Scott Rudin thanked several people on Sunday when he collected a Best Picture Oscar for the film No Country For Old Men, then paid tribute to "my partner, John Barlow. Without you, honey, this is just hardware." Rudin's partner was at the ceremony - but was not honoured with a close-up when his name was mentioned, as is common practice when heterosexual spouses are similarly praised. Writing on slate.com, Dana Stevens drew a comparison with a same-sex kiss at the 2007 Oscars ceremony: "When Melissa Etheridge won for Best Song last year, she gave her wife, Tammy Lynn Michaels, an on-camera kiss, but they're women, and attractive blondes to boot. "I guess being publicly gay at the Oscars is still no country for old men. But maybe next year." Others questioned why the official press transcript from the Oscars website initially excluded the reference to Mr Barlow from Mr Rubin's speech. The transcript was later altered to include his same-sex sentiments. Rudin is one of Hollywood's most prolific producers, having been responsible for bringing scores of hit movies to the screen. He is also one of the few successful 'out' producers in the industry. A video clip of Rudin's Oscar acceptance speech is shown below.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 27th February 2008 - 3:56pm