NEW YORK, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifetime Digital, the ultimate digital source for women's entertainment, escape and play, announced today that it will stream full episodes of Project Runway and Models of the Runway, and launch the first-of-its-kind Project Runway Buzz Room as part of its unprecedented digital content offerings on the shows' official sites at myLifetime.com.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090820/NY64260-a )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090820/NY64260-b )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080804/NYM114LOGO )

Project Runway's sixth season makes its much-anticipated debut on Lifetime tonight at 10 PM ET/PT, and seamlessly leads into its new companion series Models of the Runway at 11PM ET/PT. Host Heidi Klum, mentor Tim Gunn and judges Michael Kors (leading fashion designer) and Nina Garcia (Fashion Director of Marie Claire Magazine), will guide the 16 new contestants as they show off their design skills to see who makes the cut for New York's Fashion Week. Filmed in Los Angeles and New York, Project Runway also features influential guest judges from the worlds of fashion, music, film and television.

myLifetime.com will stream full episodes of Project Runway and Models of the Runway every week after each episode first airs on Lifetime, marking the first time ever they will stream online, and the episodes will be available on Lifetime On Demand. The full episodes are in addition to the more than 500 exclusive broadband video clips that will be rolled out throughout the season to bring fans behind-the-scenes in ways not previously accomplished in the franchise's history.

The Project Runway Buzz Room is a custom application that will aggregate Twitter messages and Facebook public posts around key Project Runway hash tags and keywords. Providing fans of Project Runway with one centralized digital location to tap into the stream of posts about the show, the Project Runway Buzz Room will also feature posts from show designers and models, designers from previous seasons, and key show sites and bloggers. Site visitors can access the Project Runway Buzz Room with their Facebook Connect or Twitter log-ins and have the option of simultaneously surfacing their posts in the room on their Twitter or Facebook pages.

"We've set out to create a destination that Project Runway fans will be proud of and one that truly reflects the creativity and hard work of each of the series' 16 designers," said Dan Suratt, Executive Vice President, Digital Media and Business Development, Lifetime Networks. "Our goal is to satisfy the most passionate fans of the show with the behind-the-scenes content they crave and to produce a creative and cutting-edge site that takes the digital experience surrounding Project Runway to a new level."

To that end, in addition to full episodes and the Project Runway Buzz Room, other highlights of the Lifetime Digital offerings for Project Runway and Models of the Runway include the following:

    --  TIM GUNN'S WORK ROOM: Video of the fashion guru's commentary on each
        designer's look every episode.
    --  JUDGES' EXTENDED COMMENTARIES: Video of everything Heidi, Nina, Michael
        and guest judges say to each designer every episode.
    --  DESIGNER INTERVIEWS: Winning and losing designer video interviews.
    --  DESIGNER, MODEL AND GUEST JUDGE VIDEO BLOGS: Video blogs from each
        designer and model following every episode, as well as select guest
        judges throughout the season.
    --  BLOGS: Previous Project Runway designers Nick Verreos (season two),
        Andrae Gonzalo (season two) and Chris March (season four) will each
        provide weekly blog updates on Project Runway's show site following each
        episode.  Their blogs will join a lineup that includes weekly updates
        from Garcia and Kors; and the official Project Runway and Models of the
        Runway blogs, written and frequently updated by Lifetime Digital
        producers.
    --  RATE THE RUNWAY/RATE THE WALK: The popular interactive photo gallery
        returns with added photo functionality that enables fans to view
        multiple design photos and zoom in on images for a closer look before
        rating each episode's runway creations.  Rate the Walk will feature
        video of each model walking the runway during each episode and enable
        fans to rate their performances.
    --  GAMES: Lifetime Digital will create custom dress-up closets for site
        visitors to dress models using designs from each Project Runway episode.
    --  DESIGNER PORTFOLIO: Sketches and finals designs for each design in every
        episode will be added to this new, interactive, Flash application that
        shines a spotlight on the designers' amazing creations like never
        before.
    --  "MAKE IT WORK" SWEEPSTAKES: Sponsored by L'Oreal Paris and
        Garnier, this unique video sweepstakes engages fans by asking their
        opinion "did the judges get it right?" with exclusive episodic
        video of the bottom three designers. Fans will have a chance to win
        $1,000 and L'Oreal Paris and Garnier products each week, with a grand
        prize of $25,000 and a trip to New York City to meet and lunch with Tim
        Gunn.
    --  COMMUNITY: Greatly enhanced community functionality will enable site
        visitors to engage far deeper than just message boards and will include
        discussions, groups, member profiles, photo face-offs and more.
    --  L'OREAL PARIS MAKEUP ROOM: The custom micro-site will feature Get the
        Look videos following each episode, with L'Oreal Paris makeup artist
        Collier Strong demonstrating how to replicate a select look from each
        week's episode.
    --  GARNIER HAIR STUDIO: The custom micro-site will feature Get the Look
        videos following each episode, with Garnier hair stylist Philip Carreon
        demonstrating how to replicate a select hair style from each week's
        episode.
    --  TIM GUNN INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR): Lifetime gives fans the
        opportunity to create and send customized messages to friends and family
        from Tim Gunn - complete with friend's name, occupation, hobbies,
        favorite designer and favorite Project Runway phrase, including his
        trademark "make it work." Messages can be sent to anyone's
        email or cell phone number at no charge.
    --  FAN POLLING AND INTERACTIVE WIDGET: Fans can express their allegiance to
        their favorite contestant using embeddable designer and model fan
        "badges" (featuring streaming video) on their Facebook page
        and other social platforms.
    --  TLO AWARDS: Every Monday, the "fabulous and opinionated" Tom
        and Lorenzo (founders of the popular Project Rungay blog) will offer up
        commentary and awards in eight categories, including "Miss
        Photogenic," "Miss Congeniality" and "Best
        Actress."
    --  BLOGGING PROJECT RUNWAY JUDGING: Popular fan site Blogging Project
        Runway will play the final fashion judge every Monday, delivering their
        own take on each of the final designs from each episode.
    --  SCORECARD: A tracker that follows each designer's finish by episode
        (winner, loser, top three and bottom three).
    --  OFFICIAL PROJECT RUNWAY FACEBOOK PAGE:
        http://www.facebook.com/projectrunway
    --  OFFICIAL PROJECT RUNWAY TWITTER ACCOUNT:
        http://www.twitter.com/projectrunway
    --  DOWNLOADS: AIM icons, wallpaper and more for each designer as well as
        Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum.

Exclusive Project Runway and Models of the Runway content is also available at The Weinstein Company's Project Runway site, http://www.ProjectRunway.com, where the full Project Runway experience is enhanced with featured designer interviews, special messaging to the fans and additional content that includes:

    --  DESIGN AUCTIONS: Each week's designs will become available immediately
        following the West coast airing of Project Runway, complete with
        commentary on the designer's inspiration for the auctioned piece. All
        proceeds from each auction are donated to charity.
    --  EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION DESIGNS: New to the site are additions to the
        licensing line created by Project Runway designers including limited
        edition t-shirts and totes with access to the contestants own lines
        ranging from Epperson's signature fragrance to Carol Hannah Whitfield's
        original dresses.
    --  BEHIND-THE-SCENES INTERVIEWS: Exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews
        with the contestants can be found in addition to new web content and
        applications each week.

ABOUT PROJECT RUNWAY AND MODELS OF THE RUNWAY

Hosted by supermodel and fashion maven Heidi Klum, the hit series Project Runway provides budding designers with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under the watchful eye of mentor and Liz Claiborne Chief Creative Officer Tim Gunn. The wildly successful competition reality series has proven to be one of television's most talked about shows and was the highest-rated unscripted competition on all of cable for 2008.

Models of the Runway, an exciting new companion series to Project Runway, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the reality competition - from the models' perspective. Viewers can experience the drama, anxiety, joys, tears and frustrations as the models themselves face elimination each week and compete for a cash prize and photo spread in Marie Claire Magazine.

Produced by The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films, Bunim-Murray Productions and Full Picture Productions, Project Runway and Models of the Runway are executive produced by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company, and Jon Murray and Sara Rea of Bunim-Murray Productions (The Real World). Heidi Klum; Desiree Gruber and Jane Cha of New York City-based Full Picture also executive produce both series. Barbara Schneeweiss oversees the production on behalf of The Weinstein Company.

About Lifetime Digital Media

Lifetime Digital Media, the ultimate digital source for women's entertainment, escape and play, reaches women wherever and however they connect, play and share. Combined with the reach of the Lifetime Networks, Lifetime Digital Media provides sponsors an unrivaled opportunity to reach women with a powerful, singular-branded experience across all platforms. More than 3.8 million women per month (May, 2009; ComScore Media Metrix) visit Lifetime Digital's robust properties (myLifetime.com, Roiworld.com, DressUpChallenge.com, LMN.tv, LifetimeMoms.com, and MothersClick.com) and consume Lifetime's content on mobile devices and partner platforms.

About Lifetime Networks

Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming that celebrates, entertains and supports women. Through its award-winning public affairs initiatives, the Company also advocates a wide range of

issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

Photography is available at www.lifetimepress.com.

Project Runway site: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/project-runway.

Models of the Runway site: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/models-of-the-runway.

SOURCE Lifetime