ALEC APOLOGIZES ON TV (BUMMER)

We thought Alec Baldwin was a salt-of-the Earth kinda dude.

Bummer.

Reuters reports that Alec Baldwin will apologize to his daughter on national television today for calling her a "thoughtless little pig," according to excerpts from a pre-taped ABC interview released on Thursday.

Appearing on "The View" for his first TV interview since he left a ranting voice-mail message to his 11-year-old daughter that was made public last week on the Internet, Baldwin also said he was ready to give up acting after nearly 30 years.

Why is this guy apologizing? Salt-of-the-Earth dudes don't say they're sorry. Would Brando say sorry? Would Kerouac? Shit, would Hemingway?

I mean, I don't have any rugrats zipping about, but this was a guy who had a tinge of desperation in his voice when he left the message heard 'round the world.

Alec, we understand that the current state of affairs may cause you to want to apologize, but, really, we wish you didn't. You really didn't do anything wrong. You've got a temper on you, no doubt, but jeez, we feel your pain.

Alot of fathers are absentee pops. Those ones that are around may not be all that involved with their tykes as much as they should be. So, that said, Baldwin, who has a court-ordered phone convo planned with his daughter, gets maybe 10 minutes a week to talk to his kid and see how she's doing and boom ... she's nowhere to be found. Straight to voicemail.

So I ask: If you had one or two days a week to speak with someone you love and couldn't get them on the phone, wouldn't you be angry? There are nothing but good intentions here. A father, while a hothead and all, simply wants to hear his child's voice.

By now, everyone knows that Baldwin is embroiled in a bitter, six-year custody dispute with his ex-wife, actress Kim Basinger. He also has stated that he wants to lobby for reforms in divorce, parental visitation and custody laws.

"I would like to devote myself to the cause of parental alienation," the 49-year-old star said on "The View" and added that he was finishing work on a book about divorce that is due for publication in September.

Baldwin said he has asked the NBC network to let him quit his co-starring role as an egoistic TV executive on the popular sitcom "30 Rock." But the network indicated it would not let Baldwin out of his contract. "We look forward to having him continue his role in the show," NBC said. The network already had renewed the series for a second season.

Good move, NBC! Tina Fey is a cutie pie and all, but Alec is the meat and potatoes of that show. Get the guy that cast him and promote him. Do it quick.



In the meantime, TV shrink Dr. Phil revealed that Baldwin had called him for advice and that the two had a "far-reaching, intense conversation" about the actor's daughter and his former spouse.

For those living under the proverbial rock, Baldwin drew a whirlwind of a shit-storm last week when TMZ.com posted a recording of a phone message he recently left for his daughter, Ireland, berating her as a "rude, thoughtless little pig."

"Obviously, calling your child a pig or anything else is improper and inappropriate, and I apologize to my daughter for that," Baldwin said. "There's nothing wrong with being frustrated or angry ... I took it out on the wrong person."

A Los Angeles family law judge who listened to the tape suspended Baldwin's visitation rights last week and set a hearing for May 4, at which time Baldwin could face further restrictions on his contact with the child.

Leave it to a clearhead Cali judge to suspend rights to a guy frustrated at the current state of the system.

While most of the nation came down quite harshly on Baldwin, there are some who've come to his defense. Fathers' activist Glenn Sacks speaks out on Fox TV.



A separate court hearing was set for June 5 on how the voice-mail tape was released to the media.