Katie Nolan’s Zoom celebrity challenge attracts several famous people, fun surprises

With 97 percent of Americans reportedly now under stay-at-home orders, video calls and conferencing have become a routine part of life for many people.Whether it’s for work, personal correspondence, or even “gatherings” like poker and trivia games, many of us are using our phones, tablets, and webcams to simulate face-to-face interaction. And if you’re still watching news channels or what works for sports with shows like SportsCenter, you know that platforms like Skype and Zoom are integral to producing such programming right now.ESPN’s Katie Nolan and her friends had some fun with these circumstances, beginning a Zoom call with colleagues and friends including Mina Kimes, Pablo Torre, and Amin Elhassan and then issuing a challenge. Each person first on the call put out an invitation to every (and any) famous person they know, trying to see who might join the party. And for Nolan, it gets a bit competitive.Whose contact list attracted the most famous person to the conversation and who made the invitation? This was a lot of fun and you’ll surely be surprised to see who pops into the Zoom call. It gets better as the call keeps going. (Spoilers below the video, so you probably want to watch first, then scroll down.)https://www.facebook.com/ESPN/videos/223961835342349/** Spoiler warning? **It’s hard to say for certain, but not everyone invited apparently stuck around for the call. Who popped in and quickly left? Jaleel White ducked out fast. May we guess that Bob Ley (looking like the Wizard of Oz with that under-lighting) didn’t hang out for very long? Clayton Kershaw (“What am I doing here?”) also probably needed to leave so he could put a shirt on.Scott Hanson and Andrew Siciliano warping the RedZone/ Red Zone space-time continuum! Miranda playing NBA Jam while chatting with NBA players like Dwayne Wade! What is possible in this new world we all inhabit now?https://twitter.com/katienolan/status/1248397269272907778Clearly, however, the winner of Nolan’s Zoom Call Challenge is The Ringer’s Shea Serrano for getting Lin-Manuel Miranda to join the digital gathering. (He’s not just getting the Hamilton crew together for John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” videos.) And sympathies to anyone who joined the call after that, getting a less-than-excited reaction. Really tough act to follow there.Ultimately, it’s fun to see who’s just hanging around and available for some Zoom chatting. It gets lonely and boring in isolation at times. (Celebrities: They’re just like us!) We all just want some human interaction, right? Even if it’s a video call over the internet.