On the Road With Austin and Santino

     When Lifetime brought back Project Runway last week, so soon, considering it's the third season we're seeing in less than a calendar year, I was surprised by a few things.  One is the new, hour and a half format.  The second was the ditching of the less-than-good Models of the Runway after only two cycles.  The third was what is now following the long running contest.  Namely, a little show called On the Road With Austin and Santino.

     Austin Scarlett delighted fans during the first season, and Santino Rice annoyed audiences in season two.  It seemed a strange pairing, but then again, not really.  The draw of Project Runway for me has always been the drama, and these two clash.  Plus, they both were pretty high profile; each among the best known, if not the best, to come out of their season.  If anyone would get to headline this show, these two were the ones to pick.  And they both have oodles of talent, despite any personality flaws.

      In the first episode, Austin and Santino met a girl that loves to ride horses, and clashed over what her style should be.  Santino favored a gingham theme, while Austin went for lace.  Quite honestly, I though Austin's idea was loads better.  Santino's gingham fabric looked like a table cloth, and it just seemed too predictable for the situation they were in.  But Santino's very strong personality won out, and he did make a fairly decent dress with the material.  Better than expected, anyway.

     I don't know that this series really has the staying power.  I doubt it will be different enough every week to hold my interest for more than a few episodes.  However, as an occasional spot, it might be worth checking out.  That's why I find myself wishing they had produced a limited run of 3 or 4 episodes, or just an hour or two special instead of a series.  Or give the show to different designers every week or few weeks to keep it fresh.  But feel free to prove me wrong, Lifetime.

     On the Road With Austin and Santino airs Thursday nights at 10:30, including tonight.

How I Met Your Mother struggles, but occasionally succeeds

  
     One of my favorite sitcoms still on the air is CBS's How I Met Your Mother.  When it started it was unique, funny, had a great cast, and I could relate to the stories.  Since that time, I did meet and marry the love of my life, and she was one of many new converts I brought over to watching the show.  Having recently discussed show with several of those people, we all agree that this season has not been up to par at all.

     It isn't that it's not relevant any more.  Despite all of us in the discussion having beaten Ted to the goal (or so we hope), we are still rooting for him.  It just feels like the writing and plots have become stale and less original.  Overall, each character has some weird quirks, and then there are issues the entire groups has, but all of the best ones have already been used.  When, in season five, the episode is about how the five main characters all do something quirky, and we loyal viewers who have tuned in every week have not seen this behavior before, it doesn't feel realistic.  I strongly feel that they should call next season the last.  The end date will breathe new life into a struggling show and allow them to get back to what made it so attractive in the first place.

     With the complaints out of the way, I am happy to report that last night's episode, "Twin Beds", broke away from the mediocrity that has set in and reminded me how the show can sparkle.  Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) decided  that twin beds would help their marriage.  Of course they were wrong, but their love, fights, and interaction played out in a familiar way that it hasn't in awhile, and reminded me that these two wonderful actors have great chemistry.  Let's see more of it.  The biggest plot, though, was about Robin's (Cobie Smulders) heart.

     Robin has been getting serious with co-worker Don (Benjamin Koldyke) this season.  While the relationship has moved faster than most real ones do, it isn't out of line with sitcom reality.  He has helped her grow as a person, and her movement away from the group is feeling natural and necessary.  I mean, who else besides sitcom characters regularly hang out with two ex-boyfriends?  In the meantime, those two exes want her back, and more than just as friends.  Ted (Josh Radnor) has always loved her, but the audience has known since the pilot that they will not end up together, so while it's heart breaking to see Ted suffer, it takes away of the bit of the drama on will they or won't they, somehow in a good way.  Barney, (Neil Patrick Harris) on the other hand, should have never given her up.  It seems apparent that they deserve a second chance, but Don is a fine distraction in the meantime, provided he just stays a distraction.

     On a side note, I take a little umbridge at Don thinking Ted was gay just because he likes to write, can cook, watches Project Runway, is not interested in football, and drinks appletinis.  I do all of those things and I'm happily married to a great girl.  It's 2010!  Please stop putting guys in stupid boxes.  However, I'm not really angry.  It was pretty funny.  I just wanted to comment.

     How I Met Your Mother airs Monday nights at 8pm on CBS.

Project Run to L.A.

     Project Runway concluded its sixth season this past Thursday.  This was the first season on Lifetime, after a five year run on Bravo.  It was also the first season set in Los Angeles, the previous five having taken place in New York.  Little about the show changed in its new setting.  Though the contestants were no longer at the Parsons School of Design, the fabulous Tim Gunn was still there to guide them along, offering them his advice and wisdom.  There were perhaps a few more celebrities stopping by, and the two popular judges Nina Garcia and Michael  Kors were unfortunately there a little less, though of course they were present at the finale.  Other than that, it seemed to be business as usual on the actual show.  There was a spinoff series as well this year, Models of the Runway, that showed what happened to the models between runway shows.  It was uninteresting and certainly unneeded, especially the final episode, which featured flashbacks from the season.  This replaced a better idea, which was a reunion show that brought back the designers.

     The talent this season was fierce.  While inventiveness had been prevalent in the past, it was frequently overshadowed by the drama, in fighting in the work room.  There was still a bit of drama this year, but not as much.  Irina, the winner, was a bit harsh at times, and there were a couple of tear eruptions during the runway shows, but for the most part, the talent shined.  As a fan since the beginning, the drama has always been my favorite part, but the show still managed to reel me in without as much of it.  What was truly inexplicable, though, was that Christopher Straub made it to the Top Five.  He placed at the bottom week after week, and yet he kept hanging on.  Thankfully, he did not get to show at Fashion Week in Bryant Park.

     The top three were Irina Shabayeva, Carol Hannah Whitfield, and Althea Harper.  Though each presented a fantastic collection, the judges were a bit harder on them in the final show than they usually are, perhaps because expectations of these three were so high.  Unfortunately, Irina won the day.  Supporters of Irina will note that she frequently placed in the top, and had consistently good designs week after week.  And I don't put any stock in the rumors of Althea copying off of Irina, especially in the finale.  They were states apart working on those collections.  The real shame is Carol Hannah, though.  She was the sweetest of the contestants, and battling her illness in the final days leading up to the runway show, she definitely had viewers rooting for her.  Many of us are terribly disappointed at her third place finish.  True, her collection did not tie together as well as the others, but for goodness sakes, she actually used color!  Irina's was predominantly black!

     This past year and a half, Project Runway has been mired in legal battles, as networks fought over who would air it.  Because of that, fans of the show had to wait over a year between the completion of season five and the start of this most recent one.  The good news to come out of all of that fighting, and the fact that Runway filmed this season quite awhile ago, is that TV's best reality show will be returning in two short months!  Season seven premieres in January on Lifetime.