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DVD
WELLSPRING/GENIUS
Publisher: Weinstein Company
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Actors: Project Runway
International Supermodel Heidi Klum returns as host of Project Runway Season 3 heading up a glamorous panel of celebrities and fashion icons in search of the next great fashion designer. System Requirements:Run Time: 800 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 796019807524 Manufacturer No: 80752
The third season of Bravo's reality hit boasted the most evenly matched upper roster of aspiring designers thus far in the series, and maintained the show's reign as one of the best in reality television (it's been nominated for an Emmy every year). It also featured not just one clichéd villain, but several: Keith, the impossibly arrogant menswear designer who believed he was "above" all challenges (and refusing to design the dog outfit mandated as part of that challenge); Jeffrey, the tattooed rock-star designer who was as condescending as he was innovative (yet, because of his bluntness, successful sobriety and impossibly cute son, you couldn't help but like the guy a little); and Vincent, the slightly perverse '80s-era designer who famously cashed out his 401(k) to try the business again and whom always seems two sandwiches short of a picnic. The season's challenges included making a dress out of materials from the contestants' apartments, modernizing the look of a fashion icon (from Audrey Hepburn to Madonna), and designing an evening gown for Miss USA (the later fallen Tara Conner) to wear in the Miss Universe pageant. Later in the season, the remaining finalists were able to jet off to Paris to be judged by designer Catherine Malandrino, whose criticisms were actually harsher than host Heidi Klum's ("You look rideeeculous," she tells one. "You look like a fehk pop stahr." ). Other guest judges during the season included Vera Wang, Kate Spade, Ivanka Trump, and Richard Tyler. Project Runway stands out from many other reality shows in that talent was actually a requisite and there was no audience voting to keep undeserving contestants in. Not to say there weren't any frustrating contenders overstaying their welcome (Take Angela, the farm girl who claimed her dresses were "mistaken for Yves Saint Laurent" back home, but felt the need to smother all her creations with rosettes), but the competition was evenly, satisfyingly matched toward the end. The DVD includes the reunion episode, which features a tense exchange between Keith and Klum and pokes fun at den father/breakout star Tim Gunn's "$3 vocabulary." A couple of bonus features follow the finalists post-show, profiles Gunn, and shows an assortment of outtakes. Not featured on the DVD? The many, many Saturn Sky Roadster promotions that preceded every commercial when it aired on television. And for that, we happily say Auf Wiedershen. --Ellen A. Kim
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| Entertaining but totally fake. The show's producers, not the judges, choose who is "out" |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I have recently watched, with my wife, several seasons of this show. It is very entertaining, but a heads up should be given to anyone who actually thinks that reality TV is in anyway real. For instance, when watching season one, one might wonder how a designer as bad as Wendy Pepper could stay on the show for so long.
Here is the answer: She is an evil person. Having such a despicable character stay on the show, mixing things up and generating drama, creates high ratings. That is it. If one reads the small print at the end of each episode, one learns--shock, shock--that it is actually the producers of the show and Bravo itself that ultimately gets to say who is "out." Why? Because it's all based on calculations of what combination of personalities will result in the highest ratings.
So what, you say? Well, the important implication of this is that the entire show is fake. That's right. The judges are NOT sitting there and choosing who actually gets booted off, as the show displays. The show's producers are doing that for them, behind the scenes. In fact, I would find it very interesting if the judges had to reveal what they actually write on their cards. One person speaks and then the others almost always just parrot what the first person says. I would bet high money, as a psychologist, that their cards would not reflect this.
Much of it is based on "who likes who" personally, because--let's face it--the whole racket is totally subjective anyway and entirely full of BS. Just listen to the designers. "It's like totally open and closed--at the same time." Better yet, watch Ali G asking phony questions to real-life designers, and watch them BS their way through Ali G's fake questions. The result is no different than the judge's asking sincere questions here.
On a final note I would like to say that this show should be hosted by a famous designer--not by a model. Klum likes to say that the show is a competition for models too, but the model competition is just based on who hits it off with whom. It's not really a competition. Also, Heidi Klum is VERY annoying. Her accent does not sound like an accent. It sounds like a speech impediment. I cannot STAND how she says "out."
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| High Fashion & High Drama Return! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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As I said on my reviews of Project Runway - The Complete First Season and PProject Runway - The Complete Second Season, this show had me hooked immediately, and Season 3 was no exception. Thanks to this season's designers, I actually enjoyed this season more than season 2. Some of the creative challenges include: creating an outfit made out of items found in the designer's living space; designing a gown for Miss USA in the Miss Universe Pageant; making matching outfits for a dog and its owner and creating a background story for the owner (actual dogs modeled the outfits on the runway!); and one of my faves, using materials from a recycling plant in Jersey!
Yes, there is some drama on this season (two designers accused of "foul play", one designer being rude to another's mother), but as before, the drama does not overtake the creativity that is this show's hallmark. Another wonderful thing about this show is how there is also a nice age range of the contestants (one of my faves is a 40-something mom of 5 children with another on the way during the show!).
Extras on the DVD include:
1. "WEAR Are They Now?" featurette: curiously, this time they eliminated one of the Project Runway Season 3 winners, with no explanation of why there is no update for the missing designer (I will not reveal the names so as not to spoil the series for anyone).
2. "WEAR Was He Then?: Tim Gunn, Making It Work" featurette: a nice mini documentary on Gunn (can you believe this very formal guy was inspired by pop-up books as a kid?!?). Gunn definitely seems more human after watching this.
3. Tim Gunn's Season 3 Blog: contains Gunn's commentary on the individual designers/episodes
4. Designer Bios
5. Outtakes presented by L'Oreal Paris
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| Absolute best season of Project Runway |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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In my opinion, this is the best season of Project Runway so far. This season has the most drama, from the problems Kieth had early on, to Jeffrey in the Mom challenge, to the trip to Paris. All of the characters are very fun and there is a nice range of styles and fashion. The challenges were really good this season as well - the dog challenge, the mom challenge, the couture challeng - there was such a great assortment of cool looks we saw during this season. Season 5 starts soon, but out of the first 4 this one is by far the best in my opinion.
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| The weakest one among the first 3 seasons |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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The third season is the weakest among the first 3 seasons. The challenges are all very interesting and demanding as before. Heidi, Tim and all the judges are great. But, a great but, the contestants are far from satisfactory. One could not see as many great pieces as created by the contestants of the previous seasons, especially the first season. One does not have particular liking for the contestants of the third season.
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| Project Runway Season 3 |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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The creativity and drama once again prove to be awesome. Jeffrey is such a jerk, Angela is so two faced and Laura Bennett is the ultimate chic NYC woman. Michael is the baby faced sweet heart and Uli the Uber beachwear queen.
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