The Fate of Season Six - Do We Care?

We have been keeping up with all of the coverage of the pending lawsuit, the finale collections, and the unfortunate spoilers and it seems that many fans have given up on Season Six. I am heartbroken. What has happened to our favorite show?

This is the Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated Project Runway! This is a show worth waiting for.

Or is it?

Will we ever see Season Six? Does anyone still care?

poll by twiigs.com

From The Mailbox

Photo: Aram Boghosian/Boston Globe

Click here for "God Bless My Nannies" from Laura Bennett.

Click here for a preview of Christian Siriano's collection for Payless.

The Boston Globe's Christopher Muther is still anxiously waiting the return of our favorite show. Click here for the full article - and don't miss the quote from Tbone.

Click here for a New York Post story about Jay McCarroll and "Eleven Minutes." Click here for more from Jay.

Click here for a Wendy Pepper update.

From The Mailbox

Photo: WireImage

Nina Garcia is working on a new book.

Click here for a new interview with Kayne Gillaspie.

Newsday sums up the status of Project Runway Season Six.

Heidi Klum will appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, February 2nd. Click here to check your local listings. Thanks Nicole.

Click here for a video interview with Korto Momolu from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Christian Siriano will be at The University of Kentucky on February 5th. Click here for tickets.

Out With The Old

Image from Times Square Alliance

As 2008 grinds to a close, the news concerning Season 6 remains grim. Harvey Weinstein, NBC and Lifetime appear to be locked in an interminable legal battle over the Project Runway franchise. Heidi Klum spent this month trying to convince everyone that the show would premiere in January however Tim Gunn is not so enthusiastic. Will a New Year bring new hope?

Meanwhile, there is other news to share as we toddle our way towards 2009:

Season 5 model Karalyn West does good, hosting a fund raiser for a lip-defect charity.

The Name's Cohen. Andy Cohen.

Season 2 designer Diana Eng is a nerd, and proud of it!

Baseball, basketball and Project Runway! Season 5 designer Joe Faris will appear at the Grand Kids Foundation celebrity charity basketball game next month.

Korto Momolu is inspirational as she speaks about Kwanzaa.

In With the New, we say!

Evening Update

Don's miss the End-of-year Sale at EMc2!

Jay McCarroll's fabrics are now available here.

NBC has won a small victory in Project Courtroom. Read more here. Thanks Sergio.

From The Mailbox

Photo: Jeremy Goldberg

Vanessa Trump wears a Fierce Mamas by Moody Mamas Christian Siriano design on the Page Six magazine cover. More here. Thanks Ren.

Looking for holiday bargains? There is a Jeffrey Sebelia-designed Cosa Nostra jacket available on eBay. Check it out.

Sweet P and Victorya Hong have posted blog updates.

Harvey Weinstein continues to charm.

Here is a little more on the latest from Project Courtroom.

To end this post on a cheerful note, let's revisit Laura Bennett's holiday edition of "Case Clothed."

LIfetime Returns Cash to Project Runway Advertisers

Click here for the story.

Monday Morning Mailbox

Photo: J. McCarthy

Julianne Hough donned a Rami Kashou gown for her performance during TNT's "Christmas in Washington 2008" at the National Building Museum on December 14, 2008 in Washington, DC. "Christmas in Washington 2008" airs on TNT December 17 at 8pm.

Sixty-nine percent of you said NO to Britney Spears as a Project Runway Finale judge. Click here to see the final tally.

Adweek.com has nicely summed up Project Courtroom for us in one end-of-the-year paragraph.

Runaway 'Runway'
The Weinstein Co. CEO Harvey Weinstein thought he was in the catbird seat early this year when he cut a deal to move the hit clothing-design show Project Runway to Lifetime from NBC Universal's Bravo. Just one little problem: NBC says it had a right of first refusal that Weinstein ignored. Runway's future has been in limbo since NBC filed suit in April. While Weinstein claims that NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker is a good friend, he seems to feel that Lauren Zalaznick, who oversees Bravo and a bevy of other female-skewing cable and online services for NBCU, decidedly is not. Weinstein feels Bravo ripped off the Runway concept with look-alike shows such as Shear Genius, diluting the franchise. Meanwhile, a New York State judge granted NBCU an injunction in September barring TWC from moving the show until after NBC's claims are tried. Lifetime then added a new wrinkle and filed suit to have the case moved to federal court, claiming that its signed and copyrighted deal for new episodes trump NBC's right of first refusal claims. The big question now is will viewers still care by the time the legal mess is sorted out? -Steve McClellan

From The Mailbox

Project Runway Season Five designer Suede and Top Design Season Two contestant Serge Van Lian will be among the celebrity guests at the first annual Lynx Ensemble Theater Benefit Gala. Click here for more information.

Fresh from her appearance on Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, Eliza Neals will return home this weekend for what she described as a night of "fashion, fun and music" at Detroit's Cliff Bells.Click here for details.

Click here for more from Tim Gunn's visit to Madison Wisconsin.

The latest in Project Courtroom? Weinstein layoffs.

Click here to guess the mystery hair care brand!

From The Mailbox

More Project Courtroom drama here.

Read more about Nick Verreos's "Wishtory" here.

Attention Tucson, Arizona, Elisa Jimenez will be showing her designs tomorrow night at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Click here for more information.

Attention Arkansas Fashion Designers: A Fashion Designer Casting Call will take place 3-6 p.m. Dec. 7 at Park on the River, 12001 Crystal Hill Road, Maumelle. Designers are encouraged to try out for a chance to be one of eight chosen to participate in the forthcoming second annual Designers’ Choice Fashion Preview in Little Rock. Hopefuls must bring three complete garments; a portfolio or pictures of their work; and photographs of themselves no larger than 5-by-7. Designers will also have an opportunity to participate in fashion-show workshops presented by Korto Momolu, Project Runway Season 5 ’s first runner-up. For more information, call Theresa Timmons-Nooner at (501 ) 247-5497.

Project Courtroom

Photo: WireImage

Click here for the latest NYTimes article about the future of Project Runway. There is nothing at all encouraging in this article. Our best hopes were for a quick out-of-court settlement, a season six premiere in December and a February Fashion Week Finale. This now seems quite unlikely.

“From what I know about courts, it could be well into the early spring before anything is decided,” said one lawyer involved, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid further inflaming passions among the opposing parties. Barring an out-of-court settlement — and insiders say there are no such negotiations taking place — “Project Runway” seems unlikely to be back on the air for months at best.

Here is a little more:

The season finale of “Project Runway” typically takes place during New York Fashion Week, the twice-yearly series of runway shows in Bryant Park in Manhattan. The next round of those shows is scheduled for February, and a person involved in the production said that the producers of “Project Runway” were planning to shoot the finale at that time. Because each season of the series stretches out over 14 weeks, episodes of the new season could be broadcast before the final competition takes place.

Will the producers film the Bryant Park finale in February before the the show even begins to air? That seems highly unlikely. Will it be some kind of "undercover" show without a large audience? That doesn't sound like much of a prize...

What do you think?

From The Mailbox

Jack Mackenroth is teaming up with chef Zac Young to create a design for the New York Chocolate Show. Jack's model will be Jaslene Gonzalez from America's Next Top Model. Click here for more information.

Click here for an interview with Tim Gunn from New Orleans.

The latest in Project Courtroom?

As part of the ongoing Project Runway saga, NBC Universal and Bravo Monday moved to have their breach-of-contract suit against The Weinstein Co. remanded from federal court back to a New York state court.

“Litigation is not a game where the parties can concoct legal theories and switch positions simply to shop for a judge who might rule in their favor,” NBCU said in its filing.

The 32-page motion was filed with U.S. District Court Judge Richard Sullivan of the Southern District of New York, asking that NBCU’s suit be ordered back to the New York State Supreme Court, where it was originally filed in April.

Click here for more.

From The Mailbox

Christian Siriano is profiled in this Wall Street Journal article.

Click here for the latest from Project Courtroom. Sigh.

More from Christian here.

Can Kenley Collins make it as a designer? Check out Page Six.

Tuesday Mail

There are a couple of seats left at Malan Breton's show tonight. Click to enlarge photo for more info.

Laura Bennett is back!

Leanne Marshall will be on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight.

More Project Courtroom drama here. A false MOOD storefront in Los Angeles? Because the Los Angeles MOOD was an hour away? Nina and Michael in only a "handful" of episodes? and even fewer together?

Whose idea was it to take the show to Los Angeles?

Attention NYC: Check out Jerry Tam's FORM collection tomorrow evening.

From The Mailbox

Fan Favorites - Korto Momolu with Mychael Knight. Click here for more.

Project Courtroom update: Lifetime enters the proceedings.

Here is a little more from Heidi.

Click here to go behind the scenes at the Project Runway Season Five Finale with Team Bluefly.

Click here to read Jack Mackenroth's blog entry about Project Inform.

The Waiting Room

Plenty of interesting news to peruse this week:

Alan Gratz thought he had the week off from his usual Swami duties, but no! He weighs in with his weekly predictions on who might be in and who might be auf.

This is cool. BPR reader Maggie sent us this link from the National Geographic that features several current and past PR designers trying to figure out what Wilma the Neandethal would wear. That's Blayne Walsh's rendition up above.

Speaking of Blayne, he's back at his barista stand in west Seattle. This article also claims that "Bloggers have attacked the young designer's taste and personality..." Hey, we love Blayne!

The LA Times has an excellent update on the status of Season 6 as they talk to Heidi, Tim, Bravo and the Magical Elves. They mention a possible "late summer" debut and we also learn that Nina and MK will not participate in every episode. It's a must read.

Accompanying the LA Times feature is this nifty "Where are They Now" update.

Executive Producer Rich Bye waxes nostalgic over the loss of his baby.

Another Hollywood star has been outed as a guest judge for Season 6.

In case you missed it, the "Top 5 Looks From Season 5" poll is in full swing. We received a nice note from our old friend and poll originator Madpawn at TWoP who is starting a similar thread over there. We'll combine the results just like the old days. Get your votes in now!

The Waiting Room

I know, I know - it's a long day. Unfortunately, the news is a bit thin but we've plucked a few items of interest to amuse you with:

It isn't a proper Wedensday until the Swami has spoken. And look here, he has plenty to say! Mr. Gratz cries conspiracy over last week's result in addition to his fearless prediction for the final 3. You must go there now.

WWD subscribers will want to check out this new article about Jeffrey Sebelia and his new line "Good Vig".

You don't need a subscription to see WWD's update on Project Courtroom. Production on S6 continues, but questions remain for some of the potential advertisers on Lifetime.

TV Watch wonders if it was the product placement deals on Bravo that did them in...

It looks like Tim Gunn will be back in New York on October 19 for a benefit event, after production on S6 is completed.

We'll see you tonight!

From The Mailbox

Image from TMZ. Isn't it great?!?

More from Project Courtroom here.

Also, the BPR Fan Favorite poll will close at 12:00 noon tomorrow. Right now, Kenley is winning. Thanks everyone for voting!

Round One to Bravo!

Photo from WireImage.

Reports are coming in from all over - let's start with the official press release from NBC/Universal:

"NBC Universal is pleased that the court granted our motion for a preliminary injunction against The Weinstein Company. The overwhelming evidence demonstrated that The Weinstein Company violated NBC Universal's right of first refusal to future cycles of Project Runway. After hearing all of the evidence, the court issued an order prohibiting The Weinstein Company from taking the show or any spin-off to Lifetime."

Perhaps the switch to Lifetime is not a "done deal" after all!

Click here for Mo Ryan's take from the Chicago Tribune.

Click here for the TVWeek post, including responses from both Lifetime and Weinstein:

Lifetime: "We are disappointed with the court's decision to grant the preliminary injunction against the Weinstein Company.," Lifetime said in response to the ruling.

"It's unfortunate that the people hurt most by this ongoing dispute are the loyal fans of Project Runway. In the meantime, Lifetime will pursue all measures to uphold its valid and binding agreement reached with the Weinstein Company for Season 6 of Project Runway."

Does this mean Bravo could still get Season 6? Weinstein says not so fast:

"We are glad that the court held that NBC Universal cannot exhibit the program on Bravo and that court required NBC Universal to post a minimum $20 million bond. Obviously we will be appealing and remain committed to our partners," the Weinstein Co. said.

Stay tuned... we'll watch what happens....

Project Courtroom: The Saga Continues

More juicy details have emerged from the ongoing legal battle between NBC Universal and the Weinstein Company over the Project Runway franchise. Get this:

In testimony in N.Y. State Supreme Court this month, movie/TV mogul Harvey Weinstein told the judge that the fashion mentor (Tim Gunn)wasn't paid anything in the show's first season.

Thats right, Tim worked for Harvey free of charge! Season 2 may have brought him fame, but not much fortune:

The second season wasn't much better for Gunn: He got only $2,500 per episode, according to testimony in the court battle, which pits NBC/Universal against the Weinstein Co., which owns "Project Runway," over taking Heidi Klum's popular show from NBC's Bravo to Lifetime.

The Weinstein Company got Tim on the cheap. But wait, there's more...

NBC/Universal president/CEO Jeff Zucker also took the stand in the court session. Zucker, who is supposedly friends with Weinstein and attended his wedding to Marchese designer Georgina Chapman, was questioned under oath about an e-mail he'd sent telling Bravo execs to show marathon reruns of "Project Runway" in the same time slot that Lifetime plans to air the new show's season in November. He was proud of the plan, explaining, "I'm a competitive guy."

Ahh - the ruthless business of broadcasting. One day you're toasting the groom, the next you're planning his ratings demise. The bright side: we'll have plenty of Runway to choose from come November! Of course Harvey had to go and get personal:

Weinstein also testified that he "disliked Bravo management." That would surely mean Bravo/Oxygen/iVillage chief Lauren Zalaznick. More than one source used the H word in describing the relationship: "They hate each other."

Now, we've never met Harvey Weinstein and are pretty sure that we would cower and run if it did occur, but we have met Bravo's Lauren Zalaznick and can only state that she has been nothing but kind and supportive to the BPR community. How can you hate her?

Will NBC be successful in their lawsuit? Stay tuned for the next episode of Project Courtroom...

Previously on BPR: Project Courtroom, Act I