Design Star Episode Eight - GO MATT!

I'm not doing a funny recap this week of Design Star – because: A) nothing funny happened. And B) there is nothing funny about the fact that New Orleans is still struggling three years after Hurricane Katrina. I love that city, and it is a crying shame that entire neighborhoods still lay in ruins. The local, state, and federal governments should be ASHAMED.

My sermon is over. This week’s final challenge will determine whether Matt or Jennifer becomes the next Design Star. Their challenge: help a family who lost everything in the hurricane to rebuild. Specifically, they will each do a kitchen, living room and dining room in 36 hours over four days. They will have $20,000, Sears appliances, Lumber Liquidators flooring, and the help of carpenters.

John Oleaga is a police officer who helped secure the Lower Ninth Ward in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We meet John, his wife, and his mother (I think). Matt will help them create a "minimalist" masterpiece in their formerly flooded-out home.

Mike Gowland has been a New Orleans firefighter for 16 years, and helped feed the other first-responders after the hurricane hit. He tearfully tells us that he's not looking for a hand-out, but they "could use a hand". Mike's wife likes a red kitchen (as do I), and Jen is going to hook her up.

On the first day, they each get one carpenter, who basically clears out all the debris - and begins some painting. Both Jenn and Matt shop for appliances and flooring. Matt selects "Brazilian" flooring, which sounds like an excellent choice to me.

On Day #2, Trish arrives to help Matt, and Mikey V arrives to help Jen. How YOU doin', Papi?!? Mikey V is TOO cute. I may have mentioned that once or twice over this past season. Both Matt and Jen will have a team of carpenters working today and tomorrow - and Trish and Mikey V will switch and work with the other designer tomorrow.

Day #3 is all about finishing up the big jobs - installing appliances, painting, and woodwork. Trish is now with Jen, and Mikey is with Matt (hands OFF, Robot Happy Guy!). Tomorrow, Matt and Jen will finish up by themselves, and need to get the big stuff done today.

Day #4 - they have four hours to get their homes into "reveal" condition. Jen has a mini-breakdown about the sectional couch. Matt remains "Robot Happy Guy". Time's up!

Vern, Martha, and Cynthia arrive to watch Matt and Jennifer do their hosting segments. The judges seem quite impressed with both of them, with Cynthia saying that they are "a million times better" than last season. SUCK IT Kim Myles! I have to say, I'm LOVING the red cabinets in Jen's kitchen, but since when does a girl from Iowa refer to a television as a "telly?". Cheerio, old chap!

Each family gets to see their new homes, and both are thrilled. At the end, the St. Augustine High School Marching Band marches down the street and serenades the happy families. Clive gives the band a check for $5,000 (not a bad gig!) from HGTV and the band ends the show with "When the Saints Go Marching In".

To vote: go to HGTV.com. Click on the "Vote Now" icon (or simply click here). You will see a round circle underneath the designtestant you'd like to vote for (MATT!). Click on this circle under your favorite designer (MATT!). Then click the "VOTE" box between Matt and Jen's pictures. You can vote in this manner once per day. However, if you have a work and a home computer, you can vote TWICE.

To vote via text message, send the letter “B” (for MATT!) to HGTV1 (44881). You can vote in this manner up to 5 times per day.

Next week: The winner will be revealed! In the promo, they said ALL NINE designers return to “set the record straight”. There have been reports that Mikey V has been dis-invited to the finale, but I haven’t been able to confirm this. I will let you know if I find out anything.

Beware Chickens: It's White Meat Monday!

I Have Been Challenged!

My newest blogger girlfriend - the fabulous Kitty Bradshaw - has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged me to a Hottie duel.

Kitty got the idea from Bobby Flay's show on The Food Network - Throwdown. Bobby visits a different chef each week and challenges them on their specialities. Kitty has decided to challenge her blogger friends in their area of expertise. And apparently, I am to be the first "victim". Brave, Brave Kitty - alas, I WILL be the victor (I dated a "Victor" once, he was SO sexy...).

See Kitty's post here.

My speciality: Hotties (and Arby's - but that's another challenge). Kitty begins her throwdown by presenting us with pictures of NFL star Terrell Owens, who I've been meaning to feature as a Daddy of the Day for a while. Remind me to steal Kitty's pictures when this is all over.

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty... There are SO MANY guys I could feature. For instance, I could have chosen Josh:


Or maybe Geovanny:


Or even Rafael:


But in the end, although chocolate is tasty, brown sugar is so much sweeter. Kitty, I would like to present to you rapper, poet, actor, and model - K Dubb The Truth:







For those of you unfamiliar with K Dubb - he is straight (don't get it twisted, as the kids say). And I apologize to my Dust Bunnies for posting his pictures again, but I had to show our brave Kitty what a REAL hottie looks like. I'm sure a few of you don't mind looking at him again (TrannyBeth?).

Now please go to Kitty's post, and make any and all comments you all see fit. And BE NICE, Kitty is a friend (and a new Dust Bunny). UPDATE: Kitty now has a poll box posted - PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR CHOICE OF WINNER (moi, natch!)!

Matt Locke Wants To Be Your Next Design Star

Matt Locke is many things: funny, smart, down-to-earth, and motivated (and YES, he's gay). He would also like to become the next DESIGN STAR.

As most of you know, Matt Locke, 38, and I did a telephone interview on Thursday - talking for almost an hour. Matt shared some background about his life, dished about Design Star, and displayed his friendly "Robot Happy Guy" qualities [a nickname I gave him in a recap]. It was almost like speaking to a friend, although most of my friends aren't nearly that nice.

Matt's journey to Design Stardom began when he was five years old. At that young age, he decided a glass-topped table would look nice in his bedroom. His architect father and artist mother (which explains the kiln in her basement) consented - and Matt's interest in design continued to grow.

In Junior High School, Matt began making his own furniture. In High School he completely re-did his bedroom, creating a temple of 80's "Glamtastic" fabulousness. And in the days before do-it-yourself reality television, Matt even staged a "reveal" for his parents - making them cover their eyes and counting down before letting them see his creation. Mom and Dad were impressed, and his mother suggested that Matt might possibly do this for a living.

Matt's college education began in art school before transferring to Princeton, where he earned a degree in History (he is one smart cookie, and has appeared on Jeopardy). He then earned a Masters degree in Industrial Design at Chicago's Institute of Design. After living the fast, fun, and out gay life in the big city of Chicago, Matt found himself broke and moved back to conservative Colorado Springs.

An avowed "fact and figures" guy, Matt worked in the Telecom industry as a technical writer. Locke thought he would continue to pay the bills with his day job, and eventually break into design. After years of living in Colorado and doing much more day job than design, he realized he needed to be back in a big city. So in 2005 he moved to Los Angeles, where he started his own design firm. Check out his website here.

One of the first questions I asked Matt was about his carpenter from last week's challenge - Damon. I wanted to know if we would be hearing about a "MattDamon" relationship (a la "Brangelina" or "TomCat")? He assured me that he is indeed happy at home with his man - "hunky, hunky" [that's TWO 'hunkys'!] Heath. Which explains the ring Matt wears on his wedding ring finger.

Matt describes himself as completely "out and proud". The reason he didn't fly the rainbow flag on Design Star was because the show had actually helped reconcile him with his conservative family. Sure enough, my assumption about his estrangement with his family was true - it had to do ultimately with his being gay. Matt didn't go into specifics, but says his parents "have come a long way". This is a very common occurrence in families with gay children - many eventually come to a point of acceptance (or even a full embrace), but some do not. Luckily for Matt, reality television helped get things moving in the right direction. Matt's mom is a big Design Star fan, and going on the show really helped them to bond again.

In addition, many of the people who attend the Locke family church watch Design Star, and Matt didn't want to rock the boat. Besides, the show already had Big Gay Michael Stribling [my words, not Matt's!], which is enough gay for seven Gay Pride Parades AND the Tony Awards [again - MY words].

Regarding Michael Stribling, Matt fondly recalls that on the first day of filming, when everyone got dropped off at the lake, Michael's immediately asked: "Are you gay or straight?". Matt answered, matter-of-factly, "gay". Michael turned to Mikey V and asked the same question. Mikey V declined to answer. [I can just imagine Gay Michael rolling his eyes and silently mouthing the word "gay!" to the other designers].

Speaking of Mikey V, Matt was extremely impressed by our tattooed hottie, and not for the reasons you're thinking. "He gets stuff done", Matt says, adding that if Mikey ever got tired or cranky, he never showed it. Mikey just worked like a "machine".

We touched on Mikey's recent troubles, and Matt said they exchanged emails after Mikey's suspension from his police job [why didn't I ask for Mikey V's email address, DAMN!?!]. However, Matt says of all of the designtestants, Mikey V is the most business savvy and is the smartest marketer of all of them. Besides, Matt reminds me, there are tons of rich gay men in South Florida who would dearly love to hire Mikey V for a home makeover [personally, I would include a "shirtlessness" clause in my Design Contract with Mikey]. Matt assures us that DavidDust favorite Michael Verdugo will undoubtedly go on to a very successful career in design.

I asked Matt if HGTV asked them specific questions about their past (arrests, porn, internet habits, crimes against fashion, etc.) when applying to be on the show. And, in fact, they absolutely DO. It's quite an extensive and intrusive questionnaire - inquiring whether or not they have done A,B, or C; where A, B, or C might have taken place; and how many times they did A, B, or C. Matt answered the questions honestly, but wanted me to tell my Dust Bunnies that contrary to his "good boy" image, he DID answer "yes"... to more than one question! 'Robot Happy Guy' knows how to get his freak on - within reason, of course.

In addition to Michael Stribling and Mikey V, Matt had fond memories of some of the others. After HGTV host Carter Oosterhouse left the room during a visit, Trish made a comment about the size of Carter's feet (apparently, QUITE large). And everyone really liked D Paul, who got absolutely no sleep while bunking with Matt, due to Matt's foghorn-caliber snoring. Matt told me his hubby Heath felt "vindicated" by seeing this on television. Heath HATES Matt's snoring, which Matt always brushed off as Heath overreacting. When his competitors on Design Star started complaining, Matt had to face the fact that Heath had been right all along.

I asked about Tracee, and of course he wouldn't say anything negative about her. But he DID say that after the first episode, in which they all worked together "like a family", they were truly shocked when Tracee started throwing people under the bus during the judging. Matt didn't have to work with her until the kitchen challenge, and by that time he knew what she was all about [STANK].

Finally, I wanted Matt to tell us about Sunday's show. For the final Design Star challenge, Matt and Jennifer head to New Orleans to help a Police Officer and a Fire Fighter who stayed and helped during (and after) Katrina hit. Both Matt and Jenn each do a living room, dining room AND kitchen in 36 hours, something that instills "abject terror" in them when told. They will have the assistance of a team of carpenters, and some surprise special guests will lend their support. It should be quite interesting, and they will be assisting two families who really deserve a helping hand.

At the end of the show (9:00 EST on HGTV), they will announce how you can vote for the winner [I believe it will be via text message and Internet]. I know I am abandoning the unbiased journalistic principles I learned in college, BUT I URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR MATT. Besides, I went to college 20 years ago, so I've forgotten most of my education anyway.

Watch Design Star tomorrow (Sunday) night on HGTV at 9:00 pm (EST). And after the show, I urge my Dust Bunnies to show their support for the person who consented to the VERY first interview on DavidDust - Matt Locke.

Daddy Of The Day - Davier

David Dust = 'Lady' Liberty

Have you noticed the fancy NEW HEADER for my blog?! I am STILL giggling like a little girl over how much I love it.

I have been wanting to change the graphics on my blog for a long time, but I just didn't know how to do it. I have tried, but I would end up screwing stuff up - so I just accepted the fact that although my content was FIERCE, the graphics on DavidDust were forever destined to suck ass.

Somehow my darling friend Kathy (aka The Minx) heard my silent cries for bloghelp. And yesterday she sent me an email wondering if I would like something just a little fancier for DavidDust. She thought since I was talking to reality show stars and such, it couldn't hurt to spruce things up a little bit. Kathy is a wiz at photoshop, graphics, etc. - and I eagerly said "yes!!".

She sweetly asked me what I wanted, and I just said I wanted something New York City related. Just make sure the title ("David Dust") is in there, and "Hotties, Recaps, and Gay Stuff" is also included. Other than that, I completely trusted Kathy's judgement and awaited what she came up with.

A little while later, she email me a note..."what about this?":

I SCREAMED at my desk at work (luckily I was by myself). Yes!!!! A THOUSAND TIMES 'YES'!!! This was it - the header I had always dreamed of.

Putting my face on "Lady Liberty" is STILL cracking me up - and the Bunny on the lower, right corner is just absolute perfection. I can't begin to thank The Minx for what she has done - but I'm definitely buying her dinner the next time she is in NYC...

The Minx, in addition to being a wonderful person, is also a multi-blogger:

MinxEats - Her food blog, where she discusses recipes, reviews restaurants, and does a MEAN Top Chef recap. Remember, it was The Minx who created the masterpiece - "Moana Lisa":

BloggingShearGenius - The Minx is the quarterback/coordinator of this blog, which celebrates all things Top Haircut. She also just did the funniest Top Haircut recap EVAH (read it here) - just don't tell Mama Bunny I said that!

Opalescent - This is The Minx's fashion and jewelery blog. This is where she posts photos from runways all over the world, and where her hysterical Project Runway recaps appear. She also designs and sells some excellent merchandise:




Click here for the Opalescent store and more fab merchandise. And for goodness sake, BUY SOMETHING! :)

To my Darling Minx - I can't begin to thank you enough for my ferosh header. NOW I feel like I've really hit the big time!

XOXOXOXO

David

Friday Hotties