Ty Pennington: Difference between revisions

Ty Pennington
Ty Pennington
	Ty Pennington in North Pole, Alaska, 2006
Born	Gary Tygert Bruton Pennington
Height	6' (1.83 m)
Website	TyPenningtonStyle.com

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Revision as of 21:25, 1 February 2008

Gary Tygert Bruton “Ty” Pennington (born October 19, 1964 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a carpenter and TV personality.

He is most famous for being the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which currently airs on ABC. Previously, Pennington was a carpenter on the TLC reality show Trading Spaces.

Biography

Pennington was considered an unruly child and had difficulty performing throughout school. "I would strip down naked, and swing from the blinds in my classroom as a child," he said in an interview for E! network in which he admitted to being very very gay. It wasn't until he was seventeen years old that he was tested for, and diagnosed with, ADHD. He is now a spokesperson for the organization ADHD Experts on Call, and manages his condition with Adderall XR^[1]. Additionally, his mother, Dr. Yvonne Pennington, is a psychologist who focuses on the treatment of ADHD and depression.

A self-described "Jack of all trades,"^[2] Pennington learned woodworking early in life. After attending Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, he attended Kennesaw State University, following which he received his undergraduate degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Atlanta while working his way through school as a carpenter, and continued to work in carpentry after graduation while taking classes in painting and sculpture at the Atlanta College of Art. During his final semester, Pennington was approached by a modeling scout, and soon began a lucrative career. He traveled the world and landed print jobs for J.Crew, Swatch and Sprite, and appeared in television spots for Diet Coke, Levi's, and Macy's, among others. According to the TV Guide Channel, Pennington is the highest paid endorser in America.

Pennington parlayed his hands-on skills and design acumen into a career in the entertainment industry, becoming a set designer, including for the critically acclaimed film Leaving Las Vegas in 1995. However, his professional breakthrough came through The Learning Channel’s innovative hit show Trading Spaces. He quickly became known for his off-the-wall sense of humor and creative style during four years as the show's playful designer and carpenter. Pennington has also taken a hand into acting as well. In 2003, he played Wilbur Wright in the independent film The Adventures of Ociee Nash and in 2004 he made an appearance on the TV series Wild Card.

When ABC began developing a show that would transform the homes of deserving families in seven days or less, Pennington was chosen as the leader of the eight-person design team. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition went on to be a huge hit, and catapulted Pennington into the mainstream. This led to an endorsement deal with Sears, a sponsor of the show. In January of 2005, Pennington fell ill and underwent an emergency appendectomy, taping an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition while in the hospital. Now entering into his fifth season on the show, Ty spends 240 days out of the year working on the show, and declares it to be “the greatest job in the world.”

Prior to his partnership with Sears, Pennington was the owner and designer of his own online furniture company, Furniture Unlimited, which is based in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Today, however, he lends his name to Sears, with their design team guiding the design of every item in the Ty Pennington Style line of bedding, tabletop items, bath accessories, and other miscellaneous home decor. He actually has very little say in the design of the furniture. In addition to his involvement in design, marketing promotions and public relations activities for Sears, Pennington is also active in community outreach through the Sears American Dream Campaign.

Pennington is also an author, who (in 2003) published the book Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room, a do-it-yourself guide on home improvement. On May 15, 2007, he released the first issue of his quarterly magazine Ty Pennington at Home. He has stated he is currently writing another book, which is to be released in 2008 or 2009.

Aside from his several jobs, Ty lives a basically normal life, as he puts it. He currently resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Venice, California, with his manager/girlfriend, Andrea Bock. On a recent appearance on E!'s True Hollywood Story, Ty reported that he and his girlfriend are waiting to marry and start a family until Ty is no longer traveling for his work.

An article on TMZ.com reports that there was a lawsuit filed against Pennington and his girlfriend in Los Angeles Superior Court by Melissa Ross alleging breach of contract seeking $4,000,000 in damages. Pennington's representative stated, “Anyone with $320 can file a lawsuit – even a nuisance suit like this one. This suit has no merit.”^[3]

DUI arrest

Pennington was arrested on suspicion of DUI on May 5, 2007, at 12:35 am in Los Angeles.^[4] He was released on $5,000 bail. ^[5] Pennington issued an apology shortly after. It was later revealed that Pennington had a .14 blood alcohol level when he was stopped. The legal limit in California is .08.^[6]

His publicist released this statement from him: “We all make mistakes, however this is about accountability. Under no circumstances should anyone consume alcohol while driving. I could have jeopardized the lives of others and I am grateful there was no accident or harm done to anyone.”^[7]

“This was my wake-up call,” Pennington said. “I also want to apologize to my fans, ABC Television and my design team for my lapse in judgment and the embarrassment I have caused.” ^[8]

On June 25, 2007, Ty pleaded “No Contest” to the two charges, one of which was dropped. For the remaining charge he was fined $390, received 36 months probation, 90 days suspended driver's license, 90 days in an alcohol treatment program, and for community service was required to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) seminar, all terms of which he has agreed to follow. A Spokesperson for the Los Angeles city attorney said that this punishment is common for first time DUI cases and that Pennington received no special treatment. In the months since his arrest, he did manage to take control of the situation very well. Few fans were outraged by the incident, and Pennington says that most of them have been very supportive. He has also cleared up any problems with ABC and has already made his return as host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition". He and the other nine designers; Michael Moloney, Tracy Hutson-Watson, Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Preston Sharp, Ed Sanders, Eduardo Xol, Tanya McQueen, and John Littlefield have completed the first two makeovers of the fifth season as of July 7. ^[9]

References

^ http://www.adderallxr.com/ty/ty_story/
^ http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/ty_pennington.html
^ TMZ Staff (2007-09-11). "Ty Pennington Sued Over ADHD". TMZ.com. Retrieved 2007-10-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ TMZ. "Ty Pennington Arrested for DUI". TMZ. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
^ Tashi Singh. "Ty Pennington Gets 'Extreme Makeover,' Arrested For Booze, Drugs". Post Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
^ http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/08/ty-penningtoncharged-with-dui/
^ http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=261447&GT1=7703
^ http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/07/pennington-speaks-after-dui-bust/
^ http://www.eonline.com/news/article/?uuid=8703ee6d-8ff2-4628-a1f9-bba2fc74843a

External links

[1] ttp://www.adderallxr.com/ty/ty_story/

[2] ttp://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/ty_pennington.html

[3] TMZ Staff (2007-09-11). "Ty Pennington Sued Over ADHD". TMZ.com. Retrieved 2007-10-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[TMZ-4] TMZ. "Ty Pennington Arrested for DUI". TMZ. Retrieved 2007-05-07.

[tPC-5] Tashi Singh. "Ty Pennington Gets 'Extreme Makeover,' Arrested For Booze, Drugs". Post Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-05-07.

[6] ttp://www.tmz.com/2007/05/08/ty-penningtoncharged-with-dui/

[7] ttp://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=261447&GT1=7703

[8] ttp://www.tmz.com/2007/05/07/pennington-speaks-after-dui-bust/

[9] ttp://www.eonline.com/news/article/?uuid=8703ee6d-8ff2-4628-a1f9-bba2fc74843a

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 ==Biography==
-Pennington was considered an unruly child and had difficulty performing throughout school.  "I would strip down naked, and swing from the blinds in my classroom as a child," he said in an interview for E! network. It wasn't until he was seventeen years old that he was tested for, and diagnosed with, [[ADHD]]. He is now a spokesperson for the organization ADHD Experts on Call, and manages his condition with [[Adderall|Adderall XR]]<ref>http://www.adderallxr.com/ty/ty_story/</ref>. Additionally, his mother, Dr. Yvonne Pennington, is a psychologist who focuses on the treatment of ADHD and [[clinical depression|depression]].
+Pennington was considered an unruly child and had difficulty performing throughout school.  "I would strip down naked, and swing from the blinds in my classroom as a child," he said in an interview for E! network in which he admitted to being very very gay. It wasn't until he was seventeen years old that he was tested for, and diagnosed with, [[ADHD]]. He is now a spokesperson for the organization ADHD Experts on Call, and manages his condition with [[Adderall|Adderall XR]]<ref>http://www.adderallxr.com/ty/ty_story/</ref>. Additionally, his mother, Dr. Yvonne Pennington, is a psychologist who focuses on the treatment of ADHD and [[clinical depression|depression]].
 A self-described "Jack of all trades,"<ref>http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/ty_pennington.html</ref> Pennington learned woodworking early in life.  After attending Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, he attended [[Kennesaw State University]], following which he received his [[undergraduate]] degree in [[graphic design]] from the [[Art Institute of Atlanta]] while working his way through school as a carpenter, and continued to work in carpentry after graduation while taking classes in [[painting]] and [[sculpture]] at the [[Atlanta College of Art]]. During his final semester, Pennington was approached by a modeling scout, and soon began a lucrative career. He traveled the world and landed print jobs for [[J.Crew]], [[Swatch]] and [[Sprite (soft drink)|Sprite]], and appeared in television spots for [[Diet Coke]], [[Levi's]], and [[Macy's]], among others. According to the [[TV Guide Channel]], Pennington is the highest paid endorser in America.