Irish For a Night... Project Runway 2, Finale Part 2

So this is a week late...my bad.

I've been busy interviewing w/ the Washington Post...here's to hoping I can leave my crap ass job!

Anyway, enough about me...let's talk about Project Runway!

It's over!

That sucks!

What am I going to do with my Wednesday nights? Having a life is so overrated!

Okay, my apologies...back to the recap of the finale. Although the finale was a little boring, no? I can't lie...I was atwitter with anticipation the whole time, but I felt as though it was anti-climactic.

Yes we have a winner and that's always a bit exciting, but it just sort of happened. Like I was sitting there, Chloe wins and it's over. Kind of like when I'm sitting on the couch and my dog climbs on my knees and hoists into my lap without me noticing. All of a sudden I look down and there's 40 lbs of fur in my lap...how did that happen??

So I ask...how did Chloe win? Okay, that's a silly question. Chloe won because the seams on her garments were impeccable over Santino and Daniel V. Example:

Santino's is on the left and Chloe's is on the right. Now, while I respond better to Santino's design, it's clear that Chloe's is constructed better.

So I'm going out on a limb and saying that Chloe got lucky...hence the posts title. Before anyone gets up in arms, hear me out...

Chloe was a distant third going into the finale. This is even after the majority of curious fans saw the Fashion Week pics online and knew what they would be seeing come March 8th.

I personally had a hard time choosing between Santino and Daniel as the better collection, but knew one thing....I did not like Chloe's garments. They were 80's, poofy and shiny. And while I'm usually attracted to shiny objects, I just couldn't get into the looks.

Now I held off my final judegement until I saw all the garments in motion and I was right in thinking that my opinions would change.

Interjecting note on personal life: I got the job!!!! I resigned from my crap job today and am starting the new one in two weeks! Fa' real?!

Okay, once again, back to the Runway.

On video Chloe's garments were stunning...still 80's...but stunning nonetheless. They moved well and looked consistent.

The lucky part is coming in the form of our lovely and talented judges. I have always said that depending on thier mood, it could be a win for anyone. Santino won the muslin challenge, but in my opinion, Nick's orange dress was far superior to all the other garments.

Unfortunately, I'm not a judge on Project Runway and don't pick winners. If I were and I did, I would have picked Daniel's. It's not cuz he's cute or whatev...I really liked his collection. I saw both the military and japanese influences and thought it was fashion forward and still wearable.

The judges proceeded to contradict themselves all episode...most apparant was their critique of Santino. Figure it out kids...do we want the whickety-whack or not?

It's been weeks since the finale...Top Chef is on, I've been watching Top Model and I'm STILL confused.

Okay, now it's been months since the finale...the new season begins tonight. I'm clearly not going to finish this post. Sorry! But that's life.

I do plan on blogging about the new season, so there's that, right? My new job is keeping me busy but I'll get to that in another post.

This post is basically done...so...

Fin?

God Save the QUEEN

I can officially say that I have seen Queen in concert!

Granted, there was a major hole in the concert in the impressive form of the fabulous Freddie Mercury, but it was still a kick ass experience! Paul Rodgers of Bad Company stood in for Freddie (my idol) during most of the songs...

We got a really good mix of Queen and Bad Company and some generally kick tootie songs I didn't know. Brian May is an insanely amazing guitarist too! He had a lot of solos while Paul Rodgers changed into different colored wife beaters (????) but it was worth it because he's one of the best!

Now, I went ot the bathroom twice during the concert and missed almost ALL of "Fat Bottomed Girls" which is not only one of my faves, but a song I can relate to too boot! That sort of pissed me off, THEN I missed the first part of Bohemian Rhapsody! HELLO?! Who goes to the pisser during Queen???? Stupid wine I drank before the show...

During Bohemian Rhapsody, the producers of the concert showed how smart they are and why they get paid the big bucks. Paul Rodgers was MIA and instead I, and the rest of the audience, was treated to a video (montage and performance) of Freddie singing while the rest of the musicians played live. It was INCREDIBLE!!!

The clips of old school Queen were really great, and seeing Freddie Mercury on screen had me going really hard. I can't even lie...I nearly cried several times.

Two words...a...mazing!

Everyone has their idols and celebs (dead or alive) that they would want to have dinner with given the opportunity. For me, one of them is Marilyn Monroe and the other is Freddie Mercury. He was the most amazing live performer there ever has been and his magentism on stage will probably never be rivaled. I only wish that I could have seen him before his untimely death.

The concert was really great though and I'm so glad I randomly decided to get the tickets. I took my mom for her birthday and Christmas (they were expensive yo!) and we had a good time together...always do!

If you are a Queen fan and have a chance to catch this concert, definitely do it! It was an unreal experience and every moment was perfection!

Irish For a Day...

Ahhhh...it's March!

You know what that means? It's springtime for one thing, but it also means that St. Patty's Day is near, and THAT means that the Erin Express is going down...

For those who don't know, the Erin Express is a day when several different bars in Philly open at 9am and a school bus rides from bar to bar, providing EE revelers with many different options.

This past weekend was week one of two of the Erin Express' for 2006, and yours truly was front and center:)

This year was much the same as last, we got to Cavanaugh's (where everyone and their mother comes eventually) at 9am.

No.

Really.

9am is the perfect time. They just open, you can chill and digest your breakfast and stake out the perfect spot for maximum exposure to all things Erin. So our perfect spot consisted of two booths right next to the dance floor...perfect, no?

We ended up not leaving Cav's for the second year in a row. With a majorly decent seating arrangement, practically everyone we knew stopping by to chill at our booths, and the free beer they brought, I saw no reason to leave.

The following are pics of our drunken progress through the day...or at least until 6:30 when I decided McDonald's and a nap would be the perfect end to the perfect Erin;)

Meredith (my sis) and I pre-alcohol...clearly...

First beer of the day w/ my best girlfriends!

Shots of beer are great fun...so is flip cup...and beer pong...and quarters...

My baby sister is getting wasted...

Apparantly so am I...who thought those glasses were a good idea?

More shots of beer...

Best.

Necklaces.

Ever.

God, I love my sister.

From this point forward, my face got more red and shiny, my hair curled up and the pictures proceeded into the realm of unattractive...

See? Red...check. Shiny...check. Curly...check!

It was only about 3 o'clock too. Thank god for McDonalds, cuz I ate that and was sober again. Then I was tired. That's how to party hard with no hangover!

Sober up and then pass out;)

If anyone ever gets the opportunity, hit the Erin Express in Philly in March. It's there every year and always a lot of fun!

My liver hates me...

The Beginning of the End- Project Runway 2, Episode 13

AKA, Finale Part 1

So I thought that we were a bit overloaded with information last night. Maybe I was just tired, but the episode felt really long to me. Not that I'm complaining, I mean I love me some PR, but it all felt a little strained to me.

On another note, this recap might suck a lot because I feel like crap, but what are ya gonna do??
Our designers part ways to go home for 7 months until New York Fashion Week. Daniel V. stays in New York, Santino goes home to LA and Chloe to Houston. Oh, Eden goes home too, but who didn't see that one coming?

I'm not really going to talk about the clothes we see until next week, esp since I already reviewed them from Fashion Week in the still photos. I'll hold my comments until I see them in motion...

So Tim gets to drive around in a phatty car all episode, and I'm jealous! This is the car the winner will get? Hot...like really hot...

He visits Santino first and we get a seriously humanized version of him. It becomes apparant that all of Santino's shit talking is actually a defense mechanism. Sort of like "I'll insult you first before you can offend me" type stuff.

I've been there, I've seen it and done it. It was a bit redeeming to see him vulnerable and his friends kids are way too cute. They were hanging on him like a jungle gym.

We are also introduced to the fact that Santino is part African American (at least I think) which we didn't know before. There's a nice picture of his family when he was an infant and his mother is really beautiful.

Look at the innocence!

Ack! So cute!

How did the above baby end up wanting to flip off America (and parts of Canada?) on National TV? I mean I get that he wasn't flipping us off, but this shot:

seems to suggest otherwise...

God, I love Santino. It's a different love then my love for Andrae and Nick. This is a love based around my enjoyment of his ability to get away with things I couldn't.

*raises middle finger*

Santino, I salute you!

Back in New York, Daniel is working his tootie off and takes Tim shopping for a blazer. The segment on Daniel was a little repetitive since it talked about his coming out, but we did get to see some cute old photos of him...including one w/ a mohawk. Can't decide if that was better or worse then the mom hair.

Keep it long and shaggy babe...trust me...

It is reiterated however, that Daniel is a seriously fierce sketch artist. His fashion drawings are always stunning and have such attitude.

Loves it!

In Houston, Chloe has comandeered the garage at her parents house for working purposes...but no sketching.

We learn another interesting fact. As a child, Chloe's family lived in Laos and had to flee the country during the Vietnam war. Sort of an underground railroad type operation before making it to the US. I can't even imagine that ish...we're glad to have ya Chloe!

And her 7 sisters!...We get to see some pictures of them all together and hell if I can tell which one is her. My sister and I look nothing alike, and all 8 of them have similarities to one another...

Which one is Chloe? Kind of like What Happened to Andrae, no? I got money on either the second from the bottom or the fourth one down.

It's kind of like a game...pick the right sister and win a prize!

Don't get me started here though...

I have NO idea...

Any guesses?

This game is getting harder the more I type about it...

Okay, I'll throw you a bone, this one is pretty easy...now, Which One is Chloe??

I kid...really.

Yay, our designers are together again! Bravo kept previewing a rift between Santino and Chloe which lasted about two seconds in which Chloe told him he offended her and Santino saying he was sorry...at least essentially.

Santino also said something about reading all "the shitty blogs". I only started about a month ago, so I'm gonna assume I'm not on that list. Tino, I know some pretty awesome blogs if you need any suggestions;)

We have a whole new work room provided by Banana Republic where the designers will be hibernating until Fashion Week.

Tim likes Chloe's, Tim loves Santino's and Tim appears to be concerned about Daniel's.

Hold on, back up. Daniel is having problems?

Uh-oh, Tim looks perplexed. Daniel looks worried...but don't worry Daniel! It could be worse...

Tim could be looking at your designs like that. Be thankful for small favors.

The designers also got to choose models which was good fun. As we all know, they each got their own model, as well as others from PR and various models from other agencies.

I must maintain that it will forever be funny to see Chloe and Grace next to each other in a picture. Grace is about 6 feet tall and Chloe is about 4 foot nothing.

See? It's hilarious! What makes it even better is that it looks like they just hugged and Grace is still hunched a little bit while Chloe is still on her tippy toes. Chloe is snack size.

Shortly after the model choosing and Daniel V's angst over Tim's silence, we are delivered the big shocking news!

The designers, with two days left until Fashion Week and all of their other garments to alter, must create another design to make it thirteen total looks. Turns out the Project Runway producers are evil, much like wallpaper.

I think that parts of this "surprise" are just mean spirited. What's worse is calling it a surprise at all. Surprises generally have a positive conotation to them. There's nothing positive going on here:

I'm pretty sure Daniel's little smirk is either delirium, or how he looks when he's thinking about choking Heidi Klum...

But wait, there's more! And this is actually positive! The designers will be provided with an extra pair of hands.

Cue the appearance of Kara at the door. I immediately assume that they are bringing back the three most recently eliminated designers and my panties get all twisted because I think Nick and Andrae will be right behind her. And who's behind Kara? Lupe...of course...

Lucky for my panties, Nick and Andrae are right behind them accompanied by all the other designers. *waves to Emmett*

Chloe, Daniel and Santino must pick one other designer to assist them.

Daniel gets to choose first and true to form, he picks Nick (I actually yelled "Pick Nick!" at the TV...I'm learning to embrace my dorkitude)

Nick was surprised, but not me!

Both of my season two faves on a team together?

Shut.

Up.

I'm a happy viewer...

Santino chooses next and with a totally cute Timpression, picks Andrae. "Andrae...come here."

Ahhh...together again...

And, true to form, I laughed like a moron and openly declared my love for Andrae once more.

Lastly, Chloe picked Diana, thus breaking the hearts of ten other designers...

You can't eff with Dirty Diana, suckas!

So with a little less stress, the designers come up with sketches for their new dress before going shopping.

Next week, we get to see more about the new garment as well as the Fashion Week shows...I think that seeing the designs in motion will make a big difference.

Then we will have our winner. Exciting, no? I'm biased towards Daniel, but you should know that already...

I'd pray to the fabric gods...

...but Andrae's got me covered;)

Okay, so I watch The Idol...

I kind of can't help it.

I began watching during Season One because I sing and I wanted to watch other people sing. I've even pondered trying out, but wanted to take lessons first...which I'm actually doing now:)

Anyway...so I've been sucked into this season like a vacuum. It's much like the vacuum that has sucked me in for each previous season.

Okay, I lied. There's no vacuum. I am an American Idol fan. I watch it each week like a total nerd and dammit...I enjoy it. I get goose bumps when the good singers are on and I cringe when it's crappy. The whole nine.

This season of the Idol has provided viewers with a few noteable characters which I've been feeling a dire need to discuss...and so I will.

The talent is pretty good this year, but there are the typical pretty, bad singers. You know, they're pretty, but not especially talented...one of them got the boot last week. Peace out Maxim Barbie.

Mandisa kind of rocks really hard. She's sort of great. On top of being a darn fine singer, she called Simon out on his comments about her weight. Good girl!

Paris Bennett is the cutest thing I've ever seen...plus, she's severely talented.

Kellie Pickler is cute for about .2 seconds...her "aw shucks" demeanor is starting to grate on me. She'll probably make top twelve, but I don't see her going too far.

Katherine McPhee is pretty awesome too. She can sing her tootie off and is really pretty. She's very girl next doorish without being annoying.

Ayla Brown...I dunno why, but I like her. Yeah, she can sing, but on top of that I just like her. But still...dunno why.

The guys this year can sing better as a group then any in previous years. Plus, they're either really hot, really adorable, or really good. Sometimes they're all three...

Kevin Covais is the cutest flipping thing I've ever seen! He sang Josh Groban in his auditions and nailed it...last night he sang "Heard it Through The Grapevine" and his awkward dancing made him that much more adorable.

William Makar: It's a shame I'm not 15 because he'd be the love of my young teenage life. Same with David Radford. PS- there was this funny moment last night where Seacrest tried to disrobe Will...I cried for him a little. They're both decent singers and charming to boot. But, since I'm no longer 15 there's...

Ace Young...who didn't see that one coming. I have mixed feelings on this one. Yes, he can sing. Yes, he's great looking. But to me right now, he's cookie cutter. If I wanted to open an American Idol bakery, I'd serve Ace-shaped cookies. Last night, the judges said he's better then he's letting on, and I hope that's true, because I'd like him to really wow me...you know...with his singing... Last thing on him, I swear...last weeks song selection ("Father Figure" by George Michael) was a tad on the creepy side...it's a good thing he's cute!

See? Cookies...

Chris Daughtry: Firstly, he is married and adopted his wife's children...hello?! Look up Perfect Man in the dictionary. It's this guy. He's got the look...the look, being hot, and can sing as well. He's got this growly thing that totally works. He's an early fave.

I also have mixed feelings on Taylor Hicks...I think he's a great singer with a cool style of singing that Idol hasn't seen before, but the I find him difficult to watch. The twitching is sort of cool but a little irksome at the same time. I dig the guy though.

Elliot Yamin is sort of local to here and has been on the morning show I listen to twice because they play in Richmond too...but on top of these things he's probably the best singer on the show right now. His voice has a really great tone and he's picking good songs. Another early fave.

Sorry I didn't touch on everyone...at this point, I can't care about them all. I don't even really care who moves on...I just think there are some noteworthy personalities. If you want a total recap, check out judge jru. He's pretty funny and goes into detail.

So, those are my thoughts on the Idol...I know, who cares, right? I'm gonna keep watching though;)

Wiping Off The Dust parts 2, 3, 4 and 5

So these past two weeks, I've been slave laboring and redecorating/renovating my room in all of my free time. Turns out it's effing hard!

#1: If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, ever suggests to you that wallpaper is a good idea, I want you to find a gun and threaten that person with bodily harm until they retract said wallpaper statement. Now, I've never put wallpaper up, but taking it down is my equivalent to hell. The fact that most of the drywall came off with it makes it even worse.

# of times I cried: 2

#2: This wallpaper hell is followed closely by sanding! My father is a relatively handy guy and he's been helping me immensely. But, and there is one...he's in his 60's and recently hurt his knee falling on ice. I can't feel bad for him since he absolutely REFUSES to see a doctor, but that's neither here nor there. This past weekend, he put wall puddy in all of the little holes around the room and the spots that the satanic wallpaper ripped. Turns out there were A LOT of spots. I went in the next day to sand said spots flat. I was sweating profusely, wearing a smelly mask, fogging up my sunglasses (gotta protect the eyes) and getting thoroughly dirty. I wasn't happy. I wasn't built for slave labor. I'm Jewish and live in Maryland. I can't relate to all this construction stuff.

# of times I cried: 1

#3: We ripped up the carpeting so that we could lay wood flooring down and that actually ended up being really fun. On top of getting to hack the carpet into pieces with a knife, I also got to take up the takcstrips that held the carpet down. This involved a crow bar and leverage...and hell if that shit wasn't SERIOUSLY therapeutic! I was popping those strips up with ferocity...it was great!

# of times I cried: 0...unless you count cries of awesomeness

#4: This brings us to painting...which I'm still in the process of doing. The ceiling was a helluva pain in my behind. Then the trim was a helluva pain in my behind...and guess what! So are the walls! Yesterday, my dad popped open the wall color which is sort of a dark mauve, and tried to convince me that it was orange! I'm at work and kind of wigged a little because, really, who wants an orange room? But the color is actually really nice and with a pink tinted cream trim & dark wood flooring it'll look really pretty.

# of times I cried: 1/2...got a bit frustrated but kept my cool.

Tonight the painting should be finished and tomorrow I'm taking off work to lay the flooring. Hooray!

I'm going to take about three million pictures once we're done...and you best believe there will be a before and after on this shiz!

And always remember...









BAD!!!