By Sarah D. Bunting

Inspired by Mark’s Project Runway: Bitches spin-off, in which he suggested that Product Runway: Crazypants might also make an excellent series, I’ve taken a stroll down memory lane with a few of the most memorably bazoo contestants (and one model) in the show’s history. The current season hasn’t had much mental illness on display, but as Mark also mentioned, the current season, which concludes tomorrow, is relatively dull, and the focus on plain pants instead of kookoopants might explain why.

I can’t say I miss any of these designers, exactly, but the show seems to need a sprinkling of nuts in order to work at the top of its game, and the occasional sob from Christopher Straub just doesn’t cut it when compared to squirrels like Daniel F. …Oh, Daniel F.

Ready to cast PR: Crazypants? Let’s get started; I’ll see you in the comments.

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Dave and Sylvia are my brother- and sister-in-law, and I just came back from their wedding. It was a weekend full of bacon-wrapped scallops, surreptitious hot tubbing, and as I discussed last week, amazing music. (Big ups to my fellow DJs!)

For me,  the wedding was also a breathtaking reminder of how the theatre storms into actual life, turning a few seconds into a Moment.

Weddings are always full of performance and ritual, of course, but Dave and Sylvia’s ceremony included an element I’ve never experienced before.

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My co-worker Tricia (shout-out to Tricia! You rock!) informed me earlier this week that a new character would be coming to the daytime soap General Hospital next week. No, it’s not some regular on the soap circuit traveling from one show to another, nor is it some new ingénue joining the cast. It’s movie star James Franco. Which leads me to think…“Huh?”

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My friends Dave and Sylvia (who are also my brother-in-law and soon-to-be sister-in-law) are getting married this weekend. They want their reception to be a mind-blowing Danceateria, and to guarantee groovtastiness, they’ve asked  several of their intimates to be wedding DJs. Each of us will play songs for about an hour.

I’ve got the first slot, which means that after the father-daughter dance and the mother-son dance, it’s my job to get the party started.

That is no small responsibility, but I shoulder it gladly.

Working with the bride and groom, and paying careful attention to my fellow DJ’s brilliant playlists, I have crafted a set so booty shaking, so speakerboxxing, that I must share it with you all. No matter where you are this Saturday, take a moment to crank a hit on the following list. Know that somewhere—especially around 8:00 PM California time—a group of revelers will be dancing with you.

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It’s a generally accepted fact that this season of Project Runway has been dumps. Boring challenges, sub par designers, and the parental-abandonment-level absence of Michael Kors and Nina Garcia have rubbed a lot the sequins of the show’s glittery gown.

That said, it’s still a hundred times better than The Fashion Show.

And this season has added another sister to the family of Project Runway Bitches… those contestants who take such pleasure in hating on challenges and other designers that they almost seem superhuman.

By my count, there are now eight PRBs, which is enough to launch a spin-off special. So get cracking, Weinstein Company! Get Project Runway: Bitches into production! Think of the catty remarks! The whispered treacheries in the sewing room! The fake laughter as everyone pretends to be friends!

Here are your contestants, in order of bitchiness…

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Precious has gotten more buzz than a warehouse full of vibrators, and after waiting for six months, I finally got to see it on Saturday.

After the jump, I’ll dig through my reactions. If you haven’t seen the movie, be warned: I’ll be discussing several major plot points.

If you’d rather wait until you’ve seen the movie to read my review—and I really recommend that you see it—then just know this: I loved Precious because it told me two moving stories at once.

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Old songs. Old friends. You know what I mean. One Saturday afternoon, you decide to put those Tori CDs on your iPod, so you dig your CaseLogic out of your bedroom closet. As you’re flipping through the plastic pages—CDs on the front side, booklets on the back—you stumble across an album that you haven’t thought about in years.

And then you’re  in high school again. You’re taking the back road to Laura’s house just so you can roll down your windows and sing along with this one amazing song without shouting over the interstate.

You play the forgotten CD. You don’t expect anything, really, except a wave of nostalgia, but then… damn! The album is great. It isn’t just old songs. It’s old friends.

This happened to me when I tumbled back into Mercury Poise, a best-of collection from alt-rock singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked. If you know her music, then get ready to relive the dream. If you don’t, then let me introduce you to a lovely lady.

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This is the first of an ongoing column I’d like to run, saluting particularly outstanding performers who might otherwise go under the radar. It can be someone who’s had a particularly great run in several different roles, or maybe just someone doing a specific slam-bang knockout job and not getting their due.

Today I’d like to single out Clifton Collins, Jr. You’ll either say “Who the heck is that guy?” or look at the picture above and think, “Yeah, he’s pretty cool.” I was reminded of him this week in the oddest of places – and ad for the new Boondock Saints sequel. Collins, I feel, is one of those modern journeyman actors, adept at any kind of performance in any genre.

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You may have heard about  Avatar. For several months now, discussion of the teaser trailer of James Cameron’s first movie since Titanic has been tearing through the internet like Dennis the Menace through a toy store. The latest trailer debuted a few days ago, and now we have even more to discuss about this supposedly revolutionary piece of effects-based filmmaking.

But will this trailer make us want to see movie? Let’s discuss…
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The first time I saw this ad for AT&T Wireless, I mostly noticed the actor playing the concierge in the first scene. At first, I was like, “Is that Ty Burrell, star of the rock-awesome series Modern Family?” Then I thought, “No… wait… it’s David Pittu, Tony nominee and all-around excellent actor. Good for him!”

I doubt this ad was designed to make me think about David Pittu, but that’s not the only way it goes off message.

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