Alec Baldwin scraps plans to launch charity event at Crown Casino

ALEC Baldwin has pulled out of a charity gala event set to be held in Melbourne this month, leaving the event organisers “dismayed” and forcing them to postpone it.

FILE - In this June 17, 2015 file photo, actor Alec Baldwin attends the Fragrance Foundation Awards at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Newsday reports that Baldwin and director Richard Linklater joined dozens who braved the chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean at the annual East Hampton Polar Bear Plunge on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

HOLLYWOOD star Alec Baldwin has scrapped plans to launch a charity event in Melbourne.

Organisers of the La Dolce Italia Festival Charity Gala, set for February 27 at Crown, said 30 Rock star Baldwin’s cancellation was “unexplained” and “unexpected.”

A statement released today said: “With less than four weeks until the event, Alec’s unexplained cancellation has understandably left Eventcepts’ director Connie Paglianiti dismayed, and has resulted in the postponement of the gala until later this year.

“La Dolce Italia is already in negotiation with an equally - if not more - famous Hollywood star to replace Alec.”

Screen sure Sophia Loren was a guest of the event last year.