The point of talking of things like royal wedding, American idol etc. is exactly that it is a harmless common ground for starting conversations with people you

The point of talking of things like royal wedding, American idol etc. is exactly that it is a harmless common ground for starting conversations with people you don't necessarily have much in common with. Like the weather. It is not that most people are that interested in the particular topic, it is just that you need to start somewhere if you want to find out if you have something to talk about. How do you find out if people are "actually interesting", if you never start talking to them?