What Not to Wear series finale makes for a good time to revisit Clinton Kelly interview

How do you celebrate the What Not to Wear series finale? If you’re like us, you’ll celebrate Clinton Kelly’s and Stacy London’s decade-long crusade of helping people look and feel fabulous by cleaning out your own closet and updating your wardrobe (any What_Not-To-Wear-series-finaleexcuse to shop, right?!). Think about it — they’d love you for it! After 10 years and more than 300 makeovers, Stacy and Clinton officially hang it up for good tonight on TLC with the What Not to Wear series finale at 9pmET.  The finale finds the duo heading to Las Vegas to help one final fashion-challenged female, as well as checking up with some of their past makeover subjects to see how they’ve done keeping up their refreshed look. We definitely will miss their honest, call-it-as-it-is take to fashion. Let’s give them a proper sendoff by tuning in tonight.

One of my favorite interviews with Clinton was at a cocktail party at one of our annual Television Critics Association press tours (this one was in May of 2010), where I cornered Clinton at the party and we had a fun time [over cocktails] rattling through our famed “7 Questions With…” column. Here are a few of his — now timeless — responses.

1. You’re at a magazine rack and can pick three titles. What are they?
I’d probably pick — well I’d go for the cover, any cover that looks interesting. I don’t read a lot of entertainment magazines so I’d probably pick a home decorating magazine, maybe one men’s magazine. Men’s Health! I always want to learn how to lose my gut. And a food magazine, like Food & Wine. … You should ask me these questions before I have my cocktail.

2. If your TV only carried three TV shows, what would you want?
Real World/Road Rules Challenge, my all-time favorite show; Survivor — I still watch that after all these years; and Project Runway. None of those are on TLC. [laughing] I mean Cake Boss, BBQ Pitmasters and Say Yes to the Dress.

3. Favorite sports team?
[laughing even harder] Ah … the Yankees?

4. What’s been your oddest fan encounter to date?
I’ve had a lot of them, almost too many to count. Somebody wrote to me and said, “You, Clinton Kelly, should do a calendar and every month you could be wearing a variety of Daisy Duke shorts.” That’s my favorite.

5. What bores you?
These are the hardest questions! Besides boredom? I hate airports. I think airports are the worst places on earth. This culture of celebrity worship, tabloid television — like people talking about people like Heidi and Spencer. I could give a @#$% about Heidi and Spencer. That bores me. Heidi and Spencer bore me.

6. What’s your favorite condiment?
Does tonic count? Oh, Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Hellmann’s mayonnaise!! [light or fat-free?] Fully loaded.

7. What would someone be really surprised to know about you?
I feel like my life is an open book. What would people be surprised to know about me? That I have a tattoo … that says 10 ½. I’ve just given you a big scoop; I’ve never told anybody.

8. And where exactly is that tattoo?
Do you want to see it?
[Ah, yeah!!!] Slowly turning he shows me his tattoo, then his agent interrupts, asking, “What is going on?”