“NYC officials have told celebrities to stay away from the rescue efforts at the World Trade Centre after a parade of well-known personalities brought work to a halt while they were shown around.

…Among the celebrities who have come to Lower Manhattan to see the ruins of the Twin Towers are the former boxing champion Muhammad Ali, the singer Bette Midler, the Sopranos actor James Gandolfini, the boxing promoter Don King, members of the Yankees and Mets baseball teams, the new Miss America Katie Harman, the comedian Chevy Chase, and the actors Billy and Alec Baldwin and Candice Bergen.

Some celebrities have been invited; others have talked their way on to the site. It is a test of a person’s celebrity to see how far through the security cordons they can go before being turned back.” The Times of London