Columnist Fired (or Not) Over Review of Pirated Wolverine

The fate of longtime Fox News columnist Roger Friedman is unclear, but one thing is certain: It probably wasn’t a great idea to review a pirated copy of a sister company’s movie. Fox News-parent News Corp. said Friedman was canned after posting Thursday’s positive review of the leaked X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the Hollywood Reporter notes that Friedman said yesterday, “Reports of my death have been extremely exaggerated.”

Friedman—whose review also delightedly described the ease of illegally downloading films—will have a chance to argue for his job today, according to a Fox News source. Adding to the confusing chatter is yesterday's Fox News statement, which said “this is an internal matter that we’re not prepared to discuss at this time.” 20th Century Fox, the studio releasing Wolverine, called Friedman’s behavior “reprehensible.”
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