Tuesday, March 4, 2008

John Corbett the new voice of Applebees?

So I'm watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles last night (it was just ok), and an Applebees commercial comes on.

I was a little surprised.

Had the folks at McCann Erickson finally come to their senses?
Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Wanda Sykes fan, but her voice doesn't necessarily scream "appetizing" to me.

John Corbett on the other hand...



He's so dreamy...

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51 comments:

  1. I knew it was him!! I love sex and the City- and when I heard that I immediatly thought it Aiden the new voice of applebees!! Haha I can sleep now knowing that I was right!!

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  2. I just saw this commercial, first thing I thought was: "John Corbett?" Right after it was over, I decided to google it. Your blog was at the top of the list, so you aren't alone, sounds like him to me also.

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  3. Excellent!
    I'm a pretty big fan of his work, starting in with Northern Exposure, so when I saw Applebees, but didn't hear Wanda, my ears sorta perked up.
    I think he's a perfect voice for a campaign like this.

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  4. It was driving me crazy because I know I had knew this voice! I'm a huge Sex and the City fan but I couldn't put the two together.

    thanks so much!

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  5. Yeah no problem. I get the same way, and it drives me batty.
    "Where did I hear that voice?!?!"

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  6. I agree with the new voice of Applebees. The first time I saw the commercial, I knew it was John. Chris in the morning, Chris in the afternoon, Chris at night...great with me. I might even start eating there now.

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  7. Totally Debbie!
    Gawd Northern Exposure was great.

    I think it's kinda funny. I always think, that working in "the biz" that I'm fairly savvy and buffered from the effects of advertising.

    But swap a voice on a commercial, and all of a sudden Applebees becomes MUCH more appealing to me...

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  8. I've been catchin' up with Northern Exposure on DVD. What a great show. Chris Stevens is a great character. Well worth revisiting, despite the disappointed demise. The Applebees commercials are great with his voice.

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  9. We've got the first season in our netflix cue, but really what isn't in our cue these days?

    I wonder if it's made it to Watch it Now...

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  10. I'm just really relieved to find that I am not the only freak that does this kind of thing!!!! thanks so much!

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  11. I knew it was him the first time I heard it! I had to go on the internet to just make sure it was him.
    Makes me want to have lunch at Applebees tomorrow! ;-)

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  12. Not a bad call...
    I might have to join ya Jenny!

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  13. Is it crazy to think that John Corbett looks and sounds so much like the Canadian Chef At Home guy?

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  14. I had an honest to God, true life, actual "fling" in the fall of 2004 with John Corbett while he was in Alb. NM filming a (terrible) movie with Kim Bassinger called "Elvis Has Left the Building". I was working at a restaurant at the time called "Ned's" of which he frequented for many nights until I agreed to get a drink with him (this was before I moved to NY state for graduate school). He was staying downtown at the Marriot, and I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed many fun and crazy nights in his room for the 4 weeks he was there. He is a very charismatic and gorgeous man in person, but he's honestly a bit of a NUT. He told me some hilarious stories about Kate Hudson though from when they filmed "Raising Helen", and according to him, she's no saint. I'm sorry to say that at the time, he also had a major love for coke, and not the kind you drink. I didn't know when we were, uh, "hooking up", that he was dating Bo Derek either, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to go "there". It was a very flattering time though, and when he left town we left on good terms and had a blast while we spent time together. I will always look back fondly on those few weeks, and will never be able to watch "Sex and the City" or "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" without thinking......WOW!

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  15. Really?
    Uh ... wow ... huh...

    I'm sure that was ... uh, wow ...
    Oh sure "elvis has left the building" was...shoot ...

    I think, uh he would, yeeeaaaahhh...

    Applebees?

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  16. maybe, but come on, it has to suck less with Corbett. Yeah? Just a little? Hmmmm?

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  17. See. I wasn't the only one that was going nuts. My husband is a manager at Applebee's and I kept asking him who the voice was cause it was so familiar. He didn't know. Looking it up online and seeing who it was, made me feel not as much like an idiot when realizing I wasn't the only one.

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  18. What?!?!?
    Your husband didn't know?
    REALLY?!?!

    I'm very disappointed in your husband amandeeuh. Please let your husband know I'm very disappointed in him.

    Thanks for the comment!

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  19. This is too funny...I just saw this commercial, and I HAD to Google it to make sure it was dreamy John Corbett. I have to say, I don't feel so silly now that I know a lot of people do as I do when in doubt about something. What did we do before the internet??

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  20. YOU think he's dreamy???
    I think he's dreamy too!!!

    LOL

    Oh, and I'm pretty sure there was nothing before teh intarwebs.

    I think I read that in a book somewhere...

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  21. "Blogger Andrea said...

    Is it crazy to think that John Corbett looks and sounds so much like the Canadian Chef At Home guy?"

    I thought it was Chef Michael Smith as well, they sound very similar, with the same tone and style of speaking.

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  22. John's coming to town for a concert! I can't wait to ogle him in person. He's gorgeous!

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  23. LOL! Nice!
    I wonder if he'll be my MySpace friend...

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  24. Oh thank you for this post. That commercial has been driving me nuts because I KNEW that voice! You have made a small frustration of my life disappear! =)

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  25. My first boyfriend was from West Virginia. I've always been a sucker for that accent.

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  26. It's funny how this guy's voice just screams "cool".
    I'm surprised I don't hear him on animation...

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  27. The first couple of times I heard the commerical, I thought it might be him! It nearly drove me crazy until I found this website and found out it was true. He does have a very distinctive & sexy voice. John keep on talking and I'll keep listening to commercials.

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  28. Agreed Anon!
    I hope to hear more of him on commercial work!

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  29. Love him, loved him since Chris in the Morning on Northern Exposure, was delighted to see him on Sex and the City (though I did tend to yell at the screen, "John, you are WAAAAY too good for that horse-faced little tart!" :)
    Funny, before I verified that was him on the voiceover, I DID take my son to Applebees a few weeks ago, after not having eaten there for over a year.
    Dear Applebees: John is working it for you...give him a raise!

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  30. Hey Annelle,
    HE'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN WANDA WAS!
    I really hope they stick with him for a while and use his insta-cred to develop an image.
    Knowing advertisers, they'll probably get bored and want to go after some other market.

    What brand loyalty?

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  31. i email applebees to confirm if that was really john corbett and to my surprise it is. im so glad cause i love him,especially as Aidan.

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  32. What!?!?
    My word wasn't good enough for you?!?!?

    LOL!
    Thanks for the comment Anon!

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  33. audio guy do you know if john also does the voice over for the new kfc commercial the one about kfc $10 challenge? please let me know , its driving me crazy!! thanks. here is the link and then click on "watch commercial"

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  34. Hey Anon,
    I just listened to the voice, and I'm pretty sure it's not.
    Also, food companies get kinda tweeky about actors being on commercials for similar products, food especially so.

    Even though Applebees and KFC aren't the same kind of restaurant, they are both food places, and would probably view each other as conflicts.

    The way union contracts work, an actor knowingly working on commercials for competing products can be held liable for the production costs of those commercials. Some actors will risk a conflict, but John Corbett is high enough profile, that I doubt he would get away with it, or even risk it in the first place.

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  35. Me too! I kept thinking, "Where did I hear that voice??" I thought it was Marcia's hubby Wally from the Brady Bunch, but then thought, "No. It's not his accent...Who is it?" Googling voice over and Applebees found out!
    Great choice.

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  36. LOL!
    Exactly Debbie.
    It was a perfect choice for Applebees, and I'm really glad they've kept him.

    Especially after that whole Wanda Sykes talking Apple thing...

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  37. if you like john corbett's voice in the applebees commercial, you'd love his low-budget country CD.

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  38. Isn't he the voice of Kraftmaid cabinets too? I swear its his SEXY voice!

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  39. holy cow...I thought that voice in the commercial belonged to Chef Michael Smith and then to find out it is John Corbett. They are both awesome. Whip up a little recipe from Chef Smith and then chow it down while watching Sex in the City...great combo....

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  40. Totally Sparkette!
    I didn't even know who Chef Smith was before I posted this article (I've since become a pretty big fan), but yeah he and Corbett could be brothers.

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  41. WV's own. Yummy...

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  42. I had to Google it too! Thanks for posting this!

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  43. Yes, John has a great voice for voice-over & narration, indeed! I did a long US tour last summer and burned out on Applebees menu and the fact that it's the kind of food that appears okay, taste okay while it's still hot, but in the bigger picture, it's just a giant national chain that is more Denny's than gourmet level.(Yes, I'm a snob foodie kinda guy).
    Back to John Corbett: While I did not spend "many romantic nights in his hotel room" as one person(a woman?) wrote, I did work with John for the first two years of Northern Exposure. I worked as a grip & lighting tech, sitting at the same table for hundreds of catered meals.
    Nice guy, other than the fact that he s.c.r.e.w.e.d. my girlfriend, who was also in the cast of the show(a native American extra).
    I agree that Corbett's voice-over is much more appropriate than Wand Sykes'

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  44. That minute I heard the ad the proverbial light bulb went on above my head: John Corbett !!

    Great fit !!

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  45. I would recognize that voice anywhere! "Chris In The Morning" on Northern Exposure! One of the best shows I've ever seen.

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  46. I just KNEW that that voice had to be his, but felt I should GOOGLE to verify.

    TO 'Anonymous' of message logged 3/6/08: "EXACTLY!"

    -Kat

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  47. that so does not sound like him. he is fine though.

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  48. Mad men take note: it is amazing how the right voice can really "make" a commercial. And now if we could bring back programs like "Northern Exposure", I would watch other channels besides PBS ( they have the right idea)

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