Amypee’s Weblog

With the surplus of adept PR professionals abound, I am amazed that some celebrities still manage to come off as anything but gods and goddesses among us mere, imperfect mortals. I would think it impossible, in fact, for anything but droplets of pure gold to fall from the lips of our apotheosized stars. I just assumed that what comes out of their silly heads passes through some Wonka-like Hollywood PR machine, and all the shrill shrieks, inane drivel, and that which is generally incomprehensible comes out shiny and new. And who are the men and women behind the curtain? The specialists.

We’ve become so spoiled by Hollywood’s finest public relators that we are conditioned to expect a certain level of polish. So when a celebrity’s image, which includes what they have to say for themselves, falls short of perfection, I find it difficult to ignore. Take, for example, a disturbing article about recently reemerged former boy bander JC Chasez from PerezHilton.com. As a judge on MTV’s new hit series “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew,” Chasez is in the public eye more now than he has been in several years. And naturally, with that, comes media attention– both unwanted and not. According to People.com, Chasez has been less than thrilled with the recent speculation that he and close pal Chase Crawford are anything but close friends.

But it’s not the unwarranted gay rumors that disturbed me so. Rather, it was JC’s sad attempt at a dignified response. Here’s how he put it:

“The fact of the matter is I’m a straight guy and I’m allowed to have [guy] friends. I don’t care about [people's] assumptions or anything, but when people outright lie, that’s wrong. So I think that part of the rumor is outright stupid.”        

First of all, the guy uses the word “outright” twice within the span of two sentences. That is atrocioius. That is outright atrocious. I also think he meant to say “downright” that second time around. The fact of the matter is that he shouldn’t start off his defense with “the fact of the matter.” It sounds defensive, and we all know what that means. And peppering speech with additional phrases like “or anything” is useless and annoying. 

Despite JC’s good intentions here, his unprofessionalism loses him credibility.  This is an incredibly talented, handsome, and classy guy with years of experience under his belt. But he comes off as anything but that when he fails to go through that ever-important PR machine. A specialist could have easily helped tidy his thoughts because it’s what they are best at. And that would serve not only to enhance JC’s image as he deals with the issues addressed in the articles that continue quoting him, but it would also set the tone for him as he reenters the world of celebrity. 

So, to all the not-so-perfet celebrities out there, I say never let us see you sweat. Please. Instead, have a nice man or lady with a big heart of gold and an even bigger vocabulary (and preferably a communications degree) stand by your side. And if you can’t find one, “I have no comment at this time,” is just fine, thanks.

The Sitch 

It was almost a year ago the recording of what should have remained a very private exchange between father and daughter became the stuff of national headlines. Tapes of the irate message Alec Baldwin left his daughter Ireland on April 11, 2007 somehow fell into the hands of the masterminds over at TMZ, and word of the disturbing rant soon spread.  

In the message, Baldwin refers to his then 11-year-old as a “thoughtless little pig,” just one of the many insults slung at both her and her mother, Kim Basinger, during the two minute outburst.  Since the tape’s public debut, Baldwin  has suggested Basinger as the source of the leakage, an implication Basinger thoroughly denies.  And, while Basinger’s publicist contended that the tape was not sealed by the court, Baldwin’s lawyers beg to differ, claiming to TMZ that, “Whatever happened…was sealed and confidential.  What you’re telling me you’ve got you shouldn’t have.”

The unfortunate incident was the culmination of a long and embittered custody battle over Ireland that began in 2002. According to one friend who spoke out on Baldwin’s behalf, the tirade was a reaction to the frustration caused by six years of Basigner’s attempts to alienate Ireland from her father entirely. After the tape’s release, Baldwin’s custody rights were suspended until a hearing scheduled for May 4.  A spokesperson for Baldwin also released the following statement shortly thereafter:

“In the best interest of the child, Alec Baldwin will do what Ireland’s mother is pathologically incapable of doing… keeping his mouth shut and obeying the court order. The mother and her lawyer leaked this sealed material in violation of a court order. 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.”

The Coverage

That Baldwin’s angry words were directed at a child, specifically his child, has not won him much sympathy from the media.  Journalists unabashedly threw around terms like “sickening” and “abusive,” words that undoubtedly shaped the extremely negative perception of Baldwin in the aftermath.  Furthermore, with transcriptions of the rant abound, the most biting of Baldwin’s insults aimed at his daughter is the one that simply won’t die. The phrase “rude, thoughtless little pig” has been burned in our brains through its repeated appearance in various headlines and bylines.  It’s what we remember first from the terrible debacle.  And, worse, Basinger’s camp siezed an opportunity to let Baldwin’s colorful language do it’s own damage.  As her spokesperson so plainly put it, “The voice mail speaks for itself.”  

As for who spoke out during the crisis, the list is as varied as it is predictable.  It seems, though, that the loudest voices among them were Baldwin and Basinger, of course, as well as her publicist and his lawyers.  Not only did his lawyer notify the public of his intentions to obey court orders in the weeks thereafter, but Baldwin himself also released a formal statement of contrition and deep regret.  Basinger’s responses were usually curt and uninformative.  Furthermore, the statement Baldwin’s pal released in his defense also appeared in several articles.  While media attitudes toward Baldwin regarding the incident started out as relentlessly indignant and nearly hostile, he was gradually cut more slack as time passed and he took the proper steps to begin righting his egregious wrong. 

The Bloggers

Identifying a singular voice of the blog-o-sphere would be impossible. Reactions to Baldwin’s plight are as varied as are the bloggers themselves.  One writer wholeheartedly sympathizes with Baldwin’s explosion and goes so far as to encourage other parents to make their children’s tantrums public in an effort to thwart future brattiness.  I think perhaps this was one of the more personally charged accounts I found, though. But it brings me back to my central point–that blogs are just that: deeply personal.  It seemed that many of the blogs I encountered, like this one, were written by parents who chose to more deeply analyze the nuances of the adults relationship that led to the incident. These are likely adults who witnessed the famed relationship in its entirety and its subsequent, very public demise.  Their interest is vested, and as parents themselves, they use their blogs as forums to comment on the vast inner workings of a family in peril, be their opinions harshly critical or compassionate.

A Comparision

Both information sources viewed Baldwin’s behavior as a parent, for the most part, as largely irresponsible and, thus, inexcusable.  But while mainstream media journalists are obligated to remain unbiased in their coverage, bloggers are free to be more explicit about their reactions to the incident. And, again, while the media coverage was largely uniform, there were blogs that deviated from the typical vilification.

On a Personal Note…

I firmly believe that Baldwin reacted in the weeks following the now infamous voice mail with great poise and dignity. He was neither trite nor pathetic, which must have been hard to avoid. His statements in the aftermath subtly chided the public into remembering that he is, in fact, human without ever explicitly asking us to, which makes the effect all the more sincere. Furthermore, he raised the question for all of the fathers who suffer in these custody battles, as he admitted his pain. And forgoing the temptation to justify his actions was crucial in making our newfound sympathy stick.

In a purely visceral sense, he had managed to compel me to turn around and question Basinger’s role in all of this instead. If he could do that without me realizing it, he must have done something right.