Celebs Declining Oscar Invite
Big Willy left the party early last year, but this time around, Will Smith won't even make the opening curtain on Oscar night.
The actor and his missus, Jada Pinkett Smith, who rushed to the hospital midway through last year's ceremony after their daughter fell sick, feel uncomfortable attending Hollywood's biggest bash while troops are fighting in Iraq.
"He's not going to be attending due to his conscience," said Smith's publicist Stan Rosenfeld. "He feels it's inappropriate for him to be there."
Smith, who was tapped to present an award, is the first celebrity to pull out of Sunday's proceeding and others are expected to follow as bombs continue to fall on Baghdad--increasing the fear of terrorist retaliation and raising the risk of looking tacky in slinky gowns and shiny jewels while the country is at war.
According to E! Online gossip columnist Ted Casablanca, another Hollywood player considering pulling out of Sunday's ceremony is Nicole Kidman. The Best Actress nominee is ensconced in New York and highly reluctant to make the cross-country trip. But reps for The Hours star say that's nonsense: "Nicole will do what is appropriate at the time" (read: if Nicole doesn't show, we never said she would).
Fellow Best Actress nominee Ren?e Zellweger has also issued a tenuous confirmation, as reps say she is "taking everything day by day." Whether the blonde attends or not, Queen Latifah is already due to fill in for Zellweger during a song-and-dance routine opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones, since Zellweger is reportedly too uncomfortable to sing Chicago's Oscar-contending Best Song, "I Move On," before a live audience.
Some early rumors suggested Meryl Streep could join the no-show list, but a rep for the thespian denied the speculation, claiming, "As far as we know, she is attending and presenting at the Awards." Likewise, the publicist for Tom Hanks said he and wife Rita Wilson were attending, despite reports to the contrary in a London tabloid.
Other actors foregoing the awards show have seemingly more innocuous reasons for their absences. According to her reps, Cate Blanchett, who's on location in New Mexico shooting the Ron Howard western The Missing, says she has a call time at 5 a.m. Her announcement is curious though, coming just hours after the Academy put out a press release saying she was set to present an award.
Meanwhile, Road to Perdition's Best Supporting Actor nominee Paul Newman will be racing cars in Mexico. Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio's rep would only say of his client's weekend plans, "It's not a last-minute decision because of the war, he decided a while ago to concentrate on some projects he's working on." Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson is also sitting out the ceremony, but he is allegedly busy working on the third installment of his Hobbit trilogy, The Return of the King.
Another element missing from Sunday night: Angelina Jolie's wardrobe. The actress' Oscar dress and matching accessories were stolen from designer Scott Henshall's car in London on Wednesday. But Jolie has announced she's not coming, whether she gets the ensemble back or not.
Meanwhile, the style world's jet-setting Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace and Beirut-based Elie Saab, who stitched Halle Berry's gown last year, have begged off traveling to Hollywood.
Regardless, with the glitzy red carpet sashay canceled, a diminishing celebrity attendance list and promises of a more somber awards ceremony, Academy producers could find themselves with a bunch of disappointed viewers on their hands--an estimated 42 million starry-eyed Americans tune to the telecast every year.
ABC's Oscarcast, hosted by Steve Martin, begins at 8:30 p.m., preceded by a half-hour preshow. E!'s all-day Oscar coverage commences at noon ET, with Joan and Melissa Rivers taking over at 6 p.m.
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