Locked Out!

Tut tut Nicolas Chartier, producer of Oscar nominated film ‘Hurt Locker, whose scathing emails about other nominees have landed him in hot water and banned from the awards. He reportedly convinced his friends to contact academy members (who vote for the winners) and tell them to boycott that “$500m film”, referring in plain terms to Avatar, the animated sci-fi blockbuster director by James Cameron, the ex- husband of another ‘Hurt Locker’ producer, Kathryn Bigelow. The Los Angeles Times reports: “Academy rules prohibit ‘casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film.’ The executive committee of the producers’ branch, which met in a special late-night session Monday, stopped short of stripping him of his nomination, so should ‘Locker’ win, the academy says, ‘Chartier would receive his Oscar statuette at some point subsequent to the March 7 ceremonies.’”