Tattle: Mid-air smooch draws airline ire

TWO WOMEN KISSED on a plane the other day and it sure drew a lot of attention.

Yesterday, Libby Coffey, the publicist for Kisser No. 1 Leisha Hailey, best known for playing Alice Pieszecki in "The L Word," felt compelled to say the smooch was not a stunt for Hailey's band, Uh Huh Her.

No, but saying it wasn't a stunt was.

For those who haven't been paying attention, Hailey says she was escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight for "one modest kiss" with her partner, Kisser No. 2, Camila Grey.

Southwest said the kiss was excessive and drew customer complaints. Hailey has since asked her Twitter followers to boycott Southwest.

Hailey and Grey yesterday denied that the affection they showed each other was inappropriate.

"We want to make it clear we were not making out or creating any kind of spectacle of ourselves, it was one modest kiss," their written statement said. "We are responsible adult women who walk through the world with dignity. We were simply being affectionate like any normal couple."

Hailey and Grey acknowledge that they became upset after a flight attendant reprimanded them and told them that Southwest is a "family airline."

"No matter how quietly homophobia is whispered, it doesn't make it any less loud," the statement said. "You can't whisper hate. We ask this airline to teach their employees to not discriminate against any couple, ever, regardless of their own beliefs."

Hailey and Gray said they plan to file a formal complaint with the airline.

Southwest said in a release posted on its website: "Our crew, responsible for the comfort of all Customers on board, approached the passengers based solely on behavior and not gender. The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight."

Southwest's website says it is the official airline of GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

But Southwest's nitpicky staff recently kicked off Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong for wearing his pants too low and last year removed filmmaker Kevin Smith from a flight because he didn't fit in his seat.

Unless one of these women pulled out a strap-on and blocked the aisle, was this really necessary? Can't Southwest just focus on potential hijackers and letting bags fly free?

Billboard.com reports Guns N' Roses, Heart, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and The Cure are among the first-timers on the short list of nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2011, joining returning hopefuls the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, War and Donna Summer.

Other first-time nominees on this year's ballot include the Small Faces/Faces, the Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Freddie King and rappers Eric B. & Rakim.

Tattle doesn't get a vote but if we did, the five acts we'd pick are GNR, Heart, Laura Nyro, the Spinners and the Beastie Boys.

* Northern Ireland farmer Alan

Graham didn't know who Rihanna was when he enforced a dress code as he watched her shoot a video Monday in his Bangor wheatfield.

For her song "We Found Love," Rihanna switched from a flannel checked shirt into a stars-and-stripes bikini, a red bra, a mesh black top and finally went topless before Graham climbed off his tractor to protest.

"The state of undress was becoming inappropriate," he said.

But his wheat stood tall.

- Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.