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Let he who is without sin host the Academy Awards

For shame, for shame.

The entertainment industry responsible for cultivating such fallen luminaries as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer, Danny Masterson, Charlie Rose, Ed Westwick, Dustin Hoffman, James Toback, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Cosby, Jeffery Tambor, George Takei, Steven Seagal, Oliver Stone, Louis C.K., Jeremy Piven, Brett Ratner and Roman Polanski seems unable to persuade anyone to host its premier Academy Awards night.

Hollywood star and comedian Kevin Hart appears to be the latest casualty of Hollywood’s hyper-righteousness. Hart was all set to host the Academy Awards presentations on Feb. 24, but last week he vacated his host post, apologizing after jokes he tweeted years ago about homosexuality resurfaced recently.

“I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists,” Hart said on Twitter. “I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”

It’s becoming apparent that those who qualify to host the show don’t want to risk becoming a distraction either, as Hart put it — or rather, risk being exposed as human and imperfect.

The trade magazine Variety reports that organizers are considering an Oscars night without any host. According to Variety, Hart’s exit leaves the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences considering the option not to have an individual host, but rather, “a bunch of huge celebs ... and buzzy people to throw to commercial.”

Hart’s career may be over and he’s been branded a hater and a homophobe, essentially because he joked that he did not want his son to grow up gay. Are there any other contemporary entertainers willing to step up, open their closet door and put their career on the line if any skeletons fall out?

It’s an amusing reaction to an increasingly interactive culture — a culture growing bold in its declarations that the king isn’t wearing any clothes; or worse yet, is abusing the subjects, helping himself to the armory or plundering the treasury.

The irony is that the entertainment industry has always pushed the limits of what’s acceptable. Movies depict extreme violence to the apocalyptic point. Humor — satire, sarcasm, parody, lampoon, burlesque — pokes fun by mocking the truth. Drama explores the conflict of good and evil forces, requiring accurate depictions of both. And guess what? Good and evil both reside in human nature — all human nature. So does vengeance. So do grace and forgiveness.

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind, the prophet Hosea told us. Hollywood has made its bed; now nobody wants to sleep in it. That makes for a long, restless night.

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