Certainly some of my favorite moments of this past red carpet award season were Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speeches in which she gushed about her love for husband Jesse James. She thanked him profusely for his support and for making her a better actress. Such words of devotion from the actress left fans of James and Bullock completely confused when the allegations that James has been carrying on an affair for months with another woman, Michelle McGee, began to leak out earlier this week. I know I didn’t want to believe In Touch Weekly in which an exclusive interview with the self-proclaimed tattoo model alleges months of text communication and secret meetings between James and McGee. Then again, I liked the silly headlines attributing the celeb break-up to some kind of Oscar curse even less. But reading the pseudo-apology James released today? Well, I liked that least of all.

In the public apology, James actually claims that the “vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded.” Yet without a specific denial of an affair, James’s statement then goes on to say that “I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them.” Umm, maybe James took apologizing tips from Tiger Woods or John Edwards because such vague language is only going to fuel speculation over what he does actually need forgiveness for.
Is it possible James had a “sexting” relationship with McGee, who strangely enough says she actually has an Amish background and left the church community at 16, but not a physical one? Is the timing of the release of this information just a sign of blackmail by McGee for something less than a full-blown affair? Or is it simply that James is just not ready for a full confessional yet?
Clearly, one motivation behind his statement seems to be a realization that he not only needs Sandra’s forgiveness, but, as public support swells for America’s movie sweetheart, he is going to need forgiveness from her fans as well.