There's something about this story of a seat-saving brou-ha-ha* involving Ted Koppel and some saved seats at a DC-area showing of The Quiet American which bears noting. The first is the way it highlights the presumption that Fame Hath its Privileges. The second is the interesting fact that the management of the theater in question couldn't have found a better way to handle this (some free passes to entice the woman to give up her seat).

The third is the subtle double-sidedness in Grove's retelling. His opening sentence seems to raise an eyebrow at the Hollywood-like granting of special privileges to Koppel and family because of their star status. But don't think he's taking sides -- the woman who wouldn't give up her seat was "prosperous-looking" and Grove refers to her later as a "poacher." A witness tells Grove that Koppel was "very gracious" and gets off a quip about seeing the Ugly American at a showing of The Quiet American. Ultimately, the whole thing reads as a smarmy dig at a nameless person who made the social mistake of not respecting the superiority of celebrity.

One has to ask: Why attack her? Perhaps she was an ungracious and pushing woman, who acted more brashly than I would have. But it sounds like she called the theater manager's bluff -- reserved seats my ass! -- and won. Tough luck for TK and all that, but isn't the story here a comical one about how a bumbling theater tried -- and, interestingly, failed! -- to toady to a TV personality by offering him a privilege it would never, in a million years, have extended to an ordinary person?

(Looking back over the above, it appears that I'm making much ado about nothing, in a not very entertaining manner. Well, they can't ALL be quality posts...)

*First and last use of "brou-ha-ha" in this space