No Oscar night for Hurt Locker producer

Nicolas Chartier,one of the four nominated producers of Hurt Locker,has been barred by the Academy from attending the Oscar awards gala on March 7. The executive committee of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) ruled that Chartier violated campaign rules by sending e-mail to voters favouring his movie while disparaging a rival film. The Academy’s producers branch ruled that the “ethical lapse” merited the revocation of his invitation.

“Nicolas Chartier has been denied attendance at the 82nd Academy Awards as a penalty for violating Academy’s campaigning standards. Chartier had recently disseminated an e-mail to certain Academy voters and other film industry figures in which he solicited votes for his own picture and disparaged one of the contending films,” a statement from the Academy said. The AMPAS said should the Hurt Locker win the Best Picture Prize on March 7,Chartier will receive the Oscar statuette but not during the ceremony.