Alec Baldwin is adamant he did not skip the Emmy Awards because of disagreement with organisers, insisting he always planned to attend a Tony Bennett gig in New York instead.
The 30 Rock star was upset when Fox network bosses scrapped his controversial joke about phone hacking from the TV broadcast's opening segment, and when he didn't appear at the Sunday night (18Sep11) ceremony, gossips speculated he had snubbed the show because of the editing dispute.
Baldwin acted as a host at Bennett's 85th birthday gala in the Big Apple that night, but he is adamant he was booked for the singer's gig way before the Emmy ceremony was scheduled.
He tells Access Hollywood, "One thing I want to clear up is that my not going to the Emmys had nothing to do with that.
"I was committed a year ago to do Tony Bennett's fundraiser with his wife Susan, which was a great evening.
"I had committed to that a year ago and then they moved the Emmys, from August to September, and it conflicted with that date. All along, I knew I wasn't going to the Emmys."
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