SueTube – Let’s talk TV with critic Susan Young

Mud wrestling with half naked men and women, but mostly women, in the reward challenge tonight.

Ashley Massaro, Erik Huffman, Sherea Lloyd and Dave Cruser, during the reward challenge,”Chinese Checkers.” Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

In fact, make that bare-breasted women. Amanda, who lost her top, got it right when she said, “My mom is going to kill me!.”

Before going on, I’d like to make a shameless plug for my vodcast on the breast issue on SueTube.

Moving on, we had the first alliance formed on the Fei Long clan with Amanda, Aaron and Todd. Todd seems to be getting the vote of confidence in the tribe.

Amanda Kimmel, Todd Herzog and Aaron Reisberger team up. Monty Brinton/CBS

After Leslie got the clue from “kidnapped” Jamie about where to find the immunity idol, she immediately told Todd so he would help her.

How can these people trust the Todd???

But perhaps the best quote of the night was when lazy snore-boy Jean-Robert explained that he may not do much physical work, but “I contribute with my mind.”

Oh, and I kissed my five bucks good-bye tonight when Ashleygot tossed.

Ashley Massaro just couldn’t stop feuding with Dave, and it got her booted.

Just the other day, my editor Kari and I were wondering when ProRun was returning, and today a lovely e-mail arrived.

10 p.m. Nov. 14 on Bravo. Oh, the joy. The happiness.

The fourth season has our beloved Tim Gunn returning with Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia with 15 new designers.

“It is very exciting to be going into our fourth season of Project Runway, and I think it will be the best season yet — I’m sure the audience will enjoy it,” said Klum. “Fashion is such a difficult business, and besides being great TV, we’re proud that the show allows some very talented designers to have a platform.”

The 15 “Project Runway” contestants will be whittled down to the finalists who will show their own line in front of an audience of fashion industry movers and shakers at New York Fashion Week.

As part of the winner’s prize package, an editorial feature on the winning designer will run in an issue of ELLE and will be shot by ELLE’s International Creative Director Gilles Bensimon, the winner will walk away with a cash prize of $100,000 seed money from TRESemmé professional hair care to start their own line, and will have the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com. Saturn will award the winner a 2008 Saturn Astra.

Following are the 15 new “Project Runway” designers, with a bit more on the SF connected designers:

– Carmen, 37 – Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.; Resides in N.Y.
– Chris, 44 – Hometown: San Francisco; Resides in N.Y.
– Christian, 21 – Hometown: Annapolis, Md.; Resides in N.Y.
– Elisa, 42 – Hometown: El Paso, Texas; Resides in Santa Fe, N.M.
– Jack, 38 – Hometown: Seattle, Wash.; Resides in N.Y.
– Jillian, 26 – Hometown/Resides In: Selden in Long Island, N.Y.
– Kevin, 30 – Hometown: Fairfield, N.J.; Resides in N.Y.
– Kit, 26 – Hometown: Los Angeles; Resides in Los Angeles
– Marion, 39 – Hometown: Tyler, Texas; Resides in Dallas, Texas.
– Rami, 31 – Hometown: Ramallah, Jerusalem; Resides in Los Angeles
– Ricky, 35 – Hometown: Escondido; Resides in N.Y.
– Simone, 32 – Hometown: San Francisco; Resides in Los Angeles
– Steven, 30 – Hometown/Resides In: Chicago, Ill.
– Sweet P, 46 – Hometown: Los Angeles; Resides in Glendale
– Victorya, 34 – Hometown: Winchester, Virginia; Resides in N.Y.

CHRIS
AGE: 44
HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA
EDUCATION: Self taught
FAVORITE DESIGNER: Dior
FASHION MUST: Bright colored anything

Chris is a freelance Costume Designer in New York City with a client list that includes Cirque du Soleil, Madonna and Thierry Mugler. Originally from San Francisco, he has always kept his eye on a career in fashion.

Chris’ work on the giant trademark hats and wigs of America’s longest running show, “Beach Blanket Babylon,” earned him great acclaim. Without any formal costume or fashion education, he garnered an impressive client list. His love of costuming, fashion, and acting, led him to pursue his fashion design dreams in New York, where his achievements include a “Drama Desk Award” nomination for outstanding costume design. Chris has created looks and styles for many designers that have appeared on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Martha Stewart,” “Rachael Ray,” “Tyra,” “Today,” E! and MTV.

Classic designers like Dior and Chanel, as well as trailblazers like Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano inspire Chris. However, he says he’s always had an unmistakably unique vision and talent that includes sculptural lines, lush fabrics, humor and an unpredictable use of materials. Chris says he designs for the woman who wants to stand out in a crowd.

JACK
AGE: 38
HOMETOWN: Seattle, Washington
EDUCATION: University of California at Berkeley with a double degree in Fine Arts and Sociology and Parsons School of design
FAVORITE DESIGNER: Diane Von Furstenberg, Alexander McQueen (For Men)
FASHION MUST: A sugar daddy

Jack, 38, originally from Seattle, Washington is a swimmer, model and fashion designer. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a double degree in Fine Arts and Sociology. In 1991, Jack moved to New York to attend Parsons School of Design where he studied fashion design. Fresh out of Parsons, Jack opened a menswear store in the uber chic West Village called “Jack.” There, he showcased new designers alongside upscale brands such as Gaultier Junior, Diesel and John Richmond. In 1997, he went to work for Tommy Hilfiger and then designed for the Slates brand, which is under the Levis umbrella. For the past 4 years, Jack has been the Design Director at Weatherproof Active Wear.

Beyond his professional achievements, Jack has also received national recognition as a competitive swimmer. He has three All-American titles to his name and set a national record in the summer of 2006 in the breaststroke leg of the 4 x 50 meter medley relay. As a fitness and fashion model through the 1990’s, Jack appeared in such magazines as “Paper,” “DNR,” “Men’s Fitness,” “Men’s Journal,” “Genre,” “Blue” and several others. Jack has also always been very open about his positive HIV status. Since his diagnosis in 1990, he has tried to combat the stigma of HIV by living honestly and being a role model through professional and athletic achievements.

Currently Jack is developing his own line of men’s dress shirts and dress pants and hopes to expand into all aspects of men’s sportswear. He is also working on a memoir about his life experiences.

SIMONE
AGE: 32
HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA
EDUCATION: Parsons School of Design, Paris
FAVORITE DESIGNER: Dries Van Noten
FASHION MUST: Organic wool and cashmere

Originally from Northern California and currently living in Los Angeles, Simone, 32, has been making¬¬ clothing since she was a child. Raised in an environment of creativity where artists, designers and musicians were an integral part of daily life, she was encouraged to experiment with every type of material that she could get her hands on. Simone quickly developed an obsession with fabric, form and its natural connection to the body.

While studying at CCA in San Francisco, Simone delved into sculptural and artesianal techniques, gaining appreciation for the historical and the handcrafted traditions of eras gone by. Simone’s love for fashion and history led her to Paris, where she studied at Parsons and assisted a young and accomplished couturier. She says Paris offered a perfect experience for her with dedicated craftsmanship, high-minded fashion and many historical treasures to be discovered.

When Simone returned to the U.S., she began a career of freelance design, personal styling and creating one-of-a-kind pieces for a select clientele. In 2006, this path led her to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she was commissioned to create a custom collection, as well as explore traditional craft and production techniques throughout the region.

Simone currently resides in Los Angeles and is designing custom pieces, as well as TS BLOOM, her collection of women’s wear using organic and surplus fabrics.

“Project Runway” fans can log onto BravoTV for bonus clips of the show, listen to Gunn’s podcast, watch the designers’ audition videos and read blogs written by Gunn and Garcia.

Also on BravoTV.com users will have the chance to compete in online challenges by sending in photos of their take on each week’s challenges. Users will once again be able to “Rate the Runway” and vote on which designs they think should have been “in” or “out” after every episode.

On their mobile phones, fans will be able to access the “Project Runway” WAP site at wap.bravotv.com (or text BRAVO to 27286), for exclusive video diaries, photos, fashion tips from contestants, guest judges and more.

The former King of Thursday comedies gives “30 Rock” a boost at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the show’s season opener that has conniving network head Jack (Alec Baldwin) digitally inserting Jerry Seinfeld into the network’s fall shows to goose up the sagging ratings.

Seinfeld finally agrees, but not before getting in plenty of plugs for his new animated film, “Bee Movie,” including a breaking-the-fourth-wall moment when he reminds us it opens on Nov. 2.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

When Seinfeld was in San Francisco last week hawking the movie _ complete with a bee-decorated trolley car and a yellow carpet arrival _ he says he still has a soft spot for his old network.

“What are they in, like, fourth place? I still love them,’’ Seinfeld says.

So why is it so hard for NBC and the other networks to capture the comedy magic?

“People sometimes are a little overconfident in what it takes to make a good show,” Seinfeld says. “ I remember when Larry (David) and I were doing the show, and we’d hear that some successful producers were signed to put two more on the air. We’d scratch our heads. Two? It was impossible just to do one.”

SEINFELD ON “30 ROCK”

All you need is a computer and a fast connection to get an early viewing of CW’s series “Aliens in America” and “Life is Wild.”

The full episodes of the series air free and without commercial interruption on Yahoo.com before their broadcast air dates.

“Aliens,” about a misfit high schooler and the Muslim exchange student the family takes in, will begins streaming on Yahoo! today. It premieres Oct. 1 on the CW.

Dan Byrd as Justin Tolchuck, Adhir Kalyan as Raja Musharaff Photo Credit: Kharen Hill/The CW (C)2007

“Life Is Wild,” a family drama about a New York veterinarian and his blended family moving to South Africa airs Oct. 7 on The CW, but will be available at Yahoo! starting Saturday.

(L-R) D.W. Moffett as Danny Clarke, K’Sun Ray as Chase Clarke, Leah Pipes as Katie Clarke, Mary Mouser as Mia Weller, Stephanie Niznick as Jo Clarke, David Butler as Art and Andrew St. John as Jesse Weller stars in LIFE IS WILD on THE CW. Photo: David Bloomer/The CW ©2007

Guess what? Claire got a car. A Rogue. From Nissan. That didn’t take anyone out of the moment, now did it?

Still, it was a decent episode even though anyone who had been to YouTube had already seen about the first quarter of it. And yes, I admit to contributing to that let-down by posting those trailers. Still, it took a while for anything to feel fresh tonight.

Claire and H.R.G. are feeling a little fenced in California, where they are supposed to be keeping a low profile. Then perhaps Claire should NOT have tried to set fire to her hand during science class when new found pal West was watching.

West, we soon discover, has a little something extra like Claire. We also discover that managers of Big Box stores shouldn’t mess with H.R.G., especially during his coffee break.

And Nathan and Peter are back, although looking pretty darn shabby. Nathan, we’re assuming, lost the race. He’s now got a scruffy beard when he isn’t looking at his ground-beef face in the mirror. Has he healed a little, or is it an optical illusion?

NATHAN LOOKS LESS DAPPER THIS YEAR

And Peter? He’s trussed up in a cargo box in Ireland. With amnesia. And getting grilled by people with the worst Irish accent I’ve ever heard.

MILO VENTIMIGLIA AS PETER, LOOKING A LITTLE LIKE A VAMPIRE

But by far the most interesting parts had Hiro catching up with his personal hero Takezo Kensei during a 1671 Shogun showdown. Turns out, Takezo’s more Han Solo than Luke Skywalker. Hiro is disappointed, but we’re more interested than ever in this guy.

MASI OKA AS HIRO NAKAMURE, DAVID ANDERS AS KENSEI – NBC Photo: Paul Drinkwater

So what did you think of the episode? Up to expectations or disappointing?

OK, it’s only Friday but I’m already tense with anticipation about the second season opener of “Heroes.”

We know our Heroes will be time traveling and going to places they’ve never been before, like Hiro getting jolted back to feudal Japan (well, actually only about 30 miles away from the L.A. studio).

Here’s a quick peek at what’s in store for us:

So what do you think?

Darn you office pool!

This is the first season in a while where there were no locals in the mix, so for a brief moment I thought perhaps I’d simplify the recording process and mark it off an already swamped Thursday.

(“Ugly Betty” back next week, with “My Name is Earl” and “30 Rock”).

Then Ann Tatko Peterson walked by with the office pool and I was hooked again. I remember telling her, “Just don’t let me pick Chicken.”

I didn’t. I got Ashley. Which almost looked like my 5 bucks was going to be sailing right out the door after the WWE wrestler got sick and couldn’t perform. Even Ash thought she was a goner at tribal council. But in the end, Chicken and his passive-aggressive style got him booted out.

My girl Ashley:

ASHLEY MASSARO, 28 of East Northport, N.Y.
Professional WWE Wrestler

This is the 15th installment of “Survivor.”

“Survivor: China” began not on an island, but in urban Shanghai before moving to HuangPu Mountain’s Mi Tuo Temple for a Buddhist ceremony where they were instructed to leave all of their worldly possessions behind.

The castaways were then be marooned with the clothes on their back at two separate islands on Zhelin Lake (translation: the Land of 1,000 Lakes) located in the Jiangxi Province.

They split into two tribes, Fei Long (translation: Flying Dragon) and Zhan Hu (translation: Fighting Tiger), and given a copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for tribe motivation and assistance throughout the game.

This time there will be a not-so-Hidden Immunity Idol which may save someone from elimination at a future Tribal Council. The idols will be in plain sight, although the castaways won’t realize it at first.

Each week, the winning tribe of the Reward Challenge will be allowed to kidnap someone from the losing tribe. The person who is kidnapped will receive a note from host Jeff Probst before departing for the enemy camp and will be instructed to give it to one member of the enemy tribe (the kidnapped victim will decide who receives it) in private.

The clue will inform this person of the Hidden Immunity Idol located somewhere at their camp. This person must then decide if they wish to share the information with their tribe or keep it to themselves. The kidnapped victim will return to their original tribe at the following Immunity Challenge.

Chicken Out:

CHICKEN MORRIS, 47 Marion, Va.
Chicken farmer

For pictures of all the “Survivor” competitors, search “Survivor” on the blog for the June entry.

We’ve already hash out the fact that we’re morally opposed to letting 40 kids aged 8-14 go all “Lord of the Flies” on a reality show.

But it’s like objecting to veal. We don’t think it’s right to feed off baby calves, but now that the deed is done, might as well check out the veal scallopini.

Critics didn’t get a preview copy of CBS’ “Kid Nation,” because frankly the network knew we weren’t enthusiastic. So why waste postage?

Bottom line: The producers totally ripped off “Survivor,” which I guess is OK when CBS is the mother ship for both vessels. Just like “Survivor,” the participants _ this time kids aged 8-15 _ were sent off to their new home dragging their belongs with them. The were divided into four teams with different colored buffs. Then the teams had to compete for positions in the town’s social structure.

Oh, and since all four teams finished under the time limit, they got to choose between two rewards: A television or like seven more outhouses. The choice was obvious. Even kids know you can’t have 40 kids using one bathroom.

Then, at the end, one kid was chosen to get the gold star worth $20,000. Honestly, we thought after Sophia, 14, of Florida shot her mouth off at the town meeting, the council was going to change their minds about giving her the big prize.

But they didn’t.

There were a lot of kids sobbing, which got a little old. There was also way too much bickering. Because really, you can’t get enough of kids whining at each other, am I right?

Overall, I’ve got to say that I’m going to pass on any more “Kid Nation” episodes. What about you?

Well, it’s finally over.

I have to admit, until I visited the “Big Brother” house last July, I had never really gotten into the series. After the visit, I was hooked.

Guess that’s what happens when you look Evel Dick in the eye through the two-way mirror! On that day, he was packing his bags, sure he was leaving the house. He sang to himself, turned to look at himself in there mirror and there we were nose-to-nose.

Creepy. Yet, that day I got invested in an Evel Dick win.

Now the votes are cast and Dick’s a winner, and says he plans on using his $500,000 winnings on taking a trip around the world. And spreading a little Evel wherever he goes.

Now the only question is whether the teary Eric will get to keep his cutie-pie girlfriend Jessica now that she knows he was America’s Player. I swear, I thought E was going to start sobbing at any minute during tonight’s results show.

As for Jessica, she’s got a nasty streak in her. If you doubt that, don’t forget the look she flashed to her former BFF in tonight’s finale.

So, any thoughts?

Nope. Not even going Code Blue could save the Emmy telecast, which weighed in with only 13.1 million viewers. The only time fewer folks tuned in was the 1990 telecast on Fox.

Compare that to the dazzle of the Oscars, which lured 40.2 million viewers to the telecast. Heck, even the Country Music Awards brought in 16 million people.

GIDGET GETS BLEEPED

We have two words for you: Ryan Seacrest.

There’s nothing special or flashy about Ryan, and he brought the same amateur hour spirit to the Emmys normally reserved for “American Idol.”

RYAN MAKES EVERYONE UNCOMFORTABLE

And James Spader over James Gandolfini for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series? Emmy deserved the hit.

BAD PRESENTERS. BAD, BAD…and then there was James…