Sacha Baron Cohen 'banned from the Oscars'

The British comedian was planning to arrive at the Kodak Theatre on Sunday as the character from his latest film The Dictator but was thwarted when organisers halted the proposed stunt. “Unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the red carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohan to the show,” an insider told the Hollywood Deadline. The 40 year-old, who said he would change into a tuxedo once inside, was initially given tickets to the 84th Oscars event for his starring role in Martin Scorsese film Hugo, about an orphan in 1930s Paris, which has been nominated for a Best Picture award. Baron Cohan is also a member of the Academy. However, when the Oxford-educated actor proposed wearing a beard, sunglasses, and a white jacket with an array of medals and gold shoulder tassels on the red carpet, it was one step too far for the Academy. “We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The red carpet is not about stunting,” a spokesman for the Academy Awards reportedly said. The Dictator, Baron Cohan’s latest spoof film, is a take on recent events in the Middle East. It is described as the “heroic story of a Middle Eastern dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppressed”. This would not have been the first time Baron Cohan has appeared in full costume at an awards ceremony. In 20009, he catapulted himself through the air dressed as Bruno at the MTV Movie Awards, landing in an unflattering position on top of Rap singer Eminem. In 2007, Baron Cohan was asked to be a presenter at the Oscars, but said he would only agree if he could do it dressed as Borat. Officials at the Academy Awards denied his request. Other actors who have attended the Academy Awards in costume include Ben Stiller and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Ben Stiller presented an award dressed as a character from Avatar in 2010 and the South Park duo dressed as Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow on the red carpet in 2000. From The telegraph