Yes, from the Discussion section of the paper:

> Prior work even finds that celebrities that generate common ground between strangers are disproportionately discussed in conversation, suggesting shared celebrity knowledge can provide a “foot in the door” to forming ties with others

Heh, I know that studying obvious things is the "bread and butter" of scientific study, but it's still funny to read sometimes...

"Hello, fellow coworkers! How about the local sports team, did you see them play last night?"