Friday, January 09, 2009

I don't know who that guy is in the TGI Friday's commercials.

We get commercials in Maine for many things that are not available to us. I had thought that T.G.I. Friday's was one of these, but apparently not -- there are T.G.I. Friday's in South Portland and Auburn, at least.

It's not as if I ever feel a driving desire to go to T.G.I. Friday's, but the commercials are bright and loud and catch my eye, and one of their big selling points seems to be their spokesman -- featured on the website as "Chef/Food Dude Guy Fieri."

I have no idea who this is. Is this a name or a face I should recognize? Maine's a little remote, and I don't keep up with popular culture the way I used to when I lived in Los Angeles. Should I be worried about the fact that I don't know who Guy Fieri is?

It's part of a bigger issue. I no longer know who half the people on the cover of Star magazine are, though some of that is intentional -- I've deliberately never watched an episode of The Hills, and fought off a brief, sick fascination with Gossip Girl. It does worry me when I don't recognize the name of the host on Saturday Night Live.

I joke about becoming a hermit, but it's alarming to discover that it happened while I wasn't looking.

What I Read This Week

I read manuscripts this week, and am rereading a sequence of novels for a project later this month. The one book I finished was an audiobook, but it was great.

Sarah Vowell, THE WORDY SHIPMATES. Vowell reviews the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Rhode Island, a history of difficult, self-righteous men and women (mostly men) who aspired to build a "city on the hill," which would serve as a Godly example to all. Fascinating, touching and outrageous in turns; the recording uses actors' voices for the historical quotations, which brings it all to life.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also resist some shows but am always facinated when an actor like Wally Shawn appears on a show like 'Gossip Girl' It makes me wonder if I am missing stuff


RBo

Anonymous said...

Guy Fieri hosts a couple of shows on the Food Network. My favorite is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Anonymous said...

Actually the TGIFriday's in S. Portland closed a few months ago...
Yeah, Guy Fieri (and I gotta say it drives me NUTS how he pronounces his name...Fee-eddi) is all over Food Network, hawking items bathed in hot sauce and grease. I think you could look him up there...

Anonymous said...

I think it's because there are now more than 500 channels, and who has time to watch them all? Plus movies are pricey, there's only so much HBO you can TiVo, and most people who read this blog also read books. So some people get famous without everyone knowing who they are.

Hell, I didn't know Kanye West had any talent. I just thought he was that whiny guy I kept hearing about the day after some major music award show.

Dora said...

LOL - if you don't watch the Food Network, you probably wouldn't know who Fieri is. No worries.

He hosts a show there called "Ultimate Recipe Showdown," where part of the winner's prize is having their dish added to TGI Friday's menu.

They cross promote - the Friday's sponsors Guy's show, and Guy does commercials for Friday's. Seems to work out well for the two of 'em.

Anonymous said...

Okay. I admit it. I watch way....too much reality TV and I do know the identity of every person on the cover of Star. I do read books too so hopefully it all balances out.

Guy Fieri is on the Food Network but he got his start as a contestant on their show "The Next Food Network Star" season II. He didn't win but he does seem to have become the break out success of the series.

-kathleen

Ellen Clair Lamb said...

I have seen "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" -- I think they even did a feature on the A-1 -- but didn't remember the host. You're right, Jim, there are just too many of these people to keep track of, and I don't even have TiVo.