HOLLYWOOD, CA – A spokesman for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards announced this morning that Banksy’s alleged Oscar nomination for Best Documentary was a hoax!
The rumor, which has been swirling around the internet for weeks, claims that Banksy’s 2010 documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” was nominated for an Oscar under the category of Best Documentary.
But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement this morning denying rumors that the elusive street-artist known as “Banksy” was ever nominated for an Academy Award.
“Any claim suggesting that the artist Banksy was nominated for an Academy Award is false,” said the press release. “We can say with absolute certainty that his movie was never considered for an Oscar – not even in the preliminary stages of nomination.”
Members of the Academy were shocked upon hearing accounts of Banksy’s nomination.
“If Banksy’s film was nominated for an Academy Award, this is the first I’m hearing of it,” said Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “I didn’t even know Banksy made a movie!”
Art critics speculate that Banksy’s Oscar nomination hoax is yet another example of the British pop-artists “performance pieces.”
“Banksy became famous for his controversial performance art,” said Dale Mead, a New York City gallery owner who has commissioned Banksy’s work in the past. “This latest stunt with the Oscar nomination is art, pure and simple. It’s a social comment on how gullible the American media really is.”
In recent weeks, the internet has been abuzz with speculation over whether or not Banksy will reveal his secret identity at the Academy Awards. Dr. Stephanie Murcezk, a media and communications professor at Temple University, said the attention given to Banksy by internet bloggers and amateur reporters helped spread the rumor at an alarmingly fast rate.
“Most bloggers don’t check to see if their information is true or false,” said Murcezk. “They just want to get it up on the web as quickly as possible. And if a rumor gets enough attention it can go viral within minutes. That’s how Banksy was able to trick so many people into believing he was nominated for an Oscar.”
Spokesmen for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards said the show will proceed as usual – without Banksy as a nominee.
As expected, Banksy was not available for comment.
Somebody does not have their story straight it is listed: http://a.oscar.go.com/media/2011/pdf/full_list_20…
Hahaha Banksy you are a genius!!!! Whats funny is that he's been right under everyone's noses, and I've yet to hear anyone in the media realize that he has shown his face, unmasked, and it was soooo obvious, no one even realized it!
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A very informative post and lots of really honest and forthright comments made! This certainly got me thinking about this issue, cheers all.