Are You “Philly Famous?”

It’s the age of celebrity … so what’s a city to do when it doesn’t have any actual celebrities? Invent our own!

IN AMERICA TODAY, it’s pretty easy to tell if you’re famous. Your picture gets splashed across the tabloids. When your name is published, it’s printed in bold letters. And if you’re Doing Something Good (preferably in Africa), you sit down with Larry King to tell him why it’s so fulfilling.

We can’t help noticing there aren’t many Philadelphians among that Celebrity Class (though we were rooting for you, Justin Guarini!). Fortunately, that hasn’t stopped the Philly media — your favorite slick city mag included! — from latching onto local people and treating them … just like real celebrities. No, they’re not really famous, they’re something better: “Philly Famous” — which is just like being an actual well-known person, only without all that annoying money and glamour.