"EW.com and Deadline.com report that Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") pulled out of [Sunday’s Emmys broadcast ] after Fox cut a joke in his pretaped segment about News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch," the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

The article continues, "Fox, which aired the Emmys, is owned by News Corp., and baby bear didn’t want to anger papa bear. The joke was apparently about the much-publicized News of the World phone-hacking scandal, which compelled Murdoch and his son to testify before British Parliament."

The story adds, "Fox reps told EW.com that the joke was not cut because it mentioned Murdoch but because it was in poor taste.

In additon, the article says, separately Deadline.com reports that " ‘Two and a Half Men’ creator Chuck Lorre, who’s being sued by Charlie over his termination from the show and was a frequent punching bag last season for Charlie’s insults, confronted TV Academy chairman John Shaffner, who just so happens to work as a production designer on "Men" and another Lorre series, "The Big Bang Theory."

"Deadline says Lorre reportedly demanded that Charlie’s planned appearance be cut from the broadcast. Bruce Rosenblum of Warner Bros. TV, which produces "Men" and is also being sued by Charlie, also reportedly asked Fox chairman Peter Rice to drop Sheen from the show."