This is a rush transcript from "The Big Story With John Gibson," September 19, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JOHN GIBSON, "BIG STORY" CO-HOST: The "Big Talker": O.J. Simpson was "the star" of the biggest show in Vegas today, but he did have competition at a side show outside the courthouse. If you watch the news conference that took place immediately following O.J.'s hearing, it was hard to take your eyes off one of the people in the crowd. FOX's Laurie Dhue has more on the man who has been getting way more than his 15 minutes of fame.
LAURIE DHUE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, much of America has been watching these 15 minutes, and I for one hope that these 15 minutes are up. I'm sure I'm not alone.
This bystander at the news conference managed to worm his way right up to the front of the crowd, cozying right up next to Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, where he proceeded to show us his considerable skills of blowing bubbles with his gum. I don't know if you can see him there to the right. The hat he was wearing today says "I love famous people," and apparently he loves getting attention. He certainly knows how to get it. If you need a good laugh, go no further. Take a gander.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YALE GALANTER, O.J. SIMPSON'S LAWYER: Mr. Simpson, we expect Mr. Simpson to be processed and released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
GALANTER: Fairly quickly. My only focus up to this point in time has been securing Mr. Simpson's release from custody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice work, dude. Up high.
GALANTER: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, don't leave me hanging.
GALANTER: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate that. I really do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, buddy. Nice work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your client innocent or not guilty?
GALANTER: I'm not sure there's a difference in the eyes of the law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's both, dude. He's innocent and not guilty. Thank you.
GALANTER: This has been a very harrowing experience for him. He's been in custody for three days. He just wants to get home…
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an emotional time, it's an emotional time. Thank you, Joe Pesci. No more questions. No more questions.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DHUE: I'm not sure how Galanter was able to keep a straight face all that time, because we certainly weren't keeping a straight face here in the studio. Now while we were watching the tape, a few of us here in the FOX newsroom thought we recognized this disruptive fan from somewhere else. It took a few minutes for us to figure it out, but we put two and two together and solved the mystery.
The guy who loves people calls himself Jake Bird, but his real name is Tony Barbieri. He's an actor-comedian and you may have seen him on the Jimmy Kimmel show. He plays that fictional character Jake Bird, but inserts himself at real-life events where he tries and usually succeeds to make everyone believe that he is just an overeager spectator.
Still not sure about him? Well, take a look at this clip from back in June when he crashed the news conference about Paris Hilton being sent back to jail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ruled that he was remanding Ms. Hilton to the sheriff's custody to serve the remainder of her sentence at the Century Regional Detention Center…
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, no, no!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shut up.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DHUE: So the joke is up. We know who you are, Tony. We actually talked to him after the news conference and here is what he had to say for himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"JAKE BYRD", CELEBRITY SUPERFAN: I came out here to let O.J. know that all of America, all of America, supports him 1,000 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think about what happened today, him being released on bail?
BYRD: I thought it was fantastic, you know, it's the American way. O.J., he's innocent until he's proven innocent again.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
DHUE: Barbieri has also posed as an obsessed fan at the Michael Jackson trial and others. Next stop: outside FOX News studios outside the relaunch of "The Big Story." The next time you see this guy, who clearly has too much time on his hands, don't fall for it, but feel free to laugh, because we certainly are.
DHUE: What I want to know is how was that guy able to stay there for 30 minutes?
GIBSON: Who is to throw him out?
DHUE: I mean, you know, why didn't they bring the hook in? Just like you're bringing the hook in for me right now.
GIBSON: Yeah I am, because I have to run. Laurie Dhue, thank you.
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