Is Mary Louise Parker a Man-Stealing Cougar?

I have to admit to having a certain amount of disdain for actors Billy Crudup and Claire Danes ever since Crudup dumped Mary Louise Parker to take up with the My So Called Life actress. This was back in 2003 and Parker was seven months pregnant with Crudup's baby at the time. I think I remember yelling, "Douchebag!" and "Homewrecker!" at the TV everytime I saw Crudup and Danes together, not attractive behavior when you've got young daughters in the house and whoo - when I changed his name on Wikipedia to Billy Crud-up-yer-ass that was a real low point for me.

Even though I wasn't a huge fan of hers, my sympathies were with Parker. How could that unfeeling clod Billy leave the mother of his unborn child? But now - oh say it ain't so - it looks like Mary Louise has gone and done to someone else what she got done to her. 

According to reports Parker, 45, is dating musician Charlie Mars, 35, and while nobody really bats an eye at older woman/younger man relationships anymore a scandal is brewing; there's an email circulating that accuses the Weeds actress of being a homewrecker.

The email, titled "Cougar Goes Too Far," claims that when Parker and Mars began dating back in June Mars was still in a relationship with his girlfriend of three years, journalist Lindsay Brown.

"It was Brown who helped Mars move through his substance/drug abuse problems he has battled for the last decade," the email reads. Referring to Parker's relationship with Crudup it goes on to say that she should know better since she was "dumped late in her pregnancy five years ago."

"You would think a woman who suffered so greatly at the hands of a man would work to make sure other women aren't betrayed the same way," the email continued. Ouch.

If the story's true I have to agree with the email author - Parker's got no business picking apples from someone else's tree, especially when her own apples got picked before the pie came out of the oven. (Huzzah - do you know how long I've been waiting to use that line?)

In related news, Crudup dumped Danes in 2006 when he found out she was having an affair with actor Hugh Dancy. It was rumored that Dancy left his long-time girlfriend, artist Annie Morris, to be with Danes. Danes and Dancy got married earlier this week. And the dish ran away with the spoon!

What does it all mean? Oh yes - this is Hollywood. And let me tell you I'm going to be busy doctoring up more than a few Wikipedia pages.

Comments

[Suzy Q]

I guess we can thank Jeebus that Claire Danes is finally off the market. Not that that ever stopped her, come to think of it.

I'm taking the MLP news with a huge boulder of salt and more than a soupcon of skepticism.

[Kris Haas]

Is this about Charlie Mars?? It says Mays in the article, but also says Mars...

If so, it's the guy whose video she stars in?!?!?!?!?

[sweatpantsmom]

Kris - My bad - it's Mars, not Mays. Thanks for the heads up! And yes, she did star in his video.

[JellyBean]

This is like comparing apples & oranges. What sensationalized the MLP and Crudup break-up was that she was 7 mos pregnant with his baby and he left her for another woman. If MLP had not been pregnant, such as the scorned woman in this story (not married, no kids, no pregnancy), it would not have been news. Break-ups hurt no matter how they happen. And why don't we hold the person doing the supposed "cheating" accountable instead of attacking the other woman? Why isn't Lindsay Brown attacking Charlie Mars who is the one who made promises/a commitment to her rather than MLP? Is she implying that men can be seduced and are not in control of their actions?

[atheists eat fish]

Men can be seduced and are not in control of thier actions. Women should behave better. There, I said it.

My friends were saying that they heard that women blink 15 times more than men. We thought it might be due to men spending so much time looking at women without rememebering to blink. Coincidence? I think not.

[Amy]

Wow - sounds like everyone screwed everyone - then screwed everyone over. Hollywood sucks!

[Lily]

"Parker's got no business picking apples from someone else's tree"

Please explain to me why nowhere in this article are there any words of derision for Mars -- you know, the person who actually did the cheating (allegedly).

Yes, Parker should perhaps avoid getting involved with people who are already involved, because it's complicated and messy and someone's bound to get hurt. But I am so sick of this nasty attitude toward women who supposedly drag helpless men into infidelity. I felt the same way about the Danes/Crudup situation. I never understood this utter hatred toward Danes, who supposedly "wrecked" the happy home of a pregnant woman. Who did the leaving? Who did the wrecking?

To vilify the woman in this scenario is sexism, straight up. And when women call each other names, like "homewrecker" and "man-stealing cougar," it strikes me as self-hatred, and it makes me sad.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I am not down with vilifying MLP here, either.

On the other hand, she can come cougar prowl me anytime. Rawr.

DON'T TELL SNARKYAMBER, KK GUIZ?

[sweatpantsmom]

Lily - In the first part of my post I think I did give Crudup a fairly good tongue lashing, so to say my argument is one-sided is unfair.

In the case of Parker, I'm not saying Mars wasn't at fault but this post was about the scandal involving the email. I can't get into the heads and dissect the motives of all parties involved, but my gut reaction to the story was that I had hoped Parker would be more sensitive to the foibles of getting involved with a man who was already in a relationship.

Who's at fault? I think only the parties involved can really say and it would require a lot more analysis than what could fit into a blog post.