Today in Alec Baldwin backing out of things: Alec Baldwin backs out of Rock Of Ages

Alec Baldwin threatens to quit more things before 9 a.m. than most people do all day, so perhaps it’s not so surprising to hear that already he’s asking to be let out of the Adam Shankman-directed Rock Of Ages “if at all possible.” The news came after a report circulated saying Baldwin had backed out completely, perhaps realizing at the last minute that he was really going to have to belt out some REO Speedwagon in the Broadway adaptation, and that there’s just no coming back from something like that. (See: Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia; the entire cast of Viva Laughlin.) But the official explanation from studio head Toby Emmerich is that Baldwin has a “newly discovered medical condition” that he’s supposed to resolve in order to do the movie, though Emmerich also notes that he’s “curious” to see whether Baldwin also backs out of his upcoming commitment to Woody Allen, which sounds like an “if you’re too sick to go to school, you’re too sick to play video games” sort of response. Anyway, we have no real investment in this project; we just enjoy watching Alec Baldwin toy with people’s affections.