McCarthy era, redux?
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=295902003
Oscars blacklist stars in bid to prevent peace protest
speeches
ANNETTE WITHERIDGE IN NEW YORK
THE backlash against prominent stars opposing any
attack on Iraq has impacted on this year’s Oscars,
with organisers drawing up a blacklist of people who
will not be allowed a platform to air anti-war views.
Meryl Streep, Sean Penn, Vanessa Redgrave, George
Clooney, Dustin Hoffman and Spike Lee are among those
who will not be speaking, amid fears they could turn
the ceremony into an anti-war rally.
In a move denounced by some as a return to
McCarthyism, star presenters have been ordered to
stick to scripts, while winners, who the producers
have no control over, could find their acceptance
speeches cut if they say anything much more than a
brief thank you.