Tuesday, 24 April 2007

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Basinger calls Baldwin 'unstable and irrational'

Actress denies leaking voicemail

Kim Basinger denied leaking Alec Baldwin's angry voicemail to their daughter and called on her ex-husband to "finally address his unstable and irrational behavior," according to a statement from her rep.

"Everybody is always asking why this custody battle has been going on for so many years and now they have the answer," says the statement, released Monday. "The issue is not about Kim or the alleged alienation that Alec constantly refers to. It is about his ongoing aggressive behavior."

The rep says Basinger "did not release the voicemail," but adds the message "was not sealed under a court order." Baldwin's attorneys had claimed the voicemail was in fact kept in a sealed court file, and leaked by Basinger's side.

The three-year custody fight for 11-year-old Ireland intensified last week when TMZ.com posted Baldwin's threatening voicemail in which he berated the child as a "rude little pig" and threatened to straighten her out.

Baldwin said he had been driven to the edge by the years of court battles and called himself a victim of parental alienation – in which one parent alienates a child against the other during a custody battle.

Baldwin has been criticized on his own web site, and now Basinger says Baldwin has only himself to blame.

"Kim's sincerest wish is for him to finally address his unstable and irrational behavior so he, at some point, can potentially create a relationship with his daughter," says her rep's statement. "Until then, Kim will continue to protect and safeguard her child's well-being as any parent would."

Over the weekend, Basinger hired security "in response to the media attention on her daughter in order to allow Ireland to maintain her regular routine and activities uninterrupted," the statement says.

Baldwin attorney Vicki Greene reiterated her claim that the voicemail tape "had to have been released by someone from Kim's side" and disputed that the tape was not under seal.

"We don't agree with Kim's position," says Greene. "This court has sealed proceedings for Ireland's protection for years. Why would this recording be any different? I'm not even allowed to say whether the tape was played in court or not. They (Kim's side) are breaking the confidentiality rules."