Thursday, July 26, 2007

What Price is Right for Drew Carey?

$100 and up if you're talking about his tip on a meal at Denny's or Cracker Barrel.

It was recently announced that Drew Carey would take over Bob Barker's role telling people to "come on down" on The Price is Right, a favorite game show of my youth. The New York times article about it wonders:

Was Mr. Carey that desperate for work?
"Well, I don't need the money," said Mr. Carey, 49, whose network series "The Drew Carey Show" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" live on in lucrative reruns after ending within the last few years. And yet, while he would not disclose his new salary, he acknowledged, "I like the fact that I'm getting paid."
Carey won't be giving away his own money on the show, but he says he likes the idea of giving away prizes to people who probably really need them. As far as his own money goes, he likes giving out those big tips. The article didn't say anything about whether or not he donates to charities, but maybe he just enjoys the immediate feel-good aspect of sharing money with individual people like restaurant waitstaff and game show contestants.
"I just want to share the wealth," he said. "And by doing 'Price is Right,' that's what I'll be doing every day."

4 comments:

The Travelin' Man said...

Drew Carey seems like a genuinely nice man, and he almost seemed like a little kid when he announced to David Letterman the other night that he had just worked out the details to take the job.

Of course, now that I say that, he will be implicated in some bizarre dogfighting scandal - or worse.

He just seems to me like the kind of guy you could have a beer with - the kind of guy that other guys like having around - always has a funny story, etc. So, good for him.

mapgirl said...

I think it's funny that as a Libertarian, he subverts market forces for his own self-esteem by leaving big tips.

Of course, I love Drew Carey. His squinty eyed geek routine is really funny stuff, so it was especially shocking to see him tell the Aristocrats joke with the snappy flourish. (Loved the snappy flourish. I was making that motion for weeks.)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Drew Carey wouldn't mind making a few extra bucks either! I kind of think it's a step down for him, but I'd sure host the show for 7 digits.

Bitty said...

I've read that about Drew Carey and the tips before.

Also, when my son was in Iraq -- this was before the "mission" was "accomplished" and don't get me started on that one -- Carey was over there entertaining the troops, and my son had a chance to talk to him for a while.

Genuine nice guy, says my son.