War is War, but the Oscars Are Important

Nothing will stop the pageant of rampaging egos and accouterments this Sunday:

Organizers of the 75th annual Oscar awards say the impending war in Iraq won’t derail Hollywood’s biggest event on Sunday.

….Show producer Gil Cates has acknowledged that war would change the tone of the production, but as of late Monday the glitzy red-carpet ceremony was still scheduled to proceed as planned.

If the country is at war on Sunday, he has said ABC might break away from the ceremony for news updates or even run a news crawl across the bottom of the screen.

Many nominees noted the show would likely be a much more somber affair if the country is at war.

Nicole Kidman, a lead-actress nominee for “The Hours,” said at an Oscar luncheon last week she is “in two minds” about attending the event during war. [AP]

God, please spare me the tone of self-congratulatory concern: presenters and winners, unless you have an immediate relative in harm’s way, shut the hell up about the war.