— For the first time in its history, the Academy of Motion Pictures
Arts and Sciences has banned a nominee from attending the Oscars.
The group said Tuesday that
a producer on best picture candidate “The Hurt Locker,” will not be
allowed into the Kodak Theatre for Sunday’s ceremony. Chartier’s tickets
have been revoked, and he will not be granted entry as a guest of any
other attendee, an academy spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times.
The decision comes on the heels of Chartier sending
an e-mail message to a group of colleagues that included academy members
asking them to choose the
“The Hurt Locker” for best picture and “not the
film” — a clear reference to “Avatar.”
The message was deemed in violation of the academy’s
ban against creating a negative impression of a rival nominee.
Chartier subsequently apologized for his actions.
“Chartier had recently disseminated an e-mail to
certain academy voters and other film industry figures in which he
solicited votes for his own picture and disparaged one of the other
contending films,” the academy said in a statement. “The executive
committee of the academy’s Producers Branch, at a special session late
Monday, ruled that the ethical lapse merited the revocation of
Chartier’s invitation to the awards.”
Should the film win best picture, Chartier would be
given his Oscar at a later date.
The academy stopped short of the more draconian
penalty of disallowing the film from competing for Oscars. Still, the
move was unprecedented. While studios have previously had their overall
allotment of tickets reduced because of campaign violations, no
individual nominee had previously been forbidden from attending.
Chartier was not immediately available for comment
Tuesday.
—
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