Ty Pennington

Infobox actor
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name = Ty Pennington

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imagesize = 150px
caption = Ty Pennington
birthname = Tygert Bruton Pennington
birthdate = birth date and age|1965|10|19
location = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = 6' (1.83 m)
website = http://www.typenningtonstyle.com/

Tygert Bruton "Ty" Pennington [ [http://tygertpennington.humanarchives.org/ Tygert Bruton Pennington :: Humanarchives.org] ] (b. October 19 1965, Atlanta, Georgia) is a carpenter and TV personality.

He is most famous for being the host of "" which currently airs on ABC. Previously, Pennington was a carpenter on the TLC reality show "Trading Spaces". Currently he manufactures a line of Home Storage Solutions furniture with the Howard Miller Clock Company.

Biography

Pennington was considered an unruly child and had difficulty performing throughout school. Fact|date=June 2008 "I would strip down naked, and swing from the blinds in my classroom as a child and swear along with that if I didn't get my way," "I was just very very bad kid overall, I don't know how my mother raised me!" he said in an interview for E! network. He has hyperactivity (then the term for ADHD) He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was seven by his mother, who was in graduate school in psychology, and by his pediatrician, who didn't "believe" in Ritalin, so it wasn't tried at the time. Instead, Yvonne Pennington designed a system called "A Token Economy" to end his daily trips to the principal's office and his disruptive behavior in class. The Token Economy was used all the way through his school career. It wasn't until he was nineteen years old that he was treated with medication. He is now a spokesperson for the organization ADHD Experts on Call, and manages his condition with Vyvanse [ [http://www.vyvanse.com/adult/tys-story.aspx Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) a prescription stimulant (prodrug) for ADHD/ADD treatment] ] . His mother, Dr. Yvonne Pennington, is a psychologist who focuses on the treatment of ADHD and depression. She teaches other parents how to raise ADHD kids with or without medication. Fact|date=June 2008

A self-described "Jack of all trades", [ [http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/ty_pennington.html Error - ABC.com] ] 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. He 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 in that field. 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 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 (now known as simply TLC) 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. 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 2005, Pennington 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”. The success of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in the UK, where it is shown on the UKTV Style channel, resulted in the channel commissioning "Ty's Great British Adventure", where Pennington worked with the community of Portreath in Cornwall to restore a run-down town park in a week. The series is due to air from 16 September 2008. [See http://uktv.co.uk/style/homepage/sid/6776]

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. He also 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 published the book "" (2003), 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.

Personal life

Ty Pennington is planning to marry the UK's own Tamsin Lingard. Although there is a considerably large age difference, they have both announced their love for each other publicly. Right now they are taking it slow, whilst she is away filming with David Tennant.citation needed|date=October 2008

Arrest

Pennington was arrested on suspicion of DUI on May 5, 2007, at 12:35 am in Los Angeles.cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/07/ty-pennington-arrested-for-dui/|title=Ty Pennington Arrested for DUI|accessdate=2007-05-07|author=TMZ|work=TMZ] He was released on $5,000 bail. 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. [ [http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/08/ty-penningtoncharged-with-dui/ "Ty Pennington Charged with DUI"] ]

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.” [ [http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=261447&GT1=7703 'Extreme Makeover' Star Charged With DUI - MSN Entertainment News] ]

“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.” [ [http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/07/pennington-speaks-after-dui-bust/ Pennington Speaks After DUI Bust - TMZ.com - Entertainment News, Celebrity Gossip and Hollywood Rumors] ]

On June 25, 2007, Ty pleaded "nolo contendere" 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 of the 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. He has since returned to "".

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 all been featured in the makeovers of the show's 2007-2008 fifth season. [ [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/?uuid=8703ee6d-8ff2-4628-a1f9-bba2fc74843a E! News - Ty Pennington Ties Up DUI Charge] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.typenningtonstyle.com/ Official Site]
* [http://madmoneyvids.awardspace.com/ty%20pennington/index.php Interview on The Big Idea w/Donny Deutsch]
* [http://www.furniture-unlimited.com/ Pennington's design company - Furniture Unlimited]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602567/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks London]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602568/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks about his ADHD]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602570/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks being president for the day]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602569/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks chilling out]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602572/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks choosing EM families]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602571/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks working on EM]
* [http://uktv.co.uk/style/video/aid/602573/videoListID/6/sr/1/sb/recent UKTV Style Ty Pennington video interview - Ty talks about his favourite makeovers]