By Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to show up to The Oscars dressed as General Aladeen, the character from his new film The Dictator. He planned to change into a tux for the actual show. The Academy caught wind of this and acted with an iron fist. The news was that Cohen was banned from the ceremony, his tickets revoked. Since the initial reports, an Academy spokesperson has said, “We haven’t banned him. We’re just waiting to hear what he’s going to do.” (In other words: we haven’t banned him, we’re just waiting to ban him.)
Our own Alex Katz pointed out the key line from the initial Deadline report (quote from a Paramount contact):
Unless [the Academy is] assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show.
Indeed. We couldn’t possibly let something entertaining happen during The Oscars. Especially during those solemn red carpet arrivals — that is the arena in which God and Lucifer do battle for the very soul of man (by getting catty about fashion).
I’d like to suggest a new plan of attack for Cohen. Make a promise that you won’t dress up like General Aladeen. Instead, show up to the red carpet dressed as Adenoid Hynkel from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. And if that doesn’t work, dress up like Rufus T. Firefly from Duck Soup and sing “These are the Laws of My Administration” (in full) to all reporters who approach you. Problem solved — pop goes the weasel!
[Via Deadline, THR]