I Shot The Gunn?

Apparently I filmed video of Tim Gunn's visit to Austin and don't remember it, because these videos from Austinist are shot from my exact perspective, right next to Friend of Felt Up Michele S. (You can see her cute short hair and glasses every now and then.) Perhaps I was in a blackout, despite not being drunk? Very odd!

Anyway, enjoy--they are in three parts and this is the last section, the Q & A, which is the most Gunn-y. There's more here:

Texans Love Their Gunns!

Yesterday was a red-letter day for us hicks in sticks in Austin, because Mr. Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" and "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style" graced us with his presence!

Timmy G. was here to promote Liz Claibourne's new spring/summer line with a little fashion show at our local Dillard's department store. Friend of Felt Up Michele S. took matters into her capable hands and called Dillard's, reserved a bunch of seats, and got there early to make sure slackers like your humble Felt Up blogette wouldn't get left out in the cold, wandering around lost and hopeless in the Siberia of the nearby Dillard's "Woman" section (ie Fat Ladies' Clothes) without her help, so thanks again Ms. S.!

They had removed a bunch of racks in the middle of the womenswear section of the store and set up a runway and backstage area, plus a photo-op area (you had to spend $100 on Liz Claibourne to get a professional picture with Tim) and a bunch of chairs around the runway and a velvet rope to keep out all the people who didn't RSVP. Oh, such a nice feeling to be on the right side of the rope! Just like being inside Studio 54, except at 5:30 pm on a Wednesday in a mall in Texas.

It was fun to see who would show up for an event like this. Tim Gunn's Austin crowd was a pretty diverse mix of ages, races, sexual orientation, and body types. Everyone had obviously made an attempt to dress nicely, which kind of broke my heart a little. There were some totally awesome big-haired, plastic-surgered older rich ladies who looked like they had flown in from Dallas, and a great many 'tweens with their parents. Everyone was very excited, and when it got close to show time the whole place started reaching a fever pitch; the din was incredible. People were just about to burst with anticipation. I was not immune: I was able to catch a glimpse of a pin-striped arm backstage and I almost peed my pants.

First Tim's female perky co-host came out and blah blah blahed about Liz Claibourne and Mother's Day coming up and whatever; we just wanted TIM! Finally she shut up and he came out and the crowd went nuts. He was EXACTLY like he is on tv: Charming, erudite, a total delight in every way.



The fashion show began and it was nice because they used models of different sizes and ages, and a couple of times Tim and his co-host would come out on the middle of the runway and change up the look with a bag of accessories and Tim would make totally Tim comments like, "We all know that green can be dicey." Swoon! He also tends to get really red in the face which I found very touching, because it indicated nervousness. Or shock in the Texas heat. Whichever, it was sweet.



After the fashion show (which was a bit on the mom side, as expected, but there were quite a few really cute dresses), Tim took questions from the audience, which always makes me a bit nervous because I don't trust my fellow humanity in the slightest and am worried that someone will either be a) a crazy nutball, b) retarded, c) inappropriate, or d) all of the above. But to my relief, the questions were all fine and ranged from "I'm short. Should I wear a belt?" to "How much input to the producers have on the judging on 'Project Runway.'" The answer to the first question was, "It all depends on proportion, and you should try a variety of widths and materials. Try on, try on, try on!" while the answer to the second question was a bit longer but the gist of it was that the only time the producers have a say is when the judges are at a total stalemate/deadlock. He did dish a bit that he mistakenly thought the producers had intervend on Season 3 during the recycled materials challenge because he thought Vincent (loathesome nutty old Vincent! Ugh!) was so obviously the loser and should have gone home that he "burst into the producers' office" and had a fit over it, but it turned out to be solely the judges' decision. He also talked about concealing one's flaws and said of himself, "I'm a bowling pin!" Oh, Tim.

Overall, a wonderful experience and it didn't cost a penny. Tim made it work!

Gunn Control

The plot thickens! Now Victorya from "Project Runway" has responded to Tim Gunn's allegations that she is a crabby sourpuss. Over at Blogging Project Runway, Victorya has lots to say, although none of it responds directly to his charges that she demanded he count out all the Mood money and was acting quite weirdly about Jack leaving due to his illness. Mainly she attacks Tim's qualifications and comes off as--you guessed it!--a crabby sourpuss:

It's no secret that it's been extremely hard for me to take any of Tim's advice to heart, chiefly because I don't think he is qualified to give it. Tim was, for many years, the dean of Parsons,which is a fancy word for administrator. Does that automatically give him the credentials to assume the role of an arbiter of fashion? I can see how he might be capable of teaching say, fashion history, but design?

I do not mean to assert that he's completely unqualified. He seems to be exploring now what he is good at doing. I think he's very suited to educating women on how they should dress based on body proportions--because it's an almost formulaic approach. This dress will flatter your body because of x, y, and z. But again, that doesn't speak to design.

I am the type of person who, professionally, would prefer to work with someone who may not be the most likable, but really knows their stuff. I'm sure everyone has had a horror story about having to work with someone who is extremely nice, but completely incompetent. It's the absolute worst!

I was rather surprised that the comments on this post were not more negative about Victorya; apparently quite a few people are put off by Tim "going public" with his feelings about her. Personally, I think he should go off on contestants in the press more, not less!

Thoughts?

Tim Gunn Dishes Dirt On Crabby Sourpuss Victorya!

Here's some awesome "Project Runway" gossip, courtesy of this interview in the Chicago Tribune with America's sweetheart, Tim Gunn, concerning irritable and irritating killjoy Victorya:

“She was a sourpuss, a crabby apple as I keep saying, throughout almost all the show, other than Days 1, 2 and 3. She became this sour pill. Rich Bye, one of the executive producers, and I had two off camera interventions with her. I said to her, ‘You know what makes me beside myself is the fact that there are thousands of designers who would love to be in your place. What’s the matter with you?’

“She said, ‘I never dreamed the experience of being on the show would be like this.’ We said, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I never dreamed we’d only have a day for challenges, that we wouldn’t have any breaks.’ ‘But you said you saw the show.’ She said, ‘I assumed it was cheated.’ I said, ‘Then you only have your own delusions to blame.’ She was really angry and bitter.

“On one occasion – they edited this out, I knew they would – we were at Mood [Fabrics], and I’m handing out money. They each have $250 dollars. She collects the envelopes from all the designers and hands them back to me. She said, ‘I want you to count it.’ I just stared at her. ‘You want me to do what?’

“She wanted me to count the money in each envelope. I looked to the producer on site with us, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this, am I?’ and he said, ‘The rules say that if a designer asks for the money to be counted, we have to count it.’ I said, ‘Fine,’ and asked why she wanted it counted. And she had pulled out this sheaf of papers – she had the rules with her – and she said, ‘I don’t believe that we all have the same amount of money.’ Why would we do that? If someone didn’t have the right amount, wouldn’t they come to me? So I counted the money.

“But that’s what it was like dealing with her. She actually said about Jack’s departure that we had engineered him leaving because he wasn’t a pretty face anymore. I just said to her, ‘I fundamentally don’t understand why you can’t understand that he is seriously ill. Furthermore, it’s a MRSA [infection]. We are all at risk.’ But she said we were forcing him out and that shouldn’t happen and we should have a hearing or something.”

MR: That explains what the hostility was about in the reunion special. I think I get that now.

TG: “I still don’t understand [what was going on with her]. She was at the finale party last night. I said to myself, ‘What are you doing here? Why are you here, you’ve disassociated yourself from the show, supposedly, but you’re here?’

“I will say this too, as sour as she is, she is extremely talented.”

Wow. What a weirdo Victorya sounds like! When Tim Gunn hates your guts, you must be a true beyotch. Oh, how I love it when Mr. Gunn dishes! He is a delight and a national treasure.

Gunn's A'Blazin'!

(image via houseandgarden.com)


Oh, my God, did anyone watch the "sneak preview" of the new Bravo show "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style" last night? IT IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SHOW EVER!

First of all, it has Tim Gunn. Right there, that puts it at the the head of the reality show pack. Then there's the whole concept, which is totally "What Not To Wear"-meets-"Queen For A Day," because Tim and his oddly-coiffed supermodel sidekick Veronica Webb go into a woman's life and tell her what's wrong with what she's wearing, but besides getting the usual shopping spree and hair/makeup makeover, the woman also gets all kinds of fabulous GIFTS, like a custom-made Bill Blass dress and a giant designer handbag and a Tahitian black pearl necklace. As Bret Michaels would say, it's pretty incredibly awesome. The only problem I can see is that I may explode in a jealous rage at these women who not only get to hang out with Tim Gunn for a week but also receive expensive gifts from him! Seriously, my covetousness knows no bounds...

The other thing that makes the show so great--especially in comparison with "What Not To Wear"--is that Tim is so sweet and unpushy. They don't actually throw away the woman's bad clothing, it just gets taken to Tim's office (which contains a giant and unexpected zebra skin rug!). Tim tells her that she doesn't have to do this makeover, it's her choice. On the episode last night, they made a big deal of making the woman throw away a Betsy Johnson dress that she wore when she was 21 and was symbolically holding her back in her family's stated quest for her to please, for the love of god, achieve a more age-appropriate and less-skanky look---then at the end Tim presents it back to her in a "memory box." (And let me tell you, Stacy London would rather stick a fork in her eye than do that on the American "What Not To Wear." She takes great pleasure in bullying and bossing and shoving, although I must say that most people who go on these shows are so annoying that I don't blame her. If there's one thing that will make me outraged it is the mamby-pamby makeover show participant who sobs when her tacky hair gets a much-needed trim or she can't give up a loathesome pair of shoes, especially since these people are getting a whole new wardrobe, professional fashion consultations, a free haircut, a make-up lesson, and every single person they know at home says they looked like total embarrassing crap before the makeover. GROW A SPINE, LADIES, AND STOP YOUR WHINGING! But I digress.) He seems to really care about the woman's inner struggle with making a big change. And he's not afraid to say that a person's velour low-rise sweatpant with "Juicyland" on the ass is vulgar. "Vulgar" is one of his favorite pronouncements. Oh, every single thing he says is a total delight! TIM GUNN IS AMERICA'S SWEETHEART!

The real premiere is TONIGHT on Bravo! To miss it would be vulgar...

Lawyers, Gunns, and Money

(photo via Queerty)

Friend of Felt Up TrAngela sent in a report from Broadcasting and Cable that says that America's Sweetheart Tim Gunn (from that reality fashion competition show that's dead to me) is getting his very own show on Bravo! Huzzah!

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style will profile Gunn as he solves people's fashion dilemmas by helping them get makeovers. While it's still unresolved whether Gunn will return to _______ for its fourth season, his own show debuts as he is set to publish a book on style and taste in May 2007.

Sadly, when one door opens another door closes, and it looks like Bravo has finally cancelled "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy":

Bravo's pulling the plug on Queer Eye after five seasons and four years on TV. The show's ten-episode fifth season, which debuts this summer, will be its last, the network was expected to tell television critics today at a presentation in Pasadena, Calif...

Queer Eye put Bravo on the map when it debuted to huge ratings and critical acclaim in 2003, but has fallen off in the ratings since then. Queer Eye: The Final Season will showcase for one last time the Fab Five making over deserving subjects.

But don't cry for them, Argentina, because at least Queer Eye cutie Thom Filicia is getting his own home makeover show on the Style network called "Dress My Nest" beginning March 28, and I'm sure with all their charm and talent the others will have no trouble landing on their tv feet, except maybe Jai, who has no discernible lifestyle skills and should go back to Broadway tapdancing or whatever his previous career was--although I would totally watch a tapdancing reality competition show called "Tap Into America" (yes, that is a "Spinal Tap" shout out), or pehaps, "Top Tap" or even "Hoofin' It Up!" hosted by Jai and Gregory Hines and featuring such judges as Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller....Bravo, give me a production deal! These are pieces of gold I'm giving away for free! Pure, solid gold!

In other Bravo news, appparently Paula Abdul (!) is getting her own reality show called "Hey Paula" (pleasepleaseplease let it be a "Breaking Bonaduce"-style document of her trainwreck of a personal life!) and there's going to be a hairstyling competition show called "Shear Genius" hosted by Miss Jaclyn Smith! Double huzzah!


(photo via the Jaclyn Smith gallery from the totally awesome "Charlie's Angels" Spanish fansite, which is worth a look for the great pictures)

Bravo, you own my heart and my soul forever--or at least for the next tv-viewing season!