While we were all moaning and groaning about MTV bringing the Real World to Brooklyn, the network was producing their own Project Runway-type show in a Real World setting: a renovated loft in Dumbo. Today's New York Times reports about MTV's new show Engine Room, in which four teams of digital designers from four continents compete in creative, digital art challenges. Wait, why isn't this on Bravo?

The New York Times reports:

Beginning on Monday, MTV and its mtvU channel, which is aimed at college and university students, will join forces with Hewlett-Packard to present “Engine Room,” an original series that will follow the 16 contestants, divided into four teams, as they produce digital art using — of course — PCs, work stations, monitors and other products sold by H.

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Michael Hirschorn, the lowbrow celebreality guru and highbrow Atlantic Monthly columnist, is on the verge of signing a new deal to serve a much different role at Vh1, where he has served as Executive Vice President of Original Programming since January of 2006, according to sources familiar with the situation. Details of Mr. Hirschorn’s new relationship with MTV Networks were still unclear. Mr. Hirschorn did not return phone calls seeking comment.

So it looks like, just in time for the holidays, MTV Networks has done an about-face and decided that it's not going to cut benefits for its many freelancers after all. Cue much rejoicing.

Gawker has the memo...

Via Gawker

Employees at Viacom's MTV Networks (which includes, in part, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Logo, and Spike) are threatening a walkout on Monday, apparently in protest at a new plan from management that would roll back benefits to the networks' legions of freelance workers.