Borat Won't Present; Oscars Set to Be Predictable



We all know who will win Best Actress. And, this blog will be very, very angry if who we think ought to win Best actor doesn't (*cough*cough*African Dictator Chic*cough*cough). And there are countless other awards that do seem quite predictable, the wildly speculative Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture categories notwithstanding. The telecast, likewise, is trending, unfortunately, towards the nice and the safe and the ... edgeless (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). To wit, from TMZ:

"Sacha Baron Cohen has declined an invitation to present at Sunday's Academy Awards because, as the Los Angeles Times reports, show producers wouldn't allow him to appear as Borat Sagdiyev, the character that got him his Best Adapted Screenplay nomination -- and thus squelching any hope of unpredictability for the telecast."

What? You mean John Travolta won't be predictable? No, no, no. The altogether edgeless Gwyneth Paltrow and the doughey Tobey McGuire will do as told?

Wha-a-at?!

Sasha Baron Cohen's Borat performance should be honored with a nomination for Best Actor, not turned down on the grounds of its unpredictability. Three cheers for unpredictability.