Marilyn Hagerty ‘surreal’ journey in national spotlight adds 4 TV appearances

• Hagerty coverage image

The image shows a sampling of the coverage about Marilyn Hagerty and her Wednesday Eatbeat review of the Grand Forks Olive Garden, which also is part of the image.

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• Read what others around the nation are saying online about Marilyn and her Olive Garden review
• VIDEO: Hagerty interview on Thursday's WDAZ News at 10
• THE EATBEAT COLUMN THAT WENT VIRAL: Long-awaited Olive Garden receives warm welcome
• EARLIER: Marilyn Hagerty takes America by viral storm (VIDEO)
• MARILYN HAGERTY: When life deals you middle seat, grin and bear it
• Read other Eatbeat columns by Marilyn Hagerty
• SATURDAY: 'I've been a lot of other things, but never viral': Marilyn's interview about Olive Garden review on 'CBS This Morning: Saturday' (VIDEO)
• AREAVOICES: Staying Inforumed's Rob Beer on Marilyn Hagerty's Internet traffic numbers (as of Friday afternoon)
• NEW FROM STAR TRIBUNE: Marilyn Hagerty 'takes viral fame (and snark) in stride'
• FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS: 'All of a sudden, all hell breaks loose': Hagerty on life as sudden Internet sensation

As Internet buzz over Marilyn Hagerty’s review of the Grand Forks Olive Garden continued to build Friday, the longtime Herald columnist said her newfound national fame was still “pretty surreal.”

“The phone has been ringing constantly and the emails have been rolling in one after another,” she said. “It’s pretty wild.”

One of those calls was from producers of the popular CNN show “Piers Morgan Tonight,” who wanted the 85-year-old columnist to agree to an on-air interview about the national hysteria that started Wednesday with her restaurant review.

She is scheduled to be on the Monday show, which starts at 8 p.m.

She is also scheduled to be featured on “The Early Show” airing at 7:30 Saturday morning on CBS.

Hagerty has taken a call from ABC’s “Good Morning America” and has an interview with NBC’s “Today” show on Monday, which will be aired at a later date.

She said she has handled the interviews the way she wants her sources to handle her own questions as she works on her columns. “I just have tried to be cooperative and answer the questions of anyone who asks me questions because I know I like people to be cooperative when I ask questions.”

Hagerty writes five columns a week for the Herald, including “Dear Shirley” and “The Eatbeat.” The Herald will soon send Hagerty to New York City for a special assignment. Look for more details to be announced in the coming days.

Internet sensation

Soon after her review of Olive Garden was posted on GrandForksHerald.com early Wednesday morning, it began shattering records.

All five most-viewed stories this afternoon were the Olive Garden column, stories about that column going viral and other Hagerty columns. Two of the most emailed stories were also by and about Hagerty.

By 6 p.m. today, the Olive Garden column had tallied about 424,000 views, the most ever for any story on GrandForksHerald.com. It had been emailed through the Herald website 454 times.

The sixth most-viewed story ever was Ryan Bakken’s article about the Olive Garden column reaction, with 83,000 views. It was emailed 76 times.

The column took the Internet by storm after popular websites such as Fark, Gawker and Boingboing posted links and thousands of Twitter and Facebook users followed suit Thursday and today. Many were charmed by Hagerty’s matter-of-fact review of a chain restaurant and her earnest tone.

Mainstream media outlets took notice and wrote their own stories about Hagerty, including the Star Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and The Associated Press.

Since Thursday, the Herald has responded to several requests for Hagerty’s photo from People magazine, the Huffington Post, ABC News and several national publications and websites.

Hagerty also has appeared on multiple radio stations to discuss her Internet fame.

Still the same

She said the first response she heard about her column was an email with the word “pathetic.” Her story probably went viral, she said, because “somebody just ran across it and thought it was kind of dumb.”

But Hagerty said virtually everyone else who has emailed or called since that initial criticism has supported her column and the writing style that she has employed at the Herald since the early 1960s.

“I think the fact that people were criticizing me and saying mean things makes people want to reassure me and say nice things,” she said.

Hagerty said she still does not understand the fuss.

“I just feel mostly amused and interested and amazed that people have so much time to worry about such things,” she said. “I’ve got more to worry about than that.”

Hagerty said the Internet buzz surrounding her Olive Garden review, as well as her past reviews of Taco Bell, Italian Moon and other Grand Forks restaurants, will likely “blow over in a few days.”

No matter how long it lasts, she said her time in the spotlight will not change her approach to the job or the matter-of-fact approach she takes to review local eateries.

“I just don’t care,” she said about the attention. “It makes no difference to me. It’s interesting; that’s what I think it is, very interesting.”

But she said the hoopla over her critique of the Olive Garden’s salads and chicken alfredo could have one noticeable impact: It will generate plenty of ideas for future columns. “It will do that for sure.”

Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send email to rjohnson@gfherald.com.

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