We gossip about people we know, but we also gossip about the strangers whose pictures we see so often that we feel we do. ("Oh, that poor Amy Winehouse," we might say, or, "How much do you think Sarah Jessica works out, really?") There is a time for discussing serious things, but these morning chats aren't it. They're both grounding and distracting, a perfect means of defusing the little panic that accompanies the start of a day at work.