-
Actor Sacha Baron Cohen portrays his fictional character Bruno - Source: Reuters
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly been dumped from the Oscars.
The Bruno star was meant to be a presenter at the Academy Awards, which are being held on Monday at 2.00pm NZT.
But according to NYmag.com's Vulture blog, the reason behind his abrupt dismissal is a sketch in which Cohen and actor Ben Stiller would have poked fun at James Cameron's Best Picture nominee, Avatar.
The 38-year-old was to appear onstage in a blue bodysuit impersonating a female Na'vi character from the blockbuster, who would claim to be pregnant with the director's love child.
The award show's producer Bill Mechanic, who worked with Cameron while head of Twentieth Century Fox when Titanic famously ran over budget, is reportedly in fear of offending Cameron and has now nixed the idea.
"Let's just say that Cameron isn't known to be, shall we say, self-deprecating," a source says.
"I hate to use the term, because it's so ubiquitous, but there were 'creative differences,'" Cohen's spokesman, Matt Lubov, has told Vulture.
"Nothing acrimonious, but both sides felt that since they
couldn't agree, (Cohen) might as well remain in London."
