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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > July > 17
Monday, July 17, 2006
Vern Yip pulls no punches as judge on ‘Design Star’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta interior designer Vern Yip and construction guru Ty Pennington both left TLC’s “Trading Spaces” to start network TV shows.
In Pennington’s case, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” became a monstrous, tear-jerking hit for ABC. The former Grant Park resident is now a huge star.
Yip signed with NBC for a similar show, called “Home Intervention.” NBC, in ratings and management turmoil, shot a pilot episode but aired it only as a one-time special last year.
“It was bad timing, my first shot at being executive producer,” Yip told Buzz last week. “It’s eventually where I want to head. I’m not sorry I did it.”
But Yip, who continues to run his own interior design and architectural firm, is back on televison as a judge on HGTV’s “Design Star,” which will debut Sunday. It’s basically a “Project Runway” for interior designers. The winner gets his or her own HGTV show.
In the first episode screened by Buzz, Yip is no pushover. About a curtain design, he says, “Looks like someone’s leftover prom dress exploded all over the place.” About a vacuum cleaner turned into a sculpture: “It was like a tombstone. Horrendous!”
“I like to think of it as constructive criticism,” Yip said. “I’m not going to pad it.”
He’s a fan of “Project Runway,” “American Idol” (he rooted for third-place finisher Elliott Yamin) and “Top Chef.” But he admits, “I can’t cook to save my life. Toast and cereal are a challenge!”
‘Idol’ hot for spotlight again
Of the former “American Idol” winners, Ruben Studdard arguably has been least in the spotlight recently. But he’s ready to change that, in a big way.
“I want to make people sick of seeing me,” a relaxed Studdard told Buzz on Saturday before a warm-up concert at Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre in Cobb County.
His third album release is set for Sept. 26, appropriately dubbed “The Return.” The first single, “Change Me,” hits radio stations this month.
Studdard packed the concert with covers (Al Green, Marvin Gaye and his idol, Luther Vandross), gospel favorites and “Idol” classics (“Superstar” and a lovely acoustic version of “Flying Without Wings”). His voice remains in fine form and his charm undeniable.
Atlanta, in many ways, is the Birmingham resident’s second home. He visits monthly, thanks to a huge contingent of family and friends. Studdard also recorded “The Return” here.
The singer, who has struggled with his weight for years, recently visited the Duke Diet & Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. (He missed the recent “Idol” finale to be there.) He said he’s lost 40 pounds so far and feels great. “I wanted to take some time off to change my lifestyle,” Studdard said.
He’s also glad to put behind him a lawsuit over the alleged theft of $246,000 from him by his godfather and manager. Last month, an Alabama judge awarded Studdard $2 million in losses and punitive damages. “It taught me I have to check everybody, not just because they’re family, to make sure my business is straight,” he said.
(For more of the interview, check out the “Idol” blog at www.accessatlanta.com.)
Atlanta’s ‘Crazy’ for this song
Gnarls Barkley’s hypnotic song “Crazy,” a major hit in Europe, has come stateside and become a rare multi-genre hit on rock, pop and R&B radio. The act, featuring Atlanta hip-hop star Cee-Lo and producer Danger Mouse, is now heard on Dave FM, Star 94, 99X, Q100 and V-103.
“It’s so different,” said Greg Street, night jock for R&B/hip-hop station V-103, who persuaded his boss, Reggie Rouse, to play the song. “It’s our era’s version of funkadelic George Clinton.”
Alternative rock station 99X started playing “Crazy” in April, before anybody else. Program Director Leslie Fram compares its appeal to OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” in 2003: “It’s a multi-format smash because it not only encompasses rock but early R&B, soul and hip hop.”
Michelle Engel, program director at rival Dave FM, loved the song the first time she heard it: “The groove is undeniable, and in the Atlanta sunshine with the car windows down, it is unbeatable.”
Cee-Lo, just back from Europe, told Buzz that the Gnarls Barkley side project has far exceeded expectations. “The fact everyone on both ends of the spectrum has embraced it is amazing,” he said Saturday night at a party at Midtown’s Compound nightclub to celebrate general manager Wes Lambert’s birthday.
Cee-Lo wrote “Crazy” in just a couple of hours, he said. “It’s done simply enough. You feel like you could have written that song. There’s a lot of humility, humanity.” He then hit the stage to perform “Crazy” as a sweaty crowd joyously sang along.
At the same party, Dallas Austin — recently pardoned in Dubai after a cocaine possession conviction — showed up. But the local producer slipped out of VIP before Buzz could catch him.
Celebrity birthdays
Art Linkletter is 94. Comedian Phyllis Diller is 89. Actor Donald Sutherland is 71. Actress-singer Diahann Carroll is 71. Singer Spencer Davis is 64. Actor David Hasselhoff is 54. Singer Regina Belle is 43.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 or e-mail rho@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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