Friday, December 15, 2006

In the presence of a celebrity

My girlfriend invited me to a "Survivor" viewing last night. This wasn't just any viewing, this was a real fan club viewing with THE survivor (at least, that'd be cool is he is the winner). If you know the about cast, you can probably guess which one. We'll just refer to him here as K.

The bar was showing an NFL game which probably made up most of the patrons towards the front half of the bar. It grew very contentious as 8pm drew near because several of the tvs were changed to CBS and the volume overwhelmed the football game at times. The two crowds were quite different. Having only one bartender serving drink didn't help the situation.

The back area was all about K. Any available see was taken. My connection is that my girlfriend's boyfriend, BeerMan, is a high school friend of K's. And not just an acquaintance mind you, they were reminiscing about prom before we arrived. I did recognize a few other people who came but they're connections to K seemed almost as weak as mine.

K was constantly busy hugging friends and being introduced to others. If you just walked into the bar, you'd never suspect anything. You'd just see this guy holding a glass of water dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. What you see on tv is what you see in person.

It didn't feel it appropriate to take a picture though I would have loved it. I don't want to seem like another crazed fan. BeerMan took us over to meet K. My girlfriend had met him once before at a party, so K said "yes, I remember you," and they hugged. I got introduced and shook hands with K. It was firm handshake, dry but a little cool from holding his drink. I should have thought of something more to say or a question to ask to keep the conversation going. Before I knew it, another friend drew his attention away to introduce K to her friend.

K was, as his friend put it, "the classic politician." He worked the room throughout the evening, moving between the different sections of the bar to chat with friends. The best part was being able to watch the reactions on his face as part of the episode highlight the survivors' comments. There were a lot of "oooos" when Parvati and the guys were naked in the jacuzzi.

On one of the tables there was a folder full of photos. Inside were dozens of glossy 8x11 photos of K during various times of the show. I'm not sure where they were from, but my guess is that CBS provided them to K as a souvenir of the time on the island. They were very good shots. So if you're K, do you frame them and put them on display? Do you make a mural to remember the experience? Do you organize them into a special photo album that goes on the shelf? The whole idea of being a celebrity seems so surreal at times.

I had dressed up a little nicer for the bar, but I was realistic about getting any chance to talk to K. My thought was maybe with all the girls focused on K, I might meet some nice single men. Well... okay, I should have tried harder to mingle and not stand with my attached girlfriend all night.

What was funny was seeing how dressed up other women were. Maybe some of them are just very fashion conscious. Considering we were in a dive bar in the suburbs, however, I'm sure many were trying to impress K. Several 20-something women wore stylish knit caps and boots. One woman came dressed in a cream, sleeveless dress with f* boots. Come on, you couldn't possibly have worn that to work.

The other thing that was surprising was seeing several infants. I know it's fun to be out, but why bring a small child, who should be sleeping, to a noisy bar?

It was great to watch with such an enthusiastic crowd. It was fun. Why is it so much fun to be "in" on a celebrity event? Part of me hates getting sucked into the whole pop culture thing, but it makes watching the show that much more interesting because it brings the experience closer to home.

And the best part?t I've added to the invite for the finale viewing. This is really awesome because the group will get to watch on a special live feed along with the East Coast. Cameras will be there to show us cheering K on at the end of the show. So if you watch, you may seem me among the hundred some people rooting for K to win the million!

1 comment:

Clinton said...

I'm thrilled that K won the top prize. His physical and strategic dominance in the game, the mostly honourable way that he played, his willingness to help out the dead weight, err, Becky... and his whole spiel about better representation of asians in the mainstream media... well, I don't think I could have asked for more.

Seriously, one of the best players of the game. Put him up there with Dick Hatch :)