My Yankee husband has always wondered why he doesn’t fit in better at Southern get-togethers. You know, the Sip ‘n See, the Kentucky Derby party, etc. I figured that since he can’t play bocce ball, wasn’t in a fraternity, and doesn’t have a camelhair sportcoat, the deck is pretty much stacked against him. But the other day, he hit on something that might make a difference. Through work, he has a friend who is a well-known former Auburn football player. “I bet if I brought him, I’d be the most popular guy there.” Well, maybe the 2nd most popular.

Through an interesting set of circumstances this fall, we ended up with the Heisman Trophy at our house for a night. I’m talking the real deal here, not a replica. We figured this was a once-in-a-lifetime event and we may as well have a get-together and show the thing off. So, we made up an invitation about a mysterious celebrity, so famous he required a police escort (this was true!), and invited a few select people to come over. It was a hit.

This gave us an idea. Why not have a yearly “Famous Person” party. The person would be a mystery until the guests arrived. Of course, we couldn’t think of any more famous people (or statues) that we knew, so the idea kind of fizzled.

However, I’ve recently become “friends” with a couple of famous people, through FaceBook. Now, if you’re not a cycling fan, you may be somewhat underwhelmed. It all started with one of my teammates, who’s rather well-connected to the US Pro cycling scene. She is friends with Phil Liggett, the Tour de France commentator on Versus. He’s known to describe Lance Armstrong as “dancing on the pedals” or Jan Ullrich as “a steam locomotive.” I sent Phil a friend request, and whaddya know, he accepted. Then, I noticed that Phil is friends with Mario Cipollini. Mario, ah, Mario. He’s an Italian professional cyclist, known for his sprinting abilities, his 12 Tour de France stage wins among his 191 victories, and his, hmm how shall I say it, wild ways. Since I had such good luck with Phil, I sent a friend request to Mario. Voila, we’re friends.

Now of course, I realize we’re not REALLY friends. But I think there’s still something interesting about this phenomenon. We all know the Internet is making it ever-easier for people like you and me to influence media. And with sites like FaceBook, we can come into contact with people we’ve always wanted to meet or to know. Even the famous ones. The barriers are ever-lowering. Facebook isn’t the only place this is happening, either. If you follow someone you respect on Twitter, chances are you can strike up a dialog with them if you really want to. The inaccessible have become more accessible through these technologies.

I may never meet Phil or Mario, but somehow I feel a connection to them. They’re strengthening their importance with their fans by accepting friend requests. Maybe I’ll see if they want to drop by for a little party the next time they’re in town.