Celebrity week

New York is famous for the celebrities you might bump into while walking down the street or sitting in a bar or restaurant. I had already heard a few stories from people who had spotted a movie star, singer, model or politician, and I wondered whether the same thing would to happen to me. Well this week it finally happened. Ironically, in the same week that my sister came to visit me. It was her first time in New York and probably a visit that we will both never forget.

It started Friday last week, when I attended a seminar at the UN on the International Criminal Court Review Conference which takes place in Kampala, Uganda, this month. This conference is very crucial for the future of the ICC and I expected some interesting discussions during the seminar. I was unaware, however, that the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, would do the opening speech. His speech of course was very general in terms and quite predictable, as he recalled all UN member states to ratify the statute of the ICC and to support the work of the Court. I was nevertheless happy to witness the "UN boss" speak.

Another speaker at the UN this week was the controversial President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He gave a speech before the General Assembly at the conference on nuclear non-proliferation. He of course criticized the US and other Western powers for failing to fulfill their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This lead to a walk out during his speech by several delegations, including the Netherlands. He also spoke at a news conference at the Millennium Hotel, across the street from our office. During this speech he warned that Security Council resolutions against Iran would further jeopardize any prospects of normal ties between the US and Iran. I did not see President Ahmadinejad in person, but I certainly noticed his presence at the UN. There were tons of police and security agents standing in front of our building, armed with machine guns and wearing bullet proof vests. I almost felt like being on a movie set.

On Tuesday, my sister and I attended the launch of a short documentary called the "Lazarus Effect". The film captures a series of true-life stories of HIV-positive Africans who are still alive through the effects of antiretrovirals. The film is part of the Red Campaign which raises awareness of the issue and includes many stars, like Bono, Penelope Cruz and many others. The screening of the movie took place in the Museum of Modern Art and Tom had arranged tickets for us through his work. It started with a cocktail reception and soon the first celebrities arrived on the red carpet. My sister, like a real paparazzi, managed to worm her way through the crowd and took really good pictures of Bono, Iman (wife of David Bowie), Gabourey Sidibe (actress Precious) and some other semi-stars. Before the film, we noticed the presence of stand-up comedian Chris Rock who had avoided the red carpet. After the film, my sister and I waited at the exit to see if we could spot him. He finally showed up with his wife and Carla, Ms. Cheekiness herself, approached him, gave him a hand, told him who we were and asked if she could be on a picture with him. He seemed quite surprised by my sister's self-confidence and before he knew it I took a picture of them. Carla and I couldn't stop laughing while leaving the building. However, the fun was not over yet.

On Thursday, I met with Dominik, a German friend of mine. We both studied in Sydney four years ago and became good friends. He was in New York this week with a couple of his friends and we decided to meet in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We had dinner first and went to a bar afterwards called the Brooklyn Bowl. This bar has become one of my favorite bars here and the drummer of the band the Roots, Questlove, was the DJ of the night. We stood there for a while drinking and talking when one of Dominik's friends approached me and told me that Janet Jackson was sitting five meters behind us. I did not believe him at first and turned around to have a better look. It was her, with very short hair, talking to some friends and just having a good time. We tried to get a picture with her, but her bodyguards were not too keen. Unfortunately, my sister decided to stay home that evening. Her cheekiness would have definitely gotten us another picture. Nevertheless, it was a moment to never forget...