Apology to Academy for Chris Sparling 'Buried' Letter: 'Chris Didn't Know the Rules'

Chris Sparling's publicist asks Oscar's forgiveness for the Buried screenwriter's letter to the Academy writers branch, urging them to vote for him. EW's Dave Karger calls it "one of the more brazen Oscar campaign tactics I've ever seen."

By writing (rather persuasively) that "Roger Ebert [gave] it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and...two thumbs up...Variety [said] the film is '…an ingenious exercise in sustained tension that would have made Alfred Hitchcock proud,'" Sparling clearly violated AMPAS rules:

“Mailings that extol the merits of a film, an achievement or an individual are not permitted...quotes from reviews [are] not permitted, nor should they refer to other honors or awards, past or present...”

“In the preholiday rush, a letter went out that wasn’t properly vetted, and we sincerely apologize for the error,” says MPRM Communications co-president Mark Pogachefsky. “Chris didn’t know the rules, and we didn’t catch it -- it just went through the email system.” THR has learned that a publicist checking her email while holiday shopping with her toddler daughter in a bustling mall was involved. It was not a nefarious plot against the integrity of the Academy.

But it could have serious consequences. Last year, The Hurt Locker producer Nicolas Chartier sent a similar letter, and AMPAS took away his ticket to the Oscars, and said if it won he wouldn't be allowed to come onstage. But that was when the film was already nominated. Though Sparling's daringly difficult script made the Black List of best unproduced screenplays, and as Sparling pointed out in underlined boldface, was "awarded Best Original Screenplay of 2010 by the National Board of Review," the film bombed and has a low chance of nomination.

AMPAS has no comment until its office opens Monday, but it's in a bit of a pickle. How do you disinvite someone who likely won't get invited anyhow? They could say they won't count any votes Sparling gets, but since they never reveal the vote count, no one would know the punishment had had any effect. (Say, AMPAS -- how about revealing that vote count?) The toughest punishment would be to disqualify the screenplay. It's hard to think what else the Academy can do, besides forgive and forget. Or they could send their own letter to Chris Sparling quoting Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev: "We will bury you!"

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