"One of you will be in, and one of you will be umlaut."

I’m sure the news that Negroponte being named as intelligence czar is worthy of some discussion and debate. I’ll leave that to everyone else out there in BlogLand to discuss.

Today, I’m here to talk about more important stuff, like “Project Runway,” and how much j’adore.

For those of you living in a cave – or those that don’t have Bravo – “Project Runway” is this reality show (what a novel concept!) that takes 12 aspiring designers (some fresh out of design school, some working in the business for a while), sticks them in the basement of the Parsons School of Design, throws wacky challenges at them (“make a dress out of materials you find at the grocery store!”), while Seal’s boo, Heidi Klum, kicks someone off every episode. Until only three remain. These designers then get the opportunity to show their collection at NY Fashion Week, and a winner gets chosen.

So last night, I caught the last 30 minutes of the “reunion episode,” in which all of the contestants come back and bitch and moan and talk about what went on behind the scenes, etc. Wendy Pepper was there, the backstabbing, opportunistic, and ambitious-in-an-annyoying-way designer, whom I liked at first, because I thought she was nurturing and cool in that let-me-hug-you-I’m-a-mom kinda way. They showed clips of Kara Saun getting in touch with her inner hoodrat sistafren, telling Wendy “I don’t like you” to her face. There were clips of Jay – whom I hated in the beginning because I thought he was just some catty, troublemaker queen who actually turned out to be hilarious and super talented – coddling a baby he made out of a stuffed pair of pantyhose, and of him performing his rendition of the Star Wars Kid.

I love this show because, aside from my interest in fashion, I love watching the artistic process at work more than anything else. These designers manage to create beautiful clothes under the strictest of deadlines, with the most meager budget available. They get to work in the Parsons School of Design, under the watchful eye of Tim, the dean, who provides well-placed nuggets of design advice. And unlike other reality shows that throw in a bunch of party-hearty twentysomethings in a flashy apartment, ply them with alcohol and hot tubs (“and from here, the laughs ensue!”) and videotape them waiting for something interesting to happen, Project Runway’s contestants are just more interesting, stylish, and talented. I mean, these people actually create what can be considered works of art (example: Austin’s cornhusk cocktail dress from Episode One).

They also create drama, and have the best one-liners (“You’re like a cockroach!”). Ever.

Next week is the two-hour finale, in which the three remaining designers show their collections at Fashion Week, and then the winner is selected. I can’t freakin’ wait.

Oh – and this Sunday, Bravo’s having a “Project Runway” marathon starting at 11 a.m. Guess what I’ll be doing.

I know, I’ll seek help after the season is over.