Project Runway recap: Revenge of the Bump

Who knew that adding a large bump to the front of your mannequins could create such a drastic difference? Our designers didn't. This week's challenge, creating a 'form-fitting' outfit for any occasion for a very pregnant Rebecca Romijn left some designers clueless, while other flourished. Some just sent a chicken down the runway. Conceptually, of course.

Oh My Challenging Rami's Famous Draping + Coat, by Shirin: This deserved the win. The color is rich, and the lattice draping is fantastic. We haven't seen fantastic draping like that since Rami in season four. I adore the lining in the coat. I love the line of the back, as well.

Oh Hey There Boobs, by Althea: Heidi and the girls were right on the mark when they said the problem with this dress was the bust. Had this dress been more covered in the chest region, she probably would have won. The back detail is gorgeous, and the length and color is flattering and very pretty. She took a risk making the dress long. Most of the designers made a cocktail dress-length garment for fear their model looking as if she's wearing a tent, but the length worked here.

Oh Please This is Cearly Lingerie, by Louise: The lace, I think, makes this too lingerie-y. The line on the top is almost too high. I do, however, like the teirs and the flower detail on the right shoulder. This was a good third placer.

Oh Let's Go Bowling, by Ra'mon: I think he took a risk. It looks good from the front, as the judged said, but from the side it looks like a bowling ball bag, a phrase Rebecca Romijn loved to repeat. He's lucky there were worst entries, becase the pattern was bad here. On a regular woman, it would be fine, probably, but it faied as a maternity dress.

Oh I See a Lion, by Mitchell: If the shorts had come out even close to what he wanted them to be, this would have been a good outfit. But they came out looking like plus-size (or plus-SEXY, as Qrystal would say) lingerie shorts. I really like the safari aethestic, and think this is wearable, but the shorts are way to dangerously in fug territory for this to make it. Watch out Mitchell- this is your second week in the shark tank, and I'm not sure you can survive much longer. The model looks adorable, to her credit. She worked this.

Oh Cock-a-Doodle-Doo, by Marvin: Do I have to say anything about this? She looks like the baby has already been born and it's lying in the sling of a shirt she has there. Bye, bye, Marvin. A delightfully right-on auf. Also, she doesn't look like a chicken. So, technically, you kind of failed on concept, too.

The CIA and Torture

It's been widely reported that Attorney General Eric Holder appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the CIA's use of torture under the Bush administration. Personally, I am completely opposed to torture. In my mind, the United States is THE only nation in the world that can afford to hold itself to a higher standard ethically and morally. Some call this approach idealistic. While I can appreciate pragmatism to an extent, you cannot deny that at some point humans must be accountable to eachother. By engaging in torture we simply degrade ourselves, our nation, and our founders. We endanger our own representatives throughout the world and perhaps most importantly, we seem almost ignorant of the sacrifice of our own soldiers for freedom and equality. While addressing the practices of the Bush administration is not out of line, the fact that Attorney General Holder is going to prosecute the individual CIA officers upsets me. In my mind, they were doing what they were told in the interest of national security. If anyone is to be prosecuted it should be those who were in political positions during that administration and, in effect, ordered those practices.

Book Review: In The Pesident's Secret Service

Far more than just an expose of the famed and yet infamous Secret Service, In the President's Service by Ronald Kessler infuses a comic humor into what can often be a touchy subject: protection against assasination. Using exceptional research and interviewing skills, the author was able to obtain insided information not only about White House life but also about the apparent shortcomings of the U.S.S.S. (United States Secret Service).

Detailing the lives of presidential protectees during the last half century and commenting on the current future of the Secret Service and the Obama administration, Kessler sometimes lapses into a more dry tone. However, when discussing such scandals as President Kennedy's affairs and the antics of first children like Amy Carter and the Bush daughters, Jenna and Barbara, Kessler livens up and seems to delight in the exposure of unflattering information. One finishes the novel with a newfound cognizance of of the Secret Services's loyalty, patriotism and dedication. With huge respect for these men and women, I can only hope that this novel leads to more media attention to not only the mismanagement of the Secret Service under the Department of Homeland Security but the dangerous practice of shutting down magnometers during presidential campaign events.

Recently reimagined 'Battlestar Galactica' to be reimagined again

In an odd case of deja vu, it has been announced that big-name Hollywood director Brian Singer (of X-Men, Superman Returns, and Valkyrie fame) has signed up to direct a reimagining of the Battlestar Galactica series. The original television show, which ran for only one season back in 1978, was recently turned into the "thinking man's science fiction" show on Sci Fi, a critical hit with its US-Iraq allusions. This show ran its course and the series finale aired in May. There is no news on how (or if) this new movie will take anything or anyone from either two series that preceded it.

ABOOOT US

Please excuse Kayla's computer drawing. She's usually much better at it. She's made Erik look much too nerdy, although he does have curly brown hair and square-ish black glasses, so the depiction is kind of accurate. On the other hand, she's given herself the straight hair she must work hard for everyday.

Erik and Kayla were both voted "Most Likely to Become President" in high school, basically creating and understanding of them being both omnipresent and clever (like if Hermione Granger was also a basilisk). They were star academic team members, where Erik's speciality was current events and random US history that no one cares about and Kayla's was Latin America and, oddly enough, Greek mythology. 

Kayla's favorite book is The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler, because it's basically about her (a high school hipster murderess, but without the murderess part) and Erik's is probably something equally pretentious, I'll ask him later. They both love dropping literary and art history references, as well as shopping at Urban Outfitters.

Both aim to stop the rise of Sarah Palin and tea partiers everywhere. Also, they're undergrads now!

The Penultimate NYC Prep: "I'm not your sloppy seconds."

Camille gets dejected by a ‘rude and pretentious’ tour guide at Harvard. Her and Kelli (whose “music career” has taken off too fast for her to think about college) are later taken up by some ‘Harvard hotties.’ Camille’s taste level has sunken since stepping foot on Harvard Yard.

Taylor gets bombarded by Cole’s ex Deniz (can you even spell it that way?) at a party. Cole attempts to force them to be friends like a young girl forces her Barbies together. Hint: they hate each other. Taylor gets revenge by hanging out in a candy store with PC and the Barbie-playing girls and getting herself invited to PC’s exclusive hotel suite party, sans Cole. She ends up “getting grounded” and not attending. But Cole, angry at Taylor, crashes PC’s party. Camille, as always, was very disapproving.

Sebastian desperately tries and keeps a plotline up to keep him and his hair flips onscreen. He meets with Camille in an art museum, and they basically tell each other off. It was empty, but entertaining.

Jessi deals with Operation Smile, and gets pissed at PC for hanging out with little Taylor, saying she’s been ‘saving his ass since seventh grade.’ He enacts revenge by not inviting her to his decadent hotel party.

Boom. Roasted.