90-minute 'Project Runway' premieres July 29

[June 29, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A bigger "Project Runway" is coming to a television near you.

Host Heidi Klum says each episode will be 90 minutes when the reality show returns July 29 on the Lifetime network. That's 30 minutes more drama each week -- and that's just how Klum likes it.

"We did get always a few complaints from people that they wanted to see a little bit more, which we were obviously very excited about," she said in a phone interview. "So now we have half an hour more."

That means 30 minutes more drama each week, which this season is set to include ample tears and ambulance visits for three contestants who collapsed on the set.

"We never had that happen before," Klum said.

Now in its eighth season, the show pits aspiring fashion designers against each other for a $100,000 cash prize to help them launch their own clothing line and a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine.

Klum said the designers keep the show interesting.

"We are not like other shows where we are styling them to look a certain way or feeding them lines," she said. "It's all real, and people like that."

After spending a season in Los Angeles, "Project Runway" is returning to New York City. The show is also moving to an earlier time slot: 9 p.m. instead of 10 p.m.

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Lifetime is a joint venture between the Hearst Corp. and Disney.

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Online:

http://www.mylifetime.com/

[Associated Press]

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