Project Runway Has its Dirty Laundry Aired
Harvey Weinstein by Larry Busacca/ WireImage.com, Heidi Klum by Barbara Nitke/Bravo Photo, Jeff Zucker by Virginia Sherwood/NBC Photo
The New York State Supreme Court this month is hearing testimony as it decides if the Weinstein Co. violated a contract by not giving NBC Universal a chance to hold onto
Project Runway, which is slated to move from Bravo to Lifetime in November. Remember, NBC U boss Jeff Zucker famously met with Harvey Weinstein on Feb. 22 to discuss the show's fate, when all the while Weinstein had already inked a $20 million-plus deal to give Heidi et al a new, bigger home.
Some of the juicy bits disclosed during the court sessions, as reported by the New York
Daily News:
" Weinstein testified that NBC U paid Tim Gunn
nothing during the first season of the show, and a mere $2,500 an episode for Season 2.
" Zucker, when questioned about an email he sent directing Bravo to aggressively counterprogram Lifetime's
Runway with repeats of previous cycles, shrugged, "I'm a competitive guy."
" Weinstein admitted he "disliked Bravo management," though sources tell the tab that "hated" is a more accurate word.
A source also tells the
News that even as
Runway racked up accolades, "Bravo didn't even send Heidi [Klum] a bottle of perfume" - though I'm sure she smells lovely all the same.
Thus far, the court has yet to rule on the possible contract violation. -
Matt Mitovich
