NAME: Michael Moore
AGE: Doesn’t matter
NATIONALITY: American
CLAIM TO FAME: One of the few honest men in the US

WITH the American invasion of Iraq in high gear, there was always the possibility of this year’s Oscars being a little different. High security, a sombre mood and anti-war protests were some of the things that were on the unwritten agenda. However, what director Michael Moore came up with had no chance of being in anybody’s script.

A known anti-Bush political activist, Michael Moore is one of those few Hollywood statesmen who rarely follow the rules. He has made his views known to all and sundry, from President Bush and his henchmen to the censors who fear the worst.

It was this unchained bias that he let loose during his acceptance speech last Sunday. Seated within the middle rows of the Kodak Theatre, Michael Moore was there as one of the nominees for the award of Best Documentary of 2002. Eventually, against several odds, it was his documentary, Bowling for Columbine, that walked away with the honours. However, it was after Moore had stepped onto the stage to accept the award that the Hollywood elite were treated to one of the most ferocious vocal attacks the Bush administration has had to suffer for a long time.

Referring his own and his fellow documentary makers’ work, who he had invited on stage with him, Moore said, “We like non-fiction, and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it’s the fiction of duct tape or fiction of orange alerts, we are against this war, Mr Bush. Shame on you, Mr Bush, shame on you.”

A stunned Hollywood looked on. Though his speech drew a loud round of jeers and applause, most of those in the audience didn’t know how to react. Anti-war was one of Hollywood’s themes this year, but Moore’s outburst was something from another planet altogether. But, then, Moore’s movies have been anything but normal. His Oscar winning documentary, Bowling for Columbine, explores the gun violence in America. The title of the movie refers to the fact that gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went bowling before they opened fire at Columbine High School in Colorado, killing 12 students and a teacher before turning the guns on themselves.

Moore has been known to touch controversial socio-political topics. He also authored the best-selling book, Stupid White Men ... And Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation, which criticizes American politicians for favouring corporate wealth over public well-being.

Coming back to the Oscar ceremony, as the boos and the jeers fought to be heard the loudest, Moore struggled to finish his speech.