Celebrities forced to cancel shows

April 18, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

A volcanic cloud of ash hovering over Europe is causing quite a scene in Hollywood and beyond.

The ash spat out by an Icelandic volcano that has left thousands of air travelers stranded is also affecting celebrities, filmmakers, musicians and even pro-wrestlers.

With almost two-thirds of Europe’s flights grounded, cancellations and postponements were popping up across the entertainment landscape Saturday as Icelandic scientists warned that volcanic activity had increased and showed no sign of abating.

Organizers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., tweeted that some acts were forced to pull out of the weekend event, including British rockers The Cribs and Bad Lieutenant, Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit, and British dance trio Delphic. It also appears unlikely that British synth singer Gary Numan will make it to Coachella for his slot today.

Bad Lieutenant announced Saturday it also was canceling concert dates through Wednesday in San Francisco, Chicago and New York because of flight disruptions.

Whitney Houston was forced to ditch a plane for a ferry across the Irish Sea to perform in Dublin. The R&B diva, currently in the middle of her “Nothing But Love” world tour, opted for the not-so-glamourous boat ride after no-fly orders shut down airports across Europe. Houston was scheduled to perform the first of three shows Saturday at the O2 arena in London.

Scientists were indicating that travel chaos could extend into the new week, increasing the threat to New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, which begins Wednesday. Festival organizers said that some early arrivals — those scheduled to fly in Monday to help promote their films — had already been grounded. Tribeca is to feature films from nearly 40 countries, with many filmmakers from Europe expected to attend.

The cloud situation was causing havoc for World Wrestling Entertainment, the professional wrestling organization nearing the end of a two-week European tour. Several wrestlers and crew members traveled for nearly 17 hours in buses and ferries to make it from Lieven, France, to Belfast, Ireland. The trip normally takes about an hour and a half in a plane.