Baldwin-Basinger custody battle heats up

The drawn-out child custody feud between actors Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin continues, while there is still no answer to the question of who leaked a voicemail of Baldwin lashing out verbally at his 11-year-old daughter.

Twice during a nearly four-hour hearing last night – which continued after the court had officially closed – Baldwin left the courtroom, gesturing and speaking animatedly to his lawyers and assistants.

“This is a waste of my (expletive) time,” he said at one point.

Afterwards, lawyers for Baldwin, 49, and Basinger, 53, declined to comment on what had transpired inside the court, which was closed to the public. Another hearing was scheduled for June 25.

Upon arriving in court, Baldwin and Basinger took seats at opposite ends of a table, their lawyers seated between them. Baldwin, dressed in a light olive suit, read a pamphlet while Basinger, dressed in a black suit, her hair pinned back in a clip, sat with a grave expression on her face.

After swearing in all involved, Los Angeles superior court commissioner Maren Nelson closed the hearing to the public, saying she was taking the action to protect the privacy of the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, Ireland.

“The court’s obligation is to protect,” she said.

Ms Nelson had said earlier she hoped to determine who leaked a voicemail of Baldwin berating his daughter as a “rude, thoughtless little pig” for missing a scheduled phone call from him. A tape of the message was obtained by celebrity website TMZ.com and broadcast worldwide.

Baldwin has apologised for the remarks and blamed his former wife for leaking the tape. Basinger has said she did not make the tape public.