Supplemental Post 1 - Josh Nallathambi

This past week I was able to go to Park City and attend the Sundance Film Festival. This being my first time, I was excited to go and see the new independent films and also maybe catch a celebrity sighting or two. Luckily, I was able to run into a couple of celebrities that I knew, but it also gave me a perspective on what a star was to different people.

On my second night, I shared an elevator with Joel McHale, who was staying at the same hotel as me. He had an employee from the hotel with him, helping him get to his car for his screening. As I am familiar with his work, I was lowkey dying on the inside. This being as close as I had been to anyone on TV, I had no idea how to react. Do I try to say something, or do I just play it cool and act like I normally would in any other elevator? Luckily, he turned around and asked the rest of the common elevator folk if we were going to see any other films that night. As I froze trying to remember why I skipped class for a week to come here, my mom (who I had totally forgot was there) told him the name of the film we had saw earlier today. Hearing that got me to snap out of my funk and also add the name of the film we were on our way too. He smiled and remarked that both of those films were supposed to be good, then exited the elevator and probably out of my life forever. 

I waited until my mom and I were alone, then quickly said, “that was Joel McHale, he’s on TV.” She looked at me with dead eyes and it hit me. My mom had no idea who he was. What was a celebrity to me could’ve literally been another random dude to my mom, who only watches televangelists and Downton Abbey. The definition of a celebrity or a star was different to her and me. Being a film student and being exposed to most films and TV shows, my familiarity with McHale made him a star to me. My mom had no way to contextualize his fame, so even though he was on TV, he wasn’t a star to her.

Also another sidenote I saw Lil Romeo later at a bar and immediately texted five of my friends “EH OH WATCH IT GO ITS TIME FOR THE ROMEO SHOW I JUST SAW LIL ROMEO”. I got multiple texts of “??? The kid from Like Mike?”. I think I watch too much TV.