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American Airlines flight attendant removed from flight after rant

An American Airlines flight moments from take-off at DFW was sent back to the gate this morning after a flight attendant began ranting over the PA system about the plane crashing and eventually had to be restrained by passengers and flight attendants, according to two passengers on the flight.

Flight 2332, scheduled to take off for Chicago at 8:25 a.m., was back at the gate by 9:15 as police escorted the flight attendant, kicking and screaming, to one of the several police cars that surround the plane on the tarmac, passengers say.

According to two passengers, the flight was taxiing toward take-off this morning when the flight attendant came over the PA.

“We are not taking off,” she said, according to the passengers. “We’re having technical difficulties. We are heading back to the gate.”

Another flight attendant came on and assured the passengers: Yes, actually, we are taking off, so buckle up. But the flight attendant up front wouldn’t let up. She kept going on about technical difficulties and plane crashes, the passengers say.

“Captain,” she said. “I am not responsible for crashing this plane.”

Passengers started yelling, asking what was going on. Flight attendants hustled through the aisles, saying nothing. A passenger from Wisconsin, who I spoke with a few minutes ago, called 911 but was ultimately hung up on. But not long after, some guys in the back of the plane, in town for a Sam’s Club company meeting, walked to the front of the plane and helped restrain the flight attendant, who the passengers are hearing was “off her meds.”

Apparently the plane did eventually take off after restocking the alcohol supply. There might be a clue in there somewhere…

Read more here.

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Broadway All-Stars at the NBA All-Star Halftime 1998

My friend John just sent me this, which I had never seen.

This was the halftime show for the NBA All-Star game on February 8, 1998. Including performances from the casts of Chicago, Bring in da Noise/Bring in da Funk, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde, Miss Saigon, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Les Miserables and Titanic.

Two thoughts here: first, terrific melting pot of the shows on Broadway at the time. Really great performances from so many talented folks. Love it.

But isn’t it interesting that this was the NBA All-Star Game Halftime show? Just thinking about the audience in the stands… maybe not all huge Broadway fans?

Or maybe they were. It was Madison Square Garden, and NY-ers love Broadway.

In any case, what an huge undertaking and very well done.

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Jobs report shows 227,000 jobs created in February; Republicans say situation is not improving

Click to enlarge

From the Republican National Committee on the February unemployment report:

“Today’s jobs report is yet another reminder that far too many Americans are out of work, and the situation is clearly not improving. Millions of families continue to feel the pain of the sluggish Obama economy and the rising cost of gas, groceries, and healthcare. They are still waiting on President Obama to keep his promise of an economic recovery,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

Now – maybe they hit “send” too quick on this one.

The jobs report today actually showed that the economy created 227,000 jobs in February.

In addition to the number of jobs created in February, the report showed an upward revision of 61,000 jobs created in December and January.

Additionally, there was a 92,000 drop in the number of people unemployed for over 27 weeks, coupled with the entrance of over 476,000 into the labor force — a sign of confidence in the economy.

Certainly we all want to see the economy improve faster but how do you say “the situation is clearly not improving” when it clearly is…?

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Britney Spears to be next judge on The X Factor?

J-Lo revitalized her career with a judge spot on American Idol. So now, it looks like Britney is about to give her career a boost with a gig on The X Factor.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Britney Spears’s fiancé Jason Trawick has been brokering the deal, although sources say X Factor head honcho Simon Cowell actually approached her first.

THR thinks this could be a good move: “Spears brings legitimacy as a successful recording artist, something critics of X Factor say was missing in last year’s competition, as well as a level of unpredictability and drama that also was largely absent from the Fox show when Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul were judges.”