Project Runway Season 5

Entertainment Weekly has an article about the upcoming season and the move to Lifetime and everyone is spinning like tops. Choice bits:

"'We're totally focused on the show — on the challenges, the drama,'' says Klum. ''I'm not already with one foot over at Lifetime. Both of my feet are here, and I'm concentrating on making a beautiful show.''

''People always think I have all the say. I don't!'' she says with a laugh. ''It's Harvey — he owns most of the show. And exactly what they do behind closed doors, I don't really know.''

''I'll be blunt: I don't know how we could have raised the talent bar any higher than season 4,'' says Gunn. ''But the bar is still there for season 5. We have an extremely high level of talent.''

''The product placement this season is not egregious,'' promises executive producer Jane Cha, who will continue on with the show at Lifetime. ''The challenges are super creative. I don't think viewers are going to have cause for complaint.''

''We really want to go out with a bang,'' says Cutforth, who with partner Lipsitz opted to sign a first-look deal with NBC Universal instead of re-upping with Runway for future cycles. He adds, ''We don't feel like it's over-promising to say that this will be one of the greatest seasons of the show.''

"The first court date is in July, when a judge will decide whether to grant a preliminary injunction against The Weinstein Co. barring them from proceeding with their Lifetime deal. Already there have been whispers that cycle 6's scheduled November premiere could get bumped to January."

Exec producer Cha just asks that people give it a chance. ''We've spent five seasons in New York, and a little changeup is not a bad thing,'' she says. ''L.A. gives us Hollywood, red-carpet fashion, and more context for our challenges involving celebrity culture.''

For Klum, who denies reports that the coastal jump was motivated by her wish to be closer to her husband Seal and three kids, the locale shouldn't matter anyway. ''The designers are in the Project Runway world — they don't go anywhere apart from the house or Parsons or [the fabric store] Mood,'' she says. ''You can do that anywhere. You could do it on Mars, really.''

Look, at the end of the day, the upcoming season probably won't be noticeably different from previous seasons and for all we know, the first season on Lifetime won't either. But this article sure smells like "damage control" to us. All that "supercreative, greatest season ever, 'I'm totally committed to this show'" is having the exact opposite effect intended on us.

As hard as it is to believe, Season 5 starts in a week (a week!) and we're totally on board, no matter what. We can't speak for the rest of fandom, but the somewhat desperate nature of the article ("give it a chance") sure sounds like The Powers That Be don't have much faith in their product.

Watch What Happens!

UPDATE: For more on the rather unconventional methods of promoting the upcoming season, our gal Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has some thoughts here.


'Project Runway': Still in Fashion for Season 5? [Entertainment Weekly]
Where’s ‘Project Runway’? Invisible, even though a new season begins soon [Chicago Tribune]
[Photo: Bravotv.com]