTIN SCARLETT On what other show could you find this beautiful creature? God Bless Austin.