This is how completely bonkers I think our society has become, as it relates to popular culture in this country. This country being, the U.S. — land of Anna Nicole Smith and Starbuck’s.

Because I am in deep, deep love with chef Mario Batali, I have become obsessed with trying to get reservations to his swanky new restaurant in Manhattan,
Del Posto. The place is stunning and the food ethereal.

Del Posto has taken on this infuriating practice of forcing patrons to book 30 days in advance, so not only do you have to be cognizant of the calendar, you need to determine on what night of the week the 30th day will land.

I was looking for a particular Saturday night. When I called for a reservation, a young lady with a faint British accent (also infuriating) gave me the regulation haute New York restaurant hooey, “5pm or 10pm”.

However, she whispered, that Sunday was wide open.

Fabulous! I’ll take it! I said in my faint Northern New Jersey accent.

I hung up and thought: Bada Bing! We’re In! What a Score!

But then, I started to ask myself, why, after all these months of trying was that Sunday wide open?

Is Sunday night just not cool enough for Manhattanites? Is it Easter Sunday?

Then it hit me…it’s the friggin’ premiere of The Sopranos! Can you imagine?

Everyone will be home that night making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner — watching James Gandolfini eat spaghetti and meatballs.

We’ll be sitting alone at Del Posto.

Oh well, these things happen, T.

Image: HBO.com

Post from: Blisstree

Dinner or The Sopranos?

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be able to have a casual conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker in a downtown NYC diner.

On the other hand, on the rare occasion that I do spot someone, something happens to my brain, and I become a different person. (why is that?) Once I saw Matthew Broderick in a restaurant and I nearly trampled another diner, just to get a closer look. (more importantly, for him to see me.)

New York is teeming with celebrities. You always hear gossip about some starlet who just bought a fabulous loft in Tribeca for millions of dollars…when the average person wouldn’t be able to locate (never mind purchase) a mailbox sized place. Where are all of these apartments?

There is actually etiquette in dealing with the celebrity sighting…if you do see one, you ignore that person — then as soon as he/she passes, you call all of your friends to let them know, and of course you embellish the story as in:

“I just saw James Gandolfini in a bar and boy was he hammered! — I’m telling you, I had to escort him to the restroom, that’s how blottoed he was! AND he said hi to me.”

New York Magazine has put together a Star Map of the city by neighborhood…which should be helpful the next time you are out on your lunch break and pretend to see one of them. Here are a couple neighborhoods in which a siting is probable, not that you really care:

• Upper East Side: Woody Allen, Liza Minelli, Rudy Guliani
• Upper West Side/Central Park: Tina Fey, Penny Marshall, Bono, Ricky Martin
• Midtown: Rosie O’Donnell, Kim Cattrall, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Anderson Cooper
• West Village/Soho: Chloe Sevingny, Liv Tyler, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Racheal Ray
• East Village/Tribeca: James Gandolfini, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Bowie

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!

Image: Peter Rad/New York Magazine

Post from: Blisstree

The NYC Celebrity Sighting Game.