Celebrity IOU - General Discussion

[sheetmoss]

Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott help Hollywood A-listers express their deep gratitude to the individuals who have had a major impact on their lives by surprising them with big, heartwarming home renovations.

HGTV Mon 8pm CT

 

I enjoyed the first eppy w/Brad Pitt - he's seems like a nice guy

Edited April 14, 2020 by sheetmoss

[wlk68]

I enjoyed it as well. Very interested to see the other celebs. 

 

Next week is Melissa McCarthy.

Edited April 14, 2020 by wlk68

[QQQQ]

I wonder what it's like to be friends with people who make so much more $$ than you do. Not that the makeup artist was poor, but she didn't do the renovation on her own - I guess it could have been for reasons other than lack of money. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by QQQQ

[humbleopinion]

Brad help design/build homes after Katrina so this is up his alley of interests...

Jean Black was there at the beginning of his career, the ups and downs of his personal life, and so he appreciates that she has stuck by him...like family.

Renovations are hard for someone who leaves town for months at a time depending on the movie set location plus the idea of getting started can be daunting....

I need this feel good show...plus Brad is still eye candy....

 

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Brad help design/build homes after Katrina so this is up his alley of interests...

Hopefully this turns out better than that did.

I wasn’t going to watch because I don’t really like the PB but hey what else am I going to do. It was fairly enjoyable. Will check out a few more eps.

[sheetmoss]

I think the one miss in the reno/conversion  was that it didn't seem to have an area for a TV

Edited April 15, 2020 by sheetmoss

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, sheetmoss said:

was that it didn't seem to have an area for a TV

The tv was along the same wall as the storage bookshelf.

[mtlchick]

My sister and I thought Jean was adorable.  I never thought Brad Pitt was hot when he was declared as such during the 90s, but he's aged well.  Plus he seems like a laid back dude who went through some stuff in the past few years with Angelina Jolie and his ongoing sobriety.  Jean weathered the storms with him, so you can tell it meant a lot to both of them. 

 

I don't mind the PB though sometimes their schtick can wear thin.  But I enjoyed it and it's a short term commitment.  (Hopefully short enough to get past the crisis in my area.) 

[topanga]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

My sister and I thought Jean was adorable.  I never thought Brad Pitt was hot when he was declared as such during the 90s, but he's aged well.  Plus he seems like a laid back dude who went through some stuff in the past few years with Angelina Jolie and his ongoing sobriety.  Jean weathered the storms with him, so you can tell it meant a lot to both of them. 

 

I don't mind the PB though sometimes their schtick can wear thin.  But I enjoyed it and it's a short term commitment.  (Hopefully short enough to get past the crisis in my area.) 

I enjoyed this episode. I liked that Brad mentioned she'd been wanting to do this renovation for a while but never had the time or money. Because I hate, hate renovations that are a complete surprise for the recipient. 

Brad Pitt can still get it. But whenever I see him being all sweet and charming, I remember Jennifer Aniston mentioning what a selfish asshole he was. That could've been divorce anger talking, but I wonder if he was an alcoholic during their marriage also. And I wonder if his current kindness is genuine. I sure hope so. Jean seemed to genuinely like and love him as a good friend. 

[TVJunkee]

I don't know why that space needed a full kitchen that they were so worked up about.  Every time they proudly said "and a full kitchen" I would yell BUT WHY? 

The hidden storage closet for the bins was great.  And the fanciest Murphy bed ever!

Brad has always been cute but he looked so tiny next to Jonathan and Drew.  

 

[Grrarrggh]

Why did Brad wait until it could be televised to give her some money??

[Gam2]

I wondered when I saw the first commercial for this show why these rich celebrities waited to help out/honor these loved ones until they were able to televise their endeavors. Do they have to receive accolades for everything they do? We’re not rich or famous but still have done charitable things and never told anyone. That’s what charity is, people.

[biakbiak]

I wouldn’t call this show charity, given the location of her house his makeup artist is doing fine financially she just never got around to doing a huge reno on extra space. It’s basically just a regular Property Brothers show but they brought in famous people as a twist. 

[CruiseDiva]

17 hours ago, TVJunkee said:

I don't know why that space needed a full kitchen that they were so worked up about.  Every time they proudly said "and a full kitchen" I would yell BUT WHY? 

The hidden storage closet for the bins was great.  And the fanciest Murphy bed ever!

Brad has always been cute but he looked so tiny next to Jonathan and Drew.  

 

That kitchen took up a lot of space. A wet bar with mini-fridge, wine fridge, microwave, and coffee maker would have served the purpose and taken up less room.

The hidden storage was great, but it didn't seem large enough for all the bins she had on shelving when they toured the building. It seemed that her main requirements were storage space for supplies and a make-up spot and, to me, they did okay with the pop-up mirror but kinda failed on the storage space. The Murphy bed was killer and the little patio really sweet.

I had this on DVR and didn't watch it right away because I find the Property Brothers so tiresome. They aren't designers or builders, they're actors. But, with positive comments here I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. Brad Pitt seemed like such a nice guy and good friend.

[LittleIggy]

Aw, that was sweet! I want to live in that guest house. Didn’t they say that Jean did work for the Coen Brothers, too? Cool!

ETA: I looked up her resume on IMDB, and it is impressive. Wow. My favorite movie, “The Big Lebowski, “ is there!

Edited April 18, 2020 by LittleIggy

[humbleopinion]

Hope she rents it out as an AirBnB....I'd book it....

Santa Monica location, on site parking, private bathroom, full kitchen!, patio, cool bed...Just put a lock on the book latch and she can rent it out for over $200/night....

Edited April 18, 2020 by humbleopinion

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet the reason for the 'full kitchen' is so she can rent it as a short term rental.  

[Ana170]

On 4/16/2020 at 12:33 PM, CruiseDiva said:

I had this on DVR and didn't watch it right away because I find the Property Brothers so tiresome. They aren't designers or builders, they're actors. But, with positive comments here I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. Brad Pitt seemed like such a nice guy and good friend.

While it's true that they can be tiresome, Jonathan is, in fact, a designer and licensed general contractor. They started a real estate company together to support themselves while Drew tried acting.  When that failed, the opportunity to do Property Brothers came along.  Their shows are heavily edited, hence the reason everyone thinks they're completely fake but Jonathan, at least, is actually out there working on houses and knows what he's doing.

[alexa]

Watching the latest episode.  They are replacing an often used recliner and picked the smallest one with the lowest back.  This person is supposed to somehow sleep in it?  Lol. They pretended to care about getting the most comfortable but then chose the one that they thought looked the nicest.  

[suebee12]

My question is what did they do with the piano?

[biakbiak]

Melissa becoming so much more successful and famous than Jenny who’s assistant she used to be will never not delight me. 

Edited April 21, 2020 by biakbiak

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Just found this show last night.

Can I just say that I love me some Brad Pitt?  I'm glad he seems to be at a point in his life where he is just happy.  I mean, you never know what someone is going thru but he looks happy and was so excited to do something for Jean (who seems to be such a sweet, humble woman.)   I think he may have teared up more than Jean when he saw the pic of her parents.  So cool.

I loved Melissa's big, loud Irish Catholic family.  She and her cousin were so cute together.   For as much as they clowned the "Before" house decor, I thought everything was lovely and immaculately kept. (Well, maybe not that ugly green carpet LOL) I cackled at her Uncle Joe's chair.  My dad's recliner can relate.  

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Melissa becoming so much more successful and famous than Jenny who’s assistant she used to be will never not delight me. 

Well, I just learned something new...I never put that "Mccarthy" name connection together.  And I will join BiakBiak in said delight!

Edited April 21, 2020 by SuburbanHangSuite
adding

[camom]

I hope they didn't get rid of Melissa's uncle's chair.  The new one might not be comfortable for him.  The old one could be restored or he might want to choose a different new one.

The house looked so very different after the renovations.  I hope they really liked it since the style was not at all like what they had before.

Edited April 21, 2020 by camom

[wlk68]

All the discussion about Uncle Joe's chair made me think of Frasier's dad and how his dilapidated, beat up chair sat right in the middle of Frasier's sleek and very modern penthouse. His dad was a retired cop, too. 🙂

I truly do hope that Joe truly liked the new chair and that it was comfortable for him. He seems like the kind of sweetheart who would say he loved it just so he wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.   

[alexa]

1 hour ago, wlk68 said:

All the discussion about Uncle Joe's chair made me think of Frasier's dad and how his dilapidated, beat up chair sat right in the middle of Frasier's sleek and very modern penthouse. His dad was a retired cop, too. 🙂

I truly do hope that Joe truly liked the new chair and that it was comfortable for him. He seems like the kind of sweetheart who would say he loved it just so he wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings.   

That is what I think too, and I am not sure he liked the new chair.  He even stressed how much his chair meant to him before they showed him the room.  And for all of them to say his chair wasn't comfortable wasn't really for them to decide--one person's comfort isn't equal to another.  When they were in the store looking at options they kept gravitating to tiny chairs, and all I could think is that he needed something slightly bigger and better for all of the resting and sleeping he does on it.  I am pretty sure they kept the old chair if they are smart.  You don't mess with a man's chair!  lol!

4 hours ago, camom said:

I hope they didn't get rid of Melissa's uncle's chair.  The new one might not be comfortable for him.  The old one could be restored or he might want to choose a different new one.

The house looked so very different after the renovations.  I hope they really liked it since the style was not at all like what they had before.

That is a good point that he could have picked out a chair also--they could have not picked one out at all, and said they had money set aside for him to get a new chair of his choosing.  In the end the room is meant to be used, not be a showcase for the property brothers--they have good intentions, but they are not using the room and the chair.

[topanga]

17 hours ago, alexa said:

Watching the latest episode.  They are replacing an often used recliner and picked the smallest one with the lowest back.  This person is supposed to somehow sleep in it?  Lol. They pretended to care about getting the most comfortable but then chose the one that they thought looked the nicest.  

 

5 hours ago, camom said:

I hope they didn't get rid of Melissa's uncle's chair.  The new one might not be comfortable for him.  The old one could be restored or he might want to choose a different new one.

The house looked so very different after the renovations.  I hope they really liked it since the style was not at all like what they had before.

This is why surprise renovations make me anxious. The entire episode, I kept wondering whether her aunt and uncle would really like those changes. Maybe the aunt likes being away from the chaos and noise when she's cooking. And as you said, his old chair could've been restored. 

And another thing: I hate, hate, hate home shows that refer to the kitchen or laundry room as the woman's areas and the relaxing family room as the man's space. So a woman's oasis is the place where she cooks, cleans, and does laundry, and the man's domain is where he chills and watches TV?  Fortunately, not every show does this. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Maybe the aunt likes being away from the chaos and noise when she's cooking.

This is a great point.  I'm already irked beyond explanation that every. single. home show has to have an Open Floor Plan concept.  I live in an old, charming home with a walled off kitchen and I love it.  I'd be livid if someone "surprised" me with an open floor plan. 

[Grrarrggh]

14 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

This is a great point.  I'm already irked beyond explanation that every. single. home show has to have an Open Floor Plan concept.  I live in an old, charming home with a walled off kitchen and I love it.  I'd be livid if someone "surprised" me with an open floor plan. 

YES YES YES!!! HGTV is obsessed with open concept. I can only name one show that doesn't have it in every episode. Every other programme makes it seem that open concept is a requirement, not a design choice. 

[alexa]

3 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

YES YES YES!!! HGTV is obsessed with open concept. I can only name one show that doesn't have it in every episode. Every other programme makes it seem that open concept is a requirement, not a design choice. 

But they like to entertain!  And they have to be able to see the kids playing right over there!  lol.  It does really get old.  Kind of like in House Hunters for a while every homeowner wanted granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, or the house was plain junk.

[biakbiak]

I don’t know they both seemed extremely happy and the aunt said she always said that she wanted to live in a fishbowl. Her daughter and Melissa seemed to have a good handle on what they wanted.

[Grrarrggh]

30 minutes ago, alexa said:

But they like to entertain!  And they have to be able to see the kids playing right over there!  lol.  It does really get old.  Kind of like in House Hunters for a while every homeowner wanted granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, or the house was plain junk.

What I don't get about the people who say they don't want to miss out on the party if they're in the kitchen: are they screaming over the 20+ feet to have "conversations"? And have they never heard of cooking beforehand?

[SuburbanHangSuite]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

But they like to entertain!  And they have to be able to see the kids playing right over there!  lol.  It does really get old.  Kind of like in House Hunters for a while every homeowner wanted granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, or the house was plain junk.

And don't forget the Double Sinks in the bathroom!  When did this become a thing?!  Do you know how often I need to share a bathroom with someone requiring a second sink?  NEVER!  

I halfway expected PBs to squeeze the double sink requirement into Jen's nook.  LOL

[Gam2]

I grew up in government quarters (Dad was in the Army) with my mom, dad, two sisters and a dog with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. It was not open concept and thank goodness for that! Then my husband and I raised our two children, son and daughter, and our dog in government quarters ( we were in the Army) with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. I checked on my kids when they got too quiet, we watched TV together in the living room, I cooked all of our meals in the separated kitchen and we took turns in the bathroom. We all turned out just fine.

[Whimsy]

13 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

What I don't get about the people who say they don't want to miss out on the party if they're in the kitchen: are they screaming over the 20+ feet to have "conversations"? And have they never heard of cooking beforehand?

The funny thing is, in my house, whenever we have a get-together everyone hangs out in the kitchen for the ENTIRE party. Our kitchen is not very big and, while we did redo it and I love it, it’s only moderately nice in comparison to the kitchen on these shows. We have a relatively larger opening into our living room but it’s definitely to open concept. I try to encourage people to sit in the living room but people rarely do so I usually am standing the entire party. I would prefer an open concept house. But I do get that not everyone does! 

[humbleopinion]

The biggest gift was getting the construction done at warp speed and not putting the aunt and uncle through the stress of the disruption.
Uncle Joe looks frail and the thought of months of build is enough to make them wary of even getting started.

Getting permitted in Chicago sounds like a headache especially a home that needs to be brought up to code. All the wiring encased in metal tubing...

Thinking that the recliner is getting a make over and will be back in its rightful place after a facelift. 
His busted Lazy Boy means too much to him.

[CruiseDiva]

6 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Getting permitted in Chicago sounds like a headache especially a home that needs to be brought up to code. All the wiring encased in metal tubing...

When we moved out of the Chicago area I was surprised that electric wiring was not in conduit pipes. It certainly was a safety thing. We never had to worry about nailing a picture hanger into a wire. I actually kinda miss it.

[LittleIggy]

Melissa’s aunt and uncle were so sweet. So happy for them. I especially loved the green cabinets in the kitchen.

[Mittengirl]

Something I have long wondered on these surprise reno  shows - how do you get permits to work on a house without something from the owner indicating consent?   

Hopefully that new chair is just a placeholder until Uncle Joe can choose something he likes. They mentioned the chair being hard; if you have trouble getting to your feet, you want a firm chair, not something cushy that you sink into.

 I wouldn’t want someone else picking out furniture for me.  My mother and I went shopping for recliners once and we probably sat in at least a  dozen before we could find one that we agreed on.  Same with looking at sofas.

While my mom was looking at rollators at a medical equipment store, I was checking out the power recliners and they have some with every bell and whistle.  Heated seats, massage, zero gravity, infinite back and footrest positions, flat sleeping positions and “ejector” options.  Of course, they cost a fortune.  

[Kohola3]

I enjoyed Melissa and her cousin together.  The fact that the daughter was involved in the design made me more comfortable because she would kn\ow what her parents would like.  I thought they were a family I would enjoy knowing!

I was worried about the chair as well.  But it's possible that the new one would do the job, it didn't look particularly soft or anything. And they said it stretched out in to a bed which would be a nice option.  I could have used that after one of my surgeries where I had to sleep in my little (lady-sized) recliner.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Can someone with great internet sleuthing skills find the address of the Chicago house? My parents grew up in a similar neighborhood and we are curious. Such a well kept street, and the homes looked well-maintained. The aunt seemed so happy to meet the brothers.  Cute! 

I agree with everything that has been said about the chair. They should have absolutely said that if that one didn't work for him, that they would get him another. 

I also loved the green cabinets. Sometimes Erin on Home Town does green in the kitchen.

 

[camom]

Quote

 HGTV is obsessed with open concept. 

Another trend I've noticed lately is no upper cabinets.  That makes no sense to me.

[biakbiak]

46 minutes ago, camom said:

Another trend I've noticed lately is no upper cabinets.  That makes no sense to me.

My least favorite is walls of windows in their place which are going to be a bitch to keep clean in a kitchen! One recent show even had the windows as the backsplash to the stove!! 

[Grrarrggh]

On 4/22/2020 at 7:32 AM, Whimsy said:

The funny thing is, in my house, whenever we have a get-together everyone hangs out in the kitchen for the ENTIRE party. Our kitchen is not very big and, while we did redo it and I love it, it’s only moderately nice in comparison to the kitchen on these shows. We have a relatively larger opening into our living room but it’s definitely to open concept. I try to encourage people to sit in the living room but people rarely do so I usually am standing the entire party. I would prefer an open concept house. But I do get that not everyone does! 

I would love to come to one of your parties and find out what is so different from mine. Are you in the kitchen during most of the party? Is all your food and drink there? Is the rest of your house cold/hot/ugly? (jk on ugly) I'm genuinely curious because this doesn't happen at my parties or ones I go to. 

[Whimsy]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

I would love to come to one of your parties and find out what is so different from mine. Are you in the kitchen during most of the party? Is all your food and drink there? Is the rest of your house cold/hot/ugly? (jk on ugly) I'm genuinely curious because this doesn't happen at my parties or ones I go to. 

Yeah. We have a counter that is open to the living room and I put the food there, so that must be it. But, I always would like my guests to grab the food, put it on the plates I provide (lol) and sit in the living room. 

[buttersister]

I'm guessing that Melissa's uncle's chair is in the shop--or that he goes to the store and picks out one he'd like. The sleek one might be okay, but it's likely also returnable. Or not, the money wouldn't be an issue here. Wondering if the PB was the cover for Melissa finally being able to help her aunt and uncle (but them begging off).

[sheetmoss]

9 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

Can someone with great internet sleuthing skills find the address of the Chicago house? My parents grew up in a similar neighborhood and we are curious. Such a well kept street, and the homes looked well-maintained. The aunt seemed so happy to meet the brothers.  Cute! 

I agree with everything that has been said about the chair. They should have absolutely said that if that one didn't work for him, that they would get him another. 

I also loved the green cabinets. Sometimes Erin on Home Town does green in the kitchen.

 

My thinking  is the house is in the Mt Greenwood  neighborhood of Chicago on the  far so'west side.  

Melissa's cousin Jenny McCarthy  grew up there - and it's a popular area for police and fire employees  to live who have to reside in  the city boundaries  by law,

Other guess is Jefferson Park on the far nor'west side - also  popular  area for police and fire employees to live.

[readheaded]

On 4/23/2020 at 5:39 PM, camom said:

Another trend I've noticed lately is no upper cabinets.  That makes no sense to me.

I hate this trend!  The storage isn't as good as what cabinets would offer and you need some relatively nice dishes for it to look decent.  My cabinets are cluttered, but I also don't want to look at what's in them all the time, either.  The only thing I can think is that it's way cheaper to buy and put up some shelves than it is to buy and put up cabinets.

1 minute ago, readheaded said:

I hate this trend!  The storage isn't as good as what cabinets would offer and you need some relatively nice dishes for it to look decent.  My cabinets aren't cluttered, but I also don't want to look at what's in them all the time, either.  The only thing I can think is that it's way cheaper to buy and put up some shelves than it is to buy and put up cabinets.

 

[mtlchick]

On 4/21/2020 at 12:47 AM, biakbiak said:

Melissa becoming so much more successful and famous than Jenny who’s assistant she used to be will never not delight me. 

Her cousin is famous again because she married a Wahlberg and led him down that 'vaccine schedule' path that they no longer speak of now. UGH. 

 

On 4/23/2020 at 5:39 PM, camom said:

HGTV is obsessed with open concept. 

I remember reading something that open concept is popular because of the idea and the action of the demolition attracts male viewers.  I don't mind open concept, but not the obsession of stainless steel appliances.  Dude, I just my stuff to WORK. 

[humbleopinion]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

Her cousin is famous again because she married a Wahlberg and led him down that 'vaccine schedule' path that they no longer speak of now. UGH. I

The cuz married a lesser Wahlberg....meh at best.

Donnie does use his dim star power to show appreciation to Waffle Houses he visits around the US with big tips to the hardest working staff bar none...and that’s to be commended....

[LexieLily]

This show is sweet and I like it, but everything is very white. We need some color on the walls, especially in a living room or kitchen.