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FOX cuts Baldwin’s Murdoch gag from Emmys

An Emmy sketch featuring Alec Baldwin making a joke about the Murdoch phone hacking scandal was dumped by FOX.

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A sketch featuring Alec Baldwin making a joke about the Murdoch phone hacking scandal was dumped before it appeared on the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Baldwin, who did not attend the awards ceremony, confirmed by Twitter that the News Corp. gag was cut.

“FOX did kill my News Corp. hacking joke,” he wrote. “Which sucks bc I think it would have made them look better. A little.”

The 30 Rock star, who is nominated for a lead actor Emmy, had been scheduled to open the show, playing a fictional network TV president in a skit that starred host Jane Lynch.

Baldwin sent out a tweet on the weekend noting that he’d heard that “News Corp. may cut the funniest line.”

As a result, Baldwin asked to be taken out of the skit all together.

Host Jane Lynch instead appeared with Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy in the opening scenes.

Source: LA Times

12 Responses

  1. Clearly most people commenting on this article aren’t viewers of The Simpsons nor Family Guy which often take shots at their own Network FOX so…. I think they can take a joke.

    Are people forgetting how big this story was only a few months back? There’s no doubt why Newscorp didn’t want it rehashed so soon.

  4. @Craig- Agree. Ban something (movie, book, or a skit) and it immediately becomes the talking point and everyone’s in on it. So much for “free speech”. Yeah right, as long as the speech isn’t about Murdoch/News//Fox.
    Wonder if Sky News, currently bidding for the AN contract, would have such a censorship policy? Hmmm.

  6. The comic skit featured Baldwin talking on the phone then stopping to call out Murdoch for “listening in” to the conversation.
    Baldwin explained what happened on Twitter:
    “I understand NewsCorp killing that joke, If I were enmeshed in a scandal where I hacked phones of families of innocent crime victims purely 4 profit, I’d want that 2 go away, 2.” “Are some companies #toobigtojail?”
    @Craig – Fox televised the ceremony within the United States.

  7. Didn’t Fox know cutting something like that would come back to bite them in the ass?

    Dumb question but I thought this was on NBC in the US, like last year. What part did Fox have to play in it?

  8. Seen what Fox / NewsLtd / NewsCorp (all the same political line) have been saying about the ABC and At Home With Julia here? It’s scarcely any different. Putting up some poor kid journo (Nic Christensen) to attack the show’s ratings but not mention it topped it’s timeslot? They’re a nasty outfit wherever in the world they operate.

  9. Just goes to show that americans dont really live in a democracy or never did especially when a network and its parent company can censor a sketch like that. Clearly Fox/News Corp does not have any problem reuning other people’s lives and reputation but try and touch them well they will sue you or just sack or at least gag you. Free speech my a*se.

  12. Ah, yes. Fox. Fair & balanced….. Unless it’s about us. Pretty silly considering they’re always making fun of NBC, General Electric & Kabletown (Comcast) all the time on 30 Rock.

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