If we were a rich and famous celebrity, we would probably demand that trained emus carry us upon a feather-stuffed daybed whenever we traveled, and we'd never stop complaining about how much our diamond-studded 24 karat gold underwear chafed our skin. But we are not rich or famous, so when we hear tell of celebrities on the level of Paula Abdul and Eric McCormack throwing tantrums on airplanes it gives us a good chuckle. After all, they're television stars. For Angelina Jolie or Reese Witherspoon, we'd gladly take up residence in the overhead bin to make their flight more comfortable, but a couple of TV stars would be lucky if we paid them the courtesy of saving our airport-food-court farts for the toilet stall.
MSNBC reports:
Paula Abdul is a sweetie on ìAmerican Idolî ó but some folks claim sheís not so sweet when sheís an airline passenger.Abdul was a diva during a recent flight, demanding ó but not getting ó special treatment, sources tell Star.
ìShe pulled a major diva trip,î one ìeyewitnessî told the tab. ìThe other passengers were not amused.î
The television show judge was booked on a sold-out Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose to Burbank, California, and reportedly demanded first-class treatment ó even though thereís no first-class section on the airline.
ìShe asked to be let on the plane and seated first,î an ìeyewitnessî told the Star. When Abdul was told that only young children, people with disabilities and the elderly were allowed to board early, she reportedly declared, ìBut Iím famous! I need to go on first!î
A number of fellow passengers heard the exchange, and one shouted at her: ìYouíre no Sanjaya! You have to board like everyone else.î That, according to the source, prompted a round of laughter from the others ó except Abdul.
Once boarding began, Abdul pushed her way in front of the rest of the passengers so that she did get on first, and tried to keep the seat next to her empty, telling others it was taken. Finally, a flight attendant told her she had to give up the seat because the flight was full. Abdul kept her head bowed and reportedly was ìtwitchyî during much of the trip.
Here’s a tip, Paula: The next time you feel like demanding preferential treatment on a flight, try United. The cranky businessmen in the surrounding seats will be too busy calculating how many cell-phone calls they’ll miss during the flight to pay much attention to you. But on Southwest you’re surrounded by people who’ve just spent they’re vacation with their screaming-brat children in a budget Holiday Inn and are actually looking forward to returning to their job as an above-ground-pool salesman. They’re not gonna give a fuck that you only drink Perrier.
And as for Eric McCormack, Celebitchy dug up the following story:
The 44-year-old [Eric McCormack] erupted after the crew told him that a booster seat he brought onboard for his 4-year-old son, Finnigan, was too large, violated regulations and had to be stowed with the luggageÖìEric screeched like a banshee when he didnít get his way,î said the insider.
ìHe yelled at crew members – telling them his family had used the seat on many flights in the past,î said the insider. ìBut the price tag was still on it. And when an attendant turned over the seat, a warning label said ëNot to be used on aircraft!íî
But the actorís outburst lasted so long that the plane was already taxiing toward the runway – and it was too late to remove the seat.
ìThe violation of airline regulations resulted in the FAA being notified,î said the insider. ìThe booster seat battle turned what should have been a more routine flight into an uproar.î
We understand the flight attendant’s reluctance to let the booster seat slip by. Once you allow passengers to bring their own seating onto an aircraft, how long can it be before they take advantage of your generosity and set up a complete dinette set in business class?
Explore Paula’s diva behavior at MrSkin.com.
