

“Unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show,” Paramount told our sister site Deadline.
Never mind that the 40-year-old prankster is a member of the Academy and one of the stars in Hugo, which has 11 nominations and is vying for Best Picture.
Slammed with bad press after the announcement of the ban was made, the Academy clarified that it won’t let Sacha come to the awards show if he plans on donning a costume and promoting his new film, The Dictator, which is a “heroic story of a Middle Eastern dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppressed.”
So, if the Old Guard sticks to its guns, we guess this means that Billy Crystal is the only thing worth looking forward to on Sunday night?
Word of advice: Loosen up, Academy. Sacha is the Red Bull to your overall stuffy snooze fest.
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