Fresh (But Not Raw) Meat

Adorable Andy Cohen had a little hissy fit on his blog yesterday. Let's listen in, shall we?:

"Today, NY Post TV Critic Linda Stasi has a piece complaining that this season's designers on Runway are TOO TALENTED. Whaaaaayt? I often follow the old chestnut that if you don't have anything to complain about, then FIND something to complain about. Does Linda, too? Perhaps next season we'll consider a group of home-sewers to make the runway shows less interesting. (In truth, we have pretty much the same mix as we did in year's past, but Tim does consider this season's talent level to be the highest.)"

Isn't he cute when he gets indignant? Now lets see what all this fuss is about:
"DOES 'PROJECT' STILL HAVE ROOM FOR AMATEURS?"

"But it's turned into the Olympics - a competition for amateurs that morphed into a pro-preferred event. For my money, "Project" has gotten too high end - with real designers competing where beginners used to thread."

"The professional-quality competitors in the upcoming season range from a guy whose jeans made the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog to another who dressed Jessica Alba for a recent red carpet walk. There's a lingerie designer and an active-wear designer.Still, I pine for the days of the desperate beginners. I wish they'd reversed things. Really, wouldn't you rather watch rank amateurs tackle $50,000 worth of fabric and laugh at pros trying to make designer gowns out of used tires and aerosol cans?"

"'Project Runway' is good to watch, but not as much fun as when it was just inspired wannabes with a lust for what they were doing."

Well, she certainly jumped the gun on that last sentence. How does she know whether or not this season will be as much fun as previous ones? On the other hand, Andy, doll, she has a point and we think you may have misread it. She didn't complain that this year's crop is too talented; she complained that they were too experienced - and that's a huge difference.

To be honest, we kind of agree. We had largely similar thoughts when we were first introduced to the new contestants. Will there be a Jay McCarroll among this group? A hungry, raw, untested talent? Will there be a Laura Bennett? A surprisingly polished and talented home sewer? Will there even be a Marla or Wendy Pepper? Someone who should have stayed home? Or a Lupe? A completely out-of-left-field whackjob?

Obviously, it's too early for us to say, but we were disappointed to see resumes that were so polished and accomplished. Would American Idol be as much fun to watch if every single contestant had already recorded an album?

It probably won't change the mechanics of the show because in past seasons, even the most accomplished contestants struggled under the constraints of the competition. But we can't help feeling that some of the charm is lost with such an experienced group vying for the prize.

On the other hand, we can pretty much guarantee that this year's crop is the most entitled bunch of bitches the show's ever seen and that should make for some delicious, delicious drama.

(Photos: Bravo/Mitch Haaseth)