A friend of mine has a George Foreman grill. An entry level version is €59.90 at Harvey Norman, but you can go all the way up to the latest Portion Evolve Grill System, at €199.99, which "has multiple modern features including a unique high-heat Sear function". Younger readers might not realise that George Foreman was once better known as a two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medallist.
George doesn't make the grills any more. He sold the naming rights for a reported $138 million (€125m) in 1999, which is a shame (for me, though obviously not for him) as I like to think of him in his kitchen, somewhere in his home state of Texas, dreaming up new ways to grill meat in a reduced-fat fashion.
There is a link between George and healthy eating, though the one between Kylie Minogue and bed linen is a little more tenuous – yes, I know, I presume she sleeps in a bed. Anyway, you can "Transform your bedroom to star status with beautiful bed linen [… the] stunning designs embrace all the glamour and star quality associated with the showgirl herself." The range starts at around €24.99 for an Alexa pillowcase (gold satin, gold sequins) at littlewoodsireland.ie
So what about Kanye West and IKEA? In March the mega-millionaire rapper and husband of Kim Kardashian tweeted "Super inspired by my visit to Ikea today, really amazing company . . . my mind is racing with the possibilities . . . " But did anyone really think he was about to get down to the drawing board and sketch out some affordable flatware?
Nope, he was presumably flagging the Giltig range (from €1.30 for a set of six coasters ikea.com/ie) designed by his long-time fashion collaborator Katie Eary.
There's obviously a difference between celebrity endorsement, and those ranges that imply in their marketing that your favourite singer, actor, whatever, has actually sat down and dreamed them up. Maybe they actually do? I rather like the idea of eating my morning toast from a Lionel Ritchie "Versailles" bread and butter plate, $38 (€34) at lionelrichiehome.com. Hello?
