Long-distance love affairs conducted only in the press are difficult to maintain — even moreso when one of the parties is carrying around a little bitty secret. So it is, then, that the relationship between CNN newsman Anderson Cooper and Real Housewives of Atlanta breakout NeNe Leakes appears to have culminated after weeks of Ellen-assisted flirting. At first, Leakes seemed flattered by Cooper's ardor, but in her current interview with People magazine, she appears to know exactly what she's up against:

♦ Zac Posen posted a 15-second video online urging people to vote for Obama. Also: He'd really like you to dress for the occasion. "I think blue obviously is the color of choice, and red is a good accent color." Duly noted! [WWD]
♦ Anna Wintour choked up? We can't contemplate the thought. [Unbeige]
♦ Bravo has no less than five new fashion reality shows in the works. [The Cut]
♦ Sarah Jessica Parker has no less than three fragrances to promote these days—Dawn, Endless and Twilight. [WWD]
♦ Chanel creative director (and part-time Vermont resident) Karl Lagerfeld has unveiled Chanel Unlimited, a newline of bags and accessories. [Vogue UK]

So we've already heard about Fashion House, the Project Runway rip-off that Bravo is cobbling together in the wake of losing their flagship series to the clammy, potpourri-scented clutches of Lifetime. But today the increasingly-gay cable net is announcing a whole new spate of reality shows that they're working on, including two more fashion competition series. Don't worry though, one involves "celebrities"! Read about them all after the jump.

♦ What does Bravo have in the works to replace Project Runway if it moves to Lifetime? There's a Runway ripoff called The Fashion Show. There's also Celebrity Sew-Off, in which "celebrities" will compete in a competition for their own clothing label, which should be totally awesome because we've always wanted to buy jeans designed by Jill Zarin. [THR]
♦ The sponsors for Bravo's fifth season of Top Chef? Campbell's Soup, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Quaker. [AdAge]
♦ Because you haven't heard enough about Bravo today, the NYT magazine profile of Bravo boss Lauren Zalaznick (left) is now online. [NYT]
♦ More details on the cuts and layoffs at Condé Nast. [NYP]
♦ Condé Nast's glitzy Fashion Rocks show is no more. [AdAge]

It is true, as the Times magazine will tell everyone Sunday, that Bravo has put a distinctly urbane stamp on the schlocky genre of reality television, taking "contestants off primitive islands and placing them squarely in sophisticated corners of cities like New York and Los Angeles." The NBC Universal cable network has transmitted a winking, insidery sensibility through shows like Project Runway and Top Chef — and still made the programs look somehow effortless. This natural poise, Bravo Media chief Lauren Zalaznick must have anticipated, was bound to be undermined by the Times' profile of her, which pulls back the corporate curtains to reveal Zalaznick, in the mold of all television executives, as something of a frenzied grasper. Writer Susan Dominus' 16-page story includes this memorable scene of Zalaznick demanding to be kept up on trends:

The Weinsteins are continuing their world-record pace for industry alienation this week, now leveling a lawsuit against Bravo alleging the network deliberately sabotaged season five of Project Runway. It's roughly the 22nd chapter in this year's tortured history between the brothers and Bravo's parent company at NBC Universal since the pair attempted to sneak PR off to Lifetime (a judge issued an injunction against the move last month following Bravo's own suit), yet wielding all the climactic juice that last week's season finale seemed to lack. Which is exactly the problem, according to Harvey and Bob.Recalling our own concerns from earlier this summer, when it looked like Bravo had handed the hit show's marketing campaign to an intern and the night janitor, the Weinsteins filed papers last Friday saying the network went out of its way to torpedo the franchise rather than see it flourish elsewhere. We can vouch for that on one hand — this season's competitor crop was no doubt the messiest of hot tranny messes to befall the series — but Weinstein Co. lawyers plan to unpack the real faux pas in court:

♦ The battle over Project Runway rages on: Harvey Weinstein is now claiming that Bravo intentionally undermined the success of Season 5 by changing the show's airtime, running "mundane and unappealing" ads, and "revealing spoilers about future episodes." [THR]
♦ Barack Obama will appear on The Daily Show tomorrow night. [AP]
♦ The New York Times is not running out of money, say execs at the paper. [NYO]
♦ MSNBC moved into second place in the primetime cable news race, beating CNN for the month of October. [THR]

♦ The New York Times has endorsed Barack Obama, not surprisingly. [NYT]
♦ If Bravo loses Project Runway, there's always the copycat show Fashion House to fill the void. [NYP]
♦ Maer Roshan's Radar magazine has folded. [Gawker]
♦ OK! has a brand new editor, publisher and executive creative director. [NYP]

When NBC Universal poached executive producers from TV fashion competition Project Runway in May, we wrote the move would "enable [NBC's] Bravo to create something very similar to Runway," which producer Harvey Weinstein was in the midst of moving to Lifetime. That seems to be precisely what has happened, per a Bravo casting call on Craigslist for "talented designers where the winner will win a large cash prize." The likes of Weinstein are none too happy that NBC is moving ahead with a copycat show while the Weinstein Company is enjoined by court order from doing anything with Runway. Poor Harvey is going to get clobbered! Says Page Six:

On last night's first all-girl-powered (no, the Season One trio of Jay McCarroll, Kara Saun, and Wendy Pepper didn't count) Project Runway finale, contestants Korto, Leanne, and the vociferous Kenley duked it out for ultimate Bryant Park tent supremacy. The spoils would ultimately fall to low-key Nerd We'd Like to Play Frisbee With, Leanne, and her pleat-orgy collection of flappywear. (As the judges noted, she was the only one who offered a unified vision that incorporated both form and function: Every skirt offered a minimum of 40 of places to hide your wallet!)Still, it's Kenley who we found to be the most compelling character study of all—even more than The Licious Guy and Jor-El, whom we had taken to calling Black Gay Superman. Watch as she breaks down in her final plea to the jury, green satin butterflies bobbing spastically over her bangs as she offers a tearful soliloquy on hopes and dreams in her dulcet, kettle whistle tones. Farewell, Heidi! Farewell, Michael and Nina! Farewell, Bluefly Accessories Wall! Farewell, Bravo! Gunn/Zoe '12!

♦ Will The Rachel Zoe Project live to see a second season? Zoe doesn't know, but she hopes so. [The Cut]
♦ Charlotte Ronson is replacing Cory Kennedy as the face of Sebastian haircare. [Nylon]
♦ Charlotte was at Henri Bendel last night to help her future sister-in-law, Lindsay Lohan, celebrate the launch of her leggings line, 6126. [Marie Claire UK]
♦ Tory Burch's website is about to relaunch with content based "on her personal choices, from travel to entertaining to beauty." [WWD]

Well, despite ourselves, we still managed getting sucked into another season of Project Runway, if only a little late in the game. (What ever happened to that methlicious guy? He was a hoot!) And as any Runway addict can tell you, a great season always includes a great villain:The raptor-like Wendy Pepper, the Rasputinish Santino Rice, the...disturbingly benecked Jeffrey Sebelia. But this was far from a great season of Runway, and it accordingly has the flimsy baddie it deserved: Kenley Collins. 25. Pompano Beach, Fl. Obsessed with the '50s. Voice like a leafblower. You know the one. Still, the lightly sociopathic dressmaker managed to make it to the final three, and for that we salute her. Enjoy this journey through the other various looks she's adopted throughout her life-journey, as she flips through family photos eulogizing a recently passed grandmother. [Project Runway]

With Julia Allison on its cover this past July, Wired confirmed longstanding rumors the internet fameball had a deal with Bravo for a reality show called IT Girls, based on her antics with handbag designer Mary Rambin and self-professed geek Meghan Asha. The development deal was to begin with just a pilot show, and it sounds like it might not go any further. In a roundup of some of Bravo's reality TV experiments this morning, Page Six said "one show starring three New York wannabes who start a Web site 'probably won't make the cut,' said a source." Embarrassing: Allison and her sidekicks recently leased a photogenic apartment because "we anticipate significant filming." Also, look who they may have lost out to:

♦ Will Project Runway move to Lifetime from Bravo? NBC won the first legal battle against PR producer Harvey Weinstein on Friday, which means it's not entirely clear where the show will end up. [NYT]
♦ The Sun may publish an issue tomorrow after all. [Portfolio]
♦ Tina Fey to the rescue: Saturday Night Live has seen a major boost in ratings so far this season. [THR]
♦ Vanity Fair on the face-off between Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett. [VF]
♦ An Indian version of GQ debuts this month. [Guardian]
♦ Howard Kurtz says unseen clips of Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin are on the way; CBS says it has released everything it's got. [HuffPo]
♦ The Times looks back at the drunken career of the Post's Steve Dunleavy, who's retiring after 41 years in the business. [NYT]
♦ The Wall Street Journal has launched a mail-order wine club. Really. [NYT]

With the news that fashion design reality fave Project Runway may not be airing on its new network, Lifetime, any time soon (because of a lawsuit between its current network, Bravo, their owner, NBC, and the Weinstein company, which produces the show), some may be wondering what the hell does this mean for the show. But I suspect that, like me, many of you have kind of stopped caring. Because the show has been pretty lackluster so far this season, and whenever the next iteration (the sixth go around) it's going to be on a crappier network and shot in Los Angeles, of all places. So really, NBC and Weinstein Company may be brattily fighting over a toy that's already been broken. The lawsuit—filed by NBC/Universal, who say that TWC violated a first right of refusal agreement when they decided to switch to Lifetime—is only dredging up the uglier, more commercial side of the show, indicating that the product placement-crazed Weinstein Company (and implicitly its fearsome old leader, Harvey Weinstein) would have the cast members dressed up in NASCAR-esque sponsored jumpsuits if they could. There was something magical (like the Magical Elves, the show's talented production team, who won't follow the show to Lifetime) about the first few seasons. Here was a supremely entertaining show with enjoyable hosts and judges, that was also about actual talent, and that rewarded creativity and innovative thinking. Sure there was some producer tinkering (Wendy Pepper beats Austin Scarlett?), but for the most part the show held up a banner of integrity. It won a Peabody, for God's sake! Which makes it so depressing to watch it slide into disrepair this season, with a questionably talented and too self-aware group of contestants and tired old challenges and obviously angry and frustrated judges. Bravo may have given up on this one because, heck, they were losing the show anyway, but it makes you wonder then why NBC is fighting so bitterly for it to return. The show isn't exactly fresh or new, it's six seasons old after all, with the sullied brand to show for it. Top Chef could be a serviceable (and younger) flagship show replacement for Bravo, right? Just let the grumpy old Weinstein Company ruin their show (incongruous location, new production team) and cram it into Lifetime's dim, uninteresting programming schedule. They'll basically hang themselves with their own taffeta rope. This is probably the last season of Project Runway that I'll be watching, and I don't think I'm alone in that. Sure next season, whenever the hell it happens, will have Tim and Heidi and Michael and Nina and all that, but after all this bickering and tinkering and product placement and drama, I just doubt that anyone involved is going to feel that, in the end, the juice was worth the squeeze.

Designers, gather round: we've got an announcement. Though the sixth season of Project Runway is filming right now in downtown LA, it may be a long time before the episodes see the light of day — if ever. Already pushed to January 2009, Runway has just been rocked by a new development in the contentious lawsuit hatched when the Weinstein Company moved the show to Lifetime over the fierce protestations of proud gay parent Bravo. Now, the judge in the case has ruled against the Weinsteins, unraveling their plans like an errant thread pulled too far:

Not So Fast, Kath: In response to our post today about the Page Six rumor that Kathy Griffin would be taking My Life on the D-List to another channel, Bravo released to us this statement: "That's surprising since we've picked her up for another season of her series." Padma, Rachel, Housewives, we see you sneaking toward that door. Don't even think about it! [Bravo]

Like a gentrified neighborhood that has just seen the arrival of its first Bed, Bath & Beyond, cable channel Bravo is on the verge of losing its most important audience — the gays — as they migrate to parts unknown. Just recently, Project Runway decided to pull up shop and move to the suburbs of Lifetime, disappointing cablemates like Top Chef and Flipping Out, who assumed Runway would always be there to party with them into the wee hours of a shirtless last call. Now, another mainstay may depart; according to Page Six, Kathy Griffin is ready to move her Emmy-winning My Life on the D-List to someplace a little higher in the alphabet:

Just Asking: Were we the only ones who noticed the prominently placed Restylane commercial during last night's episode of The Rachel Zoe Project? And was it at all bizarre that the ad placed on almost exclusive emphasis on filling in wrinkles surrounding the mouth? What exactly are you trying to say, Bravo? [The Rachel Zoe Project]

In the annals of Bravo catchphrases, there are those that hit ("Make it work!") and those that miss (like Jonathan Adler's sheepish "See you later, decorator" from Top Design). Still, an oft-repeated turn of phrase is the one accessory no Bravo star can be without, and so it goes for stylist Rachel Zoe, whose docu-series The Rachel Zoe Project premiered on the channel last night. Whether faced with a beautiful pair of shoes or the terrifying orange head of top American designer Michael Kors, Zoe has one stock response: "I die." With the help of Molly McAleer, we've assembled a rapid-fire montage of each "I die" uttered in the series premiere. Is it simply a self-fulfilling prophecy given the stylist's skeletal frame, or do its multiple intended uses presage the fashion world's version of "Aloha"? [Bravo]