EMMYS: Fox Nixes Alec Baldwin Joke About News Corp Phone-Hacking Scandal In Opening Bit Baldwin Walks, Changed By Leonard Nimoy

UPDATE: Alec Baldwin confirmed our story via Twitter. “Fox did kill my NewsCorp hacking joke,” he authored. “Which sucks bc It might have built them into look better. Just a little.” EXCLUSIVE: The outlet video for tonight’s Primetime Emmy Honours on News Corp-possessed Fox was designed to feature 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin playing a imaginary leader of television. But following a joke about News Corp topper Rupert Murdoch and also the ongoing United kingdom phone-hacking scandal including his media empire was cut in the pretaped bit, Baldwin drawn out. He was changed in the last second by Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy, who re-did the skit sans this news Corp joke. Baldwin vaguely recommended the incident inside a Sept. 17 tweet. “I did a brief Emmy pretape a couple of days ago. Description of how the let me know News Corp may cut easily the funniest line.” Sources state that Baldwin labored using the authors who composed the script for that skit. He recorded it, but after hearing the Murdoch joke had been cut, he told the network he favors when the bit with him doesn’t air whatsoever. An individual near to Baldwin stated the actor’s primary problem wasn't the topic few the nixed line but the editing ended following the tape of the items he thought would be a natural bit, and Baldwin was concerned that this type of cut could modify the pace and flow from the whole skit. After I arrived at to Fox for comment, they stated they made a decision not since the joke involved Murdoch but simply because they go ahead and take phone-hacking accusations very seriously and didn't desire to be viewed as making light of these. Word would be that the decision for that cut is made at Fox level, and there's some discrepancy over just when it had been made, before or following the Baldwin bit was shot. Some way, the skit was shot in the original script using the phone-hacking line intact. Baldwin, a nominee within the lead actor inside a comedy series category for any fifth straight year, isn't attending the Emmy ceremony because he had formerly devoted to attend Tony Bennett’s birthday party in NY tonight. The pretaped Emmy open originates from Dakota Pictures, the organization which did the Oscar-opening film this season featuring hosts Hathaway As Catwoman and James Franco entering moments in the best-picture nominated films.