Get ready to punch the stars

Readers of this blog know that I'm not the biggest fan of Alec Baldwin.

But I do think he's done a good job on ABC's Match Game reboot. He's kept his worst impulses under control, and he's managed to be funny and - to the extent possible for him - charming. But with Alec Baldwin, you're always just a headline away from another p.r. nightmare.

The latest rumpus saw him arrested for allegedly punching another motorist in a parking dispute. These kinds of punch-ups don't come as much of a surprise for the irritable actor, so I don't know what impact this incident will have on his career, especially the Match Game gig.

Leaving the police station, Alec Baldwin resolutely ignored reporters, though he later denied everything on Twitter. Unless some really bad photos surface, ABC (and NBC for Saturday Night Live) will probably stand by him for now. His Sunday night talk show will soon be gone, but that's due to bad ratings, not bad publicity.

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