While the rest of the world was listening to a nasty message Alec Baldwin left on his daughter, Ireland's voicemail, he was explaining himself on his website.

“Although I have been told by numerous people not to worry too much, as all parents lose their patience with their kids, I am most saddened that this was released to the media because of what it does to a child,” he wrote. “I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. You have to go through this to understand. (Although I hope you never do.) I am sorry for what happened. But I am equally sorry that a court order was violated, which had deliberately been put under seal in this case."

Alec and his ex wife, Kim Bassinger have been in a bitter custody battle for Ireland.

“In such public cases, your opponents attempt to take a picture of you on your worst day and insist that this is who you are as a person,” Baldwin wrote. “Outside the doors of divorce court, I have friends, I have respect from people I work with, and I have a normal relationship with my daughter. All of that is threatened whenever one enters a courtroom.”

The message that was broadcast by the GOSSIP GODS at TMZ as he flipped out on his daughter threatening to fly out there to "straighten her ass out." 

"You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you're 12 years old, or 11 years old, or that you're a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do as far as I'm concerned. You have humiliated me for the last time with this phone."

TMZ is reporting that they've, "learned, a family law judge was so alarmed after hearing the tape, she has temporarily barred Baldwin from having any contact with his child."

Ironically, TMZ is also reporting that Alec Baldwin has filed papers to find out how they got the tapes.  The website's lips are sealed! 

Alec Baldwin has just filed legal papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court to determine who gave TMZ the vile voice mail message Alec left for his daughter Ireland.

The document is an Order to Show Cause on why Basinger and her lawyers should not be held in contempt.

In a declaration filed by Baldwin's lawyer, Vicki Greene, the attorney says "Petitioner [Basinger] is the only parent with custody, possession and control of the minor child's telephone voice-mail message that was dissemination (sic) to Harvey Levin and TMZ.blog."

Greene continues, "I do not know how Mr. Levin received any information about the court proceeding that was closed to the public, but again, it had to come from someone connected to the proceeding, and it was not me."

Greene adds, "If Mr. Levin had a tape recorded message between Respondent and the minor child, it had to have originated from Petititoner or her employees, agents or attorneys."

Greene ends with this: "Respondent [Baldwin] urges the Court to set a hearing to determine the source of the leak and whether and how its Orders have been violated. Information has been leaked to the press intentionally. The specific source is unknown, but it could only have come from Petitioner's side of the case." Greene ends by alleging the leak "...goes against the Court's stated desire to protect the child from unwarranted publicity."

For the record, TMZ does not comment on how it obtains information.

This is guaranteed to get really sticky!