Because the Oscars are run exclusively by and for rich old people, actor Sacha Baron Cohen was banned from attending the ceremony after he told them that he would be walking the red carpet dressed head to toe in his costume from his upcoming movie, The Dictator. So now they’re saying that he can show up, but only if he promises not to wear the costume or do anything entertaining. Deadline reports:
Later today, faced with all the bad publicity resulting from its action, the Academy tried to parse what it did when questioned by some media outlets. But the fact is that, this morning, the Academy’s Managing Director Of Membership Kimberly Rouch phoned Paramount’s awards staff to say Baron Cohen’s tickets had been pulled unless he gives the Academy assurances ahead of time promising not to show up on the red carpet in costume and not to promote the movie on the red carpet. The Academy made it clear that, without those assurances, it would not issue him the tickets. So he’s banned.
Of course, as Deadline points out, by banning him they’re basically giving his movie even more publicity, which is hilariously ironic because self-important old people trying to do something only to have it completely backfire is always good for a laugh.
