Lauren Rae Bertolini: Archive

I had the chance this afternoon to speak directly with director Kevin Smith. I let him know that in my 18 years here at Southwest, I have never dealt with a situation like what has been unfolding in the last 48 hours. I let Kevin know we have refunded his airfare. I told him we made a mistake in trying to board him as a standby passenger and then remove him. And I told him we were sorry.
Now, 48 hours later, after talking to many involved, we know there were several things going on that day and that our Employees were doing their best to get his flight out safely and on time, including finding seats for everyone and trying to accommodate standby passengers. The Captain did not single Kevin out to be removed, but he did ask that the boarding be completed quickly. At that time, our Employees made the decision to remove Kevin after a quick judgment call that he might have needed more than one seat for his comfort and those seated next to him.

Although I’m not here to debate the decision our Employees made, I can tell you that I for one have learned a lot today. The communication among our Employees was not as sharp as it should have been and, it’s apparent that Southwest could have handled this situation differently. Thanks, Kevin, for your passion around this topic. You were a reasonable guy during our conversation.

Southwest, like most carriers, has a policy to assist passengers who need two seats onboard an aircraft. The policy is an important one for the comfort and safety of all passengers aboard a plane, and we stand by that 25-year-old policy. This has our attention, and we will be reviewing how and when this delicate policy is implemented.

Regardless of my own beliefs on this matter, brava for Southwest — This is so far beyond a simple “we’re sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Feb 15, 2010-1 notes

Feb 14, 2010-1 notes

#deliciousfood

fek:

…has produced the best wire report maybe ever. Johnny Weir has to stay in the Olympic Village with all the funky Eastern Europeans and people who don’t speak awesome because he is being threatened by fur activists…for being fierce.

I’m sorry, but if Johnny Weir can’t change the world, nothing can. I love this person.

Agreed. He is the main reason why I plan on watching the Winter Olympics.

Feb 13, 20109 notes

“Weir is sharing a room with American ice dancer Tanith Belbin, which will feature “our icon,” Lady Gaga, on the wall. “She needs to be there watching over us, protecting us,” Weir said.” —An AP report on Johnny Weir

Feb 13, 20101 note

"Breaking Dawn" Will Be Split into Two Movies

nbclocal:

The “Twilight” saga is going to be even more of a saga. Summit Entertainment is looking to make the last book from Stephenie’s Meyers “Twilight” series into two movies.

“Breaking Dawn,” the climax to the vampire-werewolf-human movie love triangle, will be filmed back-to-back starting in October, reports DeadlineHollywood.com. Titles for the films have not been determined yet.

The double play is not a huge surprise and makes obvious sense for the highly-lucrative movie franchise. But the official announcement will be big news to the worldwide army of Twlighters who will happily shell out the money to see a “Twilight” extension.

The book is Meyers’ longest and divided into three parts — the first and third sections are told from the point of view of Bella (Kristen Stewart), and the second section from the perspective of Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

No director has been attached to these projects. The world is very familiar with the main cast who have been turned into international superstars with the release of “Twilight” and last year’s “New Moon.”

Twilight-star Peter Facinelli told Popcorn Biz last week that the crew had finished the third movie “Eclipse.” The Vancouver shoot required extensive training for the intense stunts required. The action-packed flick is due out on June 30.

He added that the cast was “waiting in the wings” for the decision on the final book.

From Popcorn Biz