Don’t miss Alyssa on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon!!

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 12:35/11:35 C!

Get excited, fashion fans! The lovely Alyssa Milano has signed on to host the upcoming third season of “Project Runway All Stars.” The third season is tentatively scheduled to air this fall. Milano is best known for her roles on “Charmed,” “Melrose Place,” and of course, “Who’s the Boss?” Here are five reasons that this pick is one of Lifetime’s smartest “Runway” moves.

1. She knows fashion

 Alyssa Milano is not just another actress with a big closet. She actually has an intimate knowledge of the fashion world. First off, Milano’s mother, Lin, is a fashion designer. Moreover, Alyssa owns her own fashion line, Touch.

What makes Touch unique is its blend of fun and flirty looks with masculine sports themes. She produces both attire and jewelry. Owning her own line might also inspire a challenge where contestants can design a piece that will be sold under the Touch brand!

2. She’s more charming than the past two hosts

Prior to Milano, “All Stars” was hosted by Carolyn Murphy and, before that, Angela Lindvall. Lindvall often came off as cold, while Murphy could occasionally seem bland and listless. Milano, on the other hand, is vivacious, charming, and warm. She captures some of that essential, indefinable charm that Heidi Klum brings to the table in the original “Runway” format, which will help to win over viewers who generally skip the “All Stars” iterations of the show.

3. She can grow the brand

One major thing Milano has going for her is her devoted Twitter following. As of this writing, she has nearly 2.5 million followers on the social networking site. She also has a proven history of motivating those followers to do her bidding. In 2009, she started a fundraising campaign for Charity: Water. With the help of her followers, she surpassed her initial goal of $35,000 and raised more than $90,000. In other words, she can influence her followers in a way that not all celebs are capable of.

4. She can do an interesting tie-in

Milano’s big gig right now is the new ABC drama “Mistresses.” It’s possible that the “Runway” contestants could face a challenge where they need to design a dress for the show… assuming “Mistresses” gets a Season 2 pickup. So far, ratings have been a bit soft.

 There’s actually some precedent for this: Brooke Shields judged a similar challenge for her short-lived series “Lipstick Jungle.”

5. She’s a big name

Unlike Lindvall or Murphy, no one will be asking “Alyssa who?” when they hear about Season 3 of “All Stars.” In a lot of ways, she’s the franchise’s first big star. That can only be a good thing when it comes to boosting viewership.

https://twitter.com/Mistresses_ABC

• Monday, June 10th:

  Guests: Alyssa Milano and Mark Bittman

  Monday: The Chew Crew is bringing food back to its roots on today’s Garden Grub show. Alyssa Milano and Mark Bittman stop by for refreshing dishes featuring home-grown fruits and vegetables.

Q: Alyssa Milano is a child star who’s still working today. To what does she attribute her success? —Jim V., Boise

A: “It’s my family,” says Milano, 40, who stars on ABC’s Mistresses (Mondays). “Many of the kids who got into trouble didn’t have supportive families. That would’ve happened no matter what they did for a living.”