Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesJeff Bridges is nominated for Best Actor. And that means we'll be seeing hearing less of him come Oscar night.
Hyundai, the only automaker scheduled to advertise during Sunday's 82nd Annual Academy Awards, will be temporarily shelving its multitude of spots featuring Bridges' recognizable voice-overs.
Hyundai's seven Oscar spots and one preshow ad will instead feature a slate of stars who aren't contenders—not to mention front-runners—to avoid violating an Academy rule limiting the use of nominees during the bathroom-break parts of the ceremony.
"We'll be happy to return to our normal casting after the show," Hyundai marketing VP Joel Ewanick said in a statement.
But Bridges' temporary loss means high-profile gains for Hyundai's stable of alternates, including Martin Sheen, Catherine Keener, Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, David Duchovny, Mandy Patinkin and Richard Dreyfuss.
________
Voice-overs are fine for car commercials, but underwear is better served by having the celebs front and center.