Alec Baldwin kisses his career goodbye

[fushigi]

This is going to bury him. What a f***-up. Alec Baldwin left this message for his 11 year-old daughter last week; Kim Basinger got ahold of it and released it on the internet.

You have to listen to it to understand what a prick this guy was. To talk to an 11 year-old girl like that is absolutely cowardly and despicable, and I for one can't imaging viewing the man kindly again (though he's always seemed like a loudmouth idiot to me anyway.)

Here's what I don't like though. Rush Limbaugh:

Alec Baldwin, one of our leading Hollywood liberal Democrat "intellectuals," demonstrated what liberals are like when the camera is turned off.

Conflating Baldwin's idiocy and an entire political party AND the film industry? Awesome logic. The old "that bird's blue, therefore all birds are" one. Love it. Cheers, Rush.

Oh yeah, and this:

I'm going to tell you, we guys and gals in talk radio, folks, are getting sick and tired of the filth and the degradation and the lack of civility and abuse that happens on TV today, and is perpetrated by those who are on TV.

Wonder if he includes Fox?

[Jack]

I wonder if he includes himself. I especially like how he feels he has to equate the moronic behavior of an individual with his perception of liberals. Why didn't he also cite the fact that Baldwin is male and white? Then he could have said, "Alec Baldwin, one of our leading Hollywood white male "intellectuals," demonstrated what white males are like when the camera is turned off."
Why do I even bother with the crap that spills from Rush's lips? I have yet to hear a single intelligent comment from them.

[bishop]

only partisan fools actually listen to and believe the garbage rush spews as far as i'm concerned. i've yet to encounter a single rush fan who i've considered remotely balanced and independently minded.

of course, rush is a fountain of mental crap, whereas this sort of behavior from baldwin is quite surprising - and not anything to be proud of. it's definitely going to stain his career prospects, that's for sure. although, i'm sure he has more than enough money that he doesn't really need to work either.

[Jack]

This discussion brings another thought to mind.

Why are we surprised when our "heroes", celebrities and politicians, act like human beings? Why do we expect them to behave so much better than the rest of society? They're as imperfect as the rest of us.

[bishop]

i'd be just as surprised if my supposedly "mr. nice guy" neighbor suddenly erupted and behaved similar to baldwin..

[Chaossaber314]

Clearly this outburst was uncalled for by Baldwin but I can't shake the notion that it's seriously out of context.

I got in a fight with my ex-girlfriend once over the phone while she was out of town. Toward the end of the fight she let 3 of her other friends who were in her hotel room listen in on the conversation. By the end of the fight I was pretty pissed off and wasn't sounding like the nicest person but I was totally justified by the rest of the conversation and the fact that she had called only with the intent of provoking a fight so she could show off for her friends.

Point is, just because we catch the end of apparently a series of back and forth messages, does not mean we can judge the entire situation solely on the one set of comments that are leaked to us from someone with something to gain.

[Century 25]

of course, rush is a fountain of mental crap

.. exactly.

That gossip used to be reserved to the tabloids.. "enquiring minds want to know.. " lol.. I venture to say that describes Fox network's audience.. for "enquiring minds"

Divorce & custodial issues are often fraught with dirty trickery.. using the kid(s) as instruments of revenge.. Basinger found a way to push papa's buttons.. then scored the Coup de grâce with his recorded response.. I feel sad for the children exposed to such shenanigans..

[The Decider]

Quote by: Chaossaber314 Point is, just because we catch the end of apparently a series of back and forth messages, does not mean we can judge the entire situation solely on the one set of comments that are leaked to us from someone with something to gain.

I agree. What Baldwin said was pathetic and immature, but we don't know the whole story, especially the identity of the person who leaked a private phone message to the media. Was it the jilted wife? If so, she dragged her own 11 year old daughter's personal nightmare into the global spotlight. That's true love and concern. Use the 11 year-old's telephone messages to launch a counterattack against Baldwin. Of course, the 11 year old may have outted her father's tirade, I don't know. Or maybe a divorce attorney. Whatever.

Baldwin isn't the only asshole in this sordid business.

[PatrickHenry]

The rage of a frustrated father.

Most of you on this board are too young to know what it feels like to be treated contemptibly by your offspring. But I know. And I sympathize with Baldwin's frustration and anger.

His language? Over the top and inexcusable considering his daughter's age and gender. His attitude of correction and determination to discipline is entirely justified, however.

Children need to respect their parents. Parents need to love their children. It looks like they both failed in this instance.

Is their relationship over? Hardly. Is Balwin's career over? Get real, he's a big star and an accomplished actor. Will he always be a target for the BO from the right-wing armpit like Limbaugh because of his "liberal views" and high political profile? You know he will, unless he turns his money and talents into support for the war criminals.

[bishop]

personally, i'm not big on hollywood liberal activists, but i've never completely written him off. the guy's very intelligent imo, and is heavily engaged in intellectual pursuits. his documentary works have been my favorites.

[Epistemologist]

Quote by: PatrickHenry Children need to respect their parents. Parents need to love their children. It looks like they both failed in this instance. Is their relationship over? Hardly. Is Balwin's career over? Get real, he's a big star and an accomplished actor. Will he always be a target for the BO from the right-wing armpit like Limbaugh because of his "liberal views" and high political profile? You know he will, unless he turns his money and talents into support for the war criminals.

Indeed, Russell Crowe did fine even after throwing a telephone. Or did he?

[fushigi]

Well, he didn't throw it at his 11 year-old daughter, did he?

I think one of the keys here is Baldwin saying in the message, full of righteousness: "I'm going to come DOWN THERE, and spend THE DAY with you, you hear me, THE DAY!"

Obviously the creep is an absent father with no relationship at all with his daughter. To him, she's just an annoyance, a pawn in this divorce deal. Seems like he just doesn't like to be challenged by anyone.

I've been liking him less and less these days - his improv "PATRIOT ACT!" in The Departed was totally out of place and unnecessary - lacking the subtlety elegance that movies with a convincing political message give us.

[brien]

Whose business is this anyway? Baldwin, his daughter, and his wife. Perhaps a joint family counsellor and the divorce court as well. The electronic media has turned into one giant tabloid sniffing and searching for the next celebrity who they can rake over the coals for ratings. It is disgusting. People who thrive on this type of "entertainment" really need to reevaluate their idea of entertainment or "news".

[hatman]

he just sounds like a really really angry dad saying stuff in the heat of the moment

[Osborn F Enready]

I am not going to judge anyone from one issue like this, especially a parental issue.

[ZNFYRH]

First of all, we only heard one half the story, and an ugly half.

I did some more research into this, out of morbid curiosity, and discovered the following:

The divorce is messy. Alec wants contact with his children and Kim is keeping him from them, so the court ordered that he be able to call them during a court-appointed time.

His use of the word "pig" towards his daughter is, for me, where he crossed the line. But other than that, here's something else to think about:

Listen to the message again. Really listen. Psychology says that anger is often not really anger, but instead derived from another feeling. Yay for Anger Management!!

Listen to the things he is saying.

I'm willing to bet that he was very hurt by what happened. I bet he really loves his daughter and truly misses her. I think her failure to be there for his phone call hurt him deep down in his gut and reached him on a very dark, painful level.

Instead of expressing his emotions clearly and correctly, he instead let the anger control his words.

To me, this sounded like a textbook case of a guy who loves his kid very much, and was so truly hurt by her actions, that he lost control.

[Osborn F Enready]

Have you ever gone through anger management?

I have, and I think it did nothing but make matters worse, and further push validity into my reasoning for anger.

Can't speak for all of them, but my experience was more a "make him angry and see if you can make him pop" experience, to which I will never subject myself again.

[ZNFYRH]

Yeah, Anger Management three times.

I hated it.

Whenever I was pissed off, I calmed myself and expressed myself rationally and clearly. But nothing was done because people told me they didn't think I cared.

That's my beef with Anger Management. Use it, and people don't think you care enough. Don't use it, and people think you're a lunatic.

[Slevin57]

oh no, Alec Baldwin is a jerk......People in Hollywood are not nice? What? Can this be. *sarcasm*

Maybe his daughter should get her 18 year old boyfriend to beat Alec Baldwin up.

[xyzer]

Hmm, hasn't this foul tempered dolt been at the forefront of the elite medias complainers about the current administration? The war? Bush? The elite media including Baldwin can be considered leftist(liberal) however else you want to describe their political leanings.

I don't usually listen to Limbaugh but he is right on in this description of Baldwins politics. Baldwin is an outspoken critic..among the myriads who complain but usually offer no solutions! He has no intellectual or scholastic background for his utterances but they are repeated because of his celebrity status..this exemplifies the idiocy in modern media driven society.The flakes like Baldwin, Hilton, O'Donnel et al, are thrust upon us and with the aid of the irresponsible press shape our customs, mores and culture. He, and they are menaces! Terrible examples for all of us and particularly our youth!
And yet Limbaugh who points this out, is criticised by some of you? Where are your standards?