TV guide: Murdoch inquiry. For a while there Seven looked like it would be the only free-to-air commercial network in Australia to broadcast the appearance of Rupert Murdoch, son James and former News International lieutenant Rebekah Brooks at the phone hacking inquiry, to kick off at 11.30pm AEST. Another get-square in the bitter feud between Seven tsar Kerry Stokes and the Murdoch clan, we wondered? Not so, a spokesperson insisted: “Seven News asked the question of our programming guys on the broadcast of the appearance on Seven or 7TWO commercial free, given the news interest, and programming said yes. Really simple news call, nothing else.”

In fact, Nine will broadcast the parliamentary inquiry as well, news boss Mark Calvert announced on Twitter last night. Peter Overton will stay up late to anchor from Sydney. The ABC will broadcast via News 24, while Sky News joins the other international news networks in broadcasting the testimony of the News threesome. An ABC presser said: “ABC News 24 will carry the questioning of the main figures, regardless of how long it runs.”

And Channel Ten, under Murdoch heir Lachlan? There’s nothing in the TV guide and we hadn’t heard back from a spokesperson by deadline. — Jason Whittaker

Review, with a side order of politics. Major kudos goes to Rob Broadfield for this effort in The Weekend West last Saturday. While some might baulk at the idea of politicising a food review, Broadfield managed to effortlessly bring his write-up of Sandrinos Pizza Restaurant into line with the rest of the paper’s editorial policy with this not-so-subtle reference to one of the tabloid’s favourite subjects of late: belief in the notion that “Brownites already lead the Gillard Government around on the end of a nosering, and have done so since the last election”.

Broadfield seemed especially concerned that his readers might mistake him for just another food critic, meandering from review to review short changing readers by only offering opinions on matters culinary without ever diverting off topic to offer pointed diatribes on the unsatisfactory nature of the “Prius drivers, Rastas, Greens and hippies” secretly running the country. Oh and, um, Tim Winton, too. — Crikey intern Michael McGowan

All aboard the Louise boat. This morning, Lulz Security — the mysterious organisation responsible for previous hacking adventures that targetted the likes of Sony, the CIA and the British National Health Service — succesfully hacked into the DNS severs of over 1000 News International websites. In some cases, such as The Sun‘s website, the link was redirected to Lulz Security’s Twitter website.

The actions of LulzSec (the common, abbreviated name for Lulz Security) was too much for Sky News UK, as this latest development in the ever changing News of the World scandal is proving confusing for many media commentators. LulzSec, whose Twitter page titles them “The Lulz Boat”, had UK’s Sky News ponitificating this morning about “The Louise Boat” instead:

Front page of the day. The Independent — along with the rest of Fleet Street — licks its lips in anticipation …

Phone hacking saga turns deadly?

“Sean Hoare, a former News of the World journalist who blew the whistle on the extent of phone hacking, has been found dead as the unrelenting scandal took another dark turn.” — The Telegraph

Murdoch aides tried to blunt NotW scandal

“Two days before it emerged that the News of the World had hacked the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl, igniting a scandal that has shaken the media empire of Rupert Murdoch, his son James told friends that he thought the worst of the troubles were behind him. And he was confident that the News Corporation’s $12 billion bid for the satellite company British Sky Broadcasting would go through, according to a person present.” — The New York Times

Robertson: the questions to put to Rupert

“Murdoch, his son, and arrested protégée Rebekah Brooks will go before Parliament on Tuesday to defend his tabloids’ alleged phone hacking. Top U.K. lawyer Geoffrey Robertson predicts the tough lines of inquiry he could face — and how he should respond.” — The Daily Beast

Nine Entertainment Co refinancing shelves float

“Private equity group CVC Asia Pacific has begun the long and potentially difficult job of refinancing the $3.6 billion in debt owed to Nine Entertainment’s syndicate of lenders in a move that confirms a sharemarket listing of the media group is off the agenda.” — The Australian

ABC Radio interview catches out Monckton

“The House of Lords has taken the unprecedented step of publishing a “cease and desist” letter on its website demanding that Lord Christopher Monckton, a prominent climate sceptic and the UK Independence party’s head of research, should stop claiming to be a member of the upper house. The move follows a testy interview given by Monckton to an Australian radio station earlier this month in which he repeated his long-stated belief that he is a member of the House of Lords.” — The Guardian

Elliott opens a Can of Worms on ‘abos’

“Former Carlton Football Club President John Elliott caused offence on Channel Ten’s Can of Worms last night by referring to indigenous Australians as ‘abos’. Elliott was part of a panel answering the question ‘Should we acknowledge traditional owners at official events?’ on the show which is produced by Andrew Denton’s production company Zapruder’s Other Films.” — The Age