You’ve undoubtedly seen Alec Baldwin’s SNL skit from this weekend, in which he spoofed his ouster from a domestic American Airlines flight for refusing to turn off his phone. On SNL Baldwin impersonated an American Airlines pilot, complete with a moustache and a pitch perfect accent, and apologized to himself. He played it completely straight and it was pretty amusing.

Baldwin previously issued an apology to his fellow passengers for refusing to turn off his phone while his plane was sitting at the gate, causing a further delay in takeoff while he was kicked off the flight. He never apologized to the crew or flight attendants though, and claimed in his statement that he was singled out by one flight attendant, whom he compared to a retired Catholic school gym teacher. Well the flight attendants aren’t forgiving Baldwin, either. E! News has confirmed that the American Airlines flight attendant union is lobbying the bankrupt airline to pull all episodes of “30 Rock” that play on the in-flight entertainment system. I think we know now why that stewardess was so annoyed with Alec Baldwin. Anyone who has to see the same sitcom episode every day at work (no matter how good it is) is going to harbor some grudges.

E! News has confirmed that the seemingly grudge-holding American Airlines Flight Attendants Union has taken the first steps to make sure Baldwin—or his TV alter ego—never step foot in their planes again.

The airlines confirmed that since Alec’s game of Words With Friends gained him some enemies (or more accurately, since the actor spoofed the airline on Saturday Night Live over the weekend), the union has broached the subject with those in charge of making such decisions of pulling the critically lauded 30 Rock from its inflight entertainment lineup.

So if it was possible, the skies just got even less friendly for Alec Baldwin. And less amusing for Alec Baldwin fans.

No decision has yet been made regarding the sitcom’s yanking, though an airline spokesperson was quick to explain that NBC routinely rotates which programs it offers onboard the AA flights, and that not every flight offers the same lineup (so just because passengers don’t see Tina Fey & Co. on their next voyage doesn’t mean the show has been pulled).

Currently, the show does continue to air on some—though not all—of the airline’s flights, which is standard programming procedure. For now.

[From E! Online]

This would be a very petty move. I have to fly in a couple of days and I’m not looking forward to it at all. It’s not some cushy one-off domestic flight, either, it’s international and I have two freaking layovers. I did side with Baldwin slightly in my coverage of this as I’ve suffered air rage silently and I’ve held it in. I’ve dealt with some nasty flight attendants and I’ve wanted to tell people off. I’m sure the flight attendants hate us when we’re bitches too, and they have more of us to deal with. They don’t want Alec to become some sort of folk hero. If they deliberately and obviously ban his TV show from flights, they may be giving him more credit than he deserves, though.

Alec Baldwin is shown on 12/6, 8/20 and 7/25/11. Credit: Fame

Don’t believe the reports claiming that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie rented out an entire train so that they could safely travel to Scotland, where Brad will continue filming World War Z. I mean, a train was rented, but it wasn’t just Brad, Angie, the kids and the entourage on the private train. It was the whole crew of World War Z! So, about 250-350 people in total, it seems. These are photos of their arrival in Glasgow (which is standing in for Philadelphia, oddly enough). The journey from London to Glasgow is 350 miles, and takes five hours by train. Five hours with Brad, Angelina, the kids, the entourage and more than 200 crew members. That must have been a special experience.

Brad Pitt has described his family as being like “a military mobile unit” when they’re on the road.

Tuesday they proved it by boarding a privately hired train to take them and the World War Z crew from London to Glasgow, where Pitt, 47, is filming next.

“Three cars suddenly drove onto the platform from the street, pulled up alongside the train and then they all got out,” an onlooker tells PEOPLE. “Brad was in one car with some of the kids and Angelina was in another with the others. They were all smiling and looked really happy, but then I suppose it’s not every day that a kid gets to have their own train to play with!”

Adds the onlooker: “They had a huge entourage of about 20-30 people with them.”

The Virgin charter is a bespoke service regular used by English soccer clubs that allows clients to personalize the catering and station facilities. As with most English trains this one includes a shop, toilets and a counter serving hot food and drinks. But there is one thing missing: sleeping compartments.

“The price also depends on how far they are going, and the number of carriages they want, as some people want eight carriages and others nine ­– it all depends on the client,” a Virgin spokesperson says.

The sleek, silver-and-red Virgin train that had been specifically chartered for the Jolie-Pitts and estimated 350 associates and crew pulled into Glasgow Central Station at 2:30 p.m. And there were about 100 fans gathered to try to catch a glimpse of the famous family.

Welcome to Scotland
With the Scottish highlands now on their doorstep, Jolie, 36, can finally take a break from the hectic bout of sightseeing that has seen her and 10-year-old Maddox, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6½, Shiloh, 5, Knox and Vivienne, 3, visit a host of London toy stores and theaters in Surrey, where the family have been based during Brad’s filming.

For the next few weeks, the World War Z team will take over the main square of Glasgow (just a few blocks from the train station), which has been converted to look like the American city of Philadelphia to a convincing degree.

[From People]

Apparently, it costs $40,000 or more to “rent” a “private” train for this kind of journey. So… is that more or less expensive than flying everybody? Less expensive, right? It’s probably a nicer journey by train, though. I prefer trains to planes, any day of the week.

So what kind of trouble will Brangelina and the kids get into in Scotland? I’m sure Angelina will hunt out some kind of kid-oriented activity, some museum or theme park or something. I hope she eats something while she’s there too. Not haggis.

UPDATE: The Jolie-Pitts take the cover of People Mag this week:

They’ve munched on crickets in Cambodia and surfed the waves in Cancun, but for the six children of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, life in the boisterous family is as much about everyday bonding as it is the big adventure.

“The children are always playing, jumping on each other and sharing fun moments,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “They share a special bond.”

Leading the pack: oldest son Maddox, 10, who “is almost like a teenager now, the way he understands things,” says another source. “He’s grown up very quickly.”

But his younger siblings are rapidly growing up, too. Six-year-old Zahara and her 5-year-old sister Shiloh are especially close, while 7-year-old Pax “has become more independent in the past year,” says an insider. And with twins Knox and Vivienne now 3 – they help pack their own suitcases! – the family is settling into a lower-key, if still decidedly adventurous, rhythm.

“Now that all the children are older, things have calmed down a bit in the household,” says the source. “There’s a great family dynamic right now.”

[From People]

I don’t get why this is a cover story…? Conspiracy theory?

Photos courtesy of PCN, WENN.

A few days ago, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were spotted in Namibia. They were photographed doing some last-minute shopping for the kids (photo here, at Radar). Angelina had already said in an interview that they planned to spend Christmas traveling and “having an adventure”. So the adventure was a trip to Namibia, Shiloh’s birthplace.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and all the little Jolie-Pitts are spending Christmas in Namibia, RadarOnline.com has learned. The couple was spotted yesterday doing some last minute holiday shopping at a mall in the city of Windhoek, and RadarOnline.com has the pictures.

The coastal African nation of Namibia is where the couple’s daughter Shiloh was born on May 27, 2006.

Angelina tipped her hand about the family’s Christmas vacation plans in a recent interview.

“We’re going to travel with the kids and go to a random part of the world,” she told Larry King. “We’re going to travel and have an adventure because that’s what we love to do.”

By the looks of the shopping cart loaded with toys Angie was seen pushing through the mall, the kids woke up to a very merry Christmas this morning.

[From Radar]

It’s kind of nice. Maybe Angelina and Brad are thinking about starting that Namibian charity in Shiloh’s name, like they’ve always claimed they would. As for spending the holidays in Africa… eh. I mean, it works for them, and as the Brangeloonies pointed out (meaning “they yelled at me”), the Jolie-Pitt family goes to Missouri every other Christmas, and spend the other times traveling and adventuring. Also, I had this thought: they spent much of the past three months or so in the snowy, freezing cold of Budapest, Hungary. They might want to just be somewhere warm, you know?

Here’s a clip from Angelina’s 2006 interview with Ann Curry when she was pregnant with Shiloh, and the family was in Namibia.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Shhhhh! Be very, very quiet. I am nourishing my inner aspect right now. Last week I mentioned that Thursdays are like my own little passive-aggressive holiday. Because every Thursday, I am guaranteed of at least two things: my next door neighbors will have a very loud band practice, and Gwyneth Paltrow will release a completely unaware snooty Goop newsletter. As soon as I read the inner aspect tagline, I want to beat her over the head. In an internet sort of way, of course. This is my sort of nourishment.

Today Gwyneth takes us on a Goopy tour of Barcelona. It’s about the best us plebeians can do, so we’re thankful for whatever little patronizing morsels she can give us. Lest you think a 19-year-old Gwyneth was staying at the Four Seasons and paying the locals to pave the streets in gold before she walked on them, her Goopiness talks about the rough times she spent in Barcelona, when all she had was a little bit of pocket money and a backpack. The daughter of a famous actress and a director. Something tells me Gwyneth would never suffer such indignities – why that’d be like pretending she makes $25,000 a year! – And she’s already told us she can’t do that.

Barcelona is a city full of wonder and beauty. I first went when I was 19 years old, with some train money and a backpack and not much else. I fell in love with the city’s passion for life, its food, culture, and of course, its architecture. Where else can you surf in the morning, do a master tour of Gaudí’s surreal buildings (the Sagrada Familia and the Parc Güell, just to name a couple), eat the best tapas of your life and get lost wandering the labyrinthine, majestic streets of the Barrio Gótico? It is a city worth exploring and falling in love with….

¡Que vagi bé!
Gwyneth

[From Goop.com]

Here are a few of Gwyneth’s suggestions for where to eat, stay, and what to do while you’re in Barcelona. It’d almost be enjoyable to watch her try to write for what she believes to be the common people. You know, if it weren’t so infuriating.

Inopia
I would fly all the way to Barcelona just to eat at this completely regular-looking, crowded, noisy tapas bar. I had one of the best meals of my life here, and every dish is a must-have: the croquettas, patatas bravas, tiny fried fish, olives, boquerones, pineapple with molasses and strawberries with sherry vinegar caramel (if they are in season). Their dishes are truly sublime. Go when they open at 7 p.m. because you can’t make a reservation and the lines are surreal.

Can Pineda
Really traditional Spanish cooking, very old-school. Good rice with mushrooms. Chef Mario Batali, food critic Mark Bittman and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols went during the filming of our PBS food and travel series, Spain…on the road Again.

Hotel Arts Barcelona
I adore the Arts. It is a big hotel done RIGHT. Amazing views, beautiful rooms, great service. It’s where I bed down in Barcelona most of the time.

[From Goop.com]

Ahh, nothing like some good old fashioned name dropping to nourish the inner aspect. Two of Gwyneth’s friends contribute their own picks for the eat/drink/stay categories, and somehow they come off so much better. It’s probably just because I know it’s not Gwyneth saying it, but somehow I’m thinking, “Oh what great ideas, even if I couldn’t afford it,” whereas with Gwyneth I’m thinking, “Why you conceited little…”

Next week Gwyneth promises us her favorite cookie recipes. Which, based on the general tone of her other emails, she must make all the time. You know, since she manages to go everywhere, do everything, and see everyone. How she has the time to fit in writing a sanctimonious email every week I’ll never know.

Here’s Gywneth leaving the Byron & Tracey hair salon in Beverly Hills on March 25th. Images thanks to Pacific Coast News.

For some reason I’ve always been oddly interested in the Olsen twins, but lately that interest has started turning to disdain. I think it’s the absolute insistence on excess – take a gander at the pictures below if you need more evidence. They each weight what, 86 pounds dripping wet? They’ve got to be schlepping at least 200 pounds worth of baggage.

And it annoys me how they try to emphasize how tiny they are. They don’t seem to try to emphasize thin or svelte; they want to look tiny. Like they’re little girls and they’re trying to disappear. Why else are they lugging around all that baggage? Are we really supposed to believe they don’t have ten handlers to do that? They just knew it get them a lot of press because they look so little next to all those suitcases. Bravo, you’re media maestros, the both of you.

It seems like they’re always up to something new, and earlier today Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen arrived at London’s Heathrow International Airport.

The “Full House” hotties emerged from the main terminal with a ridiculous amount of luggage loaded onto twin carts as they headed for their chauffeured car while trying to ignore the paparazzi.

And while they’re both big fans of recreational world travel, this time the trip is for business, rather than pleasure.

The Olsens are overseas for the big launch of yet another line of clothing called The Row, making stops in the UK and Paris.

[From the Gossip Girls]

Just in case they don’t get enough press from their luggage-to-twin ratio (5 to 2, if you’re wondering), Mary-Kate has made sure to have one of her many fur coats prominently displayed. Because everyone knows once you passive aggressively tell PETA to f off, you’ve really made it.

Here’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen arriving at Heathrow airport in London today. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin .

I will admit there is a very long list of celebs I’m afraid of. Sometimes I have dreams I meet them in real life and tell them what I’ve said about them, and then the dream normally ends with me in a puddle of my own blood and or tears. But I think of ALL the celebs I’m afraid of, Snoop Dogg and Russell Crowe are definitely in the top five. Put the two together… well I’d just give them whatever the hell they wanted.

Snoop has been denied a travel and work visa for Australia, thus preventing him from going on tour there. He’s also been banned from the U.K. While he has a long rap sheet with some super serious (older) offenses on it, the current bannings come mostly from his drug possession/use.

Crowe wrote a truly impassioned letter on behalf of his friend Snoop, reassuring the Australian government that he posed no threat to anyone and asking them to reconsider.

The rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, has several criminal convictions for drug and weapons offences and was banned from Australia last year by then-Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.

But Crowe, who has been friends with Snoop for three years, said the musician deserved to be allowed to perform here later this year. “I submit to you that Snoop Dogg poses no threat to Australia or to any individual in this country,” Crowe wrote. “He has toured here three times before without incident and there are no reasons to assume this tour will be anything but the positive experience the last three have been… Snoop has built a stellar reputation with promoters and audiences worldwide.”

Crowe also cited the rapper’s extensive charity work and said Snoop had pledged to make an appearance at a charity event organised by South Sydney Rugby League Club. “Some of our First Grade players will attend with him and he will deliver a powerful and positive message about rising through adversity, drawing on his own underprivileged background as an example,” Crowe wrote. “As you can imagine, such a visit will have a phenomenal effect.”

[From News.com.au via ONTD]

You can read the letter in its entirety here. My first thought was, “I’m not sure I’d want some actor with a legendarily explosive temper writing my character defense.” But Crowe’s letter is so eloquent, passionate, and well-written (I’m assuming ghost written, but who knows) that it really did change my mind. Of course I’ve sort of got a bleeding heart and would probably let Snoop in if he promised to only bring half his usual amount of marijuana, a quarter of his standard gun stash, and I’d be somewhat negotiable on his other vices. So I’m probably not the best judge of what a foreign government should do.

That said, I do like that in some ways the inability to get a travel visa seems to serve as more of a deterrent towards illegal behavior than legal trouble. Most celebs know they’ll never do any real time for most of their offenses due to good lawyering and overcrowded jails. But not being allowed into other countries costs them a lot of money and publicity, and that seems to be a pretty powerful incentive.

Here’s Snoop Dogg and his family at the 23rd Annual Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular Awards in Los Angeles on June 1st. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Lucky bastards. The British have gotten to do what most Americans wish we could do: tell Martha Stewart to stay the hell away. The country rebuffed the domestic diva’s request for a visa – because of her criminal conviction five years ago. That’s right, the British consider Martha Stewart to be a potential threat to their citizens. And frankly, who can blame them? Though by that logic, I feel we should get to kick her out of our country too.

Martha Stewart has been banned from England — at least temporarily. The famous homemaker was denied a visa into Great Britain because of her stock fraud conviction four years ago. Martha, who served five months in prison in 2004, had plans to travel across the pond for a scheduled speech at the Royal Academy and various meetings when the U.K. Border Agency informed her it won’t be issuing her a visa.

The Agency itself refused to comment on individual cases, but stated the organization is conscious of those the country’s visitors with criminal pasts.

“We continue to oppose the entry to the UK of individuals where we believe their presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good or where they have been found guilty of serious criminal offences abroad,” the Agency said in a statement.

[From OK! Magazine]

The government actually said they thought the visa decision was stupid – though they didn’t use that exact word. But you can tell they’re thinking it. Really, really hard. A spokesman noted: “It is a bit silly given some of the other people allowed into the country.” Which makes me wonder what kind of hardened criminals they’re letting in. Martha’s rep was all sunshine and roses, stating that she loves the U.K. and is hoping to resolve the issue soon. I say if they take her they have to keep her.

It turns out Pete Wentz really was joking when he said he and new wife Ashlee Simpson were honeymooning in their basement. It sounds obvious now, but given some of the couples’ low-key proclivities, it didn’t sound that impossible. Pete said they had blow up palm trees and a tanning bed down there – and it didn’t sound that far-fetched. Luckily they’re not as low-class as that – though I’m guessing they still ate a lot of DiGiorno’s pizza either way.

The couple actually honeymooned in Turks and Caicos for five days before returning to New York so Pete could play a Fallout Boy show.

Header of Ashlee and Pete arriving at their hotel in NYC after their honeymoon. Here’s Jessica back in California yesterday. Images thanks to Splash.

Newlyweds Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz didn’t spend their honeymoon in their basement after all. Wentz told Ryan Seacrest Tuesday that they were hiding out at home, “eating DiGiorno’s pizza,” to “save that 30 grand” days after their wedding.

Turns out, they were in the Caribbean. The pregnant singer (in a bikini!) and the shirtless Fall Out Boy rocker were photographed swimming Thursday.

The newlyweds are now in New York City, where Wentz is expected to play a private Fall Out Boy show for a Sweet 16 party, New York’s Daily News reports.

The couple can’t keep quiet about how happy they are.

“I feel great!” Wentz told Seacrest. “It is sunny and 65 in my head.”

[From Us Weekly]

Pete had made the basement honeymoon comment to Ryan Seacrest when he called in to chat on his morning radio show. Ryan asked him a few pregnancy-related questions – which, despite the way Us phrased it, is not a certainty at this point – and Wentz responded: “Ryan, this baby has not been confirmed,” he said. “The only thing I’m confirming now is that we’re in the basement on our honeymoon with these blow-up palm trees.”

I’m just going to point out that the basement and blow-up foliage didn’t turn out to be true – I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumored baby wasn’t either. But what a great way to sell records and up the asking price for your chin-tastic wedding photos, no?

While Ashlee and Pete were on their honeymoon, older sister Jessica Simpson honeymooned with her husband… er, dad, Joe. And her mom Tina probably tagged along too, until Joe ushered her away. The three went on vacation to Cabo San Lucas for the exact duration of Ashlee and Pete’s honeymoon. I’m guessing Joe and Tina took Jessica away to distract her.

I imagine whenever Jessica would start to feel sad or melancholy or mention Tony Romo, Joe would try to distract her with shadow puppets. And that would probably work for an hour or two, but inevitably Jessica’s mind would wander back to her happily knocked up sister and her own myriad of ex-boyfriends. And that’s when Joe would get on the phone to some high powered agent and work on buying Jessica’s next relationship.

Supposedly Amy Winehouse is making another attempt at rehab. It’s hard to get psyched up on her behalf anymore. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s gone in the last year. And after every time she rallies she seems to fall even harder than before. And enjoy it more. I mean the girl really seems to relish all the attention she gets for being a major f*** up. That’s really the only way I can put it at this point.

According to the Sun, Amy is going to Israel for some novel approach to rehab. It’s based on one doctor’s belief that addiction is a neurological problem, not a psychological or social one. The details are vague, but he claims it cures everyone of addiction. Which makes me pretty darn skeptical.

Amy Winehouse will fly to Israel in a bid to beat her drug addiction, according to the chairman of the country’s Anti-Drug Authority. Eliezer Cohen says the Ivor Novello Award winning singer will undergo a “very short, intensive and effective treatment” costing £6,400.

He told the Jewish Chronicle: “Amy’s people spoke to a renowned Israeli institution and an Israeli professor who conducts a very special and effective method. She has requested to come to him to do this method, since it’s a method that is suitable for her.”

Andre Waismann, who will treat Amy, said: “All of my patients are discharged healthy and no longer dependent. There is a misunderstanding about drug addiction. People think it is a social and psychological problem, but it’s a neurological problem.

“Whether it’s Amy Winehouse or anyone else, it is a privilege to be able to treat anyone who is opiate-dependent, and allow them to live a normal life.”

[From the Sun]

So I’m guessing doctors don’t stress confidentiality so much in Israel? There are a lot of theories as to the origins of addiction, and even more ideas about the best way to treat it. It sounds like Amy’s family must be getting pretty desperate if they’re willing to send her so far away to get help. There are some pretty novel approaches to treating addicts, and it seems like at this point Amy should try just about anything that might work. Even just fewer drugs would be nice. What low expectations.

Amy won a prestigious the Ivor Novello Award last night for her songwriting. She showed up late to the ceremony and her father Mitch had to accept the award on her behalf. Though the fact that Amy showed up at all is impressive.

Here’s Amy leaving her Camden home at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning with her bags packed, and heading for a hotel. She appears to have a small spot of blood on her vest, as well as fresh cut marks on her arm, and sores on her hands. Images thanks to WENN.

Courtney Love seems to have a real problem with following basic rules. In fact she seems like she’s still an obstinate little kid: if someone makes a rule, she’s got to break it. Love was recently banned from a Virgin Atlantic flight after she was caught flouting one of the most basic of airline rules: no smoking.

Courtney Love was banned from travelling on a flight after she was caught openly flouting U.S anti-smoking laws by having a cigarette in airport departure lounge. The star was due to fly to London from Los Angeles on Monday (07Apr08) to attend a gig organised by charity the Teenage Cancer Trust, but was refused boarding after she was discovered smoking in the departure lounge.

She says, “I had a fag in the first class lounge, like two hits, and they wouldn’t let me on the plane with my daughter (Frances Bean, 15). They made some big thing like I’m a f**king terrorist or something. It was embarrassing.” A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic confirmed Love was allowed to fly to London the following evening (08Apr08) and has not been blacklisted by the company.

[From Contact Music]

Frankly I think Love is pretty lucky that she wasn’t blacklisted from Virgin Atlantic. Airlines are pretty strict these days. She would have done herself a lot more good if she’d apologized or in some way acknowledged that what she’d done was wrong. Instead she made it sound like it was all the airline’s fault for overreacting. They seem to have pretty strict rules about lighting up, and if Virgin Atlantic had given Love a pass, it would have caused a lot of people to say they were showing favoritism.

The fact that Love expected to be able to break the rules everyone else has to follow – and then go on her merry way – doesn’t speak highly of her. If she’s really embarrassed, it should be by her own behavior, not the airline’s response.

Courtney must have gone right back to London after her gig, because here she is leaving the Groucho private members club in London, at 3am, hiding her face under a bowler hat yesterday. WENN reports that the bag in the photo was full of pills that Courtney Love took out of her purse after leaving the Groucho Club. Images thanks to WENN.