February 14, 2003
Frosene On The Scene:     Big Fat Greek Fun       By Frosene Phillips
BIG BUFF GREEK DATE. The success of the film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" has spawned a variety of "Big Fat" themed events. Valentine's Day is no exception. The film was released on DVD and video this week and in anticipation of huge sales, special events showcasing Greekness have emerged. With reality TV shows such as "Joe Millionaire" and "The Bachelorette" achieving such great popularity, San Francisco's KRON TV 4 and Blockbuster have entered the ring, brief as it may be. By the time you read this "Mike the Hunky Greek" will already have made his appearance on KRON's morning show but the real fun begins today. All right, you single ladies out there, are you sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself because you don't have a date for Valentine's Day? No biggie. All you have to do is enter the "Meet Mike, the Big Buff Greek Bachelor" contest and even if you don't land the man, you may at least win a video, a single's online dating service membership or a Greek wedding cookie. Here's the scoop: Bay Area native and 40-something Greek bachelor "Mike" has a few family members and friends that would like to find him a bride. Single women can bring their profile (100 words or less) and a photo to "Meet Mike" at one of the following Blockbuster locations: Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 16th and Potrero in San Francisco; Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at El Monte and El Camino in Mountain View; or on Wednesday, Feb. 19 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at 3868 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland. Can't make it to the location? No problem. Just mail in your profile and photo to "The Greek Bachelor", P.O. Box 443, Novato, CA 94948 or go to EligibleGreeks.com to enter. Deadline for submissions is midnight Monday, Feb. 24. Then the Big Fat Greek fun begins. A five-member panel of Mike's family and friends will reduce the field of bachelorettes down to just five. These lucky ladies will then appear with Mike on KRON's morning show (7:00 to 9:00 a.m.) on Friday, Feb. 28. Drum roll please. Mike will then select the grand prizewinner who will join him for a limousine ride to Kokkari Estiatorio in downtown San Francisco for a dinner date. Kokkari is a first-rate Greek restaurant - are you surprised? If you remember the scene in the "Big Fat" movie, Toula met her husband-to-be at her family's Greek restaurant. I see a pattern here. Greek single women shouldn't be afraid to apply either. Even though the gal in the movie was breaking out of her cultural norm, this Greek boy will consider all. As for the four runner-ups, they won't be left licking their wounds. The ladies will receive a 26-week free rental card from Blockbuster and a one-month introductory subscription to EligibleGreeks.com, a leader in the online Greek dating community. At this rate, you can expect a "Big Fat Greek Wedding" to come to your own neighborhood real soon. For more information, visit www.kron.com.