THE TALE OF THE 2005 BEST ORIGINAL MUSICAL ACADEMY AWARD CAMPAIGN

As word breaks that “The Hurt Locker” producer Nicolas Chartier is being banned from the Oscars for simply sending an email to a few friends that suggests that “Avatar” had a big budget (I thought that was high praise by Hollywood standards?), it’s worth wondering what all the fuss is about. That’s an Oscar campaign!?! Hardly. If you want to see a REAL Oscar campaign you need look no further than what happened in the leadup to the 2005 Oscar for Best Original Musical…