smokin'!

Joe Namath, Real Housewife Pushing LIRR/Metro-North Smoking Ban

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: LuAnn de Lesseps attends the 2011 Game Changers Awards at Skylight SOHO on October 18, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
The Countess. Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

Smoking will be no longer be allowed on outdoor platforms for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North starting Sunday, and riders will be reminded of the new rules by famous people — sort of. “My thought was, if we could get celebrities — and I didn’t define the word ‘celebrity’ — to make the announcements, rather than these brute ones we tend to make, then hopefully more people would actually listen to them,” said the board member who came up with the idea. The results, as he seems to know, are mixed at best: “Hi, this is Joe Namath reminding you that smoking is no longer permitted on station platforms. It’s the law!” appears to be the most notable announcement of the bunch. The rest were recorded by such renowned orators as Real Housewives of New York City star Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, James Lipton, New Yorker writer Ken Auletta, and the unmistakable Rod Gilbert. Gilbert was a hockey player.

Joe Namath, Real Housewife Pushing Smoking Ban