Is Harlem angling to be the next Times Square? Chain wise, maybe! Not only did the area just get the nation's first IHOP with a 24-hour takeout window but now the storied strip that is 125th Street is set to get Manhattan's first Red Lobster outside of the tourist trap on the Deuce. Soon, you'll be able to enjoy an Admiral's Feast before stopping by the Apollo. Yay? more ›

Mondo Guerra—who you may know from last season of Project Runway (he was the one who got robbed of the win!)—is back in New York City for a few days. While he's still making strikingly gorgeous clothes (seriously, totally robbed!), he's also leading the national HIV education campaign Living Positive By Design alongside fellow show alum Jack Mackenroth. The two will be at the 26th Annual AIDS Walk in Central Park this coming Sunday, and earlier this week Mondo told us about his latest endeavor, what we should all be wearing this summer, and what spots to hit up for the best fashion finds in the city. more ›

Yes, despite their move to the suburban mom haven of Lifetime, the cast of Project Runway is celebrating their return to New York with a street naming and their own holiday. NYC & Company presented a New York City Proclamation deeming Wednesday January 13th as Project Runway Day, and the stretch of 7th Ave named "Fashion Avenue" has been temporarily re-named "Project Runway Avenue." Tim Gunn, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia joined city officials this morning for the naming ceremony in front of the "Needle Threading a Button" sculpture. We're not entirely sure what the traditional celebrations are for Project Runway Day, but we know there is one thing missing: Heidi Klum! more ›

Not shocking: Reality TV show producers heighten the dramatic potential by leaving copious amounts of alcohol around or depriving contestants of sleep! A NY Times article explores the world of tortured reality TV contestants. Contestants on the 2006 season of The Bachelor said that after waiting many hours for a 12-hour party, "there was little food but bottomless glasses of wine. When producers judged the proceedings too boring, they sent out a production assistant with a tray of shots," with one pointing out, "If you combine no sleep with alcohol and no food, emotions are going to run high and people are going to be acting crazy." Perfect for ratings! And on the 2005-2006 season of Project Runway, with "multiple 18-hour days of shooting," Diana Eng was once very startled by a crew, "One morning they scared me so bad I jumped and screamed. They said that wasn’t good, so I had to pretend to wake up again." A University of Iowa communications studies professor sums it up, "The bread and butter of reality television is to get people into a state where they are tired, stressed and emotionally vulnerable." Hear that, reality TV fans? You might be sadists for watching it! Then again, the contestants might be masochists, so it works out. more ›

Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, avoiding jail time. Last month, Collins was arrested after allegedly attacking her now ex-fiance with a laptop, water, apples and their cat. She initially faced a felony assault charge, but the Brooklyn DA's office found that Collins' ex Zak Penley didn't need treatment and that the cat wasn't injured (Collins claimed she "gently tossed" the cat onto their bed). E!Online reports the fashion designer "was sentenced to a $120 fine and a two-year protection order barring her from having contact with Penley. The incident will remain sealed and not appear on her criminal record." Collins told the Post, "I went through hell and back over this." more ›

Talk about a hot mess, the Project Runway powers-that-be barely made it work but word is that the show will finally be able to hit airwaves again. Earlier this year the finalists for the yet-to-be-aired season weren't even allowed to show their faces at their own Fashion Week shows because of the legal battle, but now it's being reported that "the long and bitter litigation over the hit reality series came to an end Wednesday when the Weinstein Company, which owns the show, agreed to pay NBC Universal a settlement fee, acknowledging it had improperly sold the show to a competitive network without giving NBC a right to match the offer." This past September NBC successfully prevented Lifetime from airing the show, and now the Weinstein Company will pay NBC a fee for the right to move the show to Lifetime. Expect the new season to air this summer, and according to their deal, there's five more years to come! more ›

The Post reports that Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins is letting her ex-fiance keep the cat that she threw at him. On Wednesday morning, Collins was arrested after throwing cat Arlo, then a laptop, apples and water at Zachary Penley in their Brooklyn apartment, an incident the fashion designer described as being blown out of proportion and, perhaps, the manifestation of a bad break-up. The former couple had two cats and Collins said, "The girl cat [Sandra] is mine and the boy cat [Arlo] is his," which is just sad to us—Sandra and Arlo are losing each other! And Project Runway winner Leanne Marshall told the Post (which also has a shot of Collins hamming it for a photographer), "This should put a clear answer to the question I am most frequently asked, 'Was Kenley really that awful, or was she just edited like that?' When she got angry, I knew to keep my distance. Clearly, she needs therapy." more ›

Former Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins—and new NY Post cover girl—was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking her former fiancee with their cat—and then a laptop, some water, and apples—and now faces charges of assault, menacing, harassment and possession of a criminal weapon (the cat? the laptop? the apples?). But the fashion designer tells the Post, "It was a miscommunication." more ›

Even though there hasn't been any glimmer of Project Runway's upcoming sixth season on the television, the finale took place under the tents as part of Fashion Week earlier today. Following Harvey Weinstein's decision to move the show from Bravo to Lifetime, NBC Universal (who owns Bravo) filed suit against him and his company, leaving the show in limbo while the legalities get sorted out. But the show must go on, even if it can't air, so host Heidi Klum introduced the collections today and told the audience it was “a little bit sad for the designers” to not be able to show their faces after so much hard work. EW reports back saying the show was packed with "chunky sweaters, metallics, silky tops, and skinny pants," but the "wow" moments were in short supply. If you want a sneak peek, images from the runway are already out there. more ›

Last night Project Runway ran its season 5 finale, also the last season to be aired on Bravo (next time around it'll be over at Lifetime). The three contestants left standing were Kenley, Korto and Leanne (though Joe and Jerrell also got to show collections). The spoilers are after the jump incase you haven't watched it yet, but from what you saw or what you are seeing now: who do you think deserved to win? more ›

Kenley Collins is one of the designers competing in the season's Project Runway. Hailing from Florida, she now lives and designs in New York, where she's been working on her own line in a small boutique, as well as freelancing and teaching. She recently told us about the show, her fellow designers and what trends appear to be back in New York. more ›

Last night at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a group of journalists and entertainers were honored for their work in 2007 at the ceremony for the 67th Annual Peabody Awards. This year's awards, administered by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and selected by a board, are considered one of the most prestigious awards in electronic media (films intended for wide theatrical release are not allowed), were given to 35 different recipients--many of them NYC-based entities, like the series 30 Rock and Mad Men, the mock-news show The Colbert Report, reality show Project Runway and WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show. more ›

The NY Sun dedicates a whopping 1000+ words to recent Project Runway victor Christian Siriano moving from his tiny East Village apartment all the way across the bridge to Williamsburg. more ›

How will Lifetime transition from "woman in distress seeks revenge" movies to "hot tranny mess" is beyond us, but The NY Times reports that NBC Universal, Bravo's parent company, has lost their precious “Project Runway" to the "femme-centric" (per Variety) network. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on Broadway and 231st St. in the Bronx, an aircraft alert at JFK at Queens, and a person fatally struck by a train at 57th St. and 8th Ave. in Manhattan.
• Entries for the NYC Half-Marathon will start being accepted at 11:59pm on May 29th. Details.
• And the Design Trust for Public Space is accepting submissions for its Grand Army Plaza redesign competition.
• An Internal Affairs Bureau Lt. has been reassigned to a surveillance booth in a housing project after his friend allegedly raped a young woman in the apartment of the cop's girlfriend as she begged him to stop.
• The body of Rabbi Zev Segal, missing since yesterday morning, was found in his car, which apparently slid into the Hackensack River in NJ.
• The memorial for promoter-gossip Baird Jones is being held at Plumm, a venue he wasn't a huge fan of.
• A Gawker employee was shackled and thrown into the Tombs after drinking a beer-in-a-bag in the subway system.
• The carjacker of Mayor Bloomberg's personal car, which was in the possession of one of his aides, faces 15 years in the slammer for the crime.
• A lovely castle-like house in Flushing, Queens - turrets and Tudor details!
• Former Gov. George Pataki underwent emergency surgery this morning to relieve an intestinal blockage (he's had problems with this before!).
• And former Project Runway contestants Jeffrey Sebelia, Santino Rice and Kit Pistol watched Project Runway finale in LA amidst their young, adoring fans.

Even though there wasn't a "villain" along the lines of Santino Rice or a favorite like Michael Knight, the fourth season of Project Runway has been pretty captivating with some very lovely work. Tonight, the three remaining designers' Bryant Park Fashion Week face-off will be shown and a winner announced. more ›

FOOD: Drinking With the Professor: a Look at Jerry Thomas and His Liquid Legacy: Join cocktail maestro Dave Wondrich as he shares recipes from his latest book, Imbibe! plus a few that were cut in the editing process. Wondrich has an in-depth knowledge of nineteenth-century classic cocktails, so step up and taste the benefits. - Laren Spirer more ›

The Secret Science Club may be the best kept secret in New York. Forget your typical night of drinks, music or being parked in front of your tv for the latest Project Runway episode. Head over to Union Hall for some science! Each event brings out the inner-nerd in all of us, and recently we asked the founders a few questions about their brainchild. The next event is December 5th, which gives you a week... more ›

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and veggies in South Central. On the entertainment front, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the show titled Californication and Rami Kashou of Project Runway chatted with LAist about his Palestinian heritage and, of course, designing beauty. more ›

The gasps you heard in front of certain American television sets Wednesday were because Project Runway's second episode packed a wallop. After American icon challenges during season 2 and 3, the fourteen remaining designers speculated this year's fashion icon could be Madonna, Britney ("she needs help," according to the severely coiffed Christian, who interned at Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen) or Snow White, it's possible that the actual icon was better than their dreams: It was Sarah Jessica Parker! more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Art in the Twenty-First Century (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., WNET 13) Four artists - Robert Adams, Mark Dion , Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle Ursula von Rydingsvard – who explore the intersection between nature and culture. Billy Crystal: The Mark Twain Prize (Monday & Thursday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. WLIW 21) Billy Crystal receives the tenth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in... more ›

It sounds like a Project Runway challenge: create a look Princess Grace would have worn. However, the six gowns that are currently being displayed in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue were created by some of the top designers -- each being paired with a specific look to be reinterpreted in a modern way. more ›

MUSIC: Last week Craig Finn made a solo appearance amongst the books at Barnes & Noble, tonight he's with his rock band, The Hold Steady, playing another free show. Joining them are the Old 97’s, and newer band, Illinois. A triple-threat lineup with a can't-be-beat pricetag. more ›

If you watch the reality shows, you probably wonder at the random, more boring, points of your day: Whatever happened to so-and-so from Project whatchamacallit? Or more likely, you don't. more ›

Chung chung! NBC and producer Dick Wolf have hashed out a deal to keep Law & Order on the air for the next four years. Variety reports (subscription only) that as part of the deal, Law & Order: Criminal Intent will be moving to USA. Yes, USA (which NBC owns) will now have the first run episodes of Detective Robert Goren's histrionics, and then NBC will air repeats of L&O:CI. Interesting! more ›

Blogging Project Runway doesn't stop just because the show isn't airing right now. They have some reports in from the auditions for Season 4, and also point to a clip at MTV. They took the picture at right of Jason (who also auditioned for Season 3) - with one of his creations that he hopes will get him on the show. Did he make it work? We'd have to see it on that crazy model Amanda from Season 3 to be certain. more ›

article about the annual Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, New Yorkers Kriston Rucker and Cedric Devitt traveled to Finland to attend the event and discovered it lacked an American competitor. Back in the States they founded US Air Guitar and held their first qualifying event at the Pussycat Lounge in the Financial District. Little did they know about the untapped, overwhelming enthusiasm for air guitar in this country as hundred of amateur rockers came out for that qualifier and a subsequent one in Los Angeles at the Roxy. more ›

We were reading New York Magazine's Fashion Week Food Diaries where models, a show producer, and a fashion editor submitted three days of their eating habits. The fashion editor is Elle's fashion news director, Anne Slowey, who we remember very well from Project Runway's season 2 ice skating outfit challenge. And the diary seems to clear up some things. more ›

Some of Gothamist's favorite stories in the city were about the animals of New York City. Here's how animals ruled the Big Apple in 2006: more ›

West Chelsea can do no right, as now Miss USA Tara Conner is getting raked over the coals over her partying. Yesterday, TMZ reported pageant officials and NBC met to discuss Conner's status as Miss USA, given "alleged incidents of her inappropriate behavior, including her conduct at New York City bars." And by inappropriate, they mean underaging drinking at clubs downtown, alleged substance abuse, and missing Miss USA appearances, as Conner is only 20 years old. While Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageants (the winners of Miss USA, as well as Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe, live at Trump Place on the Upper West Side), said that officials were evaluating Conner's situation as she's "going through some personal problems and difficulties right now which could affect her ability to reign," she's still Miss USA. more ›