6 embarrassing travel moments for famous people

Take the nerve-scorching environment of an airport, throw in a diva and hungry paparazzi and you’ve got a formula for scandal and drama. Squeaky-clean Asian celebs have exposed their naughty sides while traveling. These tales are bad for their image -- but great for the gossip pages.

1. Björk punches a reporter who says, “Welcome to Bangkok!”

If you see Björk in an airport, stay far, far away. In 1996, the Icelandic singer landed in Thailand after a difficult flight. At the gates, a brave but foolish soul called out, “Welcome to Bangkok!” Faster than you can say “Jerry Springer,” Björk jumped on the reporter and landed several punches before being pulled away. It was déjà vu in 2008 -- she tore a photographer’s shirt when he tried to snap her arrival in Auckland.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Bai Ling arrested for stealing batteries at LAX

Chinese actress Bai Ling is best known for posing on red carpets with her nipples hanging out. But the bad girl turned criminal in 2008. Police arrested her for shoplifting two celebrity magazines and a pack of batteries from an LAX airport store. Bai Ling paid the US$250 fine and wrote off the incident as an “innocent mistake.”

 

 

 

 

 

3. Shilpa Shetty detained at Mumbai airport for kissing Richard Gere

In a moment of whimsy, Richard Gere kissed "Celebrity Big Brother" winner Shilpa Shetty on the cheek at a 2007 AIDS benefit. Indian officials reacted by issuing a warrant for her arrest. Shetty was detained at Mumbai's Chattrapathi Shivaji International Airport under obscenity charges and questioned for hours until the notice was officially overturned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Bollywood actor grilled by customs because his last name is Khan

He’s one of India’s most recognizable names, but in the U.S., Shah Rukh Khan was percieved to match the profile of a potential terrorist. Last August, Newark International Airport detained the Muslim star until Indian embassy officials intervened. Khan told reporters he “felt angry and humiliated.” Red faces all around.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Anti-drug Hong Kong stars arrested in Tokyo for heroin and marijuana possession

In March, Cantopop stars Jill Vidal and Kelvin Kwan were caught carrying marijuana and heroin in Shibuya. Vidal admitted to bringing 16 bags of smack into Japan; she was slapped with a three-year suspended sentence while Kwan was released to Hong Kong authorities. Ironically, the teen idols participated in a 2007 anti-drug campaign.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau spotted with secret wife in airport

Music and movie luminary Andy Lau kept his marriage to Malaysian beauty queen Carol Chu under lock and key -- until the pair was spotted together in Hong Kong’s airport last August. Rumors raged until Lau admitted the truth, claiming he'd lied to protect his wife’s privacy and shield devastated girls from heartbreak.