Episode 3: Fashion Giant

So how do I begin this recap? I know:


How about some shirtless Kevin. You're welcome!

This episode of Project Runway was kind of dull because the challenge was about menswear. Heidi lauded this challenge as a first for project runway, but I don't understand why. Yes, it is the first time they worked with male models, but this is not the first time the designers worked with menswear or had males walk down the runway. Let me refresh your memories:


The Challenge:

Design a menswear outfit for Tiki Barber
The build up was kind of a let down, but I was nice to see the designers work out of their comfort zone. The special guest was Tiki Barber, which explains the menwear angle of this episode. So we go from "pop culture and fashion icon" Sarah Jessica Parker to a football player who is now a correspondent for the Today Show? Since Bravo and NBC are both NBC Universal companies that this is just corporate synergy at work. It may not be a bad idea to cross-promote consider when Tim announced Tiki Barber the only person who recognized who he was was Kevin.


Probably because he is a NY Giants fan ... and straight. From the look on Victorya's face, she got an eyeful of Tiki and liked what she saw:


But she may want to watch her back:


Ginny Barber may destroy her. I am just sayin'. According to Christian:

"... I love Asians. Asians are fierce!"
I think he meant "fierce" in the Tyra Banks American's Next Top Model sense, and not that in the menacingly wild or savage way. But whatever he says is always subject to interpretation.

Okay, let's talk about Jack. I didn't want to lead with this I thought it would off-putting but needs to be mentioned. But the shirtless picture may make the transition a bit smoother:


In the beginning of the episode, it has finally been revealed on the show that Jack is HIV positive. It hard to tell if everyone on the show knows, but it probably safe to assume that his roommates know because he seems pretty open with his pill taking. This is the first HIV positive designer on Project Runway, but not it's not a first for a Bravo reality show. John from Top Desgin was the first HIV positive contestant that I am aware of (correct me if I am wrong), and if you've know the spoilers, then you know then end up with similar fates.

In a weird juxtaposition, Jack is shown carrying Christian in a handbag.


Maybe the producers and/or Jack want to show the audience that he is still a strong, virile guy, despite his HIV. Or maybe Christian just lazy.


I think it probably a little of both.

There was a bit of drama while at Parsons. Jack asked Tim whether he could take his shorts off ... and before he could finish Tim instinctively said he could. Okay, that didn't happen, but with the right editing it could. Jack want to take off his shorts to use them as a pattern. He did,


and several people then wanted to borrow his pattern to design their pants. I don't see a problem with this considering that Vincent did the same thing during season 2:

still from season 3 coming soon
Rami was not pleased, and in an act of defiance, he flaunted the pants he made with the use of draping.

"And they aren't trace from a pattern, like some other pants. I am not accusing anyone ... I am just saying some did."

That side-eye is vicious, y'all.

Now it's time for a melange of male models:



The models are pretty obedient. They are told to take of their clothes and they offer no resistance.

Even while being fisted
The designers where were assigned male models, but for some reason they were not given their measurements. I think the producers of the show were just being sadistic by withholding this information. The stress of it caused Jillian to get all verklempt:


Back at their apartments, they are all trying to find ways to deal with the stress:


I guess the guys don't deal with stress as well as the women:

PMA = Positive Mental Attitude
This reaks of the new age-y-ness that is Elisa.

The results:

Winner: Jack, Auf'd: Carmen, My fav: Kevin
I really don't understand how Jack won this challenge. This shirt with the front and pocket stripes on the bias, just looks strange to me. I liked Kevin's pieces but the look is too young for a TV anchor, so I understand why he didn't win. Tiki mentioned that the look was "avant-garde", which is I guess something you can't have when hosting hour 12 of the Today Show.

The most shocking moment:


Ricky only cried once! In a hat that he stole from Colonial Williamsburg:


He only cried out of relief after avoiding being auf'd by Heidi for a mess of an outfit. Now, Ricky -- don't go all dry eyes on me because I use your tears as sustenance. I wouldn't have the energy to do these recaps if weren't for the tears that copiously flow from your eyes. Luckily, I have built up a surplus. But Ricky, you must promise me two things:

1) Cry at least twice per episode.
2) Never wear those manpris again:


They cause me physical pain, and Nina Garcia does not approve.


You know you messed up when Nina is giving you the "head shake of disapproval" and "the middle finger" combo.

And for no reason at all, I give you this:


Kevin channeling his inner Wolverine. Why are all the good men straight or Republican senators?
___

Ricky Cry tally: 7

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

Let's start this recap off on a total shallow note:


Kevin is totally doing it for me. And now lets follow it up on a happy note:


Well, it not exactly a happy moment, but it somehow brings a smile to face. It is only five minutes into the second episode and Ricky has already started the waterworks. My buddy Marius thinks that he is over emotional because he is way to in touch to his limbic system. I say that the girl just can't control himself. When you are 1 of 13 kids, crying is probably an effective tool to get attention. It's either that, or you end up marrying someone 30 years older like Celine Dion.

Anyway ... onto the very special guest who is a fashion and pop icon. I had several ideas on whom it may be: Cher, Cate Blanchett, ....


... Sarah Jessica Parker. I always thought that the SJP would be the mostly likely choice because she lives in NYC, has her own fashion line and she has a lot of time on her hands considering that she is not really in demand in the movie industry. She was recently just name the "Unsexiest Woman" by Maxim magazine. Ouch ... but at least she is getting some publicity out of it.

When the designers find out who the special guest is, the gays had a fit:


It is hard to determined which person has the gayest expression, but I will have to vote for Jack. He had the gay gasp routine down cold.

I decided to leave out Ricky's crying fit because the girl cries at the drop of a hat.


Crying isn't inherently gay... but Chris, on the other hand:


Totally gay. Chris stated that he was motivated to moved to NYC because of watching Sex and the City. I loved the show as well ...

Yes I own the entire series on DVD. Don't judge me!
... really loved the show, but I never entertained the idea of moving to NYC for numerous reasons. But I digress.

FYI: Jack is an extra in the upcoming Sex and the City movie. I wonder if SJP liked Jack so much during their brief encounter on Project Runway that she offered him a cameo in the film. It would be a good way to extend his 15 minutes of fame. Another good way ...

source: queerty.com
... naked pictures of yourself on the Internet. If the PR spoilers are true, he may need a sex tape out by the end of the year to prolong his fame window.

The Challenge:

Create a two-piece look for Bitten
Pretty sketches:

Collage of sketches
Ricky so wanted to be chosen for the chosen for the challenge that he did what he does best:


Cry. He is crying more than Sally Field on Brothers and Sisters. But the difference is that I actually like to see Sally Field cry -- Ricky, not so much. His tears were not in vain as he was one of the seven designers chosen, along with: Elisa, Rami, Victorya, Marion, Christian, and Kit.

The twist is that is team challenged anyone had to pick a partner. This is were Carmen started to showed that she can be too eager. Rami was trying to decide between Carmen and Jillian, and guess he saw this:

Jillian = seductive, Carmen = manic
The choice became obvious -- and he chose Jillian [editor's note: if you are using Firefox the animated image may move too fast. Try IE or Safari. I trying to resolve the issue.]. From the look that Jillian is giving Rami, I can tell that she has used that looked before on other men. It's so effective that I mailed my wallet to her.

It seems that Carmen didn't learn the art of subtlety after being past over by Rami when she tried to beat her name in SJP's head.


Unsurprisingly, she was not chosen. Also, why "Webber like the baller"? Why not "Webber like Andrew Lloyd"? I am pretty sure the SJP would remember someone who works on Broadway over a basketball player Chris Webber, who is famously known for his timeout debacle during the 1993 NCAA Finals. Is that reference too butch for this recap? Mae culpa.

My second favorite moment is when "Sweet P" was saddled with Elisa and her crazy ways when she was picked last for the challenge. In order to work harmoniously with Elisa, "Sweet P" offered this advice:


I am not sure if Elisa took this as a subtle come on, but how else would you explain this:


Her excuse is that she was spit marking the fabric, because, like, everyone does that. Oh ... she really was spit marking the fabric?!?


Would it be easier to use chalk instead of going down on fellow designer?

Ricky freakin' cries again because it is "awesome" that SJP picked his design.


When does he ever not cry? He strikes me as the type of guy who would remain completely stone-face in a tragic situation when tears are usually the appropriate response.

Results:

Winner: Victorya, Auf'd: Marion, My fav: Ricky
I know that I have and will continue to give Ricky grief about his crying, but I really liked his dress. I think the neckline and bust line of the dress made it too complicated for SJP's clothing line. It was too intricate for the under $20 price point. Cut and cry, Ricky. Cut and cry.

SJP has a great knowledge of fashion and is able to tell Christian that his outfit was crap, but in a way that is constructive. This is what SJP told Christian after the other judges told him they hated his 80's inspired look:

"It has a stronger color, and it is little bit short. It is more severe in person than it was on paper."
I will give Christian some slack since he was born in 1986. SJP also gave the boy a bit of hope when she thought that Christian's piece would fit her Bitten fall line, if it were longer and not as snug. And I have to agree. When your skinny model looks fat in your creation, then you should head back to the drawing board.

Astute Observation by Heidi Klum:

"I have to say, I don't get it at all. It's like out of the basement. It looks dirty -- it looks like a rag to me. (referring to Marion's auf'd design)"
Does she know any real fashion-y words? Just fake it, Heidi. Just throw random things into your critiques like: on the bias, cross stitch, tailoring ... etc. You are so adorable that you can turn bullshit into mash potatoes (line stolen from Rich). And besides, nothing is ever dirty in fashion. The proper word is: vintage.

Next on project runway ... Ricky will most likely cry.

I will end this post on a high note:


Using Kevin as bookends for this post ... I will be devastated when he leaves the show. He is perfectly imperfect, with the beard. I am sensing that underneath the beard may not be as pretty. You've been warned, Kevin.

---
Ricky cry tally: 6

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

Hello lovers of a show called Project Runway. The show has returned for its fourth season with a new crop of designers looking to be the "next big thing". I am not sure whether they want to be clothing designers or "stars" of a reality show, but lets sit back, and enjoy the ride to the finale that is Olympic Fashion Week.

I was a bit torn on about recapping Project Runway again, mostly due to all of the competing blogs. Rich of FourFour has decided not to do his genius recaps the current season, and my buddy Marius is trying to out shine me with his recaps (step off, bitch!) -- so I decided to give it a go once again. I am trying mix things up a but by adding more of a multimedia element with pictures, audio and video. I hard to explain this show with only words and it will allow me to hone my Adobe Photoshop skills. So hopefully things won't become too cumbersome or else I ditching it.

So ..

"Are we ready? I am." (Do you what song has this line? - see below)*

Episode 1 - Sew Us What You Can Do!

The Challenge:

Make an outfit that expresses who you are as a designer
The beginning of the challenge is really arbitrary. Why make the designers run across the field for fabrics?


While everyone else is have first grab a the fabrics,


Chris is still about 4 hours away.



Ricky is the new Andrae (PR2). When does he find time to make clothes with all the crying he does?


It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes of Project Runway uttered by Zulema (PR2):

"I don't care if you cry and cut. But got to cry and cut. You got to cut at the rate. Do whatever you need to do, but you need to work. Don't stop and cry."
It is harsh, but it is true. But in all honesty, I would cry too if I were wearing a hat similar to Paula Abdul circa "Cold Hearted Snake".


I am going to keep a cry count of Ricky a la Rich's ANTM recaps.

Ricky was a whore (his words),


but I think he meant he hoarder by taking more than he needed, and the crazy beginnings of Elisa started to show when she rubbed fine silk chiffon on the grass.


But oddly, this is relatively sane compared to things she has and will do in the progression of the show.

I think there should have been a penalty of some sort for taking more than you needed. Like you have to use each piece of fabric in your design, or you have to used all the fabric you took for the next 3 projects. You know, something.


I find Christian to be the young eccentric who apparent worked with Alexander McQueen and Vivian Westwood while at design school in London. Interestingly enough he never mentions in what capacity he worked with these legendary designers, or if he actually finished school. He was accepted, so I guess that qualifies him to be a freelance designer. I am just sayin'.

The Tresemmé Hair Salon and L'Oreal Paris Make-up Room has made a new friend:


The Bluefly.com Accessories Wall.


So the show finally got the hint that no winner wants to do a mentor-ship with Macy's and Banana Republic that they decided to have to winner sell their collections on Bluefly.com. Which is a better deal in the long run considering that there will be no start-up cost with the $100,000 prize by Tresemmé.

Can I order Kevin through Bluefly.com? I know he is straight, but he needs to get used to being fondled by men if he wants to make in the fashion industry.

Results:

Winner: Rami, Auf'd: Simone, My Fav: Christian


Jeez, I wonder why Rami won? This show is the gayest thing on Bravo since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, so they have to keep the beefcake on the show ... and the dress isn't bad at all.

To quote Christian:

"...I do think that he did a piece that SO many designers do."

Jealousy or a keen observation?

While I am on the subject of Rami, why in the hell is even on this show? He has his on boutique, designed a dress for Jessica Alba, and even appeared on the Tyra Banks Show to show his collection.


Has Project Runway decided to looked for a designer who could actually make some money. The only successfully winner was Chloe Dao. I really liked PR1 winner Jay McCarroll's collection, but he hasn't done much lately.

So the season has gotten off to an okay start, but I am absolutely loving Iman as host of Project Runway Canada. I'm kind of torn between the original and the superior re-incarnation. Luckily I don't have to make a choice between the two ... yet.

Astute Observation by Heidi Klum:

"Her model look like she was pooing fabric. (refering to Elisa)"


LOLZ for everyone, except for Monique Lhuillier. You know she was not a pleased with low-class assessment of fashion, hence her missing reaction shot.

Episode 2 recap tomorrow ... hopefully.

------

Ricky cry count tally: 2

* - "Control" by Janet Jackson

Labels: project runway, project runway 4

After a successfully Black Friday haul last year, I was looking forward to doing it again this year. There was a major problem -- nothing good on sale. That didn't initially deter me because I thought I could at least pick up some cheap DVDs to add to my collection.

Instead of sleeping and waking up early, I decided to stay up the entire night. I made it until 4:15am and then had second thoughts about going to Circuit City, which opened at 5am. For what they were offering it wasn't worth the hassle, and I went to bed.

Around 11am, I decided to head out to Target to see what they had to offer. I picked up some 25 pack of DVD-Rs for $4.99, along with some other household items. I looked for the Transformer Bumblebee action figure for my nephew, but they were all sold-out. I paid for the items in my cart and then headed to the next store on my list ... the Apple Store.

I went the Apple Store in the Knox-Henderson area instead of the North Park Mall location because I wanted to stay clear of all malls. The only draw back was limited parking. After circling the block I finally found spot close to the store.

The store was packed, but it was manageable. I wanted to get the new Aluminum (5th Generation) iMac, but I was waiting until Mac OS X Leopard was release. I know I wanted the 20" model, but I don't think I could handle the 24", but I wasn't sure which video card I wanted. I opted for the relatively lower quality 128MB video card. I waited, and waited for one of the Apple "Geniuses" to help me but no one was willing to help me. I guess they thought I was just a person browsing so went off to help people who looked like buyers (i.e. white older couples with or without children). Oh, did I mention that I was one of two black people in this store? The other black guy was the security guard. I finally grabbed a "genius" and asked him a series of questions, to which he had no answer. While annoyed I knew what I wanted but needed some validation in my choice. I got a sales person, a lovely woman who was very helpful, who answered my questions and rung up my sale all within 5 minutes. That's what I call service.


I've been playing around with it for a couple of days, and I really like it. I now have two LCD monitors left over from my old Windows machine. I may keep one and send the other to my mom because she wanted a LCD monitor. Since I can remotely operate my Windows machine from the iMac so there is no need for the LCDs.

Sidenote: I am really turning into a Apple person, aren't I. I never thought I would be this person, but they make great products.

All I have to do is get some more RAM (2 or 3 Gigabytes) and I will be all set.

Sadly, in order to help fund the purchase of my Apple iMac I had to part with something that took a lot of will power and stamina to get ...



... my Nintendo Wii.

I put in ad on Craigslist last Monday and within an hour I had 5 offers. One guy made an offer and backed out the last minute, so I ended up selling it to the woman in Arlington. It was my first experience with Craigslist, and it was a very pleasant one. The woman paid me via Paypal and I shipped the Wii and its accessories to her. Based on this transactions, I will thinking about selling more things on Craigslist.

I've been thinking about selling my Wii for a while now because I've only played it a couple of times. I am not the gaming I used to be. I remember the good old days of NES/SNES/Genesis when I didn't have a job and was able to play as long as I wanted to.

I guess we all have to grow up ... eventually.

Labels: apple, black friday, wii

If you like mind games, then you will enjoy this.

Labels: collegehumor, video

I have been out of town since Thursday to participate in a tennis tournament in Houston, TX. I went to the event last year with disastrous results, but this year was far better.


I came back with some hardware to add to the collection. My doubles partner and I finished in 2nd place in our division, and I feel good about our pairing. This is only the second tournament together and we made the finals each time.

Our final match yesterday we won our first set 6-0, but in the beginning of the second set I became injured. It wasn't bad at first but it progressively got worst to the point were I couldn't run or move as agilely as I did in the first set. I kept it hidden as much as I could until the third set when I told my partner. He didn't care whether or not I retired from the match, but I still wanted to play because I still wanted to make my opponents work for the win. I strapped my knee/calf injury with tape and continued to play but my injury was now apparent and the opposing team used it to their advantage. And, you know, I don't blame them. They played really well and deserved to win the match. Congrats to them!

I also made the semifinals of my singles division, which I lost 6-1, 3-6, 4-6. My opponent found a weakness in my game and used it to his advantage. My weakness: slow, high-arching lobs. It makes me have to generate my own power which could create a lot of unforced errors on my part. I have to practice taking the ball out of the air to take time away from my opponent. This is one of many things I will be working on before I move up a division in January 2008.

There was a bit of drama in one match, but this is the second year I had some type of drama in Houston. My quarter-final opponent basically called me a cheater and requested the official to judge line calls. Which was fine with because all the questionable "out" calls were four or more inches out of bounds, so I didn't sweat it. I began not to like this guy when after he won the first set 7-5 and then condescendingly told me what a great player I was and I should be winning everything. That is such a head game. I tuned him out, and won the set second in a tie-breaking 7-3 after a two hour rain delay.

I won the third set 7-5 but I was not excite with my overall experience. This by far was the worst experience at a tournament. This guy repeatedly yelled and screamed obscenities, took a minute or more between points (when the max. allotted time is 20 seconds), and I never said a word ... until he pissed me off. He twice called the official during middle of a game, thereby delaying it, and once refused to wait for the official to arrive before resuming play. I called him out on all his behaviors in front of the official. I took some satisfaction when I won this match with a couple a fist pumps, and shook his hand. To make things worst, this dude had the audacity to come to my semifinal match AND try to give me tips. Instead of reading him before sending him on his way, I decided to be polite because I was representing my tennis club in Dallas since I am a board member. Luckily he left before he pushed me over the edge.

Overall, I had a great time in Houston. I had some delicious Greek food at Niko Niko's, got to hang out with some great people, did a bit of clubbing, and developed a crush on this very handsome guy from Austin (who I think was giving me "the look" during our banquet). Unfortunately, this was the second time I didn't get a chance to explore the mall to which our host hotel was attached.

Maybe next year.

Labels: tennis, travel

I have been out of commission since Monday because Blogger has been having some issues posting to blogs that user FTP hosting. I have been contemplating moving to Typepad or Wordpress for a couple of weeks now, so I think I will be doing this in January 2008.

Everything should working now, but you never know with Blogger.

This past Friday was a "secret" sale at Wal-mart. Secret is the operative word. Can you really have a secret sale if you are promoting it on television and in adverts? I found about this sale on engadgethd.com and with the offer of an Toshiba HD DVD Player for $98.87, I knew I had to get one. Well the truth is that I got one 3 weeks prior from Amazon.com and it cost about $220, so I got this one so I can return the other back to Amazon.

The sale was suppose to start at 8 a.m. today so I decided it was best to get there 30 to 45 minutes beforehand. Luckily there is a Wal-mart two blocks from where I work so I wouldn't be too late arriving to working. On my way to the store I called my sister because she wanted to get a laptop for my nephew. I wasn't sure if people would be camped out for these deals, so I told her I would do my best to try and get one.

I finally arrive and the parking lot seemed a bit busy, so I rushed in the store to lay claim to my bounty. As I walk into the store, I saw a woman walking out with the HD DVD player I wanted. I asked if there any more in stock, to which she said "a few." I ran to the electronics department only to find no one there. There were two DVD players and 15 laptops left, so I grabbed one of each and made my way to the register. I also saw the new Sony Playstation 3 on sale, but I had no interest in that. The cashier rang up my sale while text messaging on his phone. Success. I called my sister to let her know that I got the laptop. I contemplated whether I should hit up another Wal-mart nearby for stock up on HD DVD players, but I decided against it because I didn't want to be late for work.

When I arrived to work, I stashed my bounty in the trunk of my car. I made sure no one was around so they wouldn't get any ideas before I made my way to my office.

7:50 a.m.

I managed to get to work ten minutes earlier on this busy morning when I am normally fifteen minutes late. To kill some time I began to skim the pages of Tennis magazine.

Socks. I forgot to get a pack of socks while at Wal-mart.

I knew I would forget something.

Labels: black friday, computers, gadgets, wal-mart