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Formerly optimistic about Project Runway’s Season 6 airing sometime this year, its matron Heidi Klum is now pissed and wants fans to protest. She says “I think that people should be demonstrating outside of Harvey Weinstein’s house. If it were up to me, it would be on by now.” ABC News has just posted the most legible description of the show’s legal battles, which I will now translate for you, so you can explain it to people at parties and at work:
- In April 2008, Harvey Weinstein, the producer of the show sold Project Runway to Lifetime for $150 million and a 5 year deal.
- On that same day, NBC (the owner of the Bravo network) said “Not so fast!” and sued Harvey. NBC says they had the right to look at other networks offers to buy the show and also said that Harvey was two-timing NBC by pretending to negotiate a deal with them while actually making a deal with Lifetime
- Harvey countersues, claiming that the network was leaking spoilers and that they had been copying the format for other shows, specifically Bravo’s “Top Chef”
- Another reason Harvey wanted to sell is he has beef with Bravo’s president, Lauren Salsnick. In a meeting in January 2008, NBC offered ways to please Harvey without losing the show, including taking it to USA (WTF?). Harvey tells NBC exec Jeff Zucker that Jeff is one of his only “5 friends in the world” and that he will not screw him over by taking the show elsewhere
- A month later, Harvey got the offer from Lifetime, told Jeff that he’d be stupid not to take it, and cashed a big ole 20 million dollar deposit. In the court documents, Harvey says he now has “15 friends”.
- In September 2008, a judge awarded an injunction to NBC temporarily blocking the show from airing on any network. The judge in the case thinks NBC will win. Harvey’s lawyers have appealed the decision.
This sounds like drama and backstabbing worthy of a Real Housewives episode, right? For now, until the injuction is lifted and all those egomaniacs go back to court, the show will remain suspended in time.
[Image: Bravo/NBC Universal, Sources: Jam, ABC News]
I miss Tim.
Heidi… not so much.
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[...] of the show should protest in the producer’s front yard, check out bravofan’s article here. Subscribe to Starcasm by Email addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fstarcasm.net%2Farchives%2F4075′; [...]
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ARGH! Bring Project Runway back already! Thanks for the laymanitization of the legal drama. Something tells me that Nina, Michael and Tim would make great witnesses. “When our show was on Bravo it was like working at a chicken plant, but not in a good way.” Keep up the good work Bravo fan!
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[...] Show this morning; our beloved Project Runway is officially making the leap to Lifetime. The battle between NBC Universal (the owner of Bravo), the Weinstein Company and Lifetime for the show has been [...]
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