I used to like Alec Baldwin

[Deechef]

But when I read the text of a telephone message he left for his daughter I was appalled. No child should be spoken to that way :mad:

What a messy custody battle and the child will suffer no doubt!!

[mom2garret]

OMG! I couldn't believe what he said to her in that message. A judge ordered he can have no contact with her right now. YOU THINK!!!????
Calling your child (any child) a PIG??? Makes you wonder what went on behind closed doors :(
Jodi

[SDMomChef]

Link to phone message:

http://www.foxreno.com/entertainment/12550145/detail.html

Wow - what an absolute jerk. I can't imagine talking to my children in that way when they get to be 11 or 12. It seems appropriate that the court temporarily is denying him any visitation rights. Wow. Just Wow.

[Chefzhat]

Never been a fan of his. I have a friend that was a neighbor of his growing up and she is full of stories of his family. NOT a very nice group.

Given the stories I've heard about him, the voicemail doesn't surprise me. What a pr*ck.

Debie

[Chefzhat]

Wow. Just Wow.

Tee hee. Love this. :D

[boisewinesnob]

Link to phone message:

http://www.foxreno.com/entertainment/12550145/detail.html

Wow - what an absolute jerk. I can't imagine talking to my children in that way when they get to be 11 or 12. It seems appropriate that the court temporarily is denying him any visitation rights. Wow. Just Wow.


I can't imagine talking to my adult children that way. I agree. Absolute jerk. :mad:

[stefania4]

Can you imagine being 11 years old and having Entertainment Tonight, your teacher, your friends' parents and your track coach all know that your father spoke to you that way??? Horrifying.

[Chefzhat]

Isn't it terrible - that hadn't occurred to me until you said it. Good grief. That poor girl.

[Kate B]

I can't imagine talking to anyone that way, but especially a child. Was never really a fan of his, but now I'm REALLY NOT!

[lindrusso]

Poor child. :(

Hey Alec, let's say you're right and she really is a "thoughtless little pig" - if she leads by your example, maybe now she can add "foul-mouthed, ego-tripping (since it seems to be all about how she made you look bad), a$$hole" to her list of qualities. :rolleyes:

Yeah, even the worst brat doesn't deserve that. :(

[leightx]

Honestly, I think it's just as horrifying that his wife and lawyer / publicist / whatever released the tape. Making a public spectacle out of your ex-husband at the expense of your daughter is not ok. :mad:

[mom2garret]

Deb: Spill the DIRT! :p ;)

Oh, can I just ask WHO leaked the message? Why that would be Kim Basinger, no?? IMHO I think that was a pretty low and sucky thing to do also.
The divorce was messy from the beginning, no wonder :eek:
Jodi

[mom2garret]

Leigh: great minds think alike. We were posting at the same time :)
Jodi

[LakeMartinGal]

It's too bad they divorced... I think they deserve each other! But it's a shame that their daughter has to be treated this way by both parents!:(

[jmarie]

Making a public spectacle out of your ex-husband at the expense of your daughter is not ok.

I agree. This should have been handled in court as a good example of the abuse he is capable of. But not presented to the public for our "listening pleasure" or whatever reason they decided to do this. I imagine that this child loves her dad and something like this isn't going to help their relationship. I think the judge should order him into counseling.

I understand his frustration, he apparently has tried to call the child before, but his behavior and language was inexcusable. He needs to learn how to deal....(like we all have) It used to be that I heard from my children when they needed help and that was it...we all go through it. But he is going to fix it so that she will never call him in a time of trouble.

How sad. :(

[Robyncz]

I feel really sorry for that kid. She is very likely being manipulated by her mother (who, if she DID release the tape, is NOT looking out for the best interests of her child!) and has a volatile father. Blech.

It sounds like the anger Alec Baldwin has is really directed at Kim Basinger, but since he doesn't have access to her, he projected it at that poor kid.

What a disaster! How do people get to the point that they use their kids to hurt each other. I just can't imagine!

[SDMomChef]

Was it released to the media, or was it in the court documents where Kim's lawyers asked the court to deny all visitation? Perhaps the media picked it up from the court documents, unless the court records were sealed...in which case, Kim or her lawyers or whoever released it to the media gets a BIG "shame on you!"

[Deechef]

And ya know....we wonder why kids grow up to be murderers, drug addicts and prostitutes. How could that have happend to such a sweet young girl when she had all the advantages?

Sometimes I think adults need to freaking grow up. Parental alienation personified in this case. It makes me sick. Sicker than sick

[kima]

As a child of divorced parents I heard and saw a lot of things I shouldn't have ;I was shaking as I listened to that message.


No matter what Kim Bassinger might have done in regards to their daughter and her relationship with him there is NO justification for a father to heap such abuse upon a child.

I will never watch anything with Baldwin in it. EVER.

[Robyncz]

Was it released to the media, or was it in the court documents where Kim's lawyers asked the court to deny all visitation? Perhaps the media picked it up from the court documents, unless the court records were sealed...in which case, Kim or her lawyers or whoever released it to the media gets a BIG "shame on you!"

The website TMZ received it from a source they refuse to identify, but they say they were assured the child was okay with it being played publicly. The court records were sealed.

[misskitty100]

From the little I know about their situation it really is very sad. I believe Alec was flying every other weekend from NY to LA to see his daughter and I guess that is not going to happen for awhile. Does anyone know what the daughter did to rate a message like this?

[Beth H]

Does anyone know what the daughter did to rate a message like this?

From the context of the message, it sounds like she did not answer her phone at an appointed time for a call from him.

The message is terrible - and I have to admit, I've always liked him as an actor and thought he probably was the more "wronged" party in the protracted divorce procedings with Kim Basinger. But, this message certainly makes me re-think that opinion.

[GingerPow]

I just heard this rant that Baldwin left on his daughter's answering machine. It is disgusting - if he has a functioning brain cell in his head he should be ashamed of himself. What true "parent" talks to their child like that? Be the adult dammit!

That really struck a nerve with me.:mad: After some of the things that both my parents have said to me (and each other) over the years, I have ZERO tolerance for that $h1t.

I just wonder what else he has said to his daughter that we'll never know about, and what really drove Bassinger to divorce him. Creep.

[Gumbeaux]

I get Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin confused in my mind sometimes. I think I'm going to get them confused more often now. :rolleyes:

[GingerPow]

I get Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin confused in my mind sometimes. I think I'm going to get them confused more often now. :rolleyes:
Don't worry about it Gumbeaux - I think they may be the same person anyway.;)

[jmarie]

Don't worry about it Gumbeaux - I think they may be the same person anyway

You guys........:eek: :D

Joyce


PS I just read this on the Drudge Report

"Alec Baldwin has taken a vow of silence after a recording of a volcanic tirade by the actor to his 11-year-old daughter appeared in US media reports.
The Oscar-nominated star of "The Departed" unleashed a heated tirade at daughter Ireland, who has been caught in the middle of tit-for-tat legal battles between Baldwin and ex-wife Kim Basinger in recent years.

Baldwin's April 11 rant -- where at one point he informs his daughter that she is a "rude, thoughtless, little pig" -- was reported widely in US broadcast and online media Friday.

The 49-year-old actor's ire was apparently triggered by Ireland's failure to switch her mobile phone on for a scheduled call with her father.

"Once again I've made an *** out of myself trying to get to a phone at a specific time," Baldwin says in the message. "I'm tired of playing this game with you. You have insulted me for the last time.

"You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being -- I don't give a **** that you are 12 or 11 or a child or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the *** who doesn't care what you do."

Baldwin then tells his daughter that he is going to fly to Los Angeles to "straighten her out."

Baldwin's spokesman said in a statement that "in the best interest of the child" the actor would "do what the mother is pathologically incapable of doing -- keeping his mouth shut and obeying the court order."

The statement said Basinger and her lawyer leaked the tape in violation of a court order, and that Baldwin regretted the choice of language used.

"Although Alec acknowledges that he should have used different language in parenting his child, everyone who knows him privately knows what he has been put through for the past six years," it added.

Baldwin and Basinger, the star of "LA Confidential," split in 2001 but have been locked in bitter legal wrangling over related to Ireland's custody and visitation rights.

Basinger was charged with contempt of court last year for violating a 2004 custody arrangment. A Los Angeles court rejected a bid by Basinger's lawyers to have the charges dismissed this week.

[DeeK]

"Although Alec acknowledges that he should have used different language in parenting his child, everyone who knows him privately knows what he has been put through for the past six years," it added.




Ohhhhhhh. Well, then. I guess his behavior is justified. :rolleyes: :eek:

[stefania4]

I don't know that I'd be so quick to blame Basinger on this one. If her daughter was 5 or 6, absolutely. But at 11 years old, she may have shared it with a friend or a counselor and it could've gotten out that way. I seriously doubt an 11-year-old had a master plot against her father, and I'm not saying it's impossible that the mother wasn't responsible - just that it's not the only possibility.

[mbrogier]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that if I were his 11 year old daughter, I wouldn't be treated like that.

I'll bet that Ireland released the message herself. Imagine how Alec is around her if he's that vile on the phone!

[AzAnne]

Personally I thnk both are to blame!! Why in the world would you as a parent drag your child into a messy custody battle!! IMHO Neither has the child's best interest at heart. Both are just vendictive, greedy, egomanics !

[Chefzhat]

Personally I thnk both are to blame!! Why in the world would you as a parent drag your child into a messy custody battle!! IMHO Neither has the child's best interest at heart. Both are just vendictive, greedy, egomanics !

Yeah, no kidding. 6 year custody battles are sooooooo healthy and charactere building. :mad: :mad:

[newtricks]

Does anyone know what the daughter did to rate a message like this?

Nothing!!! He's verbally and emotionally abusive. There is absolutely no excuse for his behavior and absolutely no reason to even think that the daughter did something to "rate" it.

[newtricks]

Personally I thnk both are to blame!! Why in the world would you as a parent drag your child into a messy custody battle!! IMHO Neither has the child's best interest at heart. Both are just vendictive, greedy, egomanics !

To protect the child from abuse?? Think about it before you blame the mother.

[LakeMartinGal]

what really drove Bassinger to divorce him. Creep.I read that he verbally and physically abused her... I'm sure that, at least, it was verbal... Just something off about that guy!:(

[Julia1Pin]

OK, I only "know" these people in passing, and they don't even know my name, but my kids go to the same dance school with Ireland (different ages and classes).

Ireland seems like the most normal, well adjusted girl. You would never think she had famous parents. I feel so sorry that she's caught in the middle of this horrible custody battle. No matter what, she must love her parents and this has got to be rough on her. And yet, at least when I see her, she's laughing and screwing around with friends.

He was there every other weekend watching her, hugging her, bring the kids snacks, being nice to everyone who came up to him. You can tell how much he loves his daughter.

She's been their the last two weekends. She's very nice as well. Also willing to talk to everyone, even now. You can tell she really loves Ireland as well.

What a sad, sad situation. Their hatred towards each other seems to have clouded everything else :(

[SDMomChef]

Did anybody see his "apology" on the View? I only caught a clip of it this morning on the news shows. From the little that I saw, it didn't change my mind a bit - this guy is a jerk. He said something like "he took his frustration out on the wrong person"....hmmm...I don't think you should ever "take" frustration or anger out on somebody -find a better way to cope with your emotions!

[newtricks]

I didn't see it but I heard he brought up the concept of Parental Alienation which is referred to as a "cancer" in the following Newsweek article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14870310/site/newsweek/

He said that he has never lost his temper like that before. I would bet my last nickel that he's lying. For one thing, if you're going to completely lose your c$%p with your kid (which we all do sooner or later) it's going to be over something more earthshaking than a phone call not being picked up.

But the other thing is I don't care how mad I am - and I've been M A D - I don't call my kids names. Ever. That's verbal abuse and as damaging as striking a kid. He seemed quite comfortable with it.

[Kristilyn1]

Okay, I am NOT defending the guy. I never cared for him in the first place. That said, I am firmly filing this in the "we'll never know what is really going on" place.

First and foremost: What he said to his daughter was cruel and nothing "justifies" it, period. However, I can see this as the frustrating culmination of the "parental alienation" to which he is speaking. It seems that you can take some of what he said and see that it is meant for Kim. Some however, is meant for the daughter, obviously. Yes, 11 years old---she is a child, but don't assume that she is not capable of a deliberate campaign to drive her father crazy. She lives mostly with her mom, even if she is not actively trying to poison her daughter against her father, Ireland must have lots of frustration and anger about the whole situation and it is much more likely that she will take that out on the person who is least present, or least able to effectively deal with her behavior. Why I say this is a "we'll never know" situation is because I've seen this type of situation first hand---more than once. My sister's boyfriend has an ex-wife who he has been fighting with for over 4 years over the kids---even though the divorce has been final for years. She makes it almost impossible for him to parent the children because she undoes every one of his decisions relative to them. She refuses to release even the name of who their DENTIST is, he has no way to reach the children during the week, because she refuses to give him a number. She deliberately defies almost every single court order and every time the dad finds out and tries to do something--the court's literally do NOTHING. She is in complete and total control of almost every single aspect of their lives. She does not tell him about things that happen at school, by controlling the flow of information she controls the entire situation. As the daughter of a deadbeat dad---I've seen men try to do anything in their power to avoid responsibility for their children--but I've seen that the pendulum can and does DEFINITELY go the other way as well. Every time he thinks he's got the situation under control, such as the time he was able to prove that she was providing him with false dental bills for the children that she wanted him to pay or the time that he was able to prove that she was charging him 3x the cost of their after school care, the judge has basically ignored it. It defies logic. I also see my own sister manipulate her ex-husband in almost the same way. They get the children involved to the point where they think they are doing the right thing to defy the dad and they literally can do nothing to stop it. It's one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed and I've heard of other instances as well, but none that I could comment on personally.

Again, I'm not saying it makes it right, but I can see how such a campaign can make someone behave in such a way. What makes me think that this couldbe that kind of situation is the fact that if the only number he has for her is the cell, all she has to do is ignore his calls and there is not one darn thing he can do about it, even if it is court ordered. He can bring out the lawyers--file another motion and chances are, the judge will accuse HIM of wasting their time or being vindictive. When one person is in control with little or no recourse--people can go nuts.

That said, I didn't think his apology was all that sincere, but I think he is so caught up in the overall situation that he is unable to look at his own behavior. What did resonate with me however, was his comment about men who have had to write off their own children and I don't think it's a stretch to believe it. I hope that they are able to get past this and try to find some way to co-exist for the benefit of their child and not the detriment. He also needs counseling to get through some of these feelings he is obviously having trouble dealing with.

Kristi

[Kristilyn1]

I did want to elaborate a little further on the parental alienation I talked about in my other post, whether is relates or not to the Baldwin-Basinger situation...who knows.

I used to think that if one of the parents defied a divorce order--all you had to do was call the police and have it dealt with...if it was a serious breach...such as refusing to let you have your children during your court ordered time--but at least around here, it is NOT the case. They will refuse to get involved and are much more likely to chide you to "get your s&$t together and stop fighting over the kids". So, you go to court and the judge listens to all you have to say and does........nothing. Doesn't even address it in the ruling. Next time you go in, you are getting P.O'ed, judge LOVES that. It's a vicious cycle that seems designed to make parents crazy. If nothing else comes out of this, I hope that someone, somewhere will take a very close look at family court and finally do something that can stop this kind of crap that enables parents to make pawns of their children for the express purpose of driving the other parent crazy.

Kristi

[Robyncz]

It just baffles me how otherwise normal people can end up in this kind of situation. My BIL and his ex-wife are both reasonable and intelligent people, or at least they used to be. Their divorce brought out the absolute worst in both of them. Had you asked me 10 years ago if either one of them would use their kids to hurt one another, I would have said no way. But the truth is, that's exactly what they're doing. They've been involved in a ridiculous custody battle over their three kids for the past 4 years. It's insane. And each one will tell you, and appears to believe, that they're only doing what is right for the kids.

How do people get to that place?

[misskitty100]

I obviously don't know Alec Baldwin and I haven't seen his apologie yet but I think Kristilyn is going in the right direction on this one. I believe I posted earlier that Alec was flying every other week from NY to LA for his visitation with his daughter. That is a LOT of time out of his busy schedule and to me, shows a real effort on his part to be with his child. I know lots of parents that see there kids on holidays and a few weeks in the summer because they live out of state.

I am also assuming since this has been so contenious that if there were the slightest inkling that Alec had a history of this type of stuff his parental rights would have been severed a long time ago. Hopefully this has been the only time he has lost his temper and hopefully it will be his last.

Personally, I have always thought there was something a little "off" about Kim Basinger. Have never been a fan of hers and I usually don't watch her type of movies either.

[charley]

Whenever I hear something like this in the "news" I try to stop and think how I would feel if my life were so exposed. It's easy to critique, but just keep in mind there's no way you're seeing the whole picture.

FWIW, I don't have kids, but I did live with a verbally abusive mother. Distance & time mellowed both of us and eventually brought us back together.

[Loremma]

I don't think either one is thinking of their child, or have her best interest in all the things they are doing. I think Alec is "suffering" what Kristilyn says as the absent parent under the control of the custodial parent. Sure he shouldn't say what he did, but what parent hasn't said or done something to their child that they regret? Maybe not to this degree--or maybe worse, but you certainly wouldn't want everything you say or do to your child to be put up for public scrutiny.

I know Kim is supposed to let Alec know when she is out of town for filming, etc, so he can be with Ireland (written in court papers). I remember reading where she didn't and he found out after the fact, went to court and nothing happened to Kim (at least that I heard of). Is that a better parent on Kim's part?

Here's her checklist before going out of town:
1. Have travel arrangements confirmed--check
2. Memorize script--check
3. Arrange limo transportation to and from airport--check
4. Neglect to tell Alec I am leaving town per our agreement--check
5. Coach Ireland on what to say to her father when he calls so he doesn't find out I am out of town--check.

Sure, it's exaggerated, but is her parenting that great?

[misskitty100]

I just watched Alex on the View and thought he was very sincere and straight forward about his situation.

[tennismate]

His apology was totally about himself IMO. Pretty lame.

[ourthreegirls]

Did anyone else notice that he kept referring to his daughter as "the child"?

i.e. "The mother took the child to visit all relatives in town except the child's grandma"; "The moment the mother took the child back home, the phone was turned off and there was no more contact with the child", etc.

Probably not exactly what he said, but something to that effect, and it just struck me as SO weird. :confused:

[AvrilH]

I've seen close friends go down this agonizing path - the pain of your family tearing apart must be horrible. If I were separated - alienated - from my children, my disapointment over something like a missed phone call could actually be a breaking point.

I certainly have said things (hopefully not that bad) out of frustration to my kids that I regretted instantly. I can't imagine what it would be like to hear it blasted on the Internet.

I feel sorry for that whole family. Can you imagine how long it has been since ANY of them felt happy? Those poor people.

[sharhamm]

I feel perhaps he was manipulative and abusive to his former wife and uses his daughter to try and maintain some power and control over the both of them. Having to be available to answer a cell phone call at a certain time each day is ridiculous. If I told someone in my family to be available at a certain time everyday to answer my cell phone call, they would look at me like I were crazy! People do have lives, especially children. It's not like he is calling from outer space and can only get through at this certain time. He is manipulating and using control. His interview on The View certainly showed that he needs some sort of anger management.

[Loremma]

My understanding with regards to the missed phone call was that it was a scheduled call since he cannot have any contact with his ex-wife. And he felt Kim purposely made it possible for the daughter to miss the call. Since he's on the East coast and Ireland on the West, I think scheduling a call would be a good thing.

[zwieback]

From what I've heard, the scheduled phone calls were court ordered. And, it seems as though this wasn't the first and only missed call. So, if this was court ordered and the girl is deliberately missing the calls (or the mother is preventing the girl from taking the calls), I think it is terrible. It would be like not allowing a child to visit with a father on his scheduled weekends.

I'm certainly not excusing what was said. AB certainly shouldn't have said what he did. However, I'm reserving judgment on the guy as I don't know all of the facts of the entire situation. From what I've heard on tv, this is the nastiest divorce that many people have ever seen. Who is at fault? Anyone? Both? I have no idea, so it isn't my place to judge.