This just in. Humans are flawed.

I really don't know why this always happens, but we seem to feel the need to find fault with our celebrities. Christian Bale (a.k.a. Batman) has been getting flack for an f-bomb filled tirade on the director of photography while shooting a Terminator movie in Albuquerque. Rumors had circulated around town about a day when Bale lost it on set, but just recently the audio tape was leaked to the public. I haven't heard it, but I also don't feel shocked that it occurred.

Anyone who has worked on a movie set knows they are long days. Twelve to sixteen hour days, five or six days a week. Lead actors may not have to be around that whole time, but still, shooting a movie can be a seriously stressful time for everyone involved. The odds that a lead actor will have a bad day are pretty high. So Bale snapped big time one day. He cussed out the director of photography. So what? Have you ever had a bad day at work? Have you ever gone off on someone because you're a little or a lot stressed out. I can think of a few times this has occurred with me.

Now, Christian Bale has to apologize to everyone. Why? I'm not really sure. Should he have apologized to the DP. Yeah, and I'm sure he did. But why does everyone who was nosey enough to listen to the audio tape need an apology? Do we think actors are impervious to bad attitudes? Do we think Bale is really a superhero? Do we feel better that he said he was sorry? This incident happened months ago, and now we want our apology.

Then there's our swimming hero, Michael Phelps. Mr. Gold Medal. The Swimming God. I must admit that I'm more than a little amazed by his physical ability. I never thought much about him other than that he's probably the best swimmer who ever lived. I never contemplated his politics, ethics, or beliefs. After all, he's really just a 23-year old manchild.

When it surfaced that he took a bong hit or two of marijuana at a college in South Carolina, my first thought was 'So what?' Isn't that something that a great number of 23-year old college kids do at parties? But this is no mere 23-year old, this is The Michael Phelps! Marijuana is illegal! How could a swimmer smoke? How could he do anything that would hurt his body?

First off, has anyone ever hung out with college swimmers? They drink like fish! They shave their entire bodies. They party pretty hard. As far as transgressions go for Olympians WHO AREN'T EVEN TRAINING, partying and puffing at a college is pretty low on my radar. You know, he might have been having promiscuous sex with the partners of his choice, but we don't hear anything about that. That would be more than acceptable, but inhaling the wacky tobacky? For shame! Think of all the young swimmers! Think of the children!

Of course, Michael Phelps immediately apologized to anyone and everyone. He let everybody down. He's tarnished his image. He is what everyone feared. He is a flawed young man. Of course, no one is saying it's not that big a deal, and marijuana is not the worst thing you could do to yourself. He didn't take steroids.

Speaking of which, Alex Rodriguez has just been accused of taking steroids during the 2003 baseball season. His response is "I'm not saying anything." That's quite refreshing. He's the richest man in baseball. Who cares if he's sorry? Remember when Jason Giambi said he was sorry? Not for anything specific, he was just sorry. We all knew he meant for taking steroids, but he never said it. Is that any better?

Fortunately for me, my heroes when I was a kid were rock stars and writers. Both were quick to say they were flawed individuals. I never expected the stars to act politely and properly. None of them are sorry.

In fact, a lot of people who I wish would apologize never will. Our former president never admitted any wrong doing. It took him until his last days to mention any regrets, and he was an awful president. What about all those crooks & CEOs on Wall Street? They never apologize for stealing billions from the rest of us. What about all the companies laying off thousands of workers. There are no apologies, just phrases like "it's a sign of the times" and "it's going to get worse before it gets better." What about O.J.? Or the Mafia? What about all the really bad people? What about the people who record or take pictures of other people's wrong doings?

But Bale telling someone to F-off? Michael Phelps taking a toke or two? For shame! You're stars! You're celebrities! You're freaking famous! How could you disappoint us?

Do you ever think we build up people just so we can have the pleasure of tearing them down later? Yeah, we're all sorry. A pretty sorry bunch of humans. Who will we try to ruin next?

Chris Jungle is not important enough to be ruined.