We're so happy the show is finally back! What can fans expect now that you're on Lifetime?
I have to say, not too many things have changed. When Lifetime bought the show, they bought the show because they loved the show, not because they wanted to change it, so the look and feel is still the same. We did move season 6 to Los Angeles, and so we used some of the places that Los Angeles has to offer. You know, we always like to do our field trips with Tim Gunn where the designers get to go to a place that's supposed to inspire them. Otherwise it's pretty much the same -- Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, Tim Gunn ... all still the same. We already filmed season 7 in New York, too!
What can you tell us about the designers this season?
I think people will be really talking about the girls on season 6. They were really fantastic, and they really are quite catty on the runway. They stand out this year ... that I can definitely say. Otherwise, I'm not really allowed to give away so many things. [Laughs]
And we've seen on the previews that Lindsay Lohan is a guest celebrity judge ...
I can't tell you what the challenge was with Lindsay -- I cannot tell you, I cannot tell you! But we were very happy to have her on. The designers were very excited when they saw Lindsay. Everyone knows Lindsay Lohan, and they all enjoyed having her on the show.
Is it easier to get big names on the show now that it's such an established hit?
We've been very fortunate that people really love the show and want to be part of the show somehow. But I do have to say, being in New York, it was sometimes hard to get celebrities from Los Angeles to come for five hours to New York City. That was definitely easier ... to get people to come from their apartment to the set was much easier.
Were you excited to see some of the designers from past seasons return for the 'All-Star Challenge' special? Oh, yeah. Even though some of them were a little bit twisted -- like Santino, for example; he was very outspoken, and he spoke back to Nina once or twice -- I still have to say, I do have a soft spot for him. He has grown up since the last time I saw him, and he was really cool. Korto was really cool -- she's just a really great designer. I think also Daniel Vosovic ... he's kind of tried to please us in the past a lot and he came into his own a little bit more. Sweet P was sweet as always! You always think of this rock chick, coming off a Harley Davidson, but she makes sweet, beautiful, feminine clothes, and she's done that again. And Uli was very sophisticated, I have to say. We were quite surprised because she didn't do too much of her usual fabrics with colors and prints ... she didn't really do any of that. She wanted to show us a completely different side of Uli.
And one of the most controversial winners, Jeffery Sebelia is back as well ...
Jeffrey Sebelia -- he looked like he came from a movie set! I was saying he looks like David Spade in that movie ... what was it again? Dirt? Joe Dirt! Yeah, Joe Dirt, he looked kind of like that. [Laughs] He had grown this mustache ... he looked funny. I'm like, 'My God, what happened to you?'
You're also doing 'Models of the Runway' this season ... you're not busy at all!
You know, we just thought, it's such a waste -- we have these gorgeous girls on, who bring so much to Project Runway, but we never really give them much credit. So we thought, we have to do a half-hour show just on the girls, and talk about the girls and how important they are to the show and the muses that they are to our designers. I think that we put on a real great show about the models, and they give a lot of insight, too -- what goes on behind the scenes, the fighting that the designers have, the last-minute things when they walk into the workroom and they think that something is done and it's not, and they have to glue it or staple it on them and they can't go to the bathroom. [Laughs] They fight for the designers too. They get very attached to their designers. All these crazy things happening, so it's definitely something we always thought, "Someone has to show this." And so we're happy that Lifetime agreed to half an hour about the models.
Congratulations, once again, on the Emmy nominations -- do you think this will be the year that 'Runway' finally wins it?
I don't know! I mean, I kind of think I'll be probably sitting there, watching The Amazing Race win yet again. I guess they must have a lot of fans, and people must love The Amazing Race-- I mean, may the best one win. I have no hard feelings for the other ones ... I'm happy to be there, and I know who we are, and that we have a lot of people who enjoy our show, and I'm very happy with that.
Do you feel like there's less pressure on you this year since you're not hosting the show?
I like going to the Emmys, and I liked hosting the Emmys. We did get a bit of a beating from the critics afterwards. I'm like, "Don't you guys know we don't write this? We're not producing the Emmys -- they just hire us to read the prompter! We don't write what's in the prompter ... does nobody know that?" [Laughs] It's like, hello! If this would've been my show, it would have been all in German, and everyone would've been wearing lederhosen and the women dirndls and everything would be subtitled! [Laughs]
Did you have any say in what you got to do last year?
You get very little input -- I was already begging for a little bit of physical comedy with Jeff [Probst] I was like, "Can we please do this where he throws me on the floor? Please, please, please?" And they were like, "No I think we have to cut that - we're running out of time." And I'm like, "C'mon! Why does it have to be like the news? I want to do something silly!" And they were like, "Fine!" after I begged and pleaded forever. And then I got that giant bruise - but it was fun! I think what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Will we seeing you wearing a Runway designer, old or new, come Emmys night?
No. I have already someone who I had my eye peeled on, and that is Marchesa. I asked Georgina [Chapman, the designer, who is also Runway producer Harvey Weinstein's wife] to design something for me. And that's quite a challenge, too, to design something for someone who is growing. I'm already quite big, and in two months' time, I will be even bigger. She already said, "Well, what do you think? How big are you gonna be in two months?" And I'm like, "I don't know -- make it work! [Laughs] Add a little bit more fabric here, make it stretchier there and make it bigger." We can always take it in ... the other way around will get hard.
When you're not busy being a mom and a mogul, what do you watch on TV?
I'm not that big on watching television. I always admire all the people that have time to watch all the shows. I never find the time ... I think it's because I'm involved in television, doing the show here in America and I do a show in Germany, but I also have a family and I want to do things with my family. When I work, I work, and when I'm at home, I'm at home, and I don't really watch that much television. Most of the time, we put movies on for the kids so that they don't have to watch too many commercials.
So I take it that means you didn't watch Bravo's The Fashion Show ...
No, no I didn't. But I can only think it's flattering to us. You know, when people do things that are very similar to something that you do, I think it's very flattering. But at the same time, it also keeps us on our toes to do a good job and produce a good show. And ultimately the viewer decides what they want to watch.
