Film by Daniel Friedberg

Paula Deen

South magazine: How’s your summer going so far?
Paula Deen: Well it’s hot…it’s hot, and it looks like it’s going to be long.

SM: Have you been in Savannah for the majority of the summer or have you been traveling a lot?
PD: I travel a lot. This summer lightens up a bit, but not a whole bunch.

SM: Tell us a little about your new project, The Real Women of Philadelphia.
PD:  Lord have mercy, I’m so excited. When they brought this project to me…I thought, this is the most exciting project I’ve done because it gives me a chance to kind of pay it forward with other women, who are just like me, and want to take control of their lives and make something good happen. You know, it’s the same position I was in 20 years ago. It’s just so thrilling to be a part of it. Four women are walking away with $25,000 in their pocket. They’ll be writing a cookbook and videos…it can really change somebody’s life.

Ruby Gettinger may have lost 400 pounds, but she has gained a whole lot more. The reality TV star speaks the truth—get ready to listen.

“Truth” is not a word many would expect to be associated with reality television.

That oft-maligned genre essentially took root in 1992 with the premiere of MTV’s landmark series The Real World, and in the years since has become a mainstay of American broadcast and cable TV. Relatively inexpensive to produce (compared to scripted dramas or sitcoms) and—for some—infinitely more compelling and habit-forming than traditional serial programming, reality television has captured the hearts and minds of viewers in most every target demographic. Yet despite its moniker, most folks—including even a wide swath of the most loyal reality TV followers—would be hard pressed to vouch for the validity of what is currently found on so-called reality shows.

She may be Savannah’s queen of the kitchen, but Paula Deen can’t help but throw a life lesson or two into the pot.

Fresh out of the shower, Paula Deen walks into the kitchen of her Wilmington Island home. Her wet hair is tucked under a black, rhinestone-studded baseball cap emblazoned with the popular Sweet Potato Queens movement logo. She wears glasses, a baggy turquoise shirt and black leggings. Her face is devoid of makeup—and she’s late.

“I’m so sorry, but I just had to have a shower,” she apologizes.

No problem. Deen coughs a little. She’s just getting over a case of pneumonia, and her voice is still a little raspy.

We sit down at a table in her kitchen, the same one featured on her TV show, full of antiques and beautiful cabinetry. Now the symbol of Southern cooking, Deen is gearing up for her busy season: full of tapings, travel and her trademark twang. Deen invited South into her home for a chat about where she’s going and where she’s been.

In Savannah to visit the Savannah College of Art and Design, reality television star Ty Pennington talks with South about his Georgia roots.

By all accounts, Ty Pennington is a Southern boy at heart. Best known as the high-energy host of ABC’s Extreme Makevoer: Home Edition, and TLC’s Trading Spaces before that, it only takes a couple minutes of conversation with him before it becomes hard to imagine this easy-to-smile guy fitting in with the Hollywood scene. Then again, Pennington’s job—or rather jobs—aren’t all glitz and glam. He makes a habit of working hard … for other people.

In addition to his work on his outrageously successful show, now in its sixth season, Pennington oversees his style line at Sears, is the author of two books, and has launched a magazine, Ty Pennington At Home. “Everything I do is a challenge,” says Pennington, “and I love
challenges.”