I’m sure that all of us who have reared children have said a few things to them we wish we could have taken back, but this one really takes the cake. The interactions I’ve regretted are because I felt as if I had overreacted or was in the wrong. I 
suspect Alec will regret his words not because they are a vile and atrocious assault on a little girl who is his own flesh and blood, but because they’ve received a public airing.
I’ve never much like Alec Baldwin as an actor because, to me, at least, his overweaning sense of self-importance shines through in every role he plays. After this tirade against his 11 year old daughter, I dislike him even more.
No doubt he will follow the formula: make a weepy apology, blame his outburst on alcohol or drugs, and announce that he’s checking into rehab for a few days.
The official website of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, low carb pioneers and authors of Protein Power.
Isn’t Alec a PETA spokesperson? Must be that vegan lifestyle he follows that blesses one with calm and good karma 😛
Hi Hellistile–
I hadn’t thought of that, but I believe you’re right. That explains everything. Give ol’ Alec a little good quality fat and it might mellow him out a bit.
Cheers–
MREÂ
Read that this morning and I was just horrified at his comments. It’s bad enough that he and Kim Basinger are putting this child in the middle of a nasty divorce but then to make comments like this that drag her into it is just inexcusable. I’ve never liked him much and this is just the nail in the coffin.
Thanks Dr. Mike: I agree that I have never liked him in the movies (played an arrogant real estate bigwig in Glengarry Glen Ross), humiliating Jack Lemmon, and in Mercury Rising with Bruce Willis as a corrupt government NSA higher-up – got taken down quite nicely. Although, that may be why he is a successful actor, he can play that type of part so well. Thanks for your continued quality input on the blog, and I am planning on making the tortilla soup, posted on the other Dr. Eades blog, for dinner tonight!
David Futoma
Hi David–
I had the very same tortilla soup a couple of nights ago, and it was delicious. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Cheers–
MREÂ
Oh come on.. get some balance.. check out Glenn Sacks blog post on Alec’s outburst, a much more balanced, considered examination of it than your hysterical reaction Michael.
http://glennsacks.com/blog/?p=590
Duncan.
Sorry, Duncan, but I stand by my hysteria. The vile Baldwin spouted wasn’t at his ex-wife, which, from reading the link you sent, would be understandable. It is pretty obvious that there is a strategy of parental alienation going on here, masterminded by Bassinger, which is loathsome. But Baldwin did this bit all on his own. Bassinger teed it up, Baldwin hit. He’s a frigging adult; the daughter is a little kid. It’s his responsibility irrespective of how angry he is to keep the relationship in perspective. And, this is the only tape that has been made public. For all we know, this is a daily occurrence. In my opinion the man is a swine.
MRE
Wow you were really close on the apology.
Not blamed on drugs but “parental alienation drove me do it”
Yes blaming it on the public airing “whenever one enters a courtroom”
The whole affair is pitiful.
MREÂ
“Sorry, Duncan, but I stand by my hysteria. The vile Baldwin spouted wasn’t at his ex-wife, which, from reading the link you sent, would be understandable. It is pretty obvious that there is a strategy of parental alienation going on here, masterminded by Bassinger, which is loathsome. But Baldwin did this bit all on his own. Bassinger teed it up, Baldwin hit. He’s a frigging adult; the daughter is a little kid. It’s his responsibility irrespective of how angry he is to keep the relationship in perspective. And, this is the only tape that has been made public. For all we know, this is a daily occurrence. In my opinion the man is a swine.”
I couldn’t have said it better.
We all say things that we can’t believe we said. But he was over the line….way over. She’s a child!! (And yes, mother should be ashamed for, as you say, teeing it up)
Michael,
Nice to see in your reply that your tone is becoming more balanced and that you’ve started to acknowledge the role that the Mother has played in this whole sorry saga.. something that was missing from your rush to publish your initial hysterical vitriol.
Duncan.
Duncan–
In this case – as in all divorces – it is the parents who couldn’t get their acts together, not the children. Child abuse aside, most children of divorced parents love both of them and would much prefer to have them together. Since the breakup is the parent’s doing, not the child’s, and since the child’s ego is tied to both parents, it is incumbent upon BOTH parents to do their bickering between themselves without dragging the kid into it. In my opinion there is nothing worse than children being used as pawns in a fight between parents, which appears to be what is happening in the Baldwin case. That said, his call to his daughter was inexcusable. And going back and rereading my post, I don’t really see it as hysterical vitriol. Baldwin’s behavior was beyond bad, and his being angry at having been yanked around by his idiot ex-wife does not exculpate him. Imagine how this little girl must have felt getting this message from her father calling her a ‘little pig” among other things.
MREÂ
Ireland’s been a pull toy between Baldwin and Basinger for years–about once a year something comes up in the news about them fighting over her in court papers. These people shouldn’t have been allowed to own a goldfish together, let alone have a kid.
How true.
the thing as mentioned above that i’ve thought for years is the biochemical angle vis both he and Basinger being vegetarians.
The irony, thick as it is, of them not eating meat i.e. being less violent, more kindly to the earth etc is that they canny even be decent to one another or seemingly the child.
That he would leave such a message is pretty shite..that she would release it to the public is almost as bad.
Seriously if i were the Judge i’d see if there seemed to be any decent relos and maybe send the little girl there for a few months.
Both parents seem really pathologic in their behaviours.
I thus suggest rampant dietary modification vis Mr and Mrs Eades model, Omegabrites x 6 per day, no booze and work in a homeless shelter for the next six months..oh yes and a punch bag for both of them !
Hi Simon–
Good ideas all. Problem is neither one of them strikes me as people who would listen to reason.
Cheers–
MREÂ
I think your bias has led you to your overreaction Dr. Eades. Yes, what mr. Baldwin did is inexcusable. But even more vile than the act was that Kim Basinger and her slimey laywer decided to make this public. Making this inapropriate act public is about 1000x worse than what Alec’s tirade has done to her.
I have lost some respect for him, but I’m not going to let any preconceived bias influence my judgement like you have. Regardless of what we may think of Alec Baldwin as a person – the man is one hell of an actor.
Picasso was one hell of an artist, but he was total scum as a human being.Â
I’m with you all the way on this one Doc. Baldwin’s a lousy actor for exactly the reason you mention and his message to his daughter is nothing if not a vicious assault. (I’d say his tone was a tad bit more hysterical than the tone of your commentary.) I heard another father commenting that he wouldn’t speak to his own daughter like that even if she had sold his house to pay off a drug debt. And who would leave that kind of venom on a tape recorder? Baldwin’s as stupid as he is poisonous — I hope he goes down hard.
Too bad he didn’t leave the country as promised in 2000.
Cheers–
MREÂ
Actually I’m with Duncan on this one.
Angry raving aside (and I’ve said a few NASTY things in my life to my loved ones that now makes me want to crawl into a hole…), Kim Bassinger has always been a strange, scary person. I remember in the early 80’s, when I was closely following her career, I read every interview available on her, and she always came across as mentally disturbed and disconnected. I remember when I heard she was pregnant, I actually shuddered!
And.. what mother tapes her daughter’s conversation and runs to the press with it? (Which is what absolutely happened).
Sometimes people just drive us to do things we absolutely regret in the end. I am sure that happened to Alec. It’s called being human, and I believe he will take responsibility for his phone call. Hey, being human…it’s even Biblical!! Us mortals were no different back then…and I can assure you, David did not belong to PETA.
Dear Dr. Eades: Great tortilla soup!! In fact, up until now my favorite Cookworx recipe had been the green chili enchiladas –I make a double recipe in a large baking pan and have leftovers all week, since I have to eat and run most evenings. The soup is now a close second. I prefer these dishes to the fare you get in typical mexican restaurants! Thanks!!
David Futoma
Hi David–
Glad you liked it; I certainly did.
Cheers–
MREÂ
What kind of man calls his little girl a “pig” and all the rest of his vile statement! I don’t care what his excuse is, I am a mother of three and went through a nasty divorce with my children. The battle is with the other “adult”. She is a child and he might listen to the tape closely to understand why he does not have a good relationship with his daughter. Regardless of what the mother does, it seems he is the one destroying that relationship. When someone speaks to me that way, I don’t want anything to do with them either! Smart kid!!!
His comments were below and beyond what anyone should say to a child. If this had been said by a school official, he would already be under arrest, but because it was uttered by a PARENT, too much leeway is being given. The entire tirade would have driven an adult to tears if given in person. I’ve listened now several times, and he was demanding behavior from an eleven year old that is really not possible–plus the insults–too much!
Do I think Bassinger was wrong in doing this? Perhaps, she felt this was the only way to curb Baldwin’s behavior–as you said, Dr Mike, she teed it up, he didn’t have to swing. This is probably not the first or the second, or the third time he’s done something like this, and I speak from personal experience. Perhaps he will now be required to take parenting classes.
I’m sure he’s frustrated with the mother, who sounds like a real piece of work, but that doesn’t excuse this kind of behavior toward a child.
MREÂ