“It is 8:22, my plane landed 17 minutes ago,” said Rosie O’Donnell from the 9:30 Club stage Wednesday night, explaining why she was 20 minutes late for her scheduled 8 p.m. “I got out of the car and walked right on stage.”
According to O’Donnell, she might not have even made it to her double-billed appearance with Cyndi Lauper, were it not for an accommodating pilot on her Delta Shuttle flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
She told the several hundred fans assembled that she said to the pilot she’d only get on if he promised the flight would land somewhere around 8. “The pilot says, ‘I’ve seen the [True Colors] show every year for the last three years, I’ll get you there,’” she said. “We cut the line … there were 21 planes waiting.”
Not exactly, said a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia. “There were no special favors nor moves of aircraft for Ms. O’Donnell,” he said, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration enforced delays all over the northeast. He confirmed, however, that her flight left at 5:53 p.m. (about 30 minutes late) and landed at Reagan at 8:01 p.m. (about an hour and 12 minutes late, after some additional in-air holdups).
Still, it wasn’t enough time for O’Donnell to get done up. “I have no makeup on,” she said. “When I left the last gig, Cyndi said she’d do my hair and makeup. … I don’t have the girl gene.”
“You gotta look like you’re at least trying,” Lauper told her.
And Rosie stuck on the stage long after her 30-minute set of comedy ended, singing backup for Lauper and, more importantly, exchanging banter with her between songs.
The pair’s “Girls Night Out” tour continues for two more dates in the Northeast. Here’s hoping the planes are kinder to Rosie.
