The Reliable Source
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
|
Wednesday, April 25, 2007; 12:00 PM
Reliable Source columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts were online Wednesday, April 25, at Noon ET to discuss your favorite gossip, what you think about their recent columns or who you want to see them writing about in future ones.
A transcript follows.
In today's
In recent days: Hey, did you hear that
A transcript follows.
A transcript follows.
____________________
Amy Argetsinger: Good morning all! Looking forward to your questions.
_______________________
Washington, D.C. 20016: Ladies,
How long before Scary Spice finds out if Eddie is the one? This seems to be dragging on forever. Get it over with, don't you think?
Roxanne Roberts: Nasty break-up, and paternity tests take a while if daddy doesn't want to cooperate. I guessing the court will order a test, Eddie will end up being the dad, and he'll be forced to pay millions in child support. Unhappy situation for all involved.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Hi there,
Have you heard the latest? Rosie is leaving "The View" in June because they want three years and she wants one. Also, do you think her latest comments(about Rupert Murdoch and her spat with The Donald) have hurt her standing with the show even though ratings are up with her there? Alec Baldwin will be on "The View" on Friday. What do you ladies think of Rosie?
Good Chat as always. Who needs TZM, TMZ, whatever they call themselves.
Roxanne Roberts: Key words: "Ratings are up." The fact is that Rosie attracts fans----some love her, some are offended by her---but she jump-started the "View" back to life after increasingly low interest. I have to beleive that ABC was thrilled: Rosie's opinions regularly landed the show on the news.
Personally, I believe her political beliefs frequently got in the way of the facts on any given issue, but she was never boring.
_______________________
"This year's George Clooney"?: Bite your tongue. Or, okay, slap your fingers off the keyboard.
Sanjaya may be many things, but he can't be compared to George Clooney in any capacity. Roxanne, how could you allow this blasphemy?
Amy Argetsinger: Rox is tied up on another question, so I'll answer for her.... I think you know where Clooney stands with us. We're just saying that Sanjaya was this year's Clooney in terms of being this years WHCA dinner IT Boy. He was the guy with the scrum of fans.
_______________________
Bowie, Md.: So Wolfy hooks up his squeeze with a cushy 200K job and she can't even show some gratitude by buying him new socks that don't have holes?
Amy Argetsinger: I know, ridiculous, isn't it? I don't know why People and US Weekly doesn't spend more time chronicling Shaha and Paul.
What would be their US Weekly name? WolfoRiza? No, I got it -- Rizawitz!
_______________________
Is it just me ...: or is this chat starting really sloooooowly?
Still recovering from all the week's parties, ladies?
Amy Argetsinger: No, just trying to express a whole lotta deep thoughts, and getting bogged down in the rhetoric... yeah, now that you mention it, still recovering, I guess.
_______________________
Star Jones ...: I may be one of the few who care -- but can we get any new gossip on Star Jones Reynolds? I saw that she was in town. And I also saw on people.com that she's (sort of) denying having gastric bypass (or similar surgery). I say "sort of" because she doesn't seem to as much deny it as she attributes her changes to exercise. Frankly, as long as she got healthier, it doesn't matter how -- so I hate for her to make surgical options seem shameful (if in fact that's what she had).
Roxanne Roberts: Agreed. For someone who shared so much of her personal life, it seems weird to pretend that she lost all that weight from exercise---especially since there were reports she was very ill after the proceedure. I'd love to hear what she did, what really happened, and if she think it was worth it.
_______________________
WHCA Dinner: Did either of you ladies have a microphone in your wrist corsage like your colleague Dana Milbank attempted to use? How did you first hear about the close encounter between the Rovester and the Global Warming Girls?
Amy Argetsinger: Wrist corsage!
No, alas, did not have a mini-microphone, though I don't know it would have done us much good -- Dana's apparently failed him, though we were all pretty convinced it was a fake prop anyway.
Rox was walking across the room (which is about the size of a couple aircraft carriers) and happened upon the wreckage seconds after the fight, when everyone in their wake was whispering "oh my god, did you see that?" She worked really fast to get it all.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What was the best party after the Correspondent's Dinner: Capital File, Bloomberg, or Vanity Fair?
Amy Argetsinger: As someone who stayed at the Bloomberg party until about 4 a.m., I'm probably not qualified to make a fair assessment. Clearly I was very happy there, but it also prevented me from making a full comparison. (That, and the fact I didn't get invited to the VF party. But ask Rox.)
Can I just say? When Mike Bloomberg is elected president, that will be the year for the best inaugural ball EVER.
Roxanne Roberts: Vanity Fair was very elegant, in a wonky Washington kind of way. Intense, intelligent discussions fueled by very good booze and candlelight. No Hollywood stars to fawn over, so everyone was free to pontificate. Bloomberg's bash was---as usual--gorgeous and fun. Never made it to Capitol File, but heard it was lovely.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: First of all, great job on the NBC Nightly News the other day. I didn't even know that was on on Sundays.
My question: Nicole Smith's baby's father was known in a short amount of time -- what is the wait with the Scary Spice/Eddie Murphy child? We need to know.
Amy Argetsinger: Why, thank you very much. I didn't know it was on Sunday nights either. The annoying thing is that when they ask you to be on the "nightly" news, you think you won't have to show up anywhere until like 6 p.m., and instead they rousted me out of bed at the crack of 2 p.m.
What do you mean Anna Nicole's babydaddy was known in a short amount of time? That baby was born in September.
_______________________
Calgary, Canada: As appalling as the Baldwin-to-child Ireland tape was, I'm sort of amused by the semantic steps Bassinger danced yesterday. She pointedly did not say that she didn't instruct someone else to release the tape.
I don't know how either of the principals could think such a move helped their case.
If the result is that her career tanks, Kim might become the new Heather Mills!
Amy Argetsinger: Maybe Ireland released the tapes?
_______________________
washingtonpost.com: people.com
_______________________
Logan North, Washington, D.C.: Are you surprised that there are not more dust-ups like the recent Crow-David/Rove spat at the White House Correspondents' Dinner? Given the unpopularity of the current administration, and the fact many of its senior officials (with some exceptions, such as Condi Rice) have lost much of their personal goodwill, one might expect such confrontations more often. I am surprised no one asked Alberto Gonzales at the dinner if he could recall where he had parked his car.
Amy Argetsinger: Actually, that's a very good point. I am a little surprised we don't see this more often. No one is ever going to agree on who was right, who was wrong, who was rude in this Crow & David vs. Rove dispute. And some might argue that no one behaved or reacted perfectly graciously.
But I also found myself strangely sympathetic to both sides. How so? For Rove, you have to imagine there was an element of "hey, this is my night off; give me a break." But specific issues and politics aside, look at this whole event from the perspective of the Hollywood folks. Every year celebrities are trucked in to provide some kind of decoration -- they don't really serve any other purpose, and you often see them with this "what am I doing here again?" look on their face. So I expect more of them to take the stance of "hey, if I agree to go, I want my face time with the president or his aides to get MY issue across."
Roxanne Roberts: True, but I do feel that this was not as spontaneous as it may have appeared. David and Crow are passionate about the subject, and confronting Karl was great political theater. Were they REALLY interested in what he had to say? I wonder what would have happened if he would have given them his card and said, "I'd love to arrange a meeting so we can talk in depth about this. Call me."
Think they wanted that?
_______________________
Empowerme, NT: Sarah Gore is a medical student. Wasn't one of John Kerry's daughters (Alex?) also a medical student? And John Edwards's daughter Cate is in law school? At least these young women are going to make a contribution to society!
Amy Argetsinger: Close -- Vanessa Kerry is the medical student, Alexandra is the filmmaker/actress/whatever. And yes, Cate Edwards is in law school.
Most people aren't so warmly positive about lawyers and their contributions to society.
_______________________
Fairfax, Va.: You guys dropped off your resumes at "The View" yet?
Roxanne Roberts: No. They haven't even called. We're barely able to type through the tears.
_______________________
More Star Jones: I just wonder if losing all that weight was a good idea if she is worried about keeping that man. Maybe he liked her chubby. Know what I'm saying?
Roxanne Roberts: Maybe it didn't matter whether she was chubby or thin. Know what I'm saying?
_______________________
Did you see this?: Cap Hill, Washington, D.C.: Solid celeb sighting at dinner on Friday night -- Bill Paxton (Big Love, Apollo 13, Weird Science, etc.) at Central. Pretty unnoticed, I guess because the place is so darn trendy. The waitress did not seem to know who he was.
I know many celebrities had the rubber chicken at the Hilton Saturday night, but maybe you want to ask chatters who they saw and where all weekend long?
Amy Argetsinger: Yes, please! Everyone tell us who you saw.
Bill Paxton was certainly making the scene in D.C. this weekend. Had a bunch of sightings of him come across the transom. He was at the Bloomberg party, but I somehow never crossed paths with him, possibly because I was silently stalking Tim Daly all night.
_______________________
Kensington, Md.: Hey Amy and Roxanne, did you read Joe Holley's obit for an ex-pat named Susan Elliott this morning? I was so brilliant and bizarre, I wanted to cry for her son, buy the movie rights to her book and see if Angelina was available.
washingtonpost.com: Susan Elliott; Washingtonian Who Married British Actor ( Post, April 25)
Amy Argetsinger: Thanks so much for mentioning this -- I sent my kudos to Joe Holley this morning. It's the best obituary I've read in months. What a life. I love the bit about the barstool. And also this particular paragraph:
"She was aware of her husband's affairs, exclusively with men as the years went by and, as the Telegraph reported, often rather exotic -- Moroccan gigolos, Chinese waiters, Spanish garage attendants, a hunchbacked Haitian dwarf."
_______________________
Anna Nicole/Scary Spice Kids: My apologies Amy, I meant a short amount of time once they began that whole paternity process following Ana Nicole's death.
Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, but even in the Anna Nicole case, there was a lot of back-and-forth legal wrangling before they got to the blood test. It took us a good two months to get that resolved. And thank goodness -- would have been a shame if that story vanished any sooner.
_______________________
Northern Virginia: I would like to weigh in on the side that thinks Laurie David and Sheryl Crow were inappropriate assaulting Karl Rove at the WHCD. I saw Laurie David interviewed somewhere and she seemed like one of the alpha girls in Junior High who were so proud of their exploit. The move seemed not only inappropriate but deemed to be ineffective. It was just "in your face."
Amy Argetsinger: Okay, thanks for writing. We've gotten a huge variety of opinions on the Saturday night smackdown via e-mail, and I expect we'll hear more in the chat.
_______________________
Tai Shan's extended stay: Two more years of Butterstick, baby!
Although he's over 100 pounds now. Pretty hefty for a toddler. Perhaps Lardbutt would be a more appropriate nickname.
Amy Argetsinger: Ha ha ha! I won't tell Roxanne you said that.
_______________________
My boyfriend's back: Ladies, we've had some good times, but you may be hearing from me less often. Gene's back. I thought I had quit him, but, well ...
But hey, we can still be friends.
washingtonpost.com: Gene Weingarten: Chatological Humor ( Live Online, washingtonpost.com, April 24)
Amy Argetsinger: Wait -- don't leave! We promise, we can change! We can learn to do flatulence jokes!
_______________________
Alec Baldwin will be on "The View" on Friday: OMG, that phone message he left for his daughter! I know I can't really know what a celeb is like, but my whole image of him has changed 180! What a creep! I used to think he was nice and easygoing!
Roxanne Roberts: Wasn't that the point of leaking it? Look, his message to Ireland is appalling. But, as a divorced mom, the fact that her camp released the voicemail for the whole world is worse. It exposes Ireland to public embarrassment and makes it even harder for her to have a normal relationship with her father. In situations like this, my top priority is the best interest of the child, and Kim has repeatedly prevent Alec from seeing Ireland. The whole thing is awful.
_______________________
Fairfax, Va.: How was Desperate Housewife wannabe husband James Denton? I didn't see too much copy on him. What's he like? How did he look? Is he hot in person?
Amy Argetsinger: He's a good-lookin' guy, though not in a way that dominates the room. Glimpsed him only briefly. I tell you, the thing about this event is that there are so MANY random celebs there that, even if you had room for all of them in your stories, you wouldn't even really know what more to say about them.
_______________________
Woodbridge, Va.: You know, while I don't condone what Alec Baldwin said to his daughter, I think he's become the poster boy for every man that's ever been dissed by the ex-wife in front of the kids. How many men have complained about being shortchanged in their divorce proceedings and seen only as a open wallet? Then again, how many men can't be bothered having a relationship with their children?
Even though Baldwin and Basinger have disintegrated into this, I still blame Basinger for not making Baldwin a priority in the child's life ("You will talk to your father when he calls."). He was trying to do the right thing and got blown off for the last time. The only thing the kid is learning is how to disrespect people whenever she feels like it.
Amy Argetsinger: Whatever's been going on in this dysfunctional family -- and you know it probably goes pretty deep -- this whole episode being made public probably hasn't done a thing to make the kid any happier.
_______________________
Pittsburgh, Pa.:"Kim Basinger says she didn't leak those Alec Baldwin bad-daddy voicemails."
While I think Alec was horrid for saying those things to his daughter (I don't care how angry you are at your child or your ex -- you don't talk like that to your own child), I don't quite believe Ms. Basinger either. SHE may not have leaked the voicemail, but I think she might have turned it over to her lawyer (or someone else), saying with a wink and a nod, "Do with this what you see fit," knowing full well that this person would leak it post haste.
I don't think I've seen a nastier, protracted custody battle than between these two. It's a shame because both of them are hurting their child, just to make each other's lives miserable.
Amy Argetsinger: Ugly stuff, yes.
_______________________
Just Curio, US: I thought the article by Dana Milbank and Libby Copeland about the after parties was hilarious ... but I had two questions. First, how did Dana Milbank get this gig? I thought he was a political reporter? And secondly, I always thought he seemed like he would be ... stuffy...but he seemed like a gas in the article. Is he really like that?
I realize that question may not be appropriate for Reliable Source, but I just wanted to ask! I love you guys!
Amy Argetsinger: Dana is one of the most versatile, multi-talented entertainers of our time. He's been a political reporter and a Style section reporter, and a political reporter for Style, and a White House reporter, and now a columnist. If you know Dana, it made perfect sense to have him working the party story. Seriously, he should have his own TV show -- kind of a public-affairs/variety thing, I'm thinking. It could be like a cross between "Washington Week in Review" and "The Sonny and Cher Show."
_______________________
Alexandria, Va.: After reading about Eliot Spitzer at the correspondents' dinner, I was kind of embarrassed for him. You would think a guy like that would not have act like a steamroller to get an autograph.
washingtonpost.com: At This Dinner, A Dollop of Vitriol ( Post, Reliable Source, April 22)
Amy Argetsinger: I loved that moment. It told you everything you need to know about the White House Correspondent's Association dinner.
_______________________
WHCA dinner : Tony Kornheiser on his Wash Post radio show described the getting the bum's rush from Larry David, who he had always wanted to meet.
And hey -- did you meet Chris Sligh from "American Idol"? He was sitting with the CBN/Pat Robertson group?
Roxanne Roberts: Larry may be brilliant but isn't the most gracious guy on the planet. More that one person tried to approach him and he greeting them with that shooing motion----you know, like trying to wave away gnats.
As for Chris, I was standing next to him at the bar and said, "Are you the American Idol guy or do you just look like him?" "That's me," he replied. I told him to enjoy himself and saw him lurking on the sidelines all night while Sanjaya was mobbed. Life isn't fair.
_______________________
New York, N.Y.: Was there anything George Constanza did on Seinfeld or David did in Curb Your E that makes you think he wouldn't be a cantankerous curmudgeon? Doesn't seem like a shock to me that he shooed people away. I'm sure his wife dragged him to that.
Amy Argetsinger: Exactly! When one of my editors got rudely dismissed by Larry David, he was kind of psyched about it. It's like, you're getting to see the real Larry David, and he's just like the man on TV!
_______________________
Vienna, Va.: John McCain is on CNN right now announcing he is running for president. I'm confused, have I heard that already?
Amy Argetsinger: I know! So confusing, isn't it, these candidates and their unofficial campaigns and their official campaigns...
_______________________
Lancaster, Pa.: Hi, ladies:
Read the piece about the D.C. girl on "The Bachelor" (is that a lame show or what). Anyway, Andy brings his own pedigree to the show. As the mom of a swimmer, let me tell you Andy made those marathon swimming meets tolerable!
Andy is sort of the Prince William of his family -- studious, responsible, nice to little kids, just a nice guy. His brother was the wild child Prince Harry type -- even has red hair!
Their dad got into politics by running against the incumbent who had the gall to suggest that a baseball stadium be built in Manheim Township (Lancaster's version of Great Falls). He was voted out of office last November because he was one of many State House members who voted themselves a raise at 3 in the morning (and just before the session ended in June). People are still hopping mad over it and expressed their displeasure in the voting booth.
Amy Argetsinger: This is more interesting than anything I've seen thus far on this season of The Bachelor. So, which girl are you rooting for?
_______________________
River City: In anna N's case, the father WANTED to be acknowledged, so he offered DNA ASAP. In Scary's case, we thinks the father does NOT want to be ID'd, so he's dragging his feet and will delay as much as possible.
Roxanne Roberts: True, but unless Scary was a very busy girl, it sounds like Eddie is the dad. Her version is that he was excited about the baby, then suddenly stopped returning her phone calls. Dumb move, if you ask me. If he is, in fact, the baby's father he won't be able to postpone paternity for long, and a judge will probably order him to pay back support. So I don't get the foot-dragging.
_______________________
Rizawitz: As a big non-fan of Wolfowitz, I just want to note that his girlfriend shouldn't be treated like she's K-Fed. She's been at the World Bank for years, is apparently highly qualified and very highly regarded, yet was given the boot because her boyfriend was appointed chief. Where's the outrage? This is way more than a glass ceiling: this woman was tossed out of her job for no other reason than her boyfriend is more important than she is!
The only real mistake I see in that part of this kerfuffle is that Wolfowitz should never have been personally involved in the negotiations for her temporary re-assignment. She's a big girl.
Amy Argetsinger: I'm so proud that "Ritzwitz" is catching on. Remember to credit me, okay?
_______________________
Don't blame the leaker: Even though leaking that Balwin message could have a negative effect on the kid, I hate this misdirection of blame towards the leaker. Baldwin left the message, did the bad thing, got caught. Let's not get misdirected by this 'blame the victim' scam. I hate it when bad people try to skirt blame by blaming the person who caught or reported them.
Roxanne Roberts: I disagree. Alec was an idiot to give Kim such a bomb to drop, and---based on this tape---I'm guessing he's verbally abusive. But I still think he played right into Kim's hands, and she has done terrible damage to her daughter by releasing the tape. My take: Kim would rather hurt Alec than protect her kid.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: What do you make of Scary Spice's spicy claims? I don't believe her at all. He's the one insisting on a paternity test and she's the one refusing. I think if she is refusing then she knows it isn't his. Probably her way of latching on to fame again. Really, she has no career to speak of. She's like that guy who was in Wham who wasn't George Michael.
Amy Argetsinger: You got a problem with Andrew Ridgeley?
_______________________
He called HIS daughter a pig!: if I were Basinger I'd do everything I could to keep Baldwin from seeing her daughter too! A father calling his preteen daughter a pig IS abuse. That is such a vulnerable phase where they need to feel special to their dad, and if he won't do it, she'll find an older man who will, in the creepy way.
Amy Argetsinger: I'm just going to put a bunch of these Baldwin/Basinger comments out there...
_______________________
But, but, but ...: What if the reason Kim won't let Alec see their daughter is that he talks to the kid like that all the time? I was emotionally abused like that by my dad and wish my mom HAD kept us away from each other, court decisions be damned.
Amy Argetsinger: more comments...
_______________________
New York, N.Y.:"But, as a divorced mom, the fact that her camp released the voicemail for the whole world is worse."
Are you kidding? How on Earth could it be BETTER to yell at, insult, and threaten one's 11-year-old child than it is to release a tape of someone else doing that to your child?
You can say it's not taking the high road. But WORSE????????? Come on, think about that.
Amy Argetsinger: more comments...
_______________________
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Some people seem to feel sorry for Alec Baldwin. But why? When I first heard this, I thought, big deal. Of course, I assume his daughter was in 20s or something. I figured he was yelling at an adult.
But anyone who has a childish fit at a child is an utter moron.
Amy Argetsinger: more...
_______________________
Lancaster, Pa.: Re Andy's choices: I can't stand any of them! They're all annoying.
Amy Argetsinger: I'm just not as emotionally invested in the outcome of this show as I used to be. Probably a good thing.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Aside from Sanjaya (and I stil really don't know who he is and whether he has a last name), who was the big get from the correspondent's dinner? Anybody caused you guys to shake your head, along the Fawn Hall/Valerie Plame level?
Amy Argetsinger: Well, of course, I really feel like we had the big "gets" over at The Reliable Source table: Patrick Fitzgerald; Antonella Barba; Jenna Bush and Henry Hager; Kanye West and his dad; Dominic West (yeah, Daniel Craig said no); Gilbert Arenas and Laura Govan; Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Jane Raskjub....
Roxanne Roberts: And of course our fav bad boy George Clooney, who couldn't keep his hands off us. So naughty! It's a miracle we could even file the column.
_______________________
New York City: McCain threatening to kick Jon Stewart's doggie doesn't endear me to the man. Is this guy running for president or is he running for jerk?
Amy Argetsinger: That Jon Stewart appearance sure didn't go over so great, did it?
_______________________
Anonymous: Maybe sitting with the Pat Robertson group was the reason Chris Sligh was, well, slighted?
Amy Argetsinger: Nah, I think it's just tough being the guy who isn't Sanjaya.
_______________________
Fashion: Dana Milbank had on a tux for the dinner, right? Not the orange hunting vest and cap with ear flaps that he famously wore to report on Cheney's hunting "accident" last year.
Amy Argetsinger: Yes, in an unusually cautious choice, Dana wore a tux.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: After reading your story and the Milbank column, I was wondering about the parties following the White House dinner and how you cover them. Do you guys rotate from one party to another, or you assign different reporters to different ones? Who decides who gets the good parties and who gets stuck at Vanity Fair?
washingtonpost.com: The In-Crowd Steps Out ( Post, April 22)
Amy Argetsinger: There's a bit of rotation, there's a bit of assigning to different ones. I committed myself to the Bloomberg party because it was a transcendently excellent party, and also I didn't get invited to Vanity Fair. And my feet hurt to much to go to Capitol File. But no matter, because Rox and I had clocked out at 11 p.m. after filing Sunday a.m.'s story, and we weren't in charge of writing about the parties. Rox, ever the elusive butterfly, made a brief yet gracious appearance at Bloomberg before going off to see the special elite crowd at the Vanity Fair party.
Libby staked out Bloomberg and at some point at the night went to Capitol File. Dana seemed to be enjoying himself all too much at Bloomberg with that little gadget of his, so I took it upon myself to remind him to go to Vanity Fair.
Oh, and by "that little gadget of his" I mean the microphone.
Roxanne Roberts: The plan is make sure one of us is at every party in case, say, Karl and Sheryl get into a spat or Sanjaya starts making out with Eleanor Clift.
_______________________
Rizawitz part deux: I am still amazed he has a girlfriend. Remember a few years ago when he was caught licking his comb before using it? That finished me off (well, that and constructing the whole neo-con policy that got us involved in the quagmire that is Iraq. But I digress ... )
Amy Argetsinger: So, you're saying that whole licking-his-comb thing was what made you once and for all decide you didn't want to date him?
_______________________
Charlottesville, Va.: Amy, Laurie David was down here on Thursday and made a speech before a Robert Reynolds concert and left the stage crying. Apparently the college-aged crowd wanted more to hear music than be lectured to about their carbon footprints. She seems like a huge drama queen to me.
Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, she talked about that episode a bit on her blog, which the Style section excerpted... Weird.
_______________________
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Jerry Orbach's eyes haunt me! There's an ad in the Subway's here from the New York Eye Bank asking people to donate their eyes. There's a picture of good old Lenny Briscoe with the caption saying how he has given his eyes to help give sight to a couple of New Yorkers.
I can't get the thought of his eyeless corpse lying around somewhere. This is not how I want to remember the guy.
Amy Argetsinger: I'm sorry, you're really having a rough day, aren't you?
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Curious, which do you think is more traumatizing to Ireland? Getting such a nasty voicemail from her own father. Or having that voicemail broadcast to the country?
Obviously, by the time it was broadcast she had already heard it. It wasn't as shocking to her to hear as it was to us. Also, consider how it could be that this voicemail was leaked without the daughter being involved. Probably a precocious little girl. Probably didn't like the threats and insults from daddy. Probably went to mom to complain.
Any indication Ireland is displeased that Alec's visitation rights were revoked? I'd doubt it.
Amy Argetsinger: more...
_______________________
No: NO! Whistleblowing is NOT ever worse than the crime that's being revealed. That is a horrible precedent in our culture!
Amy Argetsinger: Huh?
Oh, this is probably another Basinger/Baldwin comment.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Laurie David should have done some homework. I went to UVa., and it's not the most liberal college in the world. Really it's a hotbed of apathy. So if you're going to interrupt music to tell them to go do something, you're screwed.
Amy Argetsinger: Word. You gotta know your audience.
_______________________
Alec Baldwin: Okay, so why can't people see this for what it is -- more evidence that Alec Baldwin is an abusive person. This is a situation where he did not have control of his daughter (she didn't answer his call) so he verbally abused her. Also, this high profile fighting would make it easy for ANYONE to intercept this information -- remember the Charles/Camilla tapes and the Princess Di stuff? And that was with older technology.
Amy Argetsinger: more...
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: Maybe Baldwin should do some stumping for McCain.
Amy Argetsinger: Last word.
_______________________
It bothers me: that everyone assumes Ireland is rude or disrespectful. She was mad at her dad -- he can't come into her room and force her to talk -- she just didn't pick up the phone! So what?! Her not picking up the phone seesms quite justified given the result ... maybe she knows her dad's a jerk, sympathetic disenfranchised dad or no ... Poor kid. Yelled at by her dad, publicly humiliated and general consensus that she's a brat, it's really not fair!
Roxanne Roberts: Not fair, although I don't think she a brat. I think she's caught between the two and trying to please both. Not clear if missing the calls are her choice or not, so I'm not blaming her at all.
_______________________
Arlington, Va.:"Most people aren't so warmly positive about lawyers and their contributions to society." Lay off the lawyers.
Until you need one to get you out of a bind. Lay off the lawyers. Most lawyers are not ambulance chasers.
Amy Argetsinger: Hey, some of my best friends are lawyers. Some of my best relatives, too. I was just noting the irony -- most folks (i.e., the smart-aleck types who join this
chat) don't usually praise lawyers as "contributing to society" types.
_______________________
Roxanne Roberts: So much excitement, so little time. We're off to discover who has offended, delighted or outraged the folks in our fair city. Don't leave any voicemail messages you wouldn't want us to hear, and send us tips at reliablesource@washpost.com. Cheers and see you next week.
_______________________
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
