Project Runway: Miss Piggy

Yeah, yeah, this post is so late it's almost moot. But I still want to talk about it and sometimes family emergencies take precedence over sporadic blogging. Sometimes.

Let's get started. I had mixed feelings about Miss Piggy as a guest judge, and most of the feelings were not positive. The contestants kept talking about Miss Piggy being real person with tastes and feelings. But it's a muppet character. Controlled by a man. It was odd. It was also the first time I felt the show was highly scripted. I assume that these "reality" shows are scripted, but the lies are more condescending with an obvious script. I was particularly shocked when Joanna proclaimed that this was one of the "best challenges" Project Runway has ever had. Um, right. Don't get me wrong, I think that designing for Miss Piggy works as a PR challenge, but I didn't like the way they went about it.

The worst part is that it cues the audience that PR (and maybe even the design process itself) is a joke. As someone trained in fashion, this is disappointing and disheartening.

As far as the actual challenge goes, I think Rami should have won even though I didn't love his dress. His dress, like the character of Miss Piggy, was flashy, a little silly, and a little sophisticated with a nod to vintage fashion.

I did like Michael's dress; I certainly don't begrudge him his win. I've always liked those oversized and highly structured bows. They remind me of obis.

Kenley, oh Kenley. She's always making the same dress. I was mad that she was in the top three, because the construction of that bustier was abismal.

Mondo's performance was entirely disappointing. His dress was...okay I suppose, but the styling was so completely awful. And look how awkward his model is. But I realized this episode why Mondo never wins. He wants to avoid confrontation so much that he won't fight for himself. The pink glove battle royale is a small example, but I think it's indicative of the whole.

I can't believe Austin wasn't eliminated. His dress was off point, overwrought, and a little sad. But I'm glad he's still in the competition.

I'm sad Gordana got eliminated. She's probably the most down-to-earth, no-nonsense contestant. I didn't love her dress, but Kara's was much worse. I guess she thought Miss Piggy was getting a new character arc as a prostitute.

Favorite quote: "I always say being a lady never goes out of style." Indeed Anthony, indeed.

"The Muppets" in Review

I grew up on the Muppets. I love the Muppets. In fact, The Great Muppet Caper is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time, both for its hilarity and its nostalgia.

So with glee I traipsed to the movie theater this weekend with a load of family members to see the newly released "The Muppets" starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams. For the first twenty minutes I was perfectly delighted. It was funny and energetic, and the first musical number was a jolly treat. (Despite the obvious choreography editing to keep Jason Segel from "dancing.") After that, the magic petered out a bit (with the exception of a hysterical soul searching song about being a muppet or a man). The energy dropped off significantly, the celebrity cameo's were mostly wasted, Amy Adams was underutilized with her singing and dancing talents, and Kermit was a total downer. A DOWNER! How dare he.

But even after my indignation, I think most Muppet fans will like this movie, and a lot of other movie-goers will enjoy this movie enough to make it worth the price of the ticket. And wouldn't you know, much to my dismay, the movie got a 98% fresh on RottenTomatoes.com.