Interviewing the Project Runway Finalists

I was in the back seat of a cab trying to beat my Brick Breaker score last week when an email popped up on my BlackBerry from Kannie Yu LaPack, publicity director for Lifetime Television. "Would you be interested in lunch with the 3 finalists?" she wrote. I tried to come up with a more professional response than "Fuck yes!" and typed something about how I would love to. A few days later she sent me the details: the lunch would be at Sea Grill on W. 49th Street, and the finalists (accompanied by a Lifetime publicist) would meet me there. "I'm not the only press, am I?" I wrote, to which Kannie responded "You sure ARE." Gulp.

The morning of the interview I was dismayed to find that I had nothing clean in my closet except for a pair of black jeans and an Old Navy t-shirt (which, at least, is better than the free shirt I got from Pop Chips proclaiming "Snackers do it between meals"). I hoped against hope that the finalists would not judge my garments as harshly as I have judged theirs for the past twelve weeks.

I'm sorry I said you looked like a middle-aged Rudy from Fat Albert, Emilio!

When I got to Sea Grill at the appointed time, I suddenly blanked on the name of the publicist who was meeting me there, so I probably gave the hostess the impression that English was not my first language. "Um, I'm meeting a group?" I asked, though it was not a question. "The... um... Project Runway?"

"Yes, they're already here," she said, and led me around a corner to a round table where Seth Aaron, Emilio, Mila and the publicist--Jennie, which I totally should have memorized using the Tommie Tutone song, damn!--were waiting.

Read the rest on HuffPo! And if you've forgotten how awkward I am interviewing celebrities, here is a humbling refresher.

Interviewing the Project Runway Finalists