Zynga : "Let Alec Play"

[The Wooster]

Zynga : "Let Alec Play"

Zynga shows their support of veteran actor Alec Baldwin, after an angry strop over a game of Words With Friends got him kicked off an American Airlines flight.

The story thus far: Alec Baldwin was quite happily sitting on a plane enjoying a game of Words With Friends when an air stewardess asked him to switch his phone off for takeoff. Baldwin, incensed at having his game interrupted, expressed his displeasure by shouting and slamming doors until the airline staff decided enough was enough and kicked him off the plane.

"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving," he tweeted. Later, he added "Last flight w American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants." Shortly thereafter his Twitter account was deactivated.

Baldwin has since apologised for the outburst, but did add that other passengers were using their phones during takeoff. "He loves 'Words with Friends' so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it," joked his spokesman.

When quieried, Zyanga, the developers responsible Words With Friends, responded with image to the right.

While the idea that using your phone, laptop or DS during take off will cause the plane to come hurtling back to earth in a terrifying fireball has been dismissed as an urban myth [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/disruptions-fliers-must-turn-off-devices-but-its-not-clear-why/], the Federal Aviation Administration still it takes it very seriously. Airlines caught ignoring the policy - and yes, the FAA does check - can be given massive fines. That's why airlines insist you turn your phone off, it's not because they hate fun. Well, okay, maybe some of them do.

Source: Industry Gamers [http://www.industrygamers.com/news/zyngas-interesting-response-to-alec-baldwin-getting-removed-from-plane/]


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[dmase]

The FAA really has it's shit together these days huh?

 

[Archemetis]

'Celebrity loses shit over game, Zynga in full support.'

Honestly, no matter what I read about that company it always comes across as damning...

 

[The Wooster]

'Celebrity loses shit over game, Zynga in full support.'

Honestly, no matter what I read about that company it always comes across as damning...

Funnily enough, that was my original headline.

 

[jonnosferatu]

The thing that worries me was that his Twitter was deactivated shortly afterward...

I mean, we were already pretty aware that he's not a particularly pleasant person, but why was his Twitter punished for this?

(possibly punished by him, of course)

 

[Neonit]

he shouldnt just be thrown out of the plane, he should be thrown out of flying plane. straight into insane asylum if possible....

ps is it wrong if i have no idea as to who that guy is? oO

 

[Phlakes]

I still think he was a dick about this. There's no other reason to not respect the rules for, what, 10 minutes?

 

[HardRockSamurai]

This is all a big misunderstanding. The stewardess wasn't telling Alec Baldwin to turn his phone off; she was just trying to stop him from playing a Zynga game.

I for one salute her.

 

[Formica Archonis]

The thing that worries me was that his Twitter was deactivated shortly afterward...

I mean, we were already pretty aware that he's not a particularly pleasant person, but why was his Twitter punished for this?

(possibly punished by him, of course)

Or he was going to get on it and say the kinds of things that make publicists drink, so it was preemptively axed.



Personally, I can't side with anyone who throws a tantrum over a stupid company policy, because I work for a company with a number of such stupid policies, and serve as the insulation between the people who make them and the people who scream about it. If it pisses you off, switch to another company. If it's something everyone does because of industry-wide regulations, then shut up and cope with not sucking on your Facebook teat for ten minutes.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Yes Zynga, throw your support behind the guy who reacted in a totally childish manner by throwing a tantrum when asked to turn his cell phone off. I mean geez, people complain about small children making flights miserable, what about these celebrities that throw tantrums at the drop of a hat? I mean ffs, Baldwin is a grown ass man who pitched a fit over having to pause his crossword puzzle game, and Zynga thinks it's a good idea to say he was in the right?

Reminds me of that Chapel Show segment "When Keepin' it real goes wrong."

 

[Formica Archonis]

Baldwin is a grown ass man

Personally I think one of those words is inappropriate.

Not only was he not acting like a man, but I find it's a better summary of his behavior to leave "man" out.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

Don't cellphones have a airplane mode? or is that just for shits and giggles...

 

[lacktheknack]

Rules, standards, and societal norms... who needs 'em? Not Alec Baldwin, that's for sure.

<adds to the "never invite" list>

 

[KeyMaster45]

Don't cellphones have a airplane mode? or is that just for shits and giggles...

They do, but they still require that you turn it off during take off and landing. Once you're up in the air at cruising altitude you can generally take it out and enjoy a game of peggle without catching any grief.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I dontk now if its acutally a good thing if Zynga does support you. you'd think you'd rather have them not, like if PETA supported you or smething.

Oh well. I can ionly say what i did when a friend told me this, which is Baldwin acted like a child so Im not surprised he was kicked off. Besides, we've all seen World Police, he was probably just mad he couldnt enact whatever evil north korean plan he was hatching.

 

[Agayek]

All I can really say about this is that I really hope Baldwin was thrown out of the plane like one throws an unruly patron out of a bar. It's absolutely disgraceful that he can pull that shit and get away with it. Supporting him for that is just depressing. He acted like a child and was treated like a child. End of story.

 

[Something Amyss]

Celebrity asked to do normal thing, acts like a douche--supported by game company.

This is bumping Nelson Mandela out of the history books.

 

[Denamic]

Electromagnetic interference can disrupt the flight instruments of an aircraft.
Thing is though, the amount of interference needed to have any effect whatsoever is several thousand times more than a cellphone could possibly generate.
I'm not sure why they still cling to this myth.

 

[Quaidis]

I don't care what the NewYorkTimes says about the 'flight disruption through electronics' thing being debunked. It isn't. Not all electronics do it, but once in a lone while the signal through texting or such will mess with the radio signal to the tower (probably because the signal is going to a satellite and back). Make it hard for one to hear the other and such. It may not directly impede flying, but it can get damned well distracting for a pilot who needs important messages from his own people.

I mean, I have a hard enough time recording music in an audience because texting cellphones cause this loud screeching feedback on the microphone. Think of how distracting that would be for someone who's keeping people's lives in the air.

Now imagine some turd out there who's throwing a full-blown tantrum because he can't simply turn off his application and grab, say, a newspaper or Sudoku booklet to do his puzzles.