TV: Project Runway Shocker

First of all, this is clearly one of the best 2nd Generation Reality TV programs being produced. I'm not, however, certain that last night's finale did justice to the designers who didn't win.

Jeffery presented his work first. He had an awesome collection, granted, but it would seem it looked much better up close than from a distance. Some of the garments looked like they had been produced from curtains and tablecloths! Of course, the zipper work was immaculate, and some of the leather pieces he--ahem--created were truly admirable. There was a question that was brought up in the last show by his competitors of whether or not he had done all the stitching himself. And though the producers did an exhaustive accounting of his receipts, there was one item that remained questionable AND he went over budget by $200! To be frank, his $8000 collection did not look like it was worth that much. The theme of his collection was disjointed and it didn't even reflect his Rock and Roll spirit very well.

Uli's collection was perhaps the most surprising. She gets all her inspiration from her tropical environment in Miami (we've heard this 10 times before, on every previous show, in fact). Her whispy collection was at once youthful and beautiful. She got a little carried away with the hippy prints, which may have cost her the competition, but her cuts and stitching were clearly the best of the three. There was a certain creativity to her collection that the other three designers lacked. And her outfits were utilitarian as well. One could see her models in a number of different environments wearing what Uli created. Personally, I thought her outfits shined above the rest, and though I don't like her very much, I feel her collection was the strongest.

Laura presented her work, which was astonishingly beautiful, composed mostly of evening wear, with ornate, ultra-chic cocktail dresses. This collection actually had a theme, but it felt a bit antiquated, and old fashioned. I could see someone wearing these outfits in the 1930's or the 1950's. Not so much today. Although, celebrities on their way to the red carpet would be wise to contact Laura. Her collection looked like it was worth $30,000. Not bad on an $8,000 budget.

Finally, Michael, oh Michael.... His collection, much like Uli's, was chasing after this trendy Urban Safari theme. Uli did it ten times better, though. Michael, who was probably the most talented designer this season, proceeded to have a showing that flopped. Where Uli created elegant, airy pieces, Michael devolved into ghetto-fabulousness. Not only were his clothes a bit tight and hoochy, but he had the worst models of the bunch! These were clearly dresses made for strong URBAN women (or should I just say black women?) The skinny, pale, sad-looking models that strutted his stuff did it no justice whatsoever. His work was sexy and sultry, but the models couldn't make it look good. He needed a troupe of chicken-eating sisters to parade his gowns, instead he ended up with heroine-addled, bulimic, half-asleep chicken heads. And though he won the popular vote by the viewers (and even the crowd's approval at the show), his clothes were clearly not something the average white female could pull off without a few random implants.

Anyway, Jeffery won. Don't ask me why. Uli's collection made his look sophomoric. But oh well.

Project Runway 3 Finale Michael Knight

Oh no he didn't!

Laura Bennett Project Runway 3 Finale

Laura's elegant collection looked like it was worth ten times her budget.

Uli Project Runway 3 Finale

Uli's collection was sharp.

Project Runway 3 Finale Jeffrey

See for yourself. Jeffrey's collection is a bit scattered.

PDA's RIP

There's an article over on Ars Technica stating that Smartphones are leaving PDA's in the dust.

Of course, it's a little late to be making such a grand declaration. This would have been news if it had been written two years ago.

I own an Audiovox SMT-5600. Best Smartphone ever. It does EVERYTHING. I can surf the net, check email, listen to MP3's, take pics or video. Pretty much anything. That is, anything that doesn't involve making a decent call to someone without the call being dropped. Although, the carrier is probably more to blame on that than the phone.

TV: Big Brother All Stars (CBS)

So it has finally come down to these two: Erika and Mike "Boogie".

I am so furious with this outcome that I've decided to boycott the show from now on. Neither of them are even worthy of being in All Stars, much less winning. A friend of mine told me he wouldn't watch next year if Mike "Boogie" won this time around. I have to agree that it's no longer worthy of my eyes, either way.

Erika was instrumental in riding everyone else's coat tails throughout the game. She lied to people's faces, betrayed her best ally, and even resorted to a showmance with Mike to cement her position. Mike "Boogie" was a member of the "Chill Town" alliance, which consisted of himself and the evil Dr. Will. Although I give kudos to Chill Town for bouncing back from overwhelming odds, I have to give the real credit to Dr. Will for being the catalyst in most of the strategy involved. Mike was a hanger-on for the majority of the show, barely managing to squeek out a couple of wins, the last of which made him this week's Head of Household, thereby giving him the power to eliminate the true All Star of Big Brother, Janelle. Hell, even Dr. Will deserved it more than either of these two shlubs.

I can no longer give praise to a show that fosters so much deceit and outright backstabbing. Celebrating the ability to betray someone is not really entertainment worth watching.

Reality TV 3.0: How to Kill a Genre

What is happening to Reality TV these days? As the 3rd generation of Reality TV rolls out of the networks, I can't help but wonder what the future holds for Reality TV. Third generation, you may be asking. What's that? Well, here's a brief history of Reality TV to get you caught up.

Reality TV (The Formative Years)

Arguably, the roots of reality TV go back to the earliest days of television. Shows like Candid Camera and What's My Line? were adept at displaying the reactions of victims as far back as the '50s. Although these shows were good (for their time), they were little more than trendy game shows and comedy skits. They focused on amusing observations about people, often utilizing secret cameras. They had not yet acquired the characteristics of true Reality TV 1.0 shows: the ability to actually create a story and even celebrity.

In the 70's, there was An American Family on PBS, a show that focused on the chaotic lives of an average family. Special? Not really. Although, it did make the leap from merely observing people to creating a story about them via creative editing. It garnered 10 million viewers, which was probably admirable at the time, but it didn't really start a trend in programming for the masses.

Reality TV 1.0

The first true generation of modern reality TV programming started in the late '80s. America's Most Wanted (1988) focused on capturing criminals. Cops and Rescue 911 (1989) both focused on observing people in less fortunate moments by taking the viewer into typically forbidden realms of viewing—essentially, voyeurism. America's Funniest Home Videos in 1990 was the logical offshoot of Candid Camera, with a twist: now it was the viewers capturing themselves to be viewed and laughed at by the world. These early versions of reality TV programming can be credited with originating the genre of the modern Reality TV show.

The Rise of The Real World

None of these shows, however, can be called the granddaddy of Reality TV 1.0 programming. That award goes to The Real World (1992). This show was special because it was all contrived, not accidental. A stage was created for the creation of reality. Arguably the template for every decent reality show that followed, The Real World is the certifiable father of Reality TV. Everything from the clever casting to the staged dramatic conflicts of current reality shows began here. It spawned an entire genre of programming. There is no arguing about it.

Of course, with the success of The Real World came a ton of other reality shows, many of them more successful and polished. Survivor and Big Brother (both from 2000) were the logical offshoots of The Real World and quickly became the reigning lords of Reality TV, but the next generation was quick to unseat them.

The Apprentice builds a bridge

What's different about The Apprentice? I like to think of it as the bridge between 1.0 and 2.0 programming. The contestants are all fairly average, but they also harbor hidden talents that are displayed during the show and (usually) help them to win, thereby not only winning them a job working for Trump, but also garnering them huge celebrity. In terms of the timeline of programming, The Apprentice also seems to fall directly in the middle of the passing of the guard, between the generations.

Reality TV 2.0

So what is Reality TV 2.0, you might be asking? Well, It's the current generation of Reality TV. Whereas 1.0 generation programming was effective at gathering normal, average people and putting them in any number of stressful situations to create drama and fly-by-night celebrity, Reality TV 2.0 is slightly different from that rubric. Reality TV 2.0 programming focuses on people who already have talent (and often celebrity of their own). In effect, Reality TV 2.0 is seeking to brand and amplify celebrity using the talents of the individuals on display. Doing this strengthens not only the contestants, but the shows as well, because celebrities are now created, promoted, and contracted by the reality programs themselves. These shows currently rule the programming schedules, and there is some overlap with legacy 1.0 programs, but for the most part, 2.0 programming already dominates primetime.

Examples of Reality TV 2.0 programming include:

American Idol - Where pretty decent singers compete for bragging rights and the chance to be locked into draconian recording contracts.

Top Chef - Where chefs convene to present their culinary masterpieces and tenderize their competition like tough beef.

America's Next Top Model - Where tall, lanky girls get a start in doing coke being supermodels.

Project Runway - Where all the kids who knew how to use the sewing machines in Home Ec ended up.

So You Think You Can Dance? - Where good dancers stand a chance to finally get music video gigs.

Making The Band - Where pop divalettes are manipulated by Puff Daddy for the amusement of all.

The Surreal Life - Where has-beens get a second chance before they finally crawl under a rock.

The Contender - Trying, oh so desperately, to revive boxing from the knockout Don King delivered to it in the 90's.

Ultimate Fighter - Arguably my favorite (and the best) Reality TV 2.0 program of all. Why? Well, it's simple, really. All good Reality TV is essentially about contests and drama. What better show is there than one where the contestants display the tedious dramas of living together, then literally go to blows every week on their quest to get a contract with the UFC? This program is Reality TV 2.0 at its best!

Reality TV 3.0

There are really two ways of looking at 3^rd gen Reality TV programming, which is still in its infancy.

• On one hand, you have "staged reality." Shows like MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills fall into this genre. They aren't really Reality TV, but they're made to look like Reality TV in such a way that you begin to question what is real and what is contrived. Yes, it turns the entire genre of Reality TV inside out. And yes, I hate it. It's garbage. It hasn't been well-executed and it stands to destroy everything we hold dear about Reality TV because it begs the question: how much actual Reality TV is staged as well? If shows like this continue to be produced, we will soon invariably be inundated with shows that can't decide if they are real or not. Can you imagine a Survivor made entirely in a Hollywood studio by paid actors? I hope not.

• On the other hand, you have shows being produced by complete amateurs on sites like YouTube. Perhaps the next generation celebrity of Reality TV will not be produced by the networks at all? If so, I hope something better than people lip-synching in dormitories is what we have to look forward to.