52nd City

Jenna Fischer & "Celebrities"

I don't know Jenna Fischer, a St. Louis native, popular character actress and screenwriter, wife to novelist and screenwriter James Gunn, and graduate of Nerinx Hall High School. But I'm only a generation removed, as every sixth person I know does have some connection to her. So...

I may as well root for Fischer when she appears on "Celebrity Poker Showdown," this coming Wednesday night. The curiously popular gameshow will feature Fischer against four other competitors: Rocco DiSpirito, Mario Cantone, Keegan-Michael Ray and Jordan Peele. Though I'm unsure who three of those human beings are, I'm sure they're on the highest levels of notoriety and are just somehow unknown to me. (As for Rocco DiSpirito, I confess to a one-time, guilty addiction to the quickly-axed reality show "The Restaurant.")

You can get details on the "Showdown" at bravotv.com, though my machine was repeatedly locked-up when visiting the site, so use your own best judgement on that site surf.