Project Runway

10 seasons of Project Runway later and I might be fashioned out! It was interesting to see a different aspect of the fashion industry as I have only seen the industry from a Top Model perspective. In some ways its better but in other ways it's not. Get any group of creatively minded people into a room and there's going to be drama and there sure wasn't a lack of drama in Project Runway but it seemed a little more adult than sticking 14 women together in the same house. I didn't always agree with the judges' decisions. The first season's final runway show was filled with clothes that no one could actually wear which is a major con of the show. It got better as the seasons progressed in wanting clothes that real women could wear.

Speaking of real women, some designers are stuck in their ways and because of that I never want to wear their clothes. First off the designers who don't want to design for real women. Whenever they had challenges where they couldn't use their models a couple of the designers complained. They just want to design clothes that will look good on stick women. I found some designer's comments very offensive and made me want to go back to the model show. Second, and a point brought up by Marie Clare editor Joanna Coles, was that the designers didn't take into account the need for women to wear bras so strapless dresses are not the answer to everything. This is particularly relevant to Michal Costello. 

Another part of the competition which I didn't like was the competition among the models. As I wasn't watching the companion Models of the Runway it just made that part of the programme drawn out and boring because you didn't really know the models all that much so you weren't invested in which one staid and which one went. I found it rather more of a nuisance. I did however, like the concept. It made me want to do a combination of Project Runway and Top Model. If they had done something like that it would make sense because then you could get to know both the designers and the models and each would be eliminated on their own shows thus taking the designers out of the equation of elimination. I'm just not sure Models of the Runway was properly thought out.

The challenges were always fun to watch, especially the unconventional challenges. Although I was always so surprised when the designers would buy fabric substitutes instead of actually trying to be unconventional. Austen Scarlett's corn husk dress was one of my favorites and was actually a good mistake as it shriveled up overnight being left out.

 

I enjoyed the fact that three of the winners were from the Pacific Northwest, Go us! What I really liked about them was the fact that I would see Portland when Tim Gunn went to visit them as they were making their collections. I think Seth Arron was one of my favorite designers of all the seasons. I loved his style the most.

It was interesting to see the range of designers and although I'm still waiting for a reality show where I know nothing about the contestants and only judge them on what they have created, Mondo's story really touched me. I respected the fact that he was reluctant in sharing the story behind his fabric but ended up doing it not so much for gaining a sympathy vote but to help the judges understand. I liked that because I want to like your work because its good not because you have a sob story because everyone does.

The show did get a little old after a while. Nothing really changed so the show was reliant on its designers to make the show interesting and some seasons were better than others. Project Runway All Stars though was a season I'd like to forget. My main problem with it was the change of judges and mentor. Project Runway isn't Project Runway without Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. They really make the show and I missed the 'make it work' attitude of Tim in the All Star season. Tim is just really such a nice person and is really interested in helping each of the designers out. I think throughout the entire show he got really upset once and I was so shocked by his outburst because he's usually so calm and collected albeit he had good reason too after a designer tried to lie his way out of a bad design.

Besides Tim Gunn, the replacement of Heidi Klum with Angela Lindvall was devastating. We didn't have the  Auf Wiedersehen it didn't seem right. Not to mention that Lindvall is super American in a bad way. I couldn't stand her voice and barely made it through the season, as it was I skipped as much as possible in order to get to the end faster.

I liked the idea behind Project Runway and I enjoyed watching the first few seasons, especially when my favorite designers started to win, but the designers were so against designing clothes for real women that I got disheartened and would rather watch a show like Top Model.

Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1

Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 follows what seems to be the new norm of splitting the last book into two different movies. I'm not sure I like this new policy. It means more money I have to pay to go see the films and more time to wait in between each film which I really don't like. It also must be a little hard on the actors if they want to move onto other projects yet still being tied down to the project that has propelled them into fame. I haven't decided yet if splitting up Breaking Dawn was warranted. The film stood by itself but was probably the weakest, story wise of the previous films. Most of the film was preoccupied with the wedding. It just seemed a little dragged out. It will be interesting to see what goes into the final film to see if the two films was in fact necessary. My thoughts at the moment are that everything that happened in part one could have been condensed and if they would have just made the film longer like Lord of the Rings the films could have been finished by now. The slowness and lack of action in part one made for a very European styled filmed which doesn't mark it as a bad film but just different and perhaps unable to really fit within the franchise.

This film used montage sequences really heavily, which it has since the beginning but these montages seemed to tell more of a story than previous. The humor between Jacob and Edward was still there and even better than normal. I just love the sparring between them although I am firmly on Edward's team. What was really evident was Jacob's struggle which was well represented by the story and the performance, it makes me glad that Taylor Lautner fought for his role. Jacob's break from the pack was dramatic but I loved even more the moment he imprinted on Renesmee.

The transformation was the best part of the film and what the entire series has been leading up to so ending on that note made sense to me although I was disappointed that I still had to wait to see Lee Pace as a vampire, something I've been waiting to see since I found out he had been cast. As Bella became weaker and weaker she got really disgusting to look at. By the end she looks like a holocaust victim.The scene with Edward trying to save her was heartfelt and even though you know she's going to survive you're left wondering if she really is going to survive. The film achieved it in a way that the written word never could and the CGI was so amazing. I loved the way they represented the transformation by having the venom fix everything that had broken. Although I admit the part where her chest pops up is cringe worthy to realize that the way it had been had been totally wrong.

I felt overall the film lacked a baddie to propel the story forward. It was all interpersonal confrontations that didn't give the movie enough of a plot which is why Stephenie Meyer didn't write it as a separate book! By separating the last book it does give me more Twilight, so I'm excited about that but at the same time it just wasn't all that good to really justify the separation. That is where the problem lies.

Glee Season 3 - Final Thoughts

This season of Glee for me has had its ups and downs.

I don't think it was fair that Rachel got in while Kurt didn't. If anyone deserve to get into the school than it was Kurt for taking a chance but instead Rachel who pleaded to be given chance after chance got in and for performances that weren't very good. It would have been better had Whoopi  had watched her performance of Cry which I would argue is Rachel's best performance to date.

Before the break the show had dealt with some big issues coming out, hate crimes, teen suicide and texting while driving. The latter was a stupid cliffhanger that I've written about before but I feel I must bring it up as it got resolved once the show came back from its break. Quinn's storyline was just boring and unthoughtful given Artie's condition that the show has touched upon in previous seasons. I felt the last few episodes, seeing the success of dealing with big issues in previous episodes tried to do too much in too little time. It took away from any of the good they were doing.

Compared to last year there was much more music which I appreciated but there was also something missing from this season and far too many 80s songs. Do the writers not listen to music from any other era? Maybe they should take a page from Rachel or Kurt's book and some showtunes. I did really enjoy the One Direction song during the prom. The modern songs are always nice compared to the 80s music which I'm just tired of hearing. 

I think the show's ending was what upset me the most. The last episode was strange because it felt as if the season had already ended. They had one nationals but they decided to continue the show into the finale episode revolving around graduation. It was a very reminiscent episode which made it really sad especially since at the time I was under the impression that Rachel, Kurt and Finn were all leaving the show but it was since been revealed that they are in fact not off the show. Although I found the wedding of Rachel and Finn ridiculous so was Finn deciding to apply to the Actor's Studio and then after not getting in to decide to join the army. His character really had no motivation and it showed the writers didn't either. With all the talk of who was staying and who was going at the beginning and throughout the third season of Glee I enjoyed the new blood of people from The Glee Project. Although I have yet to watch that programme I loved the characters each of the contestants played and had no idea that they had begun on the reality show. Although I did have a problem with Alex Newell's Wade Adams/Unique as I thought they didn't give it enough time to progress and thoroughly deal with the issues at hand. 

The highlight of the episode came at the beginning, which doesn't bode well for a finale, when Kurt's dad performed Single Ladies for Kurt.

It captured the lost innocence the show had at the beginning and brought the joy back. As did the scene in Props, where everyone swaps bodies. My favorite swap was Puck and Finn for Kurt and Blaine. It made me want to rewatch the show from the beginning a feeling which quickly faded as the rest of the episode unfolded. Beside for this one shining moment the finale was disappointing. I'm interested to see what will happen next season and how they bring in the alumni but without much of Kurt I'm afraid the show is going to be dull.

America's Next Top Model British Invasion

At the start it seemed people were a little miffed by the theme of this cycle's America's Next Top Model. I on the other hand loved it, mainly because I've seen the Britain's Next Top Model and loved most of the Brits. I did think it was rather weird to have former contestants on BNTM and have all newbies for the American team. It would have made more sense had they taken American All stars and matched them with British All stars. Although I was rooting for the Brits the whole time so it wasn't that much of an issue for me as a viewer.

The format did lead to a clear divide between the Brits and the Americans that didn't seem real, especially given the eventual friendship between Laura(American) and Sophie(Brit). The format though was nothing on the craziness that is Tyra Banks. The whole superhero names was super lame and I totally understand the girls who thought it was dumb. Rightly so! The other problem was the 'booty tooch'. Why Tyra insisted on this I don't understand. The Booty Tooch episode saw the demise of AzMarie which many felt was unwarranted. I thought the exercise was ridiculous and seeing the Brits trying to do it was hilarious but it made AzMarie look too full of herself to get involved when the rest of the girls did. My thinking was although the activity was way out there in terms of sanity, you've signed up to do a reality model show run by Tyra Banks who now thinks she knows everything because she has a degree from Harvard, released a single, wrote a book and has her own show. If you're above ridiculousness you shouldn't be on reality television plain and simple. Plus there was no love lost when AzMarie left for me she was getting too many Brits out!

For the Brits it was nice to Catherine again and I thought she would do better having just finished watching her cycle and seeing how high fashion her look was. I don't think her makeover helped her at all. Speaking of makeovers what was going on with Sophie's hair. It was so disconcerting seeing her go from bright pink hair in the interviews to blonde with maybe a hint of pink in the actual show footage. I know its hard to maintain but if it wasn't going to stick maybe they should have just left it alone. The continuity was totally off which really frustrated the viewer. I loved seeing Ashley again as she was one of my favorites on her Cycle and was really sad to see her go. I loved the fact that she was subtitled and commented on that!

This season two contestants, both Brits decided to call it quits early which people can comment on and say they shouldn't have been there in the first place. I didn't really understand Louise's exit it seemed to be on more of the wavelength of AzMarie's but as I didn't see her original cycle I didn't understand her and didn't feel much of a loss. Alisha's exit was a big shock for me. I was really happy when her name was called which meant Ebony was going home. I thought she was really good and had a chance at the final but I understand and respect her choice to quit. She did with poise and grace and had commendable reasons for quitting.

I feel as if an era has passed and that with the next stage that ANTM goes into I won't want to follow. I think it's fair to say that ANTM has jumped the shark.The problem with the show now is that it's no longer about modeling.

 The prizes have moved from just cover girl and vogue to become a corespondent on extra and having a single released. Tyra's trying to make models make a come back where most of their work has been taken over my tv and film stars. I remember walking through the mall and seeing a sigh asking to name three supermodels and then to name three of your child's teachers making the point that you know more supermodels than your children's teacher and should take a more active role in their lives. The problem with the ad is that I don't think many people could name supermodels switch that to actors and you've got a strong argument. I don't want to discount the work that models do but at the same time I don't like the fact that Tyra has made the competition something else entirely. I watch the show for the photo shoots and they're fast becoming obsolete. Having said that I did enjoy the Brit's music video and was so happy that with that they were making a comeback. It was a great song.

When it was announced that Jay Alexander, Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker would not being coming back for the next cycle I wanted to stop watching the show and I'm not sure if I'll continue with ANTM next season as really Mr. J and Nigel are the best part of the show. I'll have to go back and watch Canada's Next Top Model to get more of Mr. J. This kinda matches up to my previous point that Tyra has no idea what she's doing. Yes the show has declined in ratings but its because the show isn't what it used to be anymore. Bring back the modeling, cool photo shoots, catwalk, and go sees and the ratings will bounce back. 

Even with this devastating news I continued with the show wanting to see if Sophie, my favorite would win. Laura was my favorite American but I felt like I knew Sophie more from the previous cycle. She was so much more versatile than Laura, her walk was better and she actually booked jobs which is the most important thing ever!

Laura's panic attack on set was dramatic but having been through a panic attack before I understand how she was feeling. I was a little upset that she got a second chance at doing the lines just because I like things fair but I'm glad during judging that they said in the real world that she would just be replaced. The vogue shoot was less impressive but they had to save a lot of time for the tripped out runway show. Once again the modeling aspect of runway has been lost for a special effects laden show. What ever happened to good old runway? I lament those days. Finally it was time to judge and I was surprised by some of the judges preference for Laura. I especially found it frustrating when they chastised Sophie for the cover girl commercial because her candid footage didn't look natural. I was like she wasn't the one who put it together! You could have easily done the same for Laura but in the end Sophie won out! I was super excited. It was good to end the show on a high note for me and I was really happy that a Brit won! I was wondering if they would even let a Brit win, as it was we knew it had to come down to a Brit and an American in the finale. It's been a strange cycle of ANTM but I enjoyed it and although I rail against the changes to ANTM it has yet to stop me from watching. Mostly likely, if I find myself lacking something to watch I'll probably tune into the next cycle. You never know I might find a another gem like Sophie's single "Aiming for You."

Once Upon a Time

I confess that I didn't give ABC's Once Upon a Time enough of a chance at the beginning of the season. I didn't know how it would continue as a full series from that first episode and I preferred Grimm as the fairy tale inspired television show, due in large part to it taking place in Portland.Thankfully, my aunt finally convinced me to watch Once and I'm glad she did. I would go as far as to say this was the best new show on television for the 2011-2012 season.

Once has so many things going for it. The way the story is told keeps your intrigued. I loved the way they inter-cut flashbacks of the fairy tale world with the real world. They could have kept it that simple going between the memories of the fairy tale land and the real world but they went even further by using flashbacks that were further back in the timeline which then met up with the timeline we as an audience were already aware of. I loved seeing that connection. The stories themselves are a fun little turn on 'known' facts. The twists on each classic fairy tale keeps the story fresh and less of a repeat of various other incantations. One of the best variations was The Mad Hatter, Jefferson. 

My favorite episode was 'Skin Deep" where it is revealed that Rumpelstiltskin is the beast in the the Beauty and the Beast story. I loved the twists on the story, especially the chipped teacup. What makes this episode in particular so amazing and the show in general is Robert Carlyle. The cast in general is great but Carlyle stands out for me. He shows such a range in acting and he does it all so well. His voice as Rumpelstiltskin is perfect and adds so much to the character. Even as Mr. Gold he accomplishes an element of mystery.

Although I love seeing how the relationship between Charming and Snow White develops I find myself wanting to know more about Rumpelstiltskin's story. He's the best character there's been on tv for a long time. Very complex but believable at the same time. Carlyle's performances are so powerful and I love his puffy-sleeved shirts.

Overall the cast makes the show a joy to watch and each episode gives another person a chance to shine. Another favorite episode of mine was Dreamy when we learn about how Grumpy becomes Grumpy which I thought was really clever. Of course the cast is just one part of the show. The special effects may be limited due to the television format but they're not bad and they in no way take away from the show but add to it. The strength of the show though is in the story. Starting at the very end of the second to last episode when Henry eats the apple turnover and moving into the final episode the show did a good job in moving the story forward without dragging it out too long. There were some problems with drag in the storyline of Catherine's faked-murder. I'm not sure that was the best way to bring things about but I rolled with it. What I didn't think was necessary was the death of the Sheriff/The Huntsman. It was good to see him come back for a bit at the end but I felt there was more they could have done with his character. Maybe the story can be considered the strength of the show in conjuncture with the characters who are well thought out and complex.

I kinda wondered throughout the show how this season would end and move onto the next. How long can they drag the story out but I think they were smart in how they handled it in allowing everyone to remember. If things stay the on the same path I think the second season will be just as good if not better.