Oscars 2012: Sacha Baron Cohen Banned by the Academy, Tickets Pulled

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has banned Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen from attending the 2012 Oscars ceremony in fear he will show up dressed as the character from his upcoming film, The Dictator.

According to an exclusive report from Deadline, the Academy has pulled Baron Cohen's tickets and will not allow him to grace the red carpet.

Unless they're assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show, Paramount told Deadline.

However, the Academy's Managing Director Of Membership Kimberly Rouch reportedly told Paramount, the distributors of Hugo, that his tickets have not been pulled contingent on his promise not to show up dressed as The Dictator. However, Rouch made it very clear that Baron Cohen would not be admitted if he doesn't assure the Academy beforehand that he will not dress in costume or promote the film at the ceremony.

The ban comes after Baron Cohen announced his plans to attend the Oscars in character as the Saddam Hussein-inspired dictator who winds up in New York from the film, The Dictator, set for release on May 11.

The academy did not ban Baron Cohen, who was invited to the Oscars for his role in the film Hugo nominated for Best Picture, for his crude humor but for promoting an upcoming film. The AMPAS has strict rules and regulations prohibiting actors from promoting upcoming films and projects they are working on during the show.

This is not Baron Cohen's first attempt for some shameless publicity. In 2006 before the release of Borat, Baron Cohen arrived at the Toronto Film Festival dressed as Borat with a wagon of Kazakhstani peasant women. In 2009, Baron Cohen struck again at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards as Bruno to promote the film of the same name about a flamboyant fashionista, messing with Eminem's performance.