Oscar feud!

According to this story posted at The Daily Beast, the always-outspoken Mickey Rourke is seizing every opportunity to trash-talk next year's Best Actor Oscar favorite Sean Penn.

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Gerald Posner reports that during his appearance on the David Letterman show on Dec. 23, Rourke told someone backstage he was surprised about Penn being the early favorite, since "I'm not even sure he'll get a nomination."

Posner also claims a Hollywood executive showed him the following text message, presumably sent by Rourke:

"Look seans an old friend of mine and i didnt buy his performance at all—thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay besides hes one of the most homophobic people i kno" [sic]

Regardless of whether any of this is true, the damage has been done. Rourke gives a fantastic performance in The Wrestler, but no one is going to keep Penn from winning that statuette (although I'd love to see it go to this guy).

The only thing Rourke may have accomplished with his unsportsmanlike candidness is ruined his chance at a nomination. The Best Actor field is extremely crowded this year, and the nomination ballots just happened to have gone out this week. Keep a lookout for a retraction/denial from the Rourke camp in three ... two ... one ...

Comments

[HoCo]

I'm with you. I don't want either of those men to win. Sean was very good in a repetitive OK movie. But my pick is Clint Eastwood and if he doesn't win, then Frank Langella. Roark has no class.