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April 20, 2007

Poor Alec Baldwin

There's just nothing worse that making a huge, horrible mistake and then having everyone find out about it. It's even worse when you have worked to develop the image that you are a smart, thoughtful, politically-astute person and your mistake unravels every one of those carefully cultivated public attributes. So I've got to say I'm feeling pretty sorry for Alec Baldwin today. Here he clearly cares very much about his daughter, but has this witchy ex-wife trying to alienate her from him, and apparently pretty successfully, and then he goes and has a terribly immature moment in which he blows up about it and says awful things, and the ex-wife releases a tape of it to the press, and now the whole world is hearing him call his daughter a pig. I've got a few thoughts about this, for what they're worth.

First of all, if anyone didn't know that Alec, or for that matter, any of the Baldwin boys, had a bad temper, you've been living in a cave.

Second, if you didn't realize his ex-wife had major bitch potential, you've been living in a cave.

Third, if you expected that movie stars would behave any better than regular people just because they have money, and you thought that this sort of interaction between regular parents and their children was unusual, then sadly, you've been living in a cave.

Fourth, if you thought hot-blooded people like these two could have an amicable divorce and custody battle, or that any divorce and custody battle could occur without horrible, humiliating, heartbreakingly cruel moments, you've been living in a cave. Trust me on that one.

Fifth, I'd any day rather have had my dad get really made at me if I was avoiding him than what I actually did have after my parents' divorce, which was my dad seeming to forget I existed at all.

Sixth, none of this is any of our business in the first place. The only reason it has legs is because Alec has come off as being so arrogant in the expression of his political views.

Seventh, I'm presently feeling a tiny soft spot for Alec, despite seeing him as an arrogant, puffy hot-head, because I just watched him host a truly great and thought-provoking show on cave men last weekend and I really loved it (gee, at least I can admit I'm emotionally swayed by such things). I guess my point is, we're all pretty weak and wretched creatures at times. But we also all can do great things. So I say, since it's entirely unfair that we ever even knew about this phone call in the first place, let's let Alec get back to inspiring and infuriating us with his commentary and opinions and let him and his bitchy ex-wife sort their problems out in private.

Posted by Becky at April 20, 2007 02:31 PM