Alec Baldwin Makes the Wrong Call

Baldwin is a critically acclaimed actor who has morphed from a handsome leading man into a grizzled and sometimes puffy character actor, equally at home spouting a foul-mouthed soliloquy in the 1992 David Mamet film "Glengarry Glen Ross," and doing self-effacing comic turns on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and current hit "30 Rock." Baldwin's performance as a network executive in the Thursday night comedy netted him a Golden Globe in January. NBC referred calls to Baldwin's publicist.

The phone call to his daughter mirrors in tone Baldwin's acclaimed scene in "Glengarry Glen Ross," in which he lambastes under-performing real estate salesmen.

"We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest," says Baldwin's character. "As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired. You get the picture? You're laughing now?"

Baldwin joins former sportscaster and "The Insider" host Pat O'Brien and others -- celebrities and regular folk -- whose embarrassing voice-mail messages have made it into public view. O'Brien entered rehab for alcohol abuse in 2005 after a series of obscene and sexually suggestive messages he left on a female friend's phone were leaked to the Internet.

Even former radio host Don Imus found himself in a boat similar to Baldwin's. Though Imus's racial slurs were made to an audience of millions, the controversy that led to his firing was fanned by the MSNBC video clip of his comments seen widely on YouTube and other Web sites. Like Baldwin's phone call, what Imus said was irrefutable and instantly uploadable to a globally wired audience that seemingly cannot get enough of bad stuff about celebrities.

The last words heard at the end of Baldwin's voice mail foreshadow the scandal to come, it turns out. A computerized voice can be heard saying: "To replay this message . . . "

Staff writer Korin Miller contributed to this report.