HouseFrau

Status Update

I should probably explain why I haven't been posting on Housefrau.  Everything is fine.

It's just that I'm actually working.  For money.  As a lawyer.  It's not much -- only a few hours a week.  I'm still a Housefrau. But I don't have much time to think about it because the work is taking up my free time and brain space. 

That said, I will post Idol reviews. And I'll try to post a final Runway review.  And if you don't hear from me, you can assume that I've got crushed goldfish crackers in my pockets and that Jane is saying something hilarious.

Project Runway: The Art of Fashion

Farewell, Sweet P.  We knew ye all too well.

Tonight, Sweet P got the boot.  Even as she left, the show was perpetuating the lie that Sweet P was a major talent.  First, they focused on the fact that Sweet P's model didn't show up on time-- even though when the model eventually tried on the dress, it fit fine so her delay had no effect.  They edited Roberto Cavalli's comments.  He obviously hated Sweet P's peacock dress, but they only showed him saying, "I have nothing to say about that dress." They edited out the rest of that sentence: "I have nothing to say about that dress (because I don't want to waste my breath on a mediocre piece of cloth that looks like an off-the-rack jester's costume)."  Then, when Sweet P left, the producers inserted a dubbed comment from Heidi -- "We do believe in your talent and we hate to see you go" -- that sounded like it was recorded weeks after the elimination. 

Is anyone buying this crap? Will Sweet P win the fan favorite? Do I care? Not really. 

The whole episode was pretty dull.  I really didn't like any of the outfits. I guess Christian achieved his goal of doing an outfit inspired by old portraits of Spanish soldiers. I've always found those paintings scary and depressing so I guess it makes sense that I wouldn't love the outfit.  I did love how Christian cried with glee and skipped off the runway when he learned he won.  For all his attempts to spin himself as "fierce" and experienced, he's really just a kid. A wunderkind. But a kid.

Jillian's outfit looked like wardrobe from a futuristic porn film. But the judges loved it.  Heidi thinks that beneath her demure (i.e., heavily sedated) exterior, Jillian is "bullzee."  We'll see.

Chris March's dress was a complete rip-off of the avant garde look he made with Christian-- further proof that Chris M. deserved the win for that challenge (which Christian happily snagged).  Rami's dress was beautiful but a complete rip-off of every other drape dress he's done this season. 

Given that the judges were deadlocked, it's great that they managed to come up with a compromise on the spot (Rami and Chris would both design a line but only one would show at Fashion Week).  That "deadlock" and its resulting "solution" felt as authentic and inspired as Tim's "Make it work."  Still, I'm glad they both survived. 

On the one hand, I'm rooting for Rami because I think his dresses are beautiful and I like him.  On the other hand, I know he doesn't really need to win.  Now all of America knows if you want a great drape dress, you go to Rami. 

Chris is a true underdog-- the guy got eliminated early in the season, and now he's in the finals. (I hope he's paying Jack's doctor bills.)  But I don't think Chris has a chance to win. He's Runway's Viggo Mortensen -- shocked and happy to be nominated.

Jillian may have a couple interesting pieces. But the only line that I'm really curious about is Christian's.  I guess -- as much as I can root for anybody this season -- I'm rooting for Christian.  This is the first time I've rooted for a designer who I mildly dislike and pity.  But such is Project Runway Season 4.

I Guess I'm Going to Hollywood

Can I make a confession to you all? I have not been watching American Idol.

The reasons are twofold. 

First, Steve has been on strike and had vowed to boycott American Idol because the folks at Fox had bragged about how Idol would make them strike-proof, and would even help them win ratings. 

Second, I have no interest in one-- let alone three-- weeks of auditions. I tried to watch the first couple episodes. But the audition formula is so tired: (1) show crazy person who cries and/or swears at Simon upon rejection; (2) show seemingly normal person who ends up singing terribly; (3) show Paula feign compassion for the contestant and anger at Simon for his rude remarks; (4) show one talented person who's going to Hollywood.  It's not like we should really care about these talented people since most of them will be dismissed off camera once the gang arrives in Hollywood.

This week, I will resume my Idol watching.  A couple of things have changed. First, the writers strike is going to end imminently. Second,  we're done with the auditions and now need only suffer through Hollywood (which usually has a couple decent bits anyway) before the competition actually begins. 

I have to admit that I am not particularly enthusiastic about Idol this season.  I blame Jordin. And Blake. And Paula, Randy and Simon. And Ryan. 

Do you remember when 'Seinfeld' got really bad toward the end? I cringed as the writers stretched for more and more implausible threads they could tie together to make a 'Seinfeld' ending. For me, late 'Seinfeld' was so bad, it diminished the pleasure I could take from earlier, classic episodes. Because once I saw the formula done so clunkily, I couldn't stop thinking about the formula-- even when it was working well.  That's sort of how I feel about Idol. Now that I've seen how mediocre Idol can be, I'm not sure I can ever again view it as superb entertainment.

Can Idol recover from Season 6? I'm not sure. 

But I'm willing to give it a chance. Once again, I will be administering the Idol Pool.   Because I couldn't imagine lasting through the whole season without it.

Project Runway: Raw Talent

Remember Project Runway? I didn't either until it popped up on my TiVo queue.  There have been some reality shows that engaged me to the point where I looked forward to each episode.  (Season Two of Runway comes to mind.)  Suffice it to say this ain't one of 'em.

What's missing?

Maybe it's emotion. Particularly from Jillian.  Whether she's describing the devastation she would experience if eliminated or the deep sadness she feels at a model's departure, she speaks with the same nasal monotone.

Maybe it's a likable (or fun to hate) contestant.  I suppose Christian is the most colorful character.  He's mean and annoying.  But he's too pitiable to really despise.  His whole "I'm fierce and I've met some fierce people in my life" thing is hard to swallow after seeing his prom picture (which, bear in mind, was only a few years ago).   

Maybe it's the lack of exciting challenges.  I was totally uninterested in this female wrestler challenge, although I did marvel at the women's enormous, unmoving breasts.

Maybe it's the ridiculous product placement.  If we did a Venn diagram of Project Runway viewers and WWE viewers, would there be any overlap?  Are any of us now going to watch WWE? Will any WWE viewer tune into Project Runway when he learns his favorite lady wrestler is wearing a winning costume?  As if the WWE plug wasn't enough, Jillian told us that the contestants watched their wrestlers on "DVDs from Blockbuster."  As they watched, they relaxed in their Levi's jeans, snacked on Hershey's candy and ran their hands through their Tresomme-groomed hair.

Maybe it's the insistence on making Sweet P our heroine.  Lately it seems like every episode follows the Sweet P arc.  Sweet P is fun and trying hard. (She even arm wrestles!)  Sweet P gets a tough break -- a terrible client or difficult partner.  Sweet P sheds some tears but puts her chin up and soldiers on.  Sweet P triumphs.  OK, she didn't triumph tonight. But she survived. And I felt like we were all supposed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.  I didn't. It seems ludicrous to me that she could be in the finals doing a Bryant Park show. But what do I know? I didn't even know pink was "controversial."

Despite Rami's stumble tonight, I still think he's the one to beat.  My prediction for the final three is Rami, Christian and Jillian.

But tonight was Chris March's night.  (Even the guest judges (Brett Michaels circa 86 and the cowboy from The Village People) liked his look.) I'm glad Chris racked up another victory.  And I'm glad that Christian once again felt robbed. 

And it was finally Ricky's turn to go.  There was no question that his outfit was the weakest.  At least he had his moment of glory last week.  Ricky left with the optimistic (and somewhat delusional) thought that he has the rest of his life to show in Bryant Park. I guess the same could be said of me, but that doesn't mean it's gonna happen.  Anyway, I think Ricky was ready to leave -- this was the only episode where he didn't shed a tear.

 

Overheard at Edendale Library in Echo Park

"Well, I'm a warlock.  So I'll just enjoy a little Mussolini while I wait." 

-- Man with newspaper tucked into the back of his pants to librarian who told him he would have to wait for a computer.