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Woman ejected from plane for singing Whitney Houston

By Rob Beschizza at 6:38 pm Tue, May 14, 2013

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ABC News: "An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a female passenger refused to stop singing Whitney Houston songs."

Come for the rendition of "I will always love you", stay for the bogus and futile "DO NOT TAKE PICTURES ON THE AIRPLANE!" demands from the flight crew. [Thanks, Michelle Fox!]

Discuss

65 Responses to “Woman ejected from plane for singing Whitney Houston”

  1. sam1148 says:
    May 14, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    I’m pretty sure singing was the least of the women’s issues. 

    Reply
  2. Spocko says:
    May 14, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Rob: Could you do me a favor and look into a ” bogus and futile “DO NOT TAKE PICTURES ON THE AIRPLANE!” demands from the flight crew.” issue?
    Because, just like when you are talking photos of cops, I’d like to know what rules or laws the airlines are using and what they will do to enforce them. And if the enforcing extends to banning, ejecting, suing after the fact or confiscation of cameras.
    Do they use “terrorist!” as their reason or some other reason?

    I know that I’ve been told I couldn’t video tape on the plane and was given some vague “security” reason, but what is the reason and why should we comply. If we don’t comply what might they do? I know this is private property (the plane) but does it count as a Public space is I shoot video of someone (like a cop/air marshall) performing their job with over-zealousness? 
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Boundegar says:
      May 14, 2013 at 7:02 pm

      On the one hand, the First Amendment doesn’t cover a business establishment, and it would kind of suck to be asked to leave at 20,000 feet. But on the other hand – why not? Are they afraid somebody is going to document their “nonlethal” taser play?

      Reply
    • JonS says:
      May 14, 2013 at 7:15 pm

      federal law requires you to comply with all instructions given by aircraft personnel when on and boarding a plane

      Reply
      • SomeGuyNamedMark says:
        May 14, 2013 at 9:01 pm

         I wonder if that means anything?  “Ok everyone, take your pants off.”

        Reply
        • EH says:
          May 14, 2013 at 9:27 pm

          Have you ever been in an airplane? Bite your tongue.

          Reply
    • kmoser says:
      May 14, 2013 at 8:36 pm

      Many airlines don’t hold the copyrights for the the airplanes and other equipment they own.

      Reply
      • toyg says:
        May 15, 2013 at 4:59 am

        Taking a picture of some equipment is not copyright infringement. Unless in your statement there was some irony I didn’t detect (I really hate ironing).

        Reply
    • Sigmund_Jung says:
      May 15, 2013 at 7:16 am

      Your question hides a bigger issue: that we are living in a time of fuzzy laws, when we can’t say for sure ‘ this is ludicrous.’ That’s very dangerous.

      Reply
    • John Harrison says:
      May 15, 2013 at 1:56 pm

      Obviously you are unfamiliar with Sky Law:

      http://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2010/05/21/matt-damon-appears-on-30-rock.html

      Reply
  3. technogeekagain says:
    May 14, 2013 at 6:58 pm

    “After she calmed down she was released and she left the airport in a taxi.
    ” Gee, I think I would have left in a huff, not a taxi…

    The _proper_ response to a passenger who is being non-dangerously but excessively disruptive is “Knock it off now, or we will put you on our carrier’s undesirable-passenger list and refuse to sell you tickets in the future.”

    I’m not sure an adult howling is more disruptive than an infant howling. But the adult is more capable of understanding, and being held to, consequences.

    Reply
    • SomeGuyNamedMark says:
      May 14, 2013 at 9:01 pm

       Maybe they were afraid the other passengers were going to kill her if she didn’t shut up.

      Reply
  4. Freddie Freelance says:
    May 14, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    I just want to point out “I Will Always Love You” is a Dolly Parton song.

    Reply
    • sdmikev says:
      May 14, 2013 at 7:40 pm

      She wrote it and stuff, yea.  But no one knows it as a Dolly Parton song.
      However, we all know it as one of the worst songs in human history, particularly when sung by that screeching Celine Dion.
      I think it might be worse than “Feelings”

      Reply
      • Jake0748 says:
        May 14, 2013 at 8:56 pm

         Thank the FSM that somebody finally (or at least somebody I noticed) said “However, we all know it as one of the worst songs in human history”.  In re: “I Will Always Love You”.  That song has always grated on my nerves. 

        Reply
      • yupgiboy says:
        May 14, 2013 at 9:25 pm

         Maybe if you’re under 35 years of age, it’s a Whitney Houston song. For those of us at a certain age, it’s most definitely a Dolly Parton song. In fact, it was her signature song. She sang it at the end of every episode of her television show. Instead of listening to the overwrought versions by Houston and Dion, try listening to the heartfelt, tender version by Dolly herself. It really is a lovely song.

        Reply
        • sdmikev says:
          May 15, 2013 at 7:34 am

          I understand that, but by “no one” I mean that if you asked 100 people on the street what they think of it and they know the song, 95 of the 100 would consider it a Celine Dion song and most of those 95 wouldn’t even know of any connection to Dolly Parton.

          Reply
          • IronEdithKidd says:
            May 15, 2013 at 8:15 am

            If your sample set resides somewhere in Quebec, you may get that result.  

          • sdmikev says:
            May 15, 2013 at 10:11 am

            Trust me, it would be the same in the US.
            And I just realized I kept writing Celine Dion for some reason, when I meant Whitney Houston.  Oy.
            And remember, there was a horrible movie with her and Kevin Costner and this god awful song.

          • Antinous / Moderator says:
            May 15, 2013 at 1:40 pm

            I’ve never heard of Celine Dion singing it.

      • bardfinn says:
        May 14, 2013 at 9:42 pm

        I’m no-one. ):

        Reply
        • Antinous / Moderator says:
          May 15, 2013 at 2:32 pm

          Don’t you mean:

          And aye-aye-aye
          Am no-oh-oh-wuh-uh-uhn!

          Reply
    • Chris Bennett says:
      May 14, 2013 at 7:50 pm

       I was just about to say the same thing. Poor Dolly, always forgotten.

      Reply
      • Al Jalaikakik says:
        May 14, 2013 at 8:22 pm

        It’s a horrible song, whomever wrote it. Singing it alone should be grounds for ejection.

        Reply
      • EH says:
        May 14, 2013 at 9:30 pm

        Yep. There’s Dolly Parton, whiling away her last days in the gutter alternating between disease and insanity, destitute.

        Dolly wrote the song. She can actually say, “if I received a nickel for every time this song was played…” and tell you the number.

        Reply
    • LogrusZed says:
      May 14, 2013 at 8:28 pm

      And Me and Bobby McGee is a  Kris Kristofferson song sung by Roger Miller, but come on. pedantry in the service of one’s ego should at least be obscure enough to impress people. Anyone who even remotely gave a turd about that song already knew this.

      Reply
      • matisse says:
        May 14, 2013 at 9:27 pm

        Sung by Janis Joplin!

        Reply
        • LogrusZed says:
          May 14, 2013 at 11:37 pm

           Apparently Miller sang it first. That’s sort of the point of me citing it as a comparable example.

          Reply
  5. sam1148 says:
    May 14, 2013 at 7:08 pm

    I rather think the ‘don’t take photos’ wasn’t a blanket request…but a incident request.
    To move things about faster no matter how miss-guided any picture disruption would be to move this person off and get on with their flight.

    The Captain of the plane is the “captain”…and can request “all red headed people get pudding for desert” if he wishes.

    Reply
    • matisse says:
      May 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      Report immediately the number of red headed married men on board.

      Reply
  6. Flashman says:
    May 14, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    For a second reading this headline I forgot that we don’t actually have ejection pods on modern airliners. Then I was disappointed.

    Reply
    • The Life Of Bryan says:
      May 14, 2013 at 8:20 pm

      I initially read it as “signing Whitney Houston” and was also disappointed.

      Reply
  7. Lyle Hopwood says:
    May 14, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    I can just see this happening to me. 

    Wait, no, I can’t.

    Reply
  8. Antinous / Moderator says:
    May 14, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    She’s been singing this song… on a loop… for three days.

    Reply
    • LogrusZed says:
      May 14, 2013 at 8:30 pm

       yeah, my mind went to Hedwig right away. the second thought I had was “no jury in the land would convict me”.

      Reply
  9. robuluz says:
    May 14, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    Finally, airline security we can all get behind. In fact I fully support drone strikes targeted at anyone who sings this song.

    Reply
    • tristan eldritch says:
      May 14, 2013 at 8:27 pm

       I would consider ejecting somebody in mid-fucking-air for singing that thing.

      Reply
  10. SomeGuyNamedMark says:
    May 14, 2013 at 9:02 pm

    I hope she got her prescriptions refilled after being taken off the plane.

    Reply
  11. Dumbfuckistan says:
    May 14, 2013 at 9:10 pm

    Normally, I would think that was a drastic action, but considering it was THAT SONG, I think she got off lucky. I HATE that song; I would have punched her!

    Reply
    • EH says:
      May 14, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      “I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man!”

      Reply
      • oasisob1 says:
        May 15, 2013 at 4:54 am

        It’s just Eagles, not the Eagles.

        Reply
        • Matthew Miller says:
          May 15, 2013 at 6:57 am

           You’ll have to tell that to The Dude.

          Reply
          • Felton / Moderator says:
            May 15, 2013 at 7:13 am

            oasisob1 is into the brevity thing.

        • lafave says:
          May 15, 2013 at 7:24 am

           You’re ignoring the way language works:
          Compare – “I hate the fuckin’ Eagles.” to
          “I hate fuckin’ Eagles.”

          Reply
    • Mia says:
      May 15, 2013 at 4:35 am

      I believe you meant to say you hate Ms. Houston. It’s not the song. Whitney is BLACK!

      Reply
      • Nathan Hornby says:
        May 15, 2013 at 4:45 am

        u wot

        Reply
  12. rattypilgrim says:
    May 14, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    A couple of years ago BB posted a filmed time lapse trip from Paris to San Francisco. The person who made the film commented on how the Air France crew accommodated him in his efforts. What a difference between that scenario and announcements that no photos may be taken on the plane. And in France you don’t have to take your shoes off before boarding and  full body scanners are not used. USA! USA! usa…

    Reply
    • Navin_Johnson says:
      May 15, 2013 at 9:58 am

       Yeah, practically the same scenarios…

      Reply
  13. tw1515tw says:
    May 15, 2013 at 12:23 am

    Houston, we have a Whitney problem

    (The headline in the Irish Examiner)

    Reply
  14. retepslluerb says:
    May 15, 2013 at 2:29 am

    It could have been worse.

    She  could have been singing “Last Christmas…”

    Reply
    • millie fink says:
      May 15, 2013 at 10:30 am

      Ugh! Thanks a lot for the reintroduction of that ear worm.

      Reply
      • Antinous / Moderator says:
        May 15, 2013 at 2:41 pm

        Here. This will help.

        Reply
        • millie fink says:
          May 15, 2013 at 7:20 pm

          Gawd. In one ear worm, out another!

          Plus those shorts. Boxers or diapers? I can’t decide.

          Reply
          • Antinous / Moderator says:
            May 15, 2013 at 8:36 pm

            Hard to believe that one of them became a big star after that.

  15. peregrinus says:
    May 15, 2013 at 2:33 am

    This story would have been much more attention-grabbing had she been ejected prior to landing.

    Reply
  16. Singe says:
    May 15, 2013 at 3:34 am

    I wouldn’t have minded her if at least she was on-key.

    Reply
    • IronEdithKidd says:
      May 15, 2013 at 8:20 am

      The only rendition of this song that I’ve ever heard that was on key was performed by the songwriter herself.  Much like the US national anthem, the song is full of fail for 99.99999% of singers.

      Reply
  17. MarlboroTestMonkey7 says:
    May 15, 2013 at 7:15 am

    A telling sing America’s love with amateur singing has ended.  About time.

    Reply
  18. ocschwar says:
    May 15, 2013 at 8:25 am

    Whitney Houston’s songs are among the most technically difficult ever written for pop music. There really ought to be a licensing system restricting the privilege of singing her songs in public to those who can actually do it. 

    Reply
  19. donovan acree says:
    May 15, 2013 at 9:45 am

    I’m still trying to understand why no photos are allowed.

    Reply
    • Antinous / Moderator says:
      May 15, 2013 at 2:17 pm

      There might still be a few potential customers who don’t know how horribly crowded and uncomfortable airplanes have become.

      Reply
  20. Petzl says:
    May 15, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    At least she committed to the role.

    Before she was committed.

    Reply
  21. mr_mediocre says:
    May 15, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    This reminds me of an old Deep Thought from Jack Handey:  “If trees could scream, would we still cut them down?  Probably, if they did it all the time, for no reason.”

    Reply
  22. Baldhead says:
    May 15, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Make bomb jokes all you want but please do not sing that song.

    Reply
  23. Ryan Bennitt says:
    May 15, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Singing on an aircraft in flight? Don’t you know how badly that affects an aircraft’s instruments? They were lucky to make it back to the ground.

    Reply

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