The humble amateur violinist. (via nytimes.com)

Joe Zee and his violin were featured in "Posessed," the Times Sunday Styles feature that gives free, tightly controlled publicity to bold face names with projects to promote (see Rose McGowan, Conan the Barbarian),  and Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Motherfucker With The Hat) under the pretense of writing about their favorite objets.

Joe Zee, whose Sundance reality show "All on the Line" starts up again in November, would like to tell us about his violin because it's a symbol of how he's good at... everything.

“I was good at everything,” said Mr. Zee. “I was like Tracy Flick, sitting in the front row and raising my hand for everything. English, math -- anything with a textbook. I was good at consuming knowledge. And I was great at home ec!” 

He taught himself how to be good at violin. “Because of the piano, I could read music. And I’m a really good mimic, so I could watch TV footage of great concert violinists, watch how they sat, how they held the bow, and tried to just mimic that, over and over. One day it all fell into place, and I just kept doing it until I got it perfect.”

It turned out Joe Zee was good at other instruments too: "After conquering the violin, Mr. Zee taught himself the viola, then the cello, then the bass. 'It was fascinating to be able to do every part of a quartet,' he said."

Joe Zee was not good at one thing: “I wasn’t so good at phys ed."

But according to his column in this month's Elle, it won't be long before he's good at that too.

"I am obsessed with dance. Hip-hop, ballet, ballroom--I don't discriminate. I watch it, I support it, and  in the past few years, have attended classes regularly in an attempt to master it."

His self-professed work ethic is impressive, but we suspect what matters now is how good Mr. Zee gets at promoting Elle on "All on the Line." And with former Elle fashion director Nina Garcia now representing rival magazine Marie Claire on "Project Runway," it's no bunny hop!

Joanna Coles (Getty Images)

Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles is to be the official mentor on the upcoming Project Runway: All Stars. The perhaps misleadingly titled show presents past fan favorite designers still struggling to make it in the fashion game; Ms. Coles's role will be analogous to that of Tim Gunn in the regular-flavor Project Runway.

Marie Claire, and Ms. Coles, have a long association with the reality franchise: Ms. Coles has appeared on the show for several seasons and the magazine's fashion director Nina Garcia is a judge on the program (on the new All-Stars series, her role will be played by Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman). In 2010, Ms. Coles told The Observer: “We’re developing more television," declining to give details, and noted that few believed she was actually a TV-fashion guru. An acquaintance told Ms. Coles "'Well, obviously you’d never be on a show like Project Runway’ because she only ever sees me when I have on, like, jeans and a T-shirt." Well, the British editor is a literary type.

ddaddario@observer.com :: @DPD_

Eng will be having her own runway show this Saturday as part of the first ever NY Maker Faire, an event dedicated to inventors, hackers and mad tinkerers of all types.

For a peek at what we'll all be wearing in 2020 check out some of Eng's designs here > 

Mr. Siriano, 24, is the openly gay winner of Lifetime's Project Runway, season four: famous for wearing his hair in a flat-ironed, bi-level "fashion hawk" and for popularizing the phrase "hot tranny mess." He was discussing fittings for his Fashion Week runway show, which takes place Thursday, Sept. 9, on the stage at Lincoln Center. And although it was days away and he still hadn't toured the space, Mr. Siriano appeared totally calm. "I'm very organized," he explained. "And this season, because it's spring, feels more lighthearted--you don't have to take it so seriously."

Being taken seriously, though, is the biggest obstacle facing Mr. Siriano these days. Yes, hordes of fans clamor to score invites to his shows, and celebs like Rihanna and Lady Gaga get photographed in his dresses. But while he interned for Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood and won raves for his first collection from the famously unforgiving Women's Wear Daily--possibly the first time the trade bible has used the word "fierce"--he is recognized most for his telegenic turn on Runway and, four seasons later, remains the franchise's biggest breakout star (in the past year alone, he's written a book on style and starred in an hour-long Bravo special, Christian Siriano: Having a Moment.)

Apart from show judges Michael Kors and Tim Gunn (who has called Mr. Siriano "this generation's Marc Jacobs"), few industry insiders have gone on record in support of the diminutive designer, so it's hard to tell if Mr. Siriano has been truly embraced by the fashion elite. (When Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, one of the hottest stars of the moment, wore a strapless peach frock to the 2010 Golden Globes, it provoked eye rolls rather than huzzahs. "Not pretty," wrote The Times' Cathy Horyn, suggesting that the over-the-top ruffles, er, expanded Ms. Hendricks' already buxom figure. Ms. Hendricks recently wore another of Mr. Siriano's gowns to the Creative Arts Emmys, which can be seen as either a vote of confidence or a repeat offense.)

Then again, we now live in an age in which Anna Wintour allowed a documentary film crew into the hallowed halls of Vogue; Elle has gone slumming on the CW with 2008's cringe-worthy Stylista; and Kim Kardashian--whose design experience seems limited to finding pants with atypical waist-to-hip ratios--has presented a collection at Fashion Week.

"I absolutely think people take him seriously," stylist Phillip Bloch wrote in an email. "We all know that in this pop media frenzy we live in, it's all about the hype, and Christian has had more than his share of that. He's definitely taking all the right steps to brand himself, and half the battle in retail is creating a consumer awareness. With his high-profile premiere on Project Runway, he's been a reality tv darling, so half the world already knows who he is... and he's quite a quirky and adorable character, which is always appealing."

Indeed, watching Mr. Siriano cast models, it was hard not to root for him: Full of camera-ready bon mots, he's a one-man stitch 'n' bitch.

"Now, she is fabulous," he drawled as his design partner and childhood friend, Sam Bennett, arrived bearing a huge bundle of curly beige crinoline resembling the scalp of Phil Spector.

"It's like you had a wind machine!" he said excitedly to a particularly bouncy-hipped Japanese model. "To make your hair move like that is a talent."

To a full-lipped, androgynous model named Snow, he sighed, "I wish that were my name."

"Ugh, they're all so fucking pretty," he groaned during a lull. "How do people deal? I get catcalls on Eighth Avenue. Guys think I'm an Asian lesbian. How do these girls even walk around?"

Mr. Siriano's spring 2011 collection--his fifth since winning Runway--is somewhat of a departure from the heavy-handed glamour that marked his earlier work. "My first season, I was doing more show pieces," he said (an understatement--the voluminous ruffled and feathered gowns he has sent down runways past make most black-tie fare look like bib overalls). And sure enough, this season's offerings are softer--heavy satins with gravity-defying flourishes have been traded in for flowing chiffon columns, while shiny silk blazers have given way to tailored trench coats. His textiles show more  maturity as well--Mr. Siriano fell in love with a book on China and its Buddhist temples, but, not wanting to appear overly religious, he manipulated a photograph of temple artwork into an abstract print, which pops up in pieces throughout the collection. "I love it," he said, fingering a bright teal jersey dress. "Then again, they may tar and feather me. We'll have to see."

Asked if the Runway crown has been a hindrance, Mr. Siriano diplomatically replied: "The show is great and totally helped me." He cited partnerships with Payless and Victoria's Secret, and pointed out that his fall 2010 collection got play on Style.com, which is more or less an extension of Vogue. Then again, he said, after the show ends, "you find that not everybody supports it. And it's the fashion industry, you know? I have no idea what they really think."

He primped in a full-length mirror and plucked a Flip video camera from his bag. "I'm supposed to be filming myself for New York magazine, but I don't really feel like it," he said. Nevertheless, he turned the camera on himself and put on a grin. "Hi, New York mag! We're at my studio and we're gonna do a little casting." Mr. Siriano then filmed his staff in the office before returning to the casting room, where a blond model from Serbia waited, wearing a wife beater and oversize black-framed glasses. "Ooh, I love them," he cooed. "Are they prescription?"

"No, I just want to look smart," she giggled. As she left, Mr. Siriano made a brief but decisive cutting motion across his throat.

An assistant, the very fashionably-named Micole, rushed in--a front-row attendee on the list for the show had just called asking to bring a guest. "Is she a famous guest or a regular guest?" Mr. Siriano wanted to know.

"It's between Brooke Shields and Hailey Duff," Micole said. Mr. Siriano was disappointed. "Brooke Shields is old," he said. "Hailey Duff is trashy."

"You have a lot of younger fans, and they all look up to the Duffs," Micole offered brightly.

"They do not look up to the Duffs," Mr. Siriano said, laughing.

It may sound cruel, but for Mr. Siriano, insults often double as terms of endearment. "Listen, I love everyone," he said. "I'm a huge fan of the worst, trashiest people. But frankly, I'd rather have buyers from Bergdorf come to my show." He turned to Micole. "Tell him, 'Christian's not sure if the show's right for Hailey.'"

Mr. Siriano does a lot of business with private clients--particularly brides--but as of right now his eponymous label is sold in New York exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue (after his debut collection in 2008, Bloomingdale's reportedly placed an order that later fell through). "At my very first show, I had everyone," he said. "I had amazing editors, I had Nina Garcia's entire staff at Elle, I had Saks, Neimans, Bergdorf." By comparison, Mr. Siriano's fall 2010 front row included America's Next Top Model winner CariDee English, Mena Suvari and Leigh Lezark.

"Listen, actresses get paid if they're big," he said. "And I am not paying $30K for you to sit for 10 minutes." He paused, reconsidering. "Maybe if Rihanna called me," he said.

His phone vibrated. "No, he is not," he exclaimed before announcing to the room that Kanye West was dating the model Selita Ebanks. Mr. Siriano said he had spent time with Mr. West's former girlfriend, Amber Rose (also a model), who he deemed "ghetto, but the sweetest person."

When the casting call ended and the models had trotted back to Eighth Avenue in their 6-inch heels, Mr. Siriano pinned head shots of his favorites to a wall and stepped back. Remembering his New York assignment, he grabbed his Flip camera. "This is our wall of girls we like and are going to get," he narrated. "Amazing!" He turned off the camera and started to laugh. "They're gonna be like, 'What the fuck is this fag doing?'" he said, imagining editors reviewing the tapes. "'Who is this fairy princess?'"

ulamarche@observer.com

Crain's says that the secret to his success is that he "quickly diversified" in the wake of the economic collapse, collaborating with the likes of LG Electronics, Victoria's Secret, and Payless.

Siriano also credits his youth.

"I value the fact that I'm young and new and fresh and still learning," he says in a video interview.

It’s been interesting to watch the writers on this show try different things to see if they can breathe new life into a program that is plagued by complaints that it's the same week to week. We understand the argument--there tends to be a fairly unbreakable formula (strange patient and symptoms/three or four wrong diagnoses/almost death/cured by the brilliance of Dr. House in the last three to four minutes). That said, eat it, haters! This show is awesome, Hugh Laurie is awesome, and for god’s sake, watch it for the subtleties. Anyhoo, tonight, Dr. House tries to get the missing members of his team together and treats a porn star suffering from eye pain. Hot dog. [Fox, 8 p.m.]

Tuesday: Late Show with David Letterman

Attention womb watchers! Our very favorite big guy has the ridiculously gorgeous Penélope Cruz on the couch tonight, and maybe, with the help of Dave, we can put these pregnancy rumors to rest once and for all? Because seriously, haven’t people been speculating about this poor woman’s insides since mid-summer? Ms. Cruz will be discussing her latest team-up with Pedro Almodovar, Broken Embraces (which is fantastic – check for our review on Wednesday!) and the upcoming Nine – which just can’t get itself into theaters fast enough. [CBS, 11:35 p.m.]

Wednesday: Modern Family

Oh hi, did somebody say sweeps week? Our favorite new comedy will feature special guest stars Edward Norton (as a rock star, which should be awesome when he goes all method – and you know he will) and Elizabeth Banks, as a friend of Cameron and Mitchell’s. Mmmm, there’s something just so old-fashioned and satisfying about shows pulling stunts in mid-November. [ABC, 9 p.m.]

Thursday: Project Runway

Wooo hooo! It’s finale time! We’ve been feeling awfully conflicted about this season of Project Runway. On the one hand, it was a relief that the show didn’t change too much making its move from Bravo to Lifetime (besides the weird faux Mood). But didn’t it just feel like some of the magic was missing? Either with the weird rotating judges, subdued Tim Gunn or just the boring contestants? Regardless, competing for the big prize, we’ve got the giant girl, the sweet stomach flu-afflicted muppet, and the scary unstoppable Georgian chick all sending things down a runway (that took place like a year ago, but whatevs). [Lifetime, 10 p.m.]

Friday: The Notebook

Sure, those tween wannabe fangbangers will be lining up to see the new Twilight, but if it’s tortured love you’re looking for, get the tissues and settle in for some uber-manipulation at the hands of Nicholas Sparks. This 2004 film, directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on Mr. Spark’s first bestselling novel, introduced the world to Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams (thank you!) and also strengthened some of our phobias about aging, nursing homes and dementia. But how awesome is it to think of James Garner as a grown up Gosling? And speaking of which, wither Gosling? We miss you! [Oxygen, 8 p.m.]

Monday: Late Night With David Letterman

We just can’t wait to see how the big guy handles his lead guest: Anna Wintour. The ever-elegant and chilly editor in chief of Vogue is mysterious, terrifyingly powerful and—even with magazines gasping for existence—as close to royalty in certain publishing circles as you are going to get. But with the release of the documentary The September Issue, a behind-the-curtains look at how the fashion bible is produced (apparently, dissing Sienna Miller’s neck and hair is part of the process!), Ms. Wintour has agreed to appear on Late Night like any other common celebrity to answer Mr. Letterman’s questions. We have so many already! Starting with, what on earth will she be wearing? And does she know how cold Dave likes to keep the studio and to bring a cardigan? Will Dave tell her she smells delicious? We. Can’t. Wait. [11:35 p.m., CBS]

Tuesday: St Elmo’s Fire

Where to start with this movie? First of all, it is not directed by John Hughes but rather auteur Joel Schumacher, though one might be forgiven for being confused. After all, is there a Brat Packier movie than this one? It's got Demi Moore (playing out-of-control wreck Jules. Close your eyes, though, and you’ll swear its Lindsay Lohan. Spooky!), Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, our 1985 would-be boyfriend Andrew McCarthy, Rob Lowe as awesome sax-soloist Billy Hicks and even Andie MacDowell, who shows up as a (snarf) doctor with super-pretty hair. ABC recently announced that this movie is being turned into a series, which makes us feel somewhat sad … and old. Here’s hoping the gang will still have cause to chant Booga Booga Booga Wah Wah Wah at least once per episode. [7:30 a.m., AMC]

Wednesday: Grindhouse

Congratulations are in order for Quentin Tarantino: His wacky Nazi-hunting Inglourious Basterds is not only a hit with critics, but also No. 1 this weekend at the box office. Today you can catch the 2007 double feature of Grindhouse, which includes Death Proof  (written and directed by Mr. Tarantino) and Planet Terror (written and directed by Robert Rodriguez), if you happen to have a spare 195 minutes. If not, we humbly recommend Death Proof, because the girls are so foxy and badass and we so love seeing Kurt Russell as a homicidal maniac (casting directors take note!). [1:20 a.m., ENC]

Thursday: Models of the Runway

What’s really kind of amazing is that it took the geniuses at Project Runway this long to spin off of their Project Runway cash cow with Models of the Runway. For the uninitiated, there’s always that fun moment in every Project Runway when all the model ladies come out in little black slips, and are forced to stand on the runway like cattle while the fashion designers pick. One is always out. It has brought some great drama in the past (remember “it’s a motherfucking walkoff”? Or when the normally tactful Tim Gunn described one poor soul as having an elongated marshmallow shape?). Last week’s first episode focused on a rather angry redhead, who is clearly going to bring the drama, but we can’t really tell all those skinny bitches apart yet. Tyra should be very, very worried.  [11 p.m., Lifetime]

Friday: There Will Be Blood

Before we get all caught up in Daniel Day-Lewis, song-and-dance man, which we're sure will happen once we see the much anticipated (with the awesome trailer) Nine, let us sit back and remember him as the shadowy, complicated, darkly misanthropic Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. For the role that won him the Oscar, Mr. Day-Lewis goes deep and really kinda crazy dark! This is a movie that we promise gets better and more interesting with every viewing. Forget the now infamous “I drink your milkshake” line, what about when he puts that napkin over his face? And don't you think he really slapped Paul Dano around for that one scene? This is art! [4:30 p.m., ShoE]

Tuesday: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Three cheers for what amounts to just about the nicest movie we’ve seen in a long while. Almost everything about Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is sweet, tender, totally adorable or all three at the same time. Michael Cera (at the pinnacle of his awkward charms) and Kat Dennings (giving such a real performance that we’re not sure it can qualify as acting) play the titular couple and their infinite playlist is chock filled with justright indie music cues. It’s all great and fairly harmless; however, our absolute favorite moments occur anytime Ari Graynor—as the drunken best friend—appears onscreen. Get Ms. Graynor her own movie, stat! [Starz, 9 p.m.]

Wednesday: Hard Knocks: The Cincinnati Bengals
Are you ready for some football? HBO’s acclaimed sports reality show, Hard Knocks, returned last week, and to all of our good fortune, this season will follow the laughingstock Cincinnati Bengals. If you’re not familiar with the Bengals, just know that there’s a Web site devoted to chronicling how many player arrests they’ve had over the last few years and that their No. 1 wide receiver legally changed his last name to OchoCinco. Hard Knocks plays like a combination of The Real World and Friday Night Lights, but without any of the latter’s gravitas. This team needs Coach Taylor to teach them how to be men. Clear eyes, full hearts, the Bengals will probably still lose. [HBO, 8 p.m.]

Thursday: Project Runway
In reality television: One day you’re in, the next day you’re out. After nearly a year of legal battles and a network change (auf wiedersehen, Bravo, guten tag, Lifetime!), Project Runway returns with Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn and a host of hopeful (and hopefully wacky) fashion designers. The sixth season premiere features a guest appearance by Lindsay Lohan, which just goes to show you how long this thing has been sitting on the shelf. [Lifetime, 10 p.m.]

Friday: Mean Girls
Speaking of LiLo! While Ms. Lohan has seen her career burst into flames following the surprise success of the Tina Fey–scripted comedy in 2004, the rest of the ladies in the cast—Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan and the aforementioned Ms. Fey—have gone on to bigger and better things. We’d like to say there is some hope left for Ms. Lohan, but having seen her direct-to-television disaster Labor Pains, we have a feeling that ship has sailed. At least she’ll always have Mean Girls. [TBS, 8 p.m.]

First to arrive was lovely New Zealand native Rebecca Taylor, with father in tow.  The designer was wearing one of her own creations, a blue jumpsuit—“It covers all your sins!  You don’t shave your legs—put on the jumpsuit!”   It was Gen Art that gave Ms. Taylor her big break 10 years ago. “Although it was a long time ago, and it was a show of 10 looks, it was one of the nicest shows I’ve ever done.  I like to support people who supported me.” 

Project Runway’s Christian Siriano flew into the party with a posse of asymmetrically coiffed pals; also in attendance were Gossip Girl’s Laura Breckenridge and Miss USA Kirsten Dalton, resplendent in turquoise and sporting a blinding smile.  Erin Lucas, star of MTV’s The City and daughter of AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams, showed off her brand-new AC/DC tattoo—“in honor of Father’s Day.”  British rockers Your Vegas, fresh off of tour with Duran Duran, mingled in the closed-off VIP section.  Why were they there?  “It’s a good place to be!” said one member of the band.

Meanwhile Alex and Simon McCord, stars of The Real Housewives of New York, could not be pried from the red carpet.  This was their second event of the evening, having just dashed over from a City Opera shopping event.  The couple talked and posed and talked some more, and seemed a little surprised to be asked about Gen Art.  “Think about the artists who make paintings,” Ms. McCord said. “Artists are often the ones who are living on the edge, and they need our support.  Another thing, too, is that spending money in economic times, you want to feel that you are doing good for someone.”  The TV star went on to describe her newly renovated house, filled with artwork “bought at charity auctions” and “recycled furniture.”  Did Ms. McCord think Gen Art could reach its lofty goal of a quarter of a million dollars?  “People really want to help.  And I sometimes think that these tough times bring out the best in people.  Well, the worst in some.  But people really want to help.” 

Co-chair Zac Posen arrived later in the night, dapper in skinny jeans.  After chatting about iPhones, the designer took a more serious tone, announcing that “it is important to support Gen Art, or anything that gives a platform to young artists.”  Like Ms. Taylor, the foundation was instrumental in helping Mr. Posen in the early days of his career.
 
A later arrival was The City’s whip-thin Whitney Port, and it soon became clear that the party had actually morphed into a set for her MTV reality show.  So that’s why the strategically placed cameras were there,  the Transom thought as it inadvertently stumbled into the midst of a scene.

It was Tuesday morning and Ms. Zalaznick, the overseer of various NBC Universal cable lifestyle channels, was standing in an ornate banquet hall at the Russian Tea Room, kicking off Bravo’s annual upfront presentation to reporters. 

Over the next hour and a half, a conga line of Bravo executives talked up the channel's strong performance in a weak market (first-quarter ad revenue up 21 precent versus last year!) and introduced a slate of hyperbolic new programs in various stages of development. 

Along the way, they introduced NYC Prep, a real-life Gossip Girl–type show, which will follow the lives of six high-rolling Manhattan preppies as they prance about town, hemorrhaging allowances and hair products. In a preview clip, one of the subjects and his well-coiffed wingman go on a double date. Preppy mating rituals ensue.

Elsewhere in network's plans for the future, competitions remained en vogue.

In The Fashion Show, designers will compete for the approval of fashion luminaries and a cash prize. In American Artist, creative types will square off in a range of disciplines for validation and a chance at a museum tour. In Launch My Line, “pop culture notables” will team up with designers for the chance to launch their own fashion line

Jumping on the big family bandwagon that is all the rage on TV these days (Jon and Kate Plus 8, Octomom, the Duggar clan, etc.), Bravo executives announced that they have two fertility-reality series in the works.

Laura Bennett will follow the Project Runway contestant and fashion designer and mother of six kids as she juggles life between professional success and domestic chaos. Design Sixx will revolve around the Manhattan design couple Cortney and Robert Novogratz and their six (going on seven) children

The network will also soon be kicking off Watch What Happens, a pop-culture roundup show—and vehicle for Bravo exec Andy Cohen's apparent ambition to spend more time in front of the cameras.

Also in the development works: gym makeovers, a celebrity florist, supermodels, Kelly Cutrone, super narcissists in Miami, and—for the first time in the network’s history—fiction!

Bravo exec Frances Berwick announced that the network has two scripted shows in the early stage of development: Blueprint, a “serialized dramedy” about two best friends, one gay and one straight, who run an architecture-design firm in New York; and 30 Under 30 a series about a bratty pack of young turks who make a magazine's annual list of 20-something go-getters and afterwards struggle to live up to the billing.

For the grand finale, Bravo trotted out the stars of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, who gamely sat around talking to Mr. Cohen about their lives and rivalries and cankles.

What separates the housewives of New Jersey, Mr. Cohen asked, from the housewives of, say, Orange County?

“We’re a force to be reckoned with,” said one of the botoxed beauties.

And also, according to Mr. Cohen, they spend an inordinate amount of time sitting around talking about their, um, hyperbolic “boobies.”