E-Mail This Article to a Friend Celebrity watching as convention sport BY SAM PFEIFLE

WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2004 -- Celebrity watching may be the hottest pursuit amongst those delegates - such as those committed to Kerry, and not members of the senior, rural, veterans, African-American, etc. caucuses - who don't really have anything better to do. Personally, I witnessed Jerry Stiller, Jerry Springer, Michael Moore, and a woman I heard a breathless delegate say was one of the chicks from Just Shoot Me all within a 15-minute wander through the halls of the FleetCenter Tuesday night while taking a break from the absurdly crowded floor.

But more impressive than seeing the celebrities was seeing the reactions they garnered: "I don't want a picture of Jerry Springer. I want a picture of you with Jerry Springer," complained one delegate to a friend. Jerry Springer? Is he even on TV anymore?

Michael Moore was surrounded by the most security I'd seen for any convention attendee. They must have been worried he'd be mobbed. "Oh, Michael," women screamed, like he was Bono (wish I had seen him).

Later, riding home on the T, I realized some of us had better access to the glitterati than others. Three convention attendees who looked to be college democrats of some sort stood to my left, clad in shirt-tie-pants combinations that made clear they only had a short supply of ties and shirts and dress pants among them.

"Drunk John, Drunk John," they started crowing as a guy in a white T-shirt, Red Sox cap, and chin-only goatee boarded at Government Center. Ever seen that Friends where Ross and Chandler are excited about the coming of Gandalf the party wizard? That's what these guys looked like. They couldn't wait to show off their credentials.

"We just got back from the convention!"

Drunk John held up a dark green pass of his own: "Yeah, me too."

"No way, how'd you get in?"

"Dude, a buddy of mine was doing security and they needed someone to help drive the golf carts, so I spent the whole time ferrying people back and forth."

"No shit?"

"Yeah, I drove Andre from Outkast, Madeline Albright, Russell Simmons - dude, like everybody." He turned over his credential. "Look, I got Andre to sign my pass."