Sean Penn on Volodymyr Zelensky’s rumored-about Oscar telecast moment: “There are some who would say ‘politics are for another place’ and entertainment is [its own thing]. [But] there is nothing greater that the Academy Awards could do than to give Zelensky an opportunity to talk to all of us. And by the way, this is a man who understand movies and has had a very long and successful career in that.

“Now, it is my understanding that a decision had been made not to do it” — i.e., not to give Zelensky some Oscar air time. “If the Academy has elected not to do this…that will be the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history, and I hope that’s not what’s happening….I hope that is not what has happened, and I hope that everyone [inside the Dolby theatre] walks out if it is.”

Hollywood Elsewhere is down on its knees in respect and tribute to Penn for saying this. Update: My presumption is that Zelensky is down with the Oscar message thing and has conveyed as much. If he hasn’t conveyed this and is indifferent to the idea, then perhaps it’s not something that needs to happen.

Giving Zelensky a forum for telling the worldwide Oscar audience about the horrors going on in Ukraine would be a blessed thing — the only blessed thing that the Oscar producers could possibly hope to bring to this three-hour telecast. The rest is all poppycock. I double-dare any HE commenter to step up the plate and tell me I’m wrong for supporting this. I double-dare you.