We need more stars like Alec Baldwin around - stars that talk about their preference for Mahler (but don't understand Mozart), stars who ruminate obsessively on the meaning of their life, and what they should do next, etc.
But especially stars with Kateheiglitis - a brazen form of outspokenness in which the afflicted castigates the most unlikely of targets, namely those he or she works with on TV shows. Baldwin, of course, has a variation of this - he butt-kicked "30 Rock" lead-in "My Name is Earl" and NBC in that New Yorker profile, as opposed to his own show's writers. It's hard to cure this ailment, and even when you do sort of make amends for what you said earlier, a little bit of it still comes back to haunt you in the apology...
Take for example his apology in today's Huffpo, where he concludes with this "oh and by the way" aside:
"PS: My apologies to the cast and crews of My Name Is Earl and Scrubs. In my frustration with NBC's reprehensible promotion of 30 Rock, I took an unfortunate swipe at both of those shows and that was not cool.
But, for Earl's creator, Greg Garcia, who referred to me as a 'psychotic,' I have only one question. Why are you Scientologists always rendering these medical opinions you aren't qualified to give?"
Now Alec, you wouldn't be talking about one world-famous actor who's appeared in movies with the initials "M:I" and who is married to someone who used to be in a show with the initials "D.C." and who likes to jump on couches and tell Matt Lauer that he's a smug jerk who doesn't know anything about psychoanalysis?
Because if you ARE referring to this person, then you've picked a whole brand new fight and may need to issue another apology!
That's the problem with kateheiglitis. You never know how it's gonna break out...(But it IS a fun spectator sport...)
Meanwhile, Garcia - who actually seems like a pretty good guy, and down to earth, at least by California standards (he worked the cash register in a Burger King during the writers' strike) - is laughing the whole thing off. He says he isn't even a Scientologist. Oops.
(Photo: Nicole Rivelli/NBC)