Many of our readers from Canada and elsewhere have been asking us about Project Catwalk, the UK version of Project Runway hosted by Elizabeth Hurley. We have been so starved here in the off-season that we figured, why not? The only problem is trying to get your hands on this show in the States.
Why isn't there a DVD release date? Why aren't episodes available on the U.S. version of iTunes? There is a ready audience that I'm sure would be willing to pony up the cash; I know I'm raising my hand here. Hey, it's something to watch during the off-season.
I've had the opportunity to view a few episodes and I have some impressions.
1. Ben de Lisi is no Tim Gunn.
2. I have a message for Sushino. Karl Lagerfeld called and he wants his fan back.
3. Liz Hurley isn't as bad as we've been lead to believe.
4. Why is there a narrator? The constant stream of gab is my chief complaint.
5. Season One of PC is more like Season One of PR than Season Two.
6. They have an interesting twist with selecting the models each week. The winning designer not only gets a choice of model but also has the opportunity to switch two models of two other contestants.
7. Why are the judges using Polaroids to compare their impressions after the catwalk?8. Speaking of the judges, I find their chairs distracting. They look like giant marshmallows if giant marshmallows were uncomfortable. (The chairs, not the judges.)
9. And, again with the judges, I have increased respect for Nina, MK and, surprisingly, even Anne Slowey. No one snarks like Michael Kors.
10. Liz Hurley really needed a cheeky, signature way to say goodbye.
I guess what I'm really saying is that if any of us doubted the quality of Project Runway, watch a couple of episodes of Project Catwalk. Oh, And while I would certainly spend the money to buy Project Catwalk, I would only watch it when I get the PR shakes ... er, like right now!
12 comments:
i dont think any of us have ever doubted the quality of PR!
Lorraine Candy looks like a marshmallow sitting in the middle of a marshmallow...
If you have a live journal account you can join the community project_eps. People upload episodes of both project runway and project catwalk to servers like sendspace or yousend it. I'm not sure if you can still download the episodes right now since the files only last a limited amount of times and downloads, but you can request that someone re-upload them. To actually download the episodes though, you must have a livejournal account, as the posts that contain episodes are for members only.
Reality shows in the UK and Australia tend to be heavily narrated. The U.S. style is more the "interview with the contestants" where they are talking about the event, where in the UK it's the narrator telling the story.
Um ... er ... I feel a little like a junkie here (not that I would know what a junkie is like or anything .... pssst, Got any Klum?). I used a 'torrent' community which means I needed a special program to do the download and then I had to let other people upload from me for a little while. If you're without some computer savvy, it's a little complicated.
I did try to use the LiveJournal thingy earlier this week and the files had indeed expired.
I would have gladly purchased the show if it was available here.
let me warn all of you,
if you are looking for another season of project runway...project catwalk is not it...
for the main reason...
where are the CLOTHES? half of the show seems to be edited around 3am squabbles at the bar, and when you finally get to the runway session, the camera is aimed at the model's face or butt...
i too, spend many hours waiting for download, only to press delete.
While PC is no PR, I thought some of the designs were far more interesting and creative. And sometimes Eliz Hurley looks sooooooo sincerely sad when she tells someone that they "have to leave the catwalk"!
Rumour is that she is not willing to do another series. The programme also did not get very good ratings in the UK.
-Violet
I just watched another episode and I have to tell you that the narrator is profoundly irritating. Imagine if you will the beginning of Project Runway in which Heidi is telling you what happened previously. Only, instead, it isn't Heidi and the person won't shut up. That sums it up.
I also just realized that if a designer is eliminated the model goes, too. The winning designer can't select her!
The thing that irritated me most about PC was the definite lack of focus on the design process -- MAYBE five minutes out of each episode is the designers working on their clothes while Ben looks on dubiously. The rest is interpersonal drama and isn't nearly as good a balance as PR is.
I started a Project Catwalk LiveJournal community when the show began airing in the UK, and did my best to screen-cap and/or recap every episode. There's a big spoiler risk, I suppose, but if you don't mind, then I hope anyone interested will check it out!
http://community.livejournal.com/projectcatwalk/
Also, regarding the narrator, I resented it at first, but then grew to appreciate it. PR is filled with shots of the designers standing around tables being told things. By having a narrator, the show could fill us in on what's going on and show the designers actually doing things. Having a narrator made a much more valuable use of the show's time.
I usually consider that the British has better quality tv, but PR kicks PC's ass. PR is the best, and Heidi, Tim, and of course MK and Nina makes that happen. Although, Liz Hurley seems to be one classy lady.
and if you know what bittorrent is, and knows how to use it, you can d/l the first season of P Catwalk here:
torrentspy.com and mininova.org
Anna.
I also downloaded PC from mininova.org with a torrent program. while i will agree that the production value of the show was severely lacking, i did think that some of the designs were first class.
i *really* enjoyed the episode where they were taken to a goodwill to select materials, with the twist being that they ended up having to use somebody else's basket of goods. and to top it off, they also had to direct a photo shoot of their design, which produced great results.
if you can ignore ben de lisi, it's worth checking out.
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