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On the Sunny side of the street
The Canadian Press
TORONTO -- From the first week to the last, Toronto fashion designer Sunny Fong seemed a step above the competition on reality television show "Project Runway Canada." Now that he's won the competition - and $100,000 to start his own fashion line - he's not taking a break. "It means I actually have to work," Fong said Wednesday. "I still can't believe it. It's really unreal and strange at the same time. I'm still in shock." The show's faithful viewers can't really say the same. Fong, 32, was the show's frontrunner from the beginning and never faltered. He was routinely lauded for his intricate design and creativity, and won more challenges than the rest of his competitors combined. "Sunny was impressive throughout the season," said Shawn Hewson, one of the show's judges and creative director of Bustle Clothing. "He does have great ideas, he obviously has amazing technical skills, and from what I understand, he's pretty fast, which is also key. "He's a great designer." Still, Hewson said that Fong winning was far from a foregone conclusion. It came down to his final collection, showcased on Tuesday's finale. The collection was inspired by tion. You're putting together leather, silk and beading and Macedonian hegemony all in one place and it actually worked out really well." Fong grew up in Toronto and got a degree in film from Ryerson University, but afterwards realized he would rather pursue a career in fashion. In 2005, he launched his own line, Vawk, but after drawing some interest during showings at Toronto Fashion Week, he found himself strapped for cash and had to put the line on hold. "I think that was probably the toughest time, because I didn't want to let it go, but financially I couldn't support it," he recalled. "It wasn't the drive, it wasn't the inspiration, it was the business plan. "Now it's a different story." Another piece of closure came off-camera. During an emotional moment in the penultimate episode, a tearful Fong said he hoped to hear his mother say she was proud of him if he won the competition. Turns out he didn't have to wait that long. "We had lunch (before the last shows aired) and she mentioned to me that she was really proud of me," he said. "That part was really cool. She's really supportive, always has been supportive, but she just never really vocalized it. "It was more shocking than anything else and I was actually quite happy."

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Sunny Fong woke up $100,000 richer on Wednesday.The aspiring fashion designer won the televised reality competition Project Runway Canada.
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Alexander the Great, an idea Fong said came to him after he bought a copy of the 2004 Colin Farrell movie "Alexander" - "It was on sale," he explains. Supermodel host Iman was so impressed by the collection she expressed interest in buying a couple of pieces - "I haven't talked to her yet, I'm crossing my fingers, I do want to dress her," says Fong - and Hewson said it cemented Fong's place as winner. "He put together a really great collection," Hewson said. "Alexander the Great is a tricky inspira-

TV star gets dose of reality
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Ryan Conklin, the impish, guitar-playing merry prankster of this season's "The Real World: Brooklyn," was packing his guitar to head off to Iraq on Sunday. The former cast member of the MTV reality show was feeling more than a little anxious. "I want to get this thing started, because the sooner I do it, the sooner it'll be over," he said Wednesday. "I'm kind of just getting antsy with time." He hopes to serve a rotation of just nine months. The 23-year-old Gettysburg, Pa., native was on the front lines three years ago. He received his deployment notice while living in the "Real World" house. Conklin, who voiced his opposition to the war and participated in a Veterans Day parade on the show, touched the hearts of viewers who sympathized with his predicament.
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Fighting fun
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- This will be no powder-puff scuffle between the ladies of "Rescue Me." Actress Callie Thorne, who plays Sheila, the onagain-off-again love interest of Denis Leary's character, says she'll duke it out in several scenes with Andrea Roth, who plays Leary's estranged wife, Janet. The 39-year-old Thorne calls the Sheila-Janet clashes "some of the juiciest stuff that I've gotten to do on `Rescue Me,' " which has just returned on FX for its fifth season. These aren't sissy cat fights, says Thorne, who describes them as "down and dirty." The cast of the firefighter drama starring Leary is made up mostly of men who Thorne says are "like brothers." But she adds that it's great to act opposite another woman, especially when their fists are bared and their claws are out. "Andrea and I have been having the best time!" she says.

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