Alec Baldwin responds to brother Stephen's anti-pr0n crusade
*** HUFFANDBLOW EXCLUSIVE ***
Earlier today I spoke to my friend Alec Baldwin about the recent anti-pr0n crusade of his brother Stephen Baldwin. From his new home outside Paris, France, Alec told me that he completely disagrees with the actions of the "outlaw" Baldwin brother:
On Friday, Baldwin, 39, stood outside the "adult entertainment" shop and photographed workers and their vehicles as they got the store ready to open, according to an account in the Journal-News of White Plains, N.Y. Baldwin told the paper he planned to stand outside the store every day and photograph the license plates of the store's patrons to aid in tracking down their identities. He vowed to take out a full-page newspaper advertisement once a month to publish those names.
Alec told me that he was limited in what he could discuss due to pending legal action. They're currently trying to not only disown Stephen, but have him forced to legally change his last name to something else. "How about Stephen Bush? That has a nice ring to it", Alec told me.
"Senator" (as I call him) Alec said that in general he and his brothers completely oppose Stephen because of his various reactionary views. "He's an Xian, and he's a neo-con conservative right-wing reactionary. We completely oppose his views. Not only that, he's a blue-nose. We fully support the rights of small businesses no matter their nature. If I were mayor of Nyack, I would not only put an end to his 'crusade', I would encourage more small businesses to open there."
Developing...
Posted by Ward at 01:25 PM
Bollywood: the world outside your door
There's a parallel universe out there, folks, and it's bigger than our own: Bollywood. That's the word for the Indian (as in East India) movie industry, and they manage to output about 10 times as much product per year as we do. They have their own stars, superstars, and megastars. For every Brad Pitt, there's three or four Shahid Kapurs. And, for every Jennifer Aniston, there's two or three Kareena Kapoors. That's the beauty pictured to the right.
And, they have their own controversies. Last year in August, Kareena was Going great guns, as The Hindu put it. Then, just a few months later, she was "caught in the act" with Kapur. And, the wheel rolls on.
I know that many Americans have misperceptions and bigotries against Indians, and I wish they'd get over them. Perhaps a fine Indian meal, followed by a screening of a few of Bollywood's top hits, could be used to combat those prejudices.
Posted by Ward at 08:40 PM
Newsweek, Isikoff, and... Karl Rove?
I've never been a spy, I've just played a couple of them in movies. However, for one of my roles I did do a bit of research. That research came in handy when I heard about the Newsweek "scandal" and the Koran that was flushed down the toilet...
Let's imagine this: a well-known reporter for a major newsweekly prints a story from an anonymous source who had previously been reliable. As I learned for my role in The Cartier Project, in many cases intelligence agencies feed accurate data to the other side, only to feed one last piece of inaccurate data after they've gained the trust of the other side.
There is no doubt in my mind that Michael Isikoff vetted what he was told with other anonymous sources in the administration. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the highest levels of the White House - perhaps even "vice" president Cheney - approved of his report before it was issued.
After all, it was Isikoff who broke the Monica Lewinsky story...
Engaging one's thoughts further, one sees where this is leading. Feed some inaccurate information, then stomp on Newsweek as a way to tarnish the whole media. That is, the last remaining bits of the media that aren't simply part of the conservative machine...
Add in that the General said the riots were about permanent bases, and that the peaceful demonstrators were shot by Pakistan police... One shouldn't be surprised if one's hair is standing on end by now...
The overall reason? To draw the public's attention away from Memogate in the first part of June. Even if Newsweek reports that, one might be forgiven for not believing them after the job Karl Rove appears to have done.
I can't provide proof for anything above, but it all just seems too cut and dried. Chem deneg - "to whom the money" - as Stalin used to say...
Posted by Ward at 01:58 PM
A true conundrum
They say that time flies, but why is it that you lose time when you fly east, but gain it back when you fly west? I have always wondered whether it would be possible to continually stay ahead of the clock if one were to continually fly west. If one were to fly east, would one likewise continually lose time? I've been flying back and forth between Beverly Hills and Libya finishing up filming on my latest project "Kizmet 2", and I have often wondered about that. I'll be grateful when filming is wrapped up and it's finally in the theaters. It should be one of the leading Holiday season movies this year for those who are wondering.
I'd also like to welcome all the new readers to Huff And Blow. I believe that later today Aaron Kidney will be posting his famous chocolate chip recipe, and I'll be waiting with baited breath.
Posted by Ward at 11:38 AM
The small things that matter
Welcome to my space on the World Wide Web. Rather than discussing important current events with this, my first post, I would like to tell you about something I did recently. It was a small thing, but sometimes the smallest things are the most important.
I was driving back from a meeting in Culver City in one of my favorite cars, a fully restored classic 1955 Ford Thunderbird Roadster. It's truly a special car, and it never fails to turn heads even among those who do not immediately recognize its driver. In order to save time, rather than going north through Palms and thence to the outskirts of Beverly Hills, I had decided to take Venice Boulevard. It's a rather run-down area, but with the occasional surprising bright spot. Suddenly, I realized that my view of the world had changed...
It wasn't that serious of an issue, but my rear view mirror had suddenly fallen off the windshield.
I, of course, had several options. I could continue driving to Beverly Hills and have an assistant or the concierge handle the matter for me. Or, I could stop in at one of the auto repair shops, of which there were several in the area. However, I decided to momentarily shed the cocoon in which I - and all other celebrities - ensconce ourselves. I decided to fix the matter myself, with my own two hands.
I soon spotted an auto parts store, and I asked for their advice. After the usual "hey, aren't you Ward Beecher?" I was well on my way to fixing the problem. You will no doubt be as surprised to learn as I was that they have specialized adhesive to attach mirrors to windshields. I had assumed it would be a general purpose glue, but I had no idea there would be something specially made for the task.
I read the instructions and set to work. Thankfully, my mechanics had provided me with a glovebox full of useful tools, and I had soon applied the preliminary adhesive and then the final adhesive that presumably does the actual work. After a brief wait during which I signed a few autographs and otherwise saw how actual people live their day-to-day lives, I successfully reattached my rear-view mirror.
While I have done some remarkable things in my time - as well as some things of which I'm not proud - the moment when I reattached my rear-view mirror is a definite highlight. I felt that not only had I accomplished something, but that I had learned things and gained new, valuable life experiences.
As I said, sometimes it's the smallest things that teach you the most.
Posted by Ward at 10:17 PM
