JimK:  OK, as near as I can piece together from all the different stories running around, here’s what I think happened.

1. Bale’s mother and sister were pulling their usual “We’re so close” routine during a big eventful time in his life.  They are not close.  He left home to get away from them and move in with his father in LA at 17.  Gotta be a big reason for that.  They’re only ever seen together at premiers and the like.  Gotta be a reason for that as well.

2. Bale has been suffering bouts of depression around each screening.  He became close to Heath Ledger during the filming of Dark Knight, and seeing Ledger basically drive himself crazy on screen is affecting Bale.  He and his wife have been fighting more often due to the stress and depression.

3. Sunday night, Mom and Sis were in the hotel room along with an unknown number of others and Bale’s wife.  Allegedly, Mom said something nasty to Mrs. Batman, probably seeing this as her opportunity to drive a wedge in there and get her rich, famous son back, but Bale verbally defended his wife and asked them to leave.  A shouting match ensued, and at some point Christian Bale tried to leave the room, or get Mom to leave the room.  He made contact with her in a doorway.  “Sources” say his version is that be put his hands up, flat, palms out and brushed past her.  Her version is he shoved her.

I think people are looking for a reason to tear this guy down, including telling out-of-context stories about a single blow-up on the set of T4.  We build these people up and then tear them down, and the vultures are circling around Bale right now.  To over-extend and confuse the metaphor further, it’s tall poppy syndrome.  All the other poppies are at one level, and if a poppy gets a little taller…well that will not do.  The birds are called to rip the head off and cut it down to size.

Screw that.  I’m so totally on Team Batman here.  The guy is not having a great time watching his friend go *actually* crazy week in and week out at so many premieres and the last thing he needs is the See You Next Tuesdays in his family gathered around like vultures around a carcass.

Christian, take the wife and that adorable daughter, get back to LA and stop taking calls from Mom and Sis for a few weeks.  Talk to a professional, get a few nights sleep, make it right with your wife, have a nice dinner together and then head back to New Mexico and play John Connor with all that angst.  John has deep issues with his mother.  Use that shit.

Team Batman FTW!