• The Wall Street Journal, Monday, July 27, 2009 9:28 AM

Isaac Mizrahi will be selling designer cheesecakes-along with his designs for everything from potpourri to furniture-on a new program on QVC this December. QVC is currently erecting an expensive set within Mizrahi's New York studio that can capture his day-to-day life in high-definition video, a first for the network. "Once in a while you make a calculated bet," says Mike George, CEO of the Liberty Media unit.

The show, called "Isaac Mizrahi Live!," will be a significant departure from the standard sell of cable shopping channels. Part pitch, part reality television, it will follow Mizrahi around as he pitches items like a $200 handbag while he engages in his other activities, riffs extemporaneously about his life and takes questions from callers.

QVC, which reported a 10% drop in first-quarter sales to $1.6 billion, says it aims to turn Mizrahi into one of its top five brands, like Philosophy or Bare Escentuals-brands the network says garner more than $100 million in annual sales apiece. Mizrahi will receive a percentage of sales as part of the arrangement.

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