At Lafayette College, we used to have a joke about the idea "I Know Famous People." Anyone who did a lot of name-dropping was guilty of this kind of "crime" and should be forever damned by having to wear a "hole-y" tee shirt with that phrase: "I Know Famous People" emblazoned across the front.
I don't know a lot of famous people -- I must admit. Many of my students have easily eclipsed my fame in just about everything I do/did. And that was all expected. I am an observer/teacher/learner by trade and take great delight in that process. Fame is a kind of useless concept anyway. What does "fame" mean? When that movie/television show came out, many people compared it to the Interlochen experience --- talented people who are carefully auditioned, trained well, connected with the right kind of mentoring, and then who succeed marvelously, Just like on "Fame." Interlochen did create fame for many -- but more importantly, gave them a chance to share their talents. It's all about talent; not about fame.
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