Paige Davis gives 'Trading Spaces' a classic makeover

You'd be willing to have five or 10 windmills in your backyard, right?

I suppose so! That's what I was thinking when I saw them. Just how many of these would I have to have and where would they have to be? If it became our new entire landscape everywhere you look, that wouldn't be a good thing. I think they'd find a way to have one large one to harness stuff, rather than literally hundreds everywhere.

Just one giant windmill for L.A.?

Towering over Hollywood. Messing up everyone's hair.

So you're back on the show . . . .

I'm probably the most surprised of everyone. And grateful to be doing a show I love so much. That's the point: It's the version I did, the show that I believe the fans really love. And to bring it back -- not just bring me back -- but all my friends back and the format back and the fun back, it's something that was really appealing to me. . . . It was hard to say goodbye. It was a decision I didn't make for myself, so I didn't get to own the end of that journey.

Have you waved your finger in their faces?

No, for two reasons. One, if it'd been the same people who'd made that decision, I don't think I'd be in the position of coming back. The new regime of people at TLC reversed that. So I can't wag my finger in the face of the people who brought me back. It's important to me that the fans really appreciate and love TLC again.

That's sort of an amazing development in TV. You look at "Family Guy," other shows -- viewer outrage and mail actually gets stuff done.

It's great they spoke out, not just in letters but in ratings. The proof is in the pudding. . . . But the new folks at TLC do feel very strongly that "Trading Spaces" had not necessarily run its course but had been run into the ground. . . . It was the heart of pop culture to some extent -- as much as any cable show could be.

How was it filling Molly Ringwald's shoes [in the tour of "Sweet Charity"]?

It was great to meet her. Talk about pop culture -- she's an icon. She's an icon, it's ridiculous. Looking at her, oh, my God, it's really shocking. We had a mutual connection in terms of our joy in meeting each other -- she was an enormous "Trading Spaces" fan.