There is a good friend of mine… I have to pause here. I don’t know how good a friend he is when I call him and he doesn’t return my calls. I asked him about it and he gave me this explanation that compels me to feel sorry for him: he is so busy, work is cutting his pay and increasing his workload,  it takes all of his emotional reserves to deal with people at work, and when he is home, he wants to tune everything out. As if this type of thing is unique to him. Another good friend of mine works with special ed students, especially autistic and other special needs students. As an educator who works with kids who constantly need his attention, he is drained. All my dealings with students at any level has also placed emotional demands on me. This so-called good friend of mine… he is not special. He is lucky enough to have a full-time job, even if things are fucked-up right now.

Now that I’ve talked smack about why he doesn’t call me back, here’s some more smack: he calls me up asking me “for a favor” because he’s going on vacation. When I listen to the voicemail, I wonder what it is. I call back this time and he actually answers the phone. We chat and the favor turns out to if I could record some shows. Unfortunately, I tell him, I do not have a DVR and that’s the truth. I catch up with most of my TV viewing through the on-demand channels or Hulu.

I suspect the TV show in question is Project Runway. As much as I enjoy the show, I just don’t consider it a life-or-death situation. Some time ago, when I was blogging recaps, I did. But my summer viewing has been about Dr. Who, True Blood, Being Human, and Mad Men, in that order.

Ignore me, call me when you’re drunk, and call me when you want to watch TV. And if I piss you off, what are you going to do? Not talk to me? Geez!

Somehow, we will wind up having a lunch where my friend will get mushy and say we should hang out more often. As long as there isn’t excess alcohol involved, it’s ok.

Coming to the 11th episode in the U.S. broadcast, Steven Moffat’s attempt to present Doctor Who as a dark fairy tale has been very effective. The writing’s been more literate, allowing for moments of classic cheesiness. Gone is the emphasis on modern London and London girls, very Americanized pacing, and a gritty TARDIS. Like the previous interior, the TARDIS looks put together from various parts from different eras, but not with the component’s traditional functions. However, the inside of the TARDIS is a bright, vibrant collage, showing that this is how it prefers to look like. The Daleks too now come in several solid colors, striking me as the Creuset Pots in a long line of the Doctor’s most dangerous enemies. They haven’t been put to much use yet, but they certainly scared me in their return to the genetically purer line of Daleks. In the 10th Doctor series, they devolved to being the comic relief, which meant good riddance when the Doctor’s clone decided to wipe them all out in genocide. While Moffat’s backed away from London as a major setting, he’s stuck to tradition with the companion, but only so much. Amy’s the Scottish girl in an English village, which makes her as much as an outsider as the Doctor. And the complicated temporal drama of River Song should yield some interesting results in the future.

My least favorite concept on the show was the Starship UK (though I enjoyed the episode) and the Atraxi in the first episode were downright silly. The eye was the most effective when it was peering through the crack.

The Doctor is in tonight to solve another mystery of the crack that is definitely whack when it comes to time. The BBC America website promises a view of him in a bath towel. As long as I don’t have to watch him eat toast.

This week, the designers got to make paper dresses. While it’s not the first time  for this type of challenge (the recycled plastic and paper challenge, the Hershey’s dresses), it is the first one solely devoted to paper and a shameless plug for the LA Times. Even with them, the NY Times, BBC News, and every small newspaper outlet going online, the LA Times seems hell bent on preserving their paper edition. This, of course, means ink-smudgey fingers while going through the Style guide. Oh, let’s not forget that the designers must also have inky hands by the end of this challenge.

Shirin, who’s normally one of the more innovative designers, came up with a style of skirt we saw on the 5th season of Project Runway and the more recent PR knockoff The Fashion Show. Still, it’s Bjork-worthy along with the time consuming “feather” skirt made by Christopher.

With this season, there now seems to be a thread of lameness with some losing designers. First, Mitchell goes home for doing nothing while his partner does all the work and wins. This week, Johnny comes up with the lousiest excuse ever for having to make another dress when the first one wasn’t working. It was DAMAGED by the STEAM and WATER sputtering from the IRON? He wasn’t willing to own up to the fact that he panicked after Tim Gunn tore apart his origami motif dress. Living up to an addict stereotype, he came up with an alibi which only made him look worse in front of the teammate and the judges. His model became his enabler as she bought the story and then backed him up in front of the judges. She gets points for being loyal, but she should have seen through that. Nicholas, who had punk rock fail when it came to vision, called him out in front of the judges.

Althea, Ra’mon, and Gordana definitely made dresses that didn’t look like newspapers at all, though Althea had the more striking design. Either one should have won instead of Irina. Irinia did some arresting work with the faux-faux fur touch on the trenchcoat and it was 1950′s couture lovely. I didn’t care for the seam that was drawn on the back vent with a pen. It won because the Desperate Housewife wants to wear it.

Speaking of which, is it just me or is there an actress featured as a guest judge for the episiodes. There’s also more industry people showing up as guest judges as well, but can’t PR go actress-lite? Perhaps these women are essentially audience surrogates – their opinions and point of views may be closer to the Lifetime viewer than those of Tim Gunn and the regular judges. This Project Runway definitely feels different than it’s Bravo incarnaton.

Coming up with fashions for surf divas – kind of expected considering Project Runway has relocated to Southern California. The twist – these designers have to work in teams, which is always a recipe for drama and ultimately disaster. Mitchell definitely courts it by appointing Ra’mon to be his teammate, expecting Ra’mon to carry him through the challenge. Qristal and Epperson – the bad marriage as Epperson channels Santino without any of the flair in design or personality. These two pairing are a definite trainwreck.

Mitchell, who just got by last week by dumb luck hopes to replicate his success by appointing a strong teammate. Ra’mon is definitely the key figure in them winning the challenge, but he also turns out to be instrumental in Mitchell no longer being able to cheat fate. The judges, especially Heidi Klum, are dismayed that Mitchell contributed very little to the dresses, a lovely, multi-colored number and an adapted yellow neoprene dress, which was very risky. Ra’mon is declared the winner, but Mitchell goes home, which should have been a week earlier. His little joke about “Auf wiedersehen, bitches” proves to be a little too prophetic for him. This odd winner-loser pair is the first ever.

Some pairings go well, such as Nicholas and Gordana, even though there’s a strange not-quite-slutty anime princess factor to one of their looks. Also, they threaten to bring back macrame from 30+ years of dormancy.

Johnny and Irina did some nice work together and no drama, especially with Johnny this time. They also threaten to bring macrame out of its dormancy.

Logan has a look topped off with a wide hat while Christopher makes a big, poofy skirt. Innovative collaboration though not my favorite.

Louise and Althea use some retro elements, evoking flapper and Victorian both without rigidly conforming to the eras.

Shirin and Carol create a floor-length wrap to replace the sarong, and the bikini top is even an integral part of the dress, which is brilliant. The other dress is pretty and wearable, but the multi-functionality of the first one, a signature element of Shirin’s design, stands out.

As revealed on Models of the Runway, Mitchell’s model Fatma avoids his fate, even though she showed really bad form by openly displaying anger for him picking her. But for how long?

Catch up with last Thursday’s episode:
http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/project-runway/full-episodes/video

Big bummer this week – gender-fuck designer Malvin loses out with a risky design. Of course, the mother hen motif explained doesn’t go over well with the panel. Unfortunately, hack designer/love child of Perez Hilton and John Mayer, AKA Mitchell stays, even though his outfit execution is atrocious.

WTF – Ra’mon looks to his bowling bag for inspiration. That and the stripey dresses the Supremes would wear, with disastrous results. Also, he has boob issues.

Althea definitely has boob issues with her dress, though her dress is more flattering than Ra’mon’s.

Shirin definitely creates a lovely dress which all of the judges want to wear (thus wins), though Louise definitely has a better design instinct, as she anticipates the various stages of pregnancy.

Next week, Project Runway goes where no episode has gone before – the beach, which promises some hot mess drama.

Catch up with the second Project Runway episode “We Want Fashion.”

Just to keep everyone fixated on Lifetime TV for Thursday evening, there were not just one, but three programs. The pre-premiere show was a gathering of the Project Runway All-Stars, which must have taken some with Lifetime’s legal department, but there were the alumni who were available and/or willing/contractually obligated to follow Project Runway on whatever network it airs on. As Chris pointed out, Santino and Jeff Sibelia didn’t change much, especially when it came to obnoxious behavior. The funny thing is when contestants turn out to be odd fashion victims themselves, such as Michael Night’s blue polo shirt for a day, which made him look like he worked at Best Buy. Then what could have been a beautifully female version of the bromance went very badly quickly as Uli and Sweet P making some very same choices with Sweet P prevailing, almost. Daniel Vosovic, however, came out on top with a mini-line that evoked C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now!” Are the early 90′s upon us, retro fashion-wise?

The after show fixated on the models whose job is to make the designers outfits look good. Yawn, been there, done that, with watching more seasons of America’s Next Top Model than I’d like to admit.

The main offering, however, is what we’ve all been waiting for—an actual episode of Project Runway. I’ve followed Bravo’s slapped-together replacement, The Fashion Show, but it’s no real substitute. While Isaac Mizrahi can hold his own next to Tim Gunn and his commentary is a hundred times better than Michael Kors, Kelly Rowland doesn’t quite fill Heidi Klum’s shoes. A celebrity fashionista vs. a supermodel who’s walked outfits by some of the most influential designers—supermodel any day. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn back together, magic.

With so many seasons done in New York City, a change of venue definitely adds some freshness with the show moved to Los Angeles and the design studio set up in FIDM, which is in the heart of the Garment District. With that, comes a whole new cast of hungry designers who have had to keep mum for an entire year while production was going on. How they kept Fashion Week under wraps eludes me. Others who wish to keep spoilers to a minimum could definitely learn some things from the Project Runway team.

Right now, the group is too numerous to list, but some stood out too me. First, there was Ari, whom I’ll christen Bjork Lady II. From her own bright and colorful approach to her personal style, to her philosophies about her designs, to the odd executions of her garment, she has some oddness that would have been fun had she not been voted out. Her getting leaving saved Mitchell, who looks like the lovechild of Perez Hilton and John Mayer, and whose sheer Victorian nightgown barely covers his model. Malvin Vien has some androgynous appeal and he definitely tries to be an equal opportunity designer because no one should be excluded with his clothing. I like him and his Annabella-esque Bow Wow Wow hair. Project Runway can definitely use a little gender fuck to shake up the mostly female-centric challenges (and even the occasional menswear challenge). Johnny promises to provide some drama with his addiction issues (with which he seems to have made some headway but the show threatens to undermine), and no Project Runway is complete without a designer without formal education, as Christopher manages to shine with his unconventional dress. Qrystal goes for overkill with the colorful pattern, which must have looked great in the fabric shop, but now overwhelms her dress. She should have something fabulous soon.

The first celebrity judge was a very sober Lindsay Lohan, who seem to be on a re-branding mission of her own. Given the wild antics of 2007 and even 2008, Lohan offers some constructive comments to the designers. Hopefully, there will be more iconic judges to come. Given that Season 6 is already finished production-wise, but I hope Alec Wek or someone else just as noteworthy shows up.

So here’s to an excuse for staying home on Thursday nights. For a while, anyway.

Following the deaths of Owen and Tosh and the thwarted Dalek theft of Earth, there are some new mysteries: racially motivated alien attacks on humans and incidents of children standing still and speaking together on cue. Like Primeval, the Home Office also poses danger. For every Home Office employee who may be of help to the Torchwood team, there tens more who are out to get them for an agenda yet to be revealed. Ianto revels in the developing relationship he has with Jack, but soon find himself and his first male lover in the midst of danger from all the threats mentioned. In the course of the investigation, Gwen soon finds herself in peril along with her colleagues, especially as the end of the episode builds up to a highly personal bomb threat.

There are some deliberate false starts and red herrings, especially with the hospital doctor and his strange death cases. He initially seems to be the shoe-in for the absent Martha Jones, but that turns out to be someone else. Children on remote control by aliens is spooky enough, but the lives of the Torchwood team is at stake, the most urgent it’s ever been. Jack, Ianto, and Gwen display much greater dept here, and I am scared for them. I want more for sure, and there’s four more nights to go.

The cast of hopeful designers, perhaps some who didn’t get picked on the previous seasons of PR, also provide no shortage of drama. Infighting starts early on, especially when the flamboyant Merlin gets into an argument with Daniella, culminating in Merlin stating “It’s male domination, girl!” and Daniella retorting, “Male? Where?” As for insecurity, Isaac Mizrahi’s comment to one designer (who barely escapes being eliminated in the first episode) causes her to quit at the beginning of the second episode.

The comments from the judging panel ranges from high praise to over the top ridicule. As I mentioned earlier, Mizrahi’s comments can be very cutting. Kelly Rowland will also bring up the meanest comment an audience member says about the worst designer’s garment, which saves her from saying something she doesn’t know anything about. Given that there are two major fashion schools in NYC, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt get her a crash course in the language these designers speak. There are also a few catch phrases used towards the end of the episodes, but not with the same charm as Project Runway’s. “Goodbye darling” isn’t as warm as “Auf wiedersehen” and “You’re hanging on a thread” is more than tired.

I’m watching, but I’m definitely awaiting the long-delayed start of Project Runway on that other channel.

One of my favorite shows has come to an end. Unfortunately, so has a personal blogging tradition over the couple of years. Thankfully, my blog isn’t completely dedicated to BSG, or else I’d be obligated to follow up on all cast and creative staff of BSG in their new endeavors.

ThePete posted his reaction to “Daybreak II” yesterday and he wasn’t too thrilled. As a creative exercise, he started writing his own finale last week and it is a good read!  I half-hoped to see a blog reaction from Brian, but I’ve already seen his reaction on Facebook.We both agree that the ending was very “Hitchhiker’s Guide.”. Throughout the series, the Fleet could have used a Hitchhiker’s Guide to get them through the Galaxy before they plotted their half-baked trek to Earth.

I have to admit I liked the finale. It was an effective coda to the series, which seemed to be coming to an end too soon. So much happened quickly in Season 4.5  and I wish some questions were answered earlier. Here, however, we get the answer on how Kara Thrace is the Harbinger of Death.

As if destroying the Resurrection Hub and bringing the Fleet to a nuked-out Earth wasn’t enough, Kara Thrace then gets further confimation from a naked man in the bathtub that she is the Harbinger of Death. It’s enough to frak anyone up. She then participates in the rescue of Hera Agathon, a mission that ultimately leads Cavil’s gay cruise to its doom. While the Cylons aren’t taken completely by surprise with the Battlestar’s final mission, the Colony’s destruction mirrors that of the destruction of the Colonies in the pilot episode.

Sam Anders, the naked man in the bathtub, provides the back door to shut down the Colony’s hybrids, which is similar to how the Cylons shut down Colonial defense computers with the back doors provided by Caprica Six in Baltar’s operating system code. Once there, the Final 5 function as the diplomats, even offering resurrection technology as a condition of peace. While the Cylons ignored the Colonies post-war efforts at diplomacy, this time they’re listening. However, the effort is undermined by Tory, as Tyrol learns the truth of “Oh my god! They killed Callie” and pulls out of the downloading process. At this point, Cavil’s faction, misinterpreting the interrupted data flow as a trick, tries to make one last stand against the Battlestar. However, a dead Racetrack shoots nukes at the Colony, bringing an end to Cavil’s faction. Destruction for destruction is returned.

Sharon Valerii redeems herself by rescuing Hera from Simon’s experiments, but she intuitively knows it’s one of her last acts. Once she sees Sharon Agathon, she knows this is so. Perhaps she can feel what Athena is feeling, but it’s more likely that if someone snatched her child from her, this is what she would do. Athena’s anger outweighs whatever gratitude she may have, so she shoots Boomer, putting an end of the confusing “Tale of Two Sharons.”

Baltar and Six may have collaboratively brought about the Colonies destruction, but they come back together and make sense of the Opera House visions they both experience about Hera. Athena originally interpreted it as Six abducting Hera, but it turns out to be one where she rescues her in the confusion of Battle. They also manage to protect her when Cavil wants to take her captive and reverse engineer her. Ultimately, Hera is the future of the human race, confirmed by both Head Baltar and Head Six. They seem to be free of the torment of these angels/devils once their mission has been fulfilled.

Now for the Hitchhiker part:

The most useless elements of Colonial society, including the break-away Cylons are drawn to Earth 2, thanks to some captains in bubble baths. Technically, Sam Anders and the Basestar Hybrid aren’t captains, but they fit the joke better than Adama or Sonia.

Starbuck is definitely in tune with the Earth’s computer program as she’s able to transpose the music into numbers and punch it in to the FTL’s coordinates. However, shortly after everyone’s landed on Earth, we learn she was an apparition the whole time since her return. Here, I feel a little cheated, as how does this one function as flesh and blood. Baltar’s and Six’s spectres, on the other hand, are just that.

Sharon and Helo, upon landing, have a happy end to their star-crossed relationship as they engage in friendly competition over which parent is a better hunter. Baltar goes back to his farmer’s roots and Six happily becomes a farmer’s wife. Of course, she never had anything against farming at all, but it was important for Baltar to accept this part of himself in front of her. Adama literally goes out to pasture as he takes Roslin on one last flight to view the wildlife. As for everyone else, they’re just trying to get settled. The naked man in the bathtub drives the fleet into the sun, but not before Kara Thrace kissing him goodbye. The Centurions get the Basestar and they’ll hopefully do a better job of creating a Cylon society than the Final Five and Cavil ever did. They might do well to Borgify any remaining Cavils out there.

Now here’s where it gets really Hitchhiker’s. They’ve already been to a destroyed Earth, same topography and all, only to jump to a more verdant and identical Earth. This one has human beings in a very primitive state, pre-verbal according to the landing party, but genetically compatible. Conveniently, convergent evolution conveniently ensures humanity’s survival. In reality, convergent evolution doesn’t guarantee genetically identical organisms, but let’s suspend our disbelief for a moment. Romo walks around in his blue trenchcoat, which sort of looks like a blue bathrobe. All we need is a visit from the Doctor, who once implied that he knew Arthur Dent. Lee Adama makes a decision for the colonies to go completely Luddite, but there’s hope the Colonials gave the prehistoric humans the wheel.

The ending makes it clear it’s our world’s prehistory as Hera is implied to be Mitochondrial Eve. 150,000 years later, Head Baltar and Head Six go on a tour of New York City and pass by Ronad D. Moore reading about the discovery. Six seems certain what happens before won’t happen again, but it ends with clips of current, but primitive androids, which implies what could happen if we’re not too careful. “All Along the Watchtower” is still part of the Earth’s code as it’s played at the end.

Now on to Caprica, where the Colonies begin their downfall with creating Cylons. Also, a movie from the Cylon’s perspective is coming in the Fall.

There is my promised BSG post. Only bummer is two more episodes and the show is finis. C’est tout.

There are still numerous Sixes and Eights in their sexy worker uniform patching up the insides of the Galactica with Cylon tar. No Tyrol this time overseeing the joint workforce. Instead, it’s an anonymous deck chief who’s not enthusiastic to work with the Cylons but is later impressed that a honey-blonde Six gives her life to save everyone else when there’s a hull breach in their work area.

How come there aren’t any Leobens in the sexy male version of the Cylon worker outfits?

Adama soon accepts that it may be the end for the Galactica. The new council of ship captains do as well, but most of them wish to cannibalize the old ship. Adama, however, seems to have other plans for it, which should play out next week. Perhaps we’ll find out more about how Kara Thrace is the Harbinger of Death. The Hybrids, which now include Sam Anders, keep saying it. Some Cylon algorithm keeps pointing them to it.

Even though we get treated to some shirtless Anders, it’s not sexy at all. I’m sure someone will find him bald and hooked up to a machine hot, but not me. I don’t like the idea of Sam Anders turned into a jibberish spouting bionic zombie in a milkbath. Perhaps the Sixes and the Eights did more harm than good in hooking him up to the Basestar Hybrid’s back-up equipment. He’ll never be, for lack of a better term, human again.

Baltar ultimately proves he is full of shit with two women in his life. First, when he tries to invite Caprica Six into his fold (and hopefully back into his life), she tells him he hasn’t changed at all, but she has. She has also managed to change Tigh for the better, though it may not take Ellen to undermine that now that Caprica lost her unborn child. Kara Thrace, one-time Baltar fling and later anti-Baltar rebel on New Caprica, asks Baltar to test the dogtags from her dead self found on Earth. Baltar confirms the blood on the dogtags are Kara’s, but he exploits this information to spread his gospel of eternal life at the end. Barely containing Paula with the supply of guns for the flock, Baltar has certainly found a new way to keep his flock on his side with his proclamation of Starbuck as living proof of eternal life.

Boomer kidnaps Hera, bonds with her, and flies off to the giant butthole in space. Actually, it’s the Cylon colony, but who knows what BSG’s creative staff were thinking. Deep Space Nine‘s Bajoran Wormhole also liked a sphincter in the diagrams, so that makes two shows that Ronald D. Moore was involved in where these visuals occured. Now to the present. Unfortunately, the new relationship between Hera and Auntie Boomer is shortlived as Cavil takes her to be examined by Simon.

Speaking of parents, Saul may have embraced his Cylonhood, but he hasn’t embraced Ellen’s revelation about them being parents of the Eight. When a dying Eight tells him she gets to see her father before she dies, he doesn’t return any warm gesture. He’s still fiercely loyal to most of the crew of Galactica (those who didn’t mutiny, anyway).

Helo has to deal with the aftermath of frakking someone who looked liked his wife, as Athena’s not so happy. Plus, Adama has to keep him and Athena from going on a very risky mission to rescue their daughter. At least Adama having lost a son before comes in handy. However, Helo and Athena will no doubt volunteer for the Battlestar’s final mission and giving the Cylon Colony a much needed suppository. Maybe Athena will knock Boomer around for what happened the week before. Somehow, I don’t think Boomer sharing projections with Hera makes up for everything else she did.

Roslin has some more Opera House visions, but we’re still not much closer to learning truth about the vision. However, she will most likely expire along with the show, as she didn’t look too well here.

No sign of a rock, and no winner of Feldercarb toothpase. Hopefully all is revealed tonight and next week.