Hey, it's that one guy!

So, I'm out here in New York interning at a magazine right now. I've been going to a lot of intern functions in the city, meeting people who have a lot of the same journalistic aspirations as me. And the other night, my former features editor back when I worked on Weekend invited me to a party with a bunch of his coworkers. We're all taking, having a few beers and making small talk about what colleges we are from, etc., when the weirdest thing happened.\nHe asks everybody, "Have you ever seen that movie 'Timecop?'"\nI'm the only one who acknowledges the film's existence.\n"Well, her dad was the villain in 'Timecop,'" he says pointing to a girl with dark hair.\n"You mean Ron Silver?!!" I say, cracking up.\nEveryone seems surprised that I know the guy's name, but Ron Silver just seems to be in everything. He was Bruno Gianelli, the campaign manager in "The West Wing." His best performance, though, had to be as himself in the never-aired pilot "Heat-Vision and Jack." In the show, Jack Black starred as a renegade astronaut who becomes the smartest man in the world. By his side is his talking motorcycle (voiced by Owen Wilson) as he runs from vigilante Ron Silver. To reiterate: Ron's playing himself.\n"Acting is just one of my many passions," he says to fans asking for autographs on the pilot. "But right now I need to find Jack Austin!"\nAfter laughing about how I remembered such an obscure actor, I started to think, "I wonder what it would be like to be an obscure movie star?" \nIt would definitely have its pros and cons. \nOn the upside, you can walk around and the paparazzi won't harass you. I can't remember the last time anyone went through Clint Howard's garbage can (Johnson, "Austin Powers" trilogy), waited outside Ernie Hudson's house (Winston Zeddemore, "Ghostbusters," "Ghostbusters II") or pulled a lock out of Alan Ruck's hair (Cameron Frye, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"). You can enjoy the benefits of being semi-famous such as hanging out with stars and being a part of great movies, without all of the hassle of being a superstar. I'm sure you get paid decently too. I bet Ron Silver has a nice car.\nI'd also assume that most semi-stars also have a few very loyal fans. Most of these fans probably are more into their work for the sheer irony of it, but a few really "get" their art. The spring's Weekend staff was really into Miko Hughes, the brat from "Kindergarten Cop" who says, "Boys have a penis. Girls have a vagina." How weirded out do you think he'd be to discover that the staff had printed pictures from his Web site and posted them on the wall for inspiration?\nThere are definitely some downsides to being a rather unknown star though. It would suck to have to remind everybody who you are. You are trying to get reservations at a fancy L.A. eatery and you tell them: "Hey, I deserve better than this! I was the fat chauffeur from 'Blank Check.'"\nAlso, I bet a lot of people just think you are lying when you tell them what you've been in. Who would brag about playing the police chief in "Big Mama's House?" But then I got to thinking, which would be worse: being a obscure star with steady work but never make it big or to be a huge star then lose it all?\nThink about it. Would you rather be Ron Silver or Corey Feldman ("The Badnews Bears," "The Goonies")?\nI think Silver is the way to go. If you've never tasted the top, you don't know what you're missing. Plus, sometimes obscurity can be your golden ticket in Hollywood. Big stars get typecast and then can't get work anymore. I bet you Bob Odenkirk, lesser-known "Mr. Show" star, does better financially than say Mark "Skywalker" Hamill, who's probably universally known.\nI never feel sorry for stars that fall from grace. Usually it's a Caesarian tragic flaw -- too much ambition -- which drives them to taking an insurance job or doing community theater. The only one I could at all feel regret for is Mr. T. That man is a saint and deserves to earn the big bucks. Other than him, I'm rather be an obscure star than a washed-up one.\nAll in all, I suppose we shouldn't have to segregate celebrities into different groups, different levels of fame. I suppose we are so obsessed with fame in America that we rank it and yet still get excited by minor stars -- like Ron Silver. In a perfect world, there would be no divisions and the Tom Cruises and the Pauly Shores and the Jonathan Lipnicki and, yes, the Ron Silvers can all live in peace.