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Project Runway 4 Coming in Late 2007

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Reality, Cable, Cable/Satellite,

Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum If you were hoping to add Project Runway 4 to your must-see list this summer, you’re going to have to wait a bit. Bravo announced that the latest season will not air until late 2007, despite the excellent ratings from last summer’s edition. Never fear, though… Bravo will be offering up plenty of summertime reality fare, including a third season of Top Chef, Hey Paula! and the third season of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List. No firm date on when Project Runway 4 will air, but Bravo’s press release stated that “only three finalists… face-off.. at New York Fashion Week.” This is a departure from the four finalists in the previous season. But the good news is that Tim Gunn will return for the fourth season, as well as fashion designer Michael Kors, ELLE Magazine fashion director Nina Garcia and Heidi Klum.

Read More | Reality TV World

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Paula Abdul Sued Over Reality Show

Paula Abdul Oh Paula, what trouble have you gotten into now? Paula Abdul has certainly gotten her fair share of attention lately—unfortunately, it’s not for anything too positive. Her wacky comments and slurred speech on American Idol, as well as her less-than-coherent television interview have all brought criticisms. Now add another kookoo item to the list: Abdul is being sued by a production company, saying that she took their reality concept and shopped it elsewhere. The company was to produce a reality series about her life, called Hey Paula!. You may recall that a series of the very same name is expected to air on Bravo. The series is a behind-the-scenes look at Abdul, both personally and professionally. In the lawsuit, the production company is seeking compensation and damages, but they are also fighting to prohibit the show from being aired by anyone. Perhaps now the series will never see the light of day?

Read More | Reality TV World

Bravo Documentary Follows Paula Abdul

Paula AbdulHmmm. Has Bravo run out of original programming ideas? The network announced that it will be airing a documentary series titled Hey Paula, following 44 year-old Paula Abdul at her various jobs and peeking at her personal life. I say “jobs” because, not only is she working on the latest season of American Idol, but she is developing a perfume and cosmetics line, working to expand her jewelery line, and preparing to film Bratz: The Movie. This will be her first involvement with a film, taking the popular Bratz toy line and converting it to a live-action movie. Bravo President Lauren Zalaznick said of the new series, “It fits the Bravo mandate to show what’s going on in the culture of the moment.” Zalaznick also said that Hey Paula will show “an intimate glimpse at the real woman behind the headlines.” Keep an eye out for Hey Paula later this year.

Read More | Reality TV World

‘Queer Eye’ Canceled After Fifth Season

Queer eye for the Straight GuyFour years ago, a team of very hip and stylish gay men took to the airwaves on Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Dubbed the “Fab Five,” they helped many a straight male find their fashion sense, learn how to properly apply all matter of hair and face products, cook meals, and entertain. With five seasons under their fabulous belts, Bravo is finally saying good-by to Queer Eye. The series’ final 10-episode season will air this summer. Frances Berwick, Bravo’s VP of programming and production, announced the final season, saying “We proudly watched as viewers embraced the series that really helped open the closet doors on gays and their presence on television and in popular culture.” So, we bid adieu to Carson Kressley, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Ted Allen, and Jai Rodriguez. Don’t worry though, it’s not the last you’ll see of the guys—each seems to have some project in the works.

Read More | E! Online

Bravo to Air Taxicab Confessions

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Reality, Bravo, Cable, HBO, Cable/Satellite,

Bravo logo Remember Taxicab Confessions? If you’re not familiar with it, it’s like the equivalent of getting toasted at the local bar and spilling your indiscretions to the bartender. Only it’s in a cab and a hidden camera catches the whole thing. Taxicab Confessions originated on HBO in 1995 and was a long-running, Emmy winning series for the cable network. Bravo will begin airing three new episodes on Friday, December 29th. Then on New Year’s Eve, they will be showing a marathon. “Taxicab Confessions was ground-breaking as one of the original reality series,” according to Bravo’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Production, Frances Berwick. “This award-winning show was raw, moving and shocking while at the same time poignant in its portrayal of urban lifestyles.” No telling what the censors will do with the series, however. HBO allowed explicit comments to air, but not sure that Bravo (home of Project Runway and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) will let that fly.

Read More | Zap2it

Interior Design Competition Comes to Bravo

BravoBravo has introduced their latest reality show concept—called Top Design, the show will pit 12 interior designers, architects and artists against one another for the top prize. Hey, it worked for Project Runway and Top Chef, so why not? Hosted by Todd Oldham, uber-designer, this is yet another interesting entry into the reality genre. I poo-poo’d Project Runway until I actually got caught in a marathon airing and could not look away! “Bravo has successfully brought spirited competition to both the fashion and food industries,” Bravo President Lauren Zalaznick said. “Now our passionate viewers will be rewarded each week when they ‘watch what happens’ as the creativity and drama unfold through each pressure-filled design challenge.”

Okay folks, you know the drill. Each week the contestants will face off in a challenge, where they will be judged by design experts, and picked off one by one. The winner receives a $100,000 prize, a new car, an editorial feature in Elle Decor, and a showcase at a big hoopty-do event. The premiere episode will air on January 31st, after the season finale of Top Chef.

Read More | Zap2it

Bravo’s ‘D-List’ Renewed

Kathy Griffin Huh, who woulda thunk it? Kathy Griffin’s unscripted series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List has been renewed for a third season. Bravo has ordered six episodes of the third season, set to begin in 2007. Seems the life of a D-lister is pretty engaging stuff, as the show has earned an Emmy nomination. Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, Bravo said of the renewal news, “Kathy’s unique style of comedy is brilliantly showcased with this series, and the new season will continue to show her D-List life in hilarious Technicolor, and her daily struggle to move up the celebrity food chain.” Her assistant Jessica, as well as her parents, John and Maggie Griffin, will also make appearances. The question remains—will Griffin ever rise in the ranks out of D-List status? Tune in to find out!

Read More | ComingSoon.net

Project Runway Finale Breaks Records for Bravo

Heidi Klum, Project Runway The finale of Project Runway on Wednesday drew record-breaking numbers for cable network Bravo. I can see why—there was a marathon of the third season this past weekend, and since I was sick, I was able to finally see what all of the hype was about. And I was hooked. Sadly, I forgot about the season finale, but that didn’t stop 5.4 million other viewers from tuning in Wednesday at 10 p.m. Not only did that break records for Bravo viewership, but it also made Project Runway the top-rated show on cable for that night. Even the Bravo web site saw a healthy bump in numbers, thanks to the series. The site saw an increase in traffic of 267% over the previous season for the Project Runway section. In the end, Jeffrey Sebelia was named the winner of the clothing design competition.


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