LOS ANGELES – When it comes to saving the day, Maria Bello isn't confined to her reel-life role in the upcoming "Mummy." The actress recently became a real-life hero during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.
Bello was sitting in coach (yes, we were surprised by that as well) when 15 minutes after takeoff, passengers were alarmed by deafening screams coming from a woman who was suffering from a paranoid schizophrenic attack in the front section.
"The flight attendants didn't know what to do. But weirdly enough I did because I've had a lot of mental illness around me in my life," Bello told Pop Tarts. "It was really scary. They thought they were going to have to make an emergency landing.”
The "Coyote Ugly" starlet was able to use her skills to calm the passenger down and actually ended up sitting with her for the duration of the flight, praying and taking control of the situation.
"It made me feel really happy that I'd had these experiences with other people and knew what to do," she said.
Something else you might be surprised to know about the starlet is that she never envisioned herself as one to settle down. Although she's not married to her longtime lover, writer Bryn Mooser, Maria said the most significant discovery she's made is that it is truly possible to find that one special somebody.
"I've learned to believe in commitment, a long-term commitment," she added. "I never thought I could be that girl. And now I am."
We also asked co-star Brendan Fraser what his biggest discovery in life has been, but he said it was a little too steamy to be publicly exposed. ...
Shanna Moakler Gets Catty With Kim Kardashian
A little spice was added to the sexiness of Carmen Electra’s private pool party at the DKNY Beach House last weekend when Shanna Moakler mixed her drink with Kim Kardashian’s leg.
The reality starlet told Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM last week that she was simply hanging out with Electra when Moakler came along and said a few nasty things before throwing her drink on Kimmy’s leg.
Apparently the former Miss USA (who garnered fame a few years back by punching Paris Hilton) believes Kardashian may have hooked up with her ex Travis Barker when she modeled for his clothing line more than a year ago (Kim has avidly denied this).
Mind you, Pop Tarts saw Kim come to the soiree accompanied by her beau Reggie Bush (Moakler had already been there for a couple of hours), so a conversation about the reality starlet with another man was destined for disaster.
Speaking of disasters, Kardashian and Electra spent their weekend down at Comic-Con in San Diego promoting their flick “Disaster Movie." The dynamic duo both wore sexy, cleavage-bearing dresses which sent the nerds into a total spin.
"Carmen and I had such an amazing time; the people there was actually so cool," Kim gushed to Pop Tarts on Sunday at the 40th anniversary party for McDonald's Big Mac at Malibu's Project Beach House. "I couldn't believe how many fans came out to see us."
Um, we didn't have the heart to say that the convention was swarming with, like, A-list peeps.
Ted Danson Says Actors Are Full of S—t; Will Ferrell Eats Ice Cream on the Toilet
"Damages" star Ted Danson spent a fun-filled morning promoting the FX show's upcoming season at the Television Critics Association conference last week, but what we love about this guy more than his mean reel-life role is his real-life honesty.
Pop Tarts caught Danson embracing and chatting excitedly to a long-lost pal while waiting in the corridor of the Beverly Hilton. After the enthused exchange (and once Danson’s “friend” was out of earshot), another colleague mentioned how nice it must have been for him to run into an old pal like that.
“Nah, we’re actors. All actors are full of s—t,” Danson responded. “Everybody just wants to be loved; we do what we have to do.”
Hey — at least he’s honest. We ran into the star again that night with his actress wife Mary Steenburgen at the Los Angeles premiere of her latest flick “Step Brothers,” which centers around two almost 40-year-olds (John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell) who refuse to leave home. But it turns out that the boys still sport some interesting childhood habits.
“I like to eat a pint of ice cream on the toilet,” Ferrell told Pop Tarts, which was followed by Reilly confessing to an obsession with cartoons.
Spotted or Snapped a Star? Got a Good Scoop? E-mail poptartstips@gmail.com.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox