All The PR News That Fits

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 by

Darlings, there is much to discuss regarding the ongoing sagas of Nina Garcia and Lifetime. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to it.

First up, MediaBistro:

"The end of Garcia's tenure as fashion director seems to have been foreshadowed by the arrival of Joe Zee, Elle's creative director. Following in the path Garcia forged as editor-turned-reality star, Zee is slated to be the magazine's newest editor-turned-television personality. He and fashion news director Anne Slowey are wrapping production on their first season of Perfect Fit, Elle's sophomore reality television effort that will air later this year on the CW."

Well, at least we can all breathe easy knowing Slowey won't be tootying up Project Runway. We'll be watching Perfect Fit of course. Or will they be calling it Fashionista? According to Fashion Week Daily:

"Nina Garcia may have parted ways with Elle as fashion director, but in lieu of an outright dismissal, Fashion Week Daily has learned that Garcia has been offered a new role at the magazine: editor-at-large or contributing editor.

Should Garcia, whose contract was up for renewal this month, accept this lesser role, she would be allowed to remain on Project Runway for at least one more season. The hit reality series has just started casting for season five, with Elle as a confirmed partner, and will start filming June 8 and premiere on Bravo. According to sources, however, Elle is not expected to continue its partnership with Project Runway once the show transitions over to the Lifetime Network beginning with season six.

"Garcia's exit from the magazine is expected to rest months of rumors and gossip over unrest at the fashion title that began when Zee arrived at the beginning of 2007 as creative director. It's no secret that there were ever-increasing tensions between Garcia and Zee--largely reflective of the old guard versus the new guard--where the former saw several colleagues from her heyday leave the company, including art Guillaume Bruneau and style director Isabel Dupré. Since then, Myers has also taken on a more active role on the fashion side and has made several significant changes to the structure of the magazine, including taking international creative director Gilles Bensimon's office and authorizing Carter Smith to replace Bensimon in shooting this and next month's covers.


Not to be outdone, Zee was recently given his own monthly column in Elle, which, by coincidence or not, appears in the front of book ahead of Garcia's column. Zee has also been busy preparing for Elle's new reality show on the CW network called Fashionista. Produced by Tyra Banks and Ken Mok of America's Next Top Model fame, the show follows contestants eager to become a fashion assistant at the magazine. The show will air this summer."

So it looks like Elle is on board for Season 5 and possibly Nina too. But what about The Duchess? Let's turn to The Hollywood Reporter:

"But Weinstein disclosed that Lifetime would televise two new Weinstein Co. reality series: "Project Pygmalion," in development for 2009, which will remake the winner and give her entre into high society, and a series looking at "Project Runway" from the models' eyes ("Models of the Runway") that will air in November along with the reality series' sixth-season premiere."

"Gunn, Heidi Klum and Michael Kors are on board to continue with the new seasons, though the fate of Nina Garcia remains uncertain after a change at Elle, where she worked, and which is a major sponsor. Weinstein said that he was still trying to work that out. "Nina wants to stay with us and we want her to be," Weinstein said. "

Sorry, but that Project Pygmalion thing sounds lame as hell. Makeover shows are a dime a dozen and not even Tim Gunn could make it work with his. There was a time when a show like Models of the Runway would have excited us, but now model shows are becoming a dime a dozen too. Of course we're going to check both shows out, but oddly enough, it's Slowey's show that sounds like the most fun to us.

UPDATE: [Via WWD] "...more details emerged of the behind-the-scenes wrangling between the former Elle fashion director, “Project Runway” and the magazine as Garcia continued to mull over whether to accept a contributing editor’s role at the title after being pushed out on Friday. But even if she does, it’s only a temporary gig — sources said her time at Elle would end by the sixth season of “Project Runway,” whether or not the magazine remains a partner. That means she’d no longer be involved with Elle as of mid-October." [...] "Meanwhile, The Weinstein Co., the show’s producer, is hedging its bets, as sources say it remains in talks to bring back Garcia; the fourth judge, Michael Kors; Elle, and other partners and sponsors for the sixth season. Whether the show would rehire Garcia if Elle remains involved and she isn’t associated with the publication still isn’t clear (as if so much else is?)."

[Photos: Mark Von Holden/WireImage/Patrick McMullan courtesy of nymag.com]

67 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear TLo,

Thanks for your investigative journalism on this developing story. It's not up there with world peace (and precious little we can do about that....), but it's certainly of real interest to our fabulous community.

I agree that there seem to be many questionable decisions being made, and the jury's going to have a lot of evaluating once these programs air.

BTW, my QVC LBD purchases have shipped! Should receive them tomorrow or Thursday. I'm excited! On that issue there is NO doubt!

All the best,

NDC

veruca salt said...

This is all so Dynasty, I am waiting for gignormous shoulder pads to start appearing in those head shots.

Anonymous said...

Quite a crazy turn of events.

I agree Project Pygmalion seeems pointless. Don't those fools recall that lame ass show hosted by Mrs Hilton. No way High Society snobs going to accept a nouveau riche creation from the weinsteins

well personally Nina should probably get out of Elle why she can. A demotion is still a demotion

also it's just insane of Lifetime to be squeezing in this 6th season so soon. Probably a weinstein idea also

Frank

Brooklyn Bomber said...

"Project Pygmalion," . . .. "Models of the Runway". . . "Perfect Fit". . . "Fashionista" . . .

Oh, brother. Enough already. Are there no new ideas left in the world? The Pygmalion thing sounds like a disaster in the making ("How Do I Look" meets "Real Housewives"?), but who knows--it'll probably be a big hit. Re "Fashionista" -- wasn't there already some show about someone trying to get a job as a fashion assistant?

Bill said...

I'm waiting for someone to launch "So You Think You Can Blog."

It's a reality show where couples attempt to launch a thoughtful, edgy, screamingly successful and wildly funny blog from their homes in their spare time while maintaining a healthy, loving relationship.

TLo, the perfect example of success in this arena, will of course be either the judges or the Gunn-like mentors.

Anonymous said...

Yikes - the spinoffs to PR are going to dilute the brand that it is, and don't sound appealing AT ALL!

As for Slowey's show - I'm eternally thankful that she will not be replacing La Nina, at least for the next season. However, I don't think I'll even try to watch her show.

I'm a bit miffed about the start dates for the final season on Bravo. Just when I thought I'd have the time to bike some serious miles on Wednesdays! (Assuming Bravo won't change the usual PR schedule.)I'm afraid that seasons 5&6 running so close together might just make me all PR'd out, perish the thought!

Thanks for the wonderful reportage guys!

P.S. Bill, I'm waiting for that reality show too, since there really aren't any new ideas out there in TV land....

Anonymous said...

I thought one of the issues with Bravo was that all of the other shows were "copying" Runway and making it not the star or whatever, and now Lifetime is going to be surrounding it with those crap sounding shows?

This move to Lifetime is sounding worse and worse to me every day!

DolceLorenzo said...

Really it's like a freaking soap opera. I hope they keep Nina, Michael Kors? I don't care. Maybe somebody else like Zac Posen.

Bittybis said...

Seems we're getting some of the drama that was missing from cycle 4 now. How delicious.

Anonymous said...

Project Pygmalion? You have got to be kidding. What focus group would have ever told some executive that was a good idea? Were they all drinking from the same spiked punch or something?

*shakes head*

And lest we forget...we used to see at least a part of the show from the models' perspective. What, it wasn't so important as to keep a part of PR, but yet it can now be its own show? Next thing, they'll decide it would be best if it were built along the Dick Wolf Law & Order mold; half of the time to the designers, half to the models. (yawn)

FashionFanatic said...

"Elle is not expected to continue its partnership with Project Runway once the show transitions over to the Lifetime Network beginning with season six."

WOW! What is it going to be? Marie Claire? Lucky Magazine?

carmelita said...

I know that the fashion world is tough, but working at Elle sounds absolutely brutal. I hated the politics of the office, so now work at home for myself. I agree with Frank, Nina should get out of Elle now. There is nothing more demoralizing than trying to work in an environment where you are so obviously not favored, especially after you were on top. She always seemed so tough on Project Runway, so hopefully she is able to take it, but this must be awful for her.
The spin-off ideas you mention sound so "Lifetime"—stupid, derivative and behind the times.

Anonymous said...

Brooklyn Bomber said...
Re "Fashionista" -- wasn't there already some show about someone trying to get a job as a fashion assistant?

Sorta...rather, an assitant to a fashion-magazine editor:

Ugly Betty. :)

Apparently no one is willing to put money down for a new idea, it has to be a success already -- such is the blandness of media today.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for trying to keep it all straight, guys. I admire the effort, but whatever -- this Lifetime/Elle stuff has become tiresome.

Project Runway is jumping the shark at warp speed and I find it hard to care anymore.

Though I love the Anne Slowey photo -- she looks like she's on her way to sing Madonna's "Ray of Light" at Karaoke Night.

Anonymous said...

"sally said...
Sorta...rather, an assitant to a fashion-magazine editor:

Ugly Betty. :)"

I was thinking more in the spirit of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada".... that could be interesting, but again, not novel enough....

somebody said it already, it looks like the Law and Order franchise....

Sewing Siren said...

The Anne Slowey show sounds like the one that Martha Stewart did, that failed. I can't imagine that Anne Slowey is more entertaining than Martha.

the dogs' mother said...

What is the CW network?

PhantomMinuet said...

"Project Pygmalion" doesn't sound lame. It sounds dreadful and insulting. What passes in high society is breeding and lots o' money. If you have neither, a make-over show isn't going to give them to you. And without them, you're just a poodle doing parlor tricks for the amusement of the hoi-polloi.

kath said...

Sounds like Nina Garcia is between a rock and a hard place right now. She can stay with PR for one more season, but lose her clout in the magazine industry, or find a great job with a different fashion mag (yeah, good luck with that one) and hope they will pick up PR. Either way it sounds like a win-lose situation for her.
I totally agree about the model shows. Enough already! They're neither smart nor interesting enough to have so many shows about them.
Anne Slowey is like the Simon Cowell of the fashion reality industry. Her show should be very interesting...

Mom said...

Anne Slowey sounds and looks like a train wreck of a human being! That's not entertainment to me. That's just sad. Nina at least exudes some measure of class and confidence. Case in point: Would Nina blog about watching pay-per-view porn alone in an Italian hotel while obsessing about the dimensions of her ass? I don't think so.

Well, best of luck to Nina, whatever she decides to do. I just hope she does what makes her happy and healthy.

YvesPaul said...

I'm afraid Project Runway might go out of style after Season 5. What would we do, kittens? What would you do?

Gorgeous Things said...

Get me to my fainting couch. The drama!

Swoon

Rainwood said...

Thanks for the info, TLo. It's good that Nina has some options. Becoming Editor at Large sounds like she'd be able to do PR without having to go into the office. Sweet! And I'm glad Michael Kors is on board. The show needs his snark.

These spinoffs sound terrible with the possible exception of PR from the models' perspectives. I'm not sure there's an hour of good material there, but maybe a half-hour companion show. And you'll be watching 'Perfect Fit' without me. This poodle is not willing to watch Anne Slowey on a voluntary basis. Not even for you two.

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget that ever since Joe Zee and his team came aboard, the magazine has looked amazing. Joe Zee has a reputation in the fashion biz as being a genuinely nice and super talented guy.

Anonymous said...

Anne Slowey is a hot mess. I would not watch anything with her.

Anonymous said...

Fashionista? This sounds awfully like "The Fashionista Diaries" which was on last year. A look at the lives of assistants working in the fashion industry as they prepare for designer Charlotte Ronson's fashion show during New York's Fall Fashion Week.

Anonymous said...

Project Pygmalion?

Hahahahaha. RIDICULOUS!!!

Lizzy poo said...

I've got to say that I stopped subscribing to Elle because of all the mag's, their issues looked so crappy and tacky. I am planning on relooking at it in a few months, once Zee makes his imprint throughout the whole magazine. Change is good.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like "Way too much tushie for me "

Anonymous said...

"Lizzy said...

I've got to say that I stopped subscribing to Elle because of all the mag's, their issues looked so crappy and tacky. I am planning on relooking at it in a few months, once Zee makes his imprint throughout the whole magazine. Change is good."


The magazine is much better now and I actually like Nina's column a lot. My second favorite (Vogue being my first).

the dogs' mother said...

Okay. I forgot Google is my friend.
>>It is a joint venture between The CBS Corporation, owners of UPN, and Warner Brothers, majority owner of The WB. The name was derived from the first letter of the names of two of these corporations (CBS and Warner Brothers).<<

A quick look at the website I see shows such as Farmer Needs a Wife,
Beauty and the Geek, Pussycat Dolls
and Gossip Girl - which just disgraced themselves with a rather R rated ad with the letters OMFG
across it.

bleah.

Anonymous said...

i wonder if Bravo can get the rights to PR CANADA and Project Catwalk (and other international versions of the show) and air it... while the US PR in Lifetime...

Sewing Siren said...

Anonymous said...
Let's not forget that ever since Joe Zee and his team came aboard, the magazine has looked amazing. Joe Zee has a reputation in the fashion biz as being a genuinely nice and super talented guy.


In the other article that T Lo posted below, I read that, Nina was on her way out ever since *Joe Zee* arrived, and I thought *Joe Zee* was the baby!
Seriously.

Anonymous said...

There was an article in the Orlando newspapers yesterday about a bogus show called "Pauper to Princess". Seems a guy locked a bunch of girls in a house and did a sort of "ANTM" thing where they were supposed to be transformed. But he was running some kind of sex thing on the side.

The unspoken fact about Nina is that she is a new mom. Maybe she doesn't WANT the top spot any more.

Anonymous said...

ugh...another model show...overkill!!!

i hope nina stays...PR would not the same without her!

Ms Sangrail said...

This isn't a plot line from a Lifetime movie, or is it?

Tonight at 9....

The intrigue! The new mom switching jobs! Usurped authority! Behind the scenes back stabbing! Professional rivalries! Multi-million dollar lawsuits! A reality My Fair Lady show (but will they feature Vagina Hats?)! Will our Nina prevail?


Calgon, take me away!

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Sangrail, you are so right.

The Life and Trials of Ninagarcia, tonight, at 9.

In the reading between the lines business:

Readership has been falling off, because, kids, the print world is fading away, no matter how highclass the paper the photos are on. But Mr. Zee comes in to spice things up. Add a big helping of jealousy, because seriously, other than Anna Wintour, is any other fashion magazine editor as famous as Nina now? No. She may even be more of a household name than Anna, and so far no one's even written a roman a clef about her being a bitch.

If you were Anne, chewing the vitamins day after day, laboring at being amusing and witty and thin and being so very near but not quite at the top of your profession, Nina's success might kill you.

Nina should leave with her dignity, and PR should go to 4 judges, including Nina and whoever Elle wants to send to represent the brand -- Mr. Zee, Ms. Slowey or whoever. Now that, kids, would make for some delicious drama.

GothamTomato said...

Oy. So much is right. First, is the CW channel a country & western channel. If so, fashion?

Secondly, doing a model show now, when they seem to have lost the ability to cast good or interesting models for PR, seems a day late and a dollar short (and a greedy & stupid attempt to milk the cow dry).

And the Pygmalion show sounds like a bad imitation of the British show 'Ladette to Lady', which ran on the Sundance Channel here. It was interesting enough, (but mostly just because it was British).

And need I mention that with the change in channel venue, they are aiming the Pygmalion show towards an audience that likely thinks Pygmalion is the other white meat.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

The Models of PR? Apparently TPTB read this blog and thought we really wanted a whole show about the PR models. All we really want is a little fabulousness and to edit their backstage antics into PR! Talk about overkill.... Just pay the glamazons and let us hear them speak once in a while, provide a little PR drama!

God, I love this blog. Thanks, TLo, for covering this breaking news - can we have film at 11?

Anonymous said...

GT said:
"And need I mention that with the change in channel venue, they are aiming the Pygmalion show towards an audience that likely thinks Pygmalion is the other white meat."

Oh GT, how you make me laugh! Green tea all over my keyboard....

Jenster said...

"Project Pygmalion," in development for 2009, which will remake the winner and give her entre into high society...

Puleeze ... You can't just give someone a makeover and expect high society to accept her. Haven't they learned anything from watching "Housewives of New York City?"

Thombeau said...

Thanks for the updates, guys. Very interesting.

These other potential reality shows are the exact reason why I restrict my viewing to PR and nothing else. A vast wasteland, indeed.

GothamTomato said...

"jenster said: You can't just give someone a makeover and expect high society to accept her. Haven't they learned anything from watching "Housewives of New York City?""



Seriously. Those women are so clueless, they are painful to watch.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

WHEEEEEW......BOOM! That is what I think when I read all this. The death of Project Runway. All these changes, networks and stars, they will lose major audience share and the show will be cancelled by next season. Mark my words.

NahnCee said...

What happened to Shear Genius? Is *that* coming back, ever?

Anonymous said...

I just want to know how we all passed the time before internet and cable tv? For the life of me, I can't remember.

Anonymous said...

I have never, ever picked up or even looked at a copy of Elle and never will. I don't really care if the pope ran it. All I care about is this show and its value entertaining me. If that goes away, then I won't watch.

lisasabatier said...

God, Anne 'tootie" Slowey's hair is even worse than La Nina's. I love Nina, and PR just won't be the same without her. Project Pygmalian, isn't that already being done on Bravo, a la, "Alex" on the wives of New Yoro or whatever it's called?

Thanks for all the info guys, excellent reportage!

Anonymous said...

Nina is a very important piece of the puzzle called Project Runway. You don't hear Tim Gun saying "Don't bore, Michael!". She is a great judge who has no problem expressing her opinion. I'd say she needs to stay.

Milla said...

The Zee show sounds intriguing...
I did a casting for a pilot that sounded like something similar last year called "American Girl".
Maybe I ought to try ou for this one?
I really want someone to do the Plus-Size PR with Velvet instead of Heidi and Bradley Bayou as the mentor and Carmen Marc Valvo as a judge...
Love,
Milla

Anonymous said...

I agree, ELLE has never looked better and I've rather enjoyed Nina's monthly column. For a long time (pre-Joe Zee) it was a pretty awful publication and I still subscribed, but just never took the time to really look at it like I do other magazines. But, lately ELLE has been pretty bangin'! And I've been a loyal reader and subscriber for a long, long, long time --- since it first hit the shores of America way back in the day.

As for Nina, I can take her or leave her, but do feel that she's an integral part of PR and is definitely part of what makes it work season after season. Glad she'll be around for PR5!

- edina -

Anonymous said...

And, may I say as one who dissed the yellow dress, that La Nina looks simply Fabulous! in the photo you chose.

Please, PR, keep Nina! Please, Nina, stay with PR!

TheNYCourier said...

What magazine do you think will replace Elle? God,
I hope it's not Glamour...ugh.

Anonymous said...

I would love to see Kate White from Cosmo be a judge or someone from W. If I were Nina, I'd leave. Once you have someone like Anne "tootie" Slowey gunning for you, there isn't much point in sticking around.

Would love to see Isaac Mizrahi as a judge.

Anonymous said...

Get ready for the final season of PR, I hate to tell ya. You boys had better keep your day jobs. No more cash cow. This show is sliding down a slope and no one can stop it now.

The channel change, the judges will change and no one will watch. I mean, all this "inner workings of Elle" drama is boring the shit out of me. I could care less who these people are and what they are doing. I just want to be entertained by PR and it looks like that isn't going to happen any longer. My own personal gratification is at stake and I don't like it. It's all about me.

Anonymous said...

Greed is going to do the Weinsteins in. It's all about greed and that greed will be their undoing. They were getting like $600k or $700k for the show from Bravo and Lifesuck is paying $1 million. Enjoy it now boyz. This is the last season, was it worth it?

Anonymous said...

Per above, that is per episode.

lisasabatier said...

christian from comments above, not "the Christian", obviously, Tlo is so much bigger than just PR, OK?

Anonymous said...

a-nony-mouse,
the CW used to be good--
it used to air my all-time favorite show,
Veronica Mars (cancelled a year ago).
Sigh.

The aforementioned ideas all sound like recycling gone bad. Bill's idea is the best--
that's why we all are here, no?

Love to TLo!

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Sally said, "Brooklyn Bomber said...
wasn't there already some show about someone trying to get a job as a fashion assistant?

Sorta...rather, an assitant to a fashion-magazine editor:
Ugly Betty. :)"

No, it was a "reality" show--maybe the above-mentioned, "Fashionista Diaries," though I think it was a few years back, not last year.

Sally also said: "Apparently no one is willing to put money down for a new idea, it has to be a success already."

You said it!!

Suzanne said...

Not shedding a tear here if La Nina gets her pink slip. Hasta La
Wiedersehen Ice Queen.

Anonymous said...

"jenster said: You can't just give someone a makeover and expect high society to accept her. Haven't they learned anything from watching "Housewives of New York City?""



Seriously. Those women are so clueless, they are painful to watch.

--GothamTomato

Oh, so painful to watch....those women wouldn't know class if it came up and bit them in the ass

Unknown said...

Nooooo!!!!!... I feel so bad for Nina... she is such a classy lady... if I could, I'd punch that new editor-in-thief at vogue in the fuckin' gut... he looks like such an a-hole.

Anonymous said...

Nina should run like hell to Telmundo and be zee Hidee of "Cauce del Proyecto"
Just think of PR with crazy Mex and PR homosexual designers. Models with titas and huge culos...and even bigger egos and HAIR. Throw in a MIcheal Koors in a bumblebee suit and you have a show!

Unknown said...

Nooooo!!!!!... I feel so bad for Nina... she is such a classy lady... if I could, I'd punch that new editor-in-thief at vogue in the fuckin' gut... he looks like such an a-hole.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like Elle is just fucking with her and keeping her until their contract with Bravo ends.

Anonymous said...

"The spin-off ideas you mention sound so "Lifetime"—stupid, derivative and behind the times."

So, Lifetime is stupid and derivative? Maybe, but I can't name the last original show on Bravo. It's all one lame-assed reality show after another, all with the exact same format. Derivate. Lame. Stupid.

Once upon a time, Bravo was a good channel. It showed cool old TV series like Twin Peaks and indy films. Then NBC-Universal bought it, and it went in the crapper.