Project Runway Season 5 in the Media

[Veruka]

Originally Posted by MFWalkoff

If Lifetime was looking to improve its image, I have to wonder why they think becoming another "reality" channel is the way to do it.

Other than Bravo, the genre has turned most other channels like VH1 and MTV to garbage. And even Bravo has been hit or miss.

I don't think I can agree with that. TLC and Discovery have an awful lot of programs that have to be classified as reality as well - and they're certainly not trashy. Reality can be high quality, or it can be low-brow - it's all a question of how you program it. Bravo is an example of a network that keeps it classy with reality. It's all a matter of not choosing to program to the lowest common denominator.

[Google]

 

[Susan Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by Veruka

Don't worry Kinmoku - As Hutchlover said upthread, the producers of the show have not changed, only the network they've sold it to. The content of the show will almost definitely not change.

With regards to the current image of Lifetime and the questionable match with PR -- Does anyone remember what Bravo was like before Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? It was almost like the PBS movie channel. They had Inside the Actors Studio as their premier show, some old movies, and a few other programs no one else really cared about. I remember it was on my cable system, and then removed due to lack of interest before Queer Eye came along. They added that show in order to significantly re-vamp their image, get back some of the cable systems that had dropped them, and it worked. I would imagine that is exactly what Lifetime is trying to do. They recognize that they've gone from the cable network for women to an aged, insignificant home for re-runs of really bad sit-coms. I would expect that they want to change to fit the mold of PR, not the other way around.

Alas, it would seem that Magical Elves (the producers of PR) are NOT going to Lifetime (see link below) but are to remain at Bravo. God knows what PR will look like now without this talented duo.

P.S. When you click on the link I provided you will need to scroll down the main page and go to Entertainment. You will see the direct link there. I am accurate even if I'm a Bad, Bad Girl!

MSNBC - Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News - msnbc.com Front Page

[Bunny555]

‘Marie Claire’ to Replace ‘Elle’ on Project Runway? -- The Cut: New York Magazine's Fashion Blog

Egad! Marie Claire might usurp Elle's spot on Project Runway after its contract runs out. Elle is signed to remain with the show through its fifth season, which is the show's last on the Bravo network before it moves to Lifetime. WWD notes the partnership is likely since both Hearst Publications (which publishes Marie Claire) and the Lifetime network are jointly owned by the same parent company and Disney, and the media is incestuous like that (you know, "synergy").
This also makes last week's Nina Garcia sighting a little more interesting: She was spotted at the Hearst headquarters, so perhaps she was chatting with the folks at Marie Claire? And then the magazine could benefit from Garcia's chic-fairy dust (because, let's be honest, it doesn't quite have the same high-market cachet as Elle) and Project Runway wouldn't be utterly doomed! Hey, a girl can dream.

[docjunkie]

This is not shaping up pretty for PR fans. New network, new producers, new magazine, and rumored move from Parsons in NY to Los Angeles.

SAD DOCJUNKIE!

[Susan Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by docjunkie

This is not shaping up pretty for PR fans. New network, new producers, new magazine, and rumored move from Parsons in NY to Los Angeles.

SAD DOCJUNKIE!

Well, I guess the only hope we have is that Jeff Zuckor's lawsuit against The Weinstein Co. is successful. If it is, then PR will have to remain at Bravo and Magical Elves would continue to produce, and hopefully, remain in New York where it rightly belongs. I know that L.A. does have a Fashion Week, but puhleeeze, not even close with prestige, cachet etc. New York is the obvious place for Tim and the gang, and I'm originally from L.A!

Still being a bad, bad girl!

[MFWalkoff]

Well, since Magical Elves just signed that multi-year deal with NBC/Universal, I would bet that the lawsuit dies quickly and quietly.

If I were Bravo, I would let it all go, and just run a "Best of Runway" episode against the new Lifetime show. It S6 turns into the trainwreck it's shaping up to be, the rerun might beat it some weeks.

[Susan Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by MFWalkoff

Well, since Magical Elves just signed that multi-year deal with NBC/Universal, I would bet that the lawsuit dies quickly and quietly.

If I were Bravo, I would let it all go, and just run a "Best of Runway" episode against the new Lifetime show. It S6 turns into the trainwreck it's shaping up to be, the rerun might beat it some weeks.

I don't know. I think NBC/Universal will go ahead with it since the PR franchise has been such a huge part of the Bravo stable of shows. I know that I would not particularly enjoy seeing a "Best of Runway" episode, since it leaves you craving more, especially if you didn't see the full run the first time around. The following is an article published today in New York Magazine; sounds like PR is literally coming apart at the seams.

5/ 6/081:20 PM
‘Project Runway’ Loses Producers

NBC Universal is determined not to let Project Runway become the one that got away. Or, if the network must kiss it good-bye and release the show to Lifetime, NBC is at least going to make sure that Lifetime won't be getting the best possible goods. You'll recall the network filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Co. when it sold the show to Lifetime, but yesterday the network struck a deal that would merely prevent the show's producers from following Project Runway over to Lifetime. Sneaky! The Wall Street Journal explains:
Monday's deal is with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, who have been executive producers of "Runway" from its infancy but had no ownership stake in it. Instead of continuing with the show once it moves to Lifetime, the two have signed a so-called "first-look deal" with NBC Universal. That means NBC has the first right to consider new projects from the pair. The two said in an interview Monday that signing the deal was part of a plan to own more of their work.

"It is sad," Ms. Lipsitz said of leaving "Runway" behind. "But in terms of the bigger picture of building our business, it was a decision that we had to make."

So the show's executive producers are gone, half the episodes are moving to L.A., and Marie Claire might replace Elle. This is going to make for one disheveled mess of a show. But you know what? It will probably be perfect for Lifetime. May the pouting commence.

####

Still being a bad, bad girl...

[Bunny555]

Originally Posted by Susan Elizabeth

May the pouting commence

It has What is Heidi's role in the show beyond host? Surely she can't think all of these changes are in the show's best interest.

[Susan Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by Bunny555

It has What is Heidi's role in the show beyond host? Surely she can't think all of these changes are in the show's best interest.

I believe she was one of the original creators of the show. According to the New Yorker, the show will film 6 episodes in NY and 6 in LA to accommodate Heidi's schedule. It would appear that she and Tim Gunn work for Weinstein and Co., so perhaps she has very little say about the direction of the show, which is unfortunate. As Christian Siriano might say, "What a hot mess."

[ingrid642]

2 seasons? Wow, that would be great! And if Jack is back for S5, I'm sure he'll do really good, it was so sad he had to leave season 4, I think he would have made it to Fashion week! He's a fantastic designer!