Tim Gunn

Project Runway is being blocked from moving to Lifetime; Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn do a celebratory chest bump.  [NY Times] 

"This is insane. I just stepped on someone," Nina Garcia said to Tinsley Mortimer as the two exited the Dior show in Paris. [FWD] 

Charlotte Ronson's biggest fashion mistake was cutting her hair short like her sister, Samantha, when she was 13 years old; Kirsten Dunst said that since she's young, she's supposed to make a ton of fashion mistakes, and generally look like a "dork." [WWD]  read more »

In addition to thinking that Cindy McCain's hairstyle makes her look like she's gotten a face lift, Tim Gunn now also thinks that her clothes look "duct-taped." [The Cut]

Mark Ronson will return as the DJ for his sister Charlotte Ronson's Spring 2009 show at Bryant Park in September, after Ronson sibling Samantha took over the turntables for the past few seasons. [FWD]  read more »

John Kerry's reps says that he was not partying with co-eds as the pictures of the Massachussets senator surrounded by college women and holding a beer might suggest. [Us Weekly]

Kate Hudson and Lance Armstrong may be over. [P6]

Tim Gunn reportedly appeared on the first season of Project Runway free of charge, and made only $2,500 per episode during the second season. [NY Daily News]

Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, is reportedly having some trouble with his summer programming choices as ratings have dropped. Who knew Baby Borrowers and American Gladiators could fail? [P6]

Michelle Obama made Vanity Fair's best dressed list alongside Julian Schnabel and SJP. [VF]

Madonna's rep says her client, who was recently photographed looking thin and sickly pale, is a just victim of an unfortunate and possibly touched up photo. [NY Daily News]

Wow, is it ever slow out there. It's almost like nothing is happening at all. Except for this: 

Gossip Girl's Chase Crawford likes to give his fans hugs. [Daily Intel]

In other GG news, Blake Lively says there's no real kissing on the show: "it's just an open mouth. Your lips are touching each other, but there's definitely no kissing." [P6]

A wild animal tore Gisele Bündchen's denim outfit into shreds, but she decided to wear it anyway on the cover of V magazine. [The Cut]

Alex Rodriguez talks to The Insider's Pat O'Brian about his personal life, says "everyone has distractions," and he is no exception.  read more »

Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain?

That's what Tim Gunn was asked as part of Time 's 10 Questions feature, and to which it seemed he gave a fairly benign answer:

Michelle Obama. Absolutely. She looks so comfortable and relaxed in her style, in her fashion, and she exudes that. She has a presence that gives you confidence in her.

But New York Magazine's The Cut fashion blog discovered that in the videotaped version of the Q&A, the Project Runway host gave a rather more severe answer. After giving praise to Mrs. Obama, he compares her to Mrs. McCain, whom he says "looks like someone has twisted her ponytail into a knot and tried to give her a face-lift." Zing!

Also, of note: Mr. Gunn refers to himself in third person, beginning the interview by saying: "Tim Gunn is absolutely, completely floored, and exhilarated and thrilled to be here!" O.K., wow.

MTV reportedly shot a reality show featuring socialite Tinsley Mortimer, but the project was killed because she just got dressed and went out to parties every day. [P6]

Kelly Cutrone responded to The Observer's commenters' questioning of her age by scanning her driver's license. She is, in fact, 42-years-old as she had told Meredith Bryan. [The Cut]

Christie Brinkley went to New York Supreme Court yesterday to ask that her divorce from Peter Cook be made public. The documents reportedly contain details about Mr. Cook trolling porn and swinger websites for young women. [Access Hollywood]

Chuck Schumer will appear on Law and Order: Criminal Intent as himself on Sunday night.  read more »

When Lifetime announced in early April that it had managed to yank Project Runway, for $150 million, from its longtime home on Bravo, the only people who seemed happy about the deal were Harvey Weinstein, Project Runway’s producer, whose production company will now get paid $1 million per episode instead of the $600,000 he was making at Bravo; and Lifetime, which saw the deal as the potential cornerstone of a massive rebranding effort. But nearly everyone else, it seemed, was not thrilled. The network better known for showing Golden Girls reruns and made-for-TV movies that usually involved some combination of a woman being stalked, a serial killer and/or a cheating/abusive husband was, not to put too fine a point on it, simply too Middle America for Project Runway fans.

“The thing that concerns us is that they talk about the show in terms of it being a women’s show,” said Tom Fitzgerald, 41, one-half of the blogging team behind the popular Project Rungay blog, which obsessively chronicles every episode as well as any and all behind-the-scenes gossip. “And we’re living proof that that’s not entirely the case. It has a very large gay viewership. It has a very large straight viewership that likes the fact that it’s an urban, intelligent, creative reality show. Our hope is that they don’t forget that.”  read more »

MONDAY

Does anyone remember laughter? O.K. maybe times haven’t been that tough, but the country’s diaphragms have been woefully underused these last couple of months (even with Jimmy Kimmel f**king Ben Affleck) with the absence of new episodes of veteran sitcoms (and movies like Semi-Pro plaguing the theaters). But tonight, all of that changes with fresh installments of How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8:30 p.m.) and Two and a Half Men (CBS, 9 p.m.). (Rookie breakout The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 8 p.m.) has a new episode, too!) Watch—it’s bound to feel like the television equivalent of make-up sex.  read more »

There are only 13 days till the Project Runway finale airs. And while we have a few ideas about who’s going to win—thanks to a certain little bird—the anticipation continues to build. Last night, Bravo aired one of those reality TV reunion episodes, in which almost everyone comes back to the show, where they are filmed fidgeting in a poorly designed set. It gives them a chance to rehash tired feuds, dish about “what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling” and howl at embarrassing outtakes. But this isn’t just any reality series.

In this clip from last night’s episode, host and mentor Tim Gunn straps on his best TV persona to reveal the show’s “fan favorite”—the PR designer that garnered the most viewer votes. The winner gets $10,000 and a bigger head. (This video also reveals a sense of how judge Heidi Klum’s mood—or looser editing—on the reunion episode made the whole thing utterly bizarre. For the first time, Ms. Klum makes three things crystal clear: 1) She really can’t stand eliminee Victorya Hong; 2) Mr. Gunn makes her nervous; 3) $10,000 doesn’t impress her.) So, back to the fan fave, who, Mr. Gunn reveals, won by a landslide. Turns out, viewers absolutely adore…MARION LEE!

No, not really…but those who don’t already know will have to watch the clip to find out. Hint he’s so Posh.

Remember Daniel Vosovic from the second season of Project Runway? Well, the 26-year-old budding designer has been keeping very busy since his successful stint on the Bravo reality show (he won five design challenges). He may have lots of balls in the air, but when it comes to starting his own fashion label, Mr. Vosovic is nothing but slow and cautious.

“Right after the show, I really had to make a decision of what to do,” he told us, before recalling a conversation he had with himself. ‘“Do I want to start a collection or work for someone else? No, I need more experience.’ So I’ve been working on the foundation of what my future company will be. I’m working with my management team now on the launch for my signature line,” he said, adding that the line should launch in about a year and a half. In the meantime, he’s been collaborating with a new hotel chain called NYLO, designing a collection of uniforms for the staff.

Continue reading after the jump.  read more »

Tim Gunn, the endearingly flamboyant and uncle-ish co-host of Bravo’s Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, told The Daily Transom last night that he spent most of his life masking his sexuality.

“I’ve grown into feeling safer and safer, but there were times when I didn’t at all,” the now-out-of-the-closet television celebrity said—nearly resting his chin on his clavicle—at a benefit for Safe Horizon, which supports victims of violence.

READ MORE >>  read more »

Vanity Fair’s James Wolcott summed it up best when he wrote, “It's time to thread that sewing machine, flex those tattoos, and give Tim Gunn something to murmur about before he tidies off like a tight, smart, walking umbrella, to borrow K Tynan's peerless description of John Gielgud.” Mr. Wolcott was referring to, of course, the fourth season of Bravo’s Project Runway, which premiered last night. It didn’t disappoint. Runway fans who missed the episode may want to stop reading this NOW.

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Tonight, Out magazine will honor its 100 most influential people in gay culture with a big bash at Cipriani Wall Street. Kathy Griffin must be on a cruise ship somewhere, so Tori Spelling and Tim Gunn will co-host the camp affair, where the five people on the cover of Out’s December issue—Jennifer Hudson, Mary-Louise Parker, Bryan Batt, Thom Browne and Bill T. Jones—will be among the bellini-sipping award-winners this evening. Annie Lennox is expected to make a special appearance, and Chaka Kahn and Kat Deluna will perform.

We spoke with the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Aaron Hicklin, today to learn more about the selection process behind this year’s honorees.

He talked a lot! Click "Read More" below to read what he said.  read more »

Designer Catherine Maladrino had a big week: she showed her spring collection at the Chelsea Art Museum and made her latest TV appearance on the premiere of Tim Gunn's new Bravo show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style—think Queer Eye For the Straight Gal.

"It’s really about not changing anyone but really helping identify—finding their fashion soul," Mr. Gunn told the Transom at a huge Soho Grand bash thrown in his honor. "Because these women have self-declared, it’s not an intervention—we know that they know that there’s something in them that they want to grow and expand on."

Ms. Malandrino declared herself pleased with the transformation of initial guinea pig Rebecca. "She found a whole new personality through clothes, being herself and having more strength and more confidence,” she said in her sexy French accent.” I think it shows that clothes are important for a woman they can really help to express yourself."

Ms. Malandrino expressed herself on the runway on Saturday, Sept. 8, drawing singers Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige, French First Lady Charlotte Sarkozy and actress Paz De La Huerta.  read more »

Observer: One girl, a model for someone else, said she went to Parsons and you were kind of a celebrity at the school.

Tim: Ha, ha, ha, ha! Well it's funny the students infrequently talk about the show. I don 't know whether they think it's not cool to engage me in a conversation about it. But what is funny are phrases like "make it work." I mean it 's a Parsons term--it's a phrase I used at Parsons for years and now that it's kind of branded on the show, when I use it at Parsons people laugh. It's like, "No, no, no, no, no. It was born here, it's mean to be here!"

Observer: You must get "Make it work!" on the street all the time.  read more »

Tim: They usually shout that from cars. Ha, ha, ha, ha!