Conan O’Brien finally met his match.
The “Late Night” jokester, who ran a mock ad campaign endorsing the re-election of Finnish President Tarja Halonen – because of her strong resemblance to him, red hair and all – had a face-to-similar-face meeting with her Tuesday at the presidential palace in downtown Helsinki.
O’Brien handed the Nordic country’s first female president a box of chocolates as they posed for photographers before their 15-minute meeting. Halonen gave him troll dolls to take home.
Last year, O’Brien caused a political stir when, based on their resemblance, he endorsed Halonen, 62, for a second six-year term – which she won last month. His mock ads not only backed Halonen but attacked her opponents.
O’Brien, who had earlier jokingly demanded a six-hour audience, said he wasn’t disappointed.
“Someone like me knows he’s lucky to get 15 minutes,” O’Brien said, adding that the meeting was “very, very nice.”
“It’s not every day I get to meet the president of a country,” O’Brien said.
On his arrival Saturday, O’Brien quipped that he expected to be rewarded for endorsing Halonen with a Cabinet position as inspector of saunas, “mostly women’s saunas,” but the issue was not discussed in the meeting.
On Saturday, some 2,000 fans waited hours in subfreezing weather to catch a glimpse of the TV host, whose show is unusually popular in this taciturn nation of 5 million.
Finns are very aware of their image abroad, and when O’Brien poked fun at the small country, he was overwhelmed by mail. Finns started appearing in the New York audience of his NBC show.
The program airs on a Finnish channel, with a few days’ delay, and every time he mentions Finland or Halonen, local media report it prominently.
The president’s spokeswoman said Halonen had wanted to thank O’Brien for making Finland better known, and the two had agreed they “might, indeed, resemble each other.”
O’Brien said his wife was not too happy about his Valentine’s Day meeting with Tarja, calling her by her first name as many Finns do.
“She was so jealous, she said she would spend her Valentine’s Day with President Bush,” he said.
Bollywood stars a perfect match
Two of Bollywood’s brightest stars may be getting ready to wed and, according to the Times of India, an astrologer says they’re a perfect match.
Aishwarya Rai is a former Miss World who has appeared in more than 30 movies, including 2004’s “Bride & Prejudice.” Abhishek Bachchan, the son of India’s biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, is a rising star in Bollywood.
Chandrashekar Swami, a Hindu priest and astrologer in Bangalore, said he had examined the horoscopes of both Rai and Bachchan and found they “matched perfectly,” the Times of India said Sunday.
Traditional Hindus have their horoscopes matched by astrologers before getting married.
Rai has served on the Cannes Film Festival jury and is featured in international ad campaigns for leading jewelry, cosmetic and cola companies.
The two stars and their families have declined to comment on the reports.
Rai and Bachchan have just completed filming “Umrao Jaan,” a period piece based on a courtesan’s search for love.
Placido Domingo pulls out of opera
Placido Domingo has canceled his appearance in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in April in Paris, citing a lack of time to prepare for the production by director Robert Wilson.
A replacement for the tenor has not yet been named, the Theatre du Chatelet said Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, my timetable does not allow me to be fully devoted to such intensive work. Rather than performing an approximation of (Wilson’s) conception, it is my duty … to withdraw so that another singer, who will have more rehearsal time, can make that conception his own,” Domingo, 65, said.
The Incredible Hulk is on the beat
The Incredible Hulk is now a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reserve deputy.
Lou Ferrigno, 53, who played the green-skinned monster on the CBS series from 1978 to 1982, was sworn in during a ceremony Monday night.
“My father was a police officer with the New York Police Department; I’ve always had a high respect for officers,” Ferrigno told The Associated Press. “I want to give back to the community, and I want to work with young kids, help them get off drugs.”
Ferrigno began training to become a reserve deputy last September after passing a background check. He completed training in firearms, first aid and high-speed-driving techniques and was recognized as “an outstanding trainee” by Sheriff Lee Baca.
He will serve at least 20 hours a month, help recruit new deputies and work with the sheriff’s Youth Activities League and the Special Victims Bureau, which assists abused children.
Ferrigno was a bodybuilder before he starred on the TV show. Bill Bixby played mild-mannered scientist David Banner, who turned into a monster whenever he lost his temper.
In recent years, Ferrigno has appeared on the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens.”
