Update: According to Deadline, the Academy has revoked Sacha Baron Cohen’s tickets to the event and will not admit him to the show “unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the Red Carpet.” How’s that for an ironic statement?

Jagshemash! Sacha Baron Cohen is looking to retain his crown as the king of publicity stunts this weekend as he is reportedly planning to attend the Academy Awards “incognito”, so to speak. If he is given approval, he will appear as General Aladeen, the Middle Eastern main character from his upcoming film The Dictator. From what I understand, Sacha Baron Cohen is not a presenter at the Oscar ceremony, but was invited to attend as part of the cast of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, which is up for Best Picture. Since Paramount is the same studio behind both Hugo and The Dictator, one would assume they are okay with the idea. However, it’s unclear if the Academy will feel the same way, as it would clearly be a bit of a distraction and could potentially make a mockery of what always strives to be a pretty classy event.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the producers of this year’s Oscar telecast have not been informed of Sacha Baron Cohen’s plans as of yet, and both Paramount and the Academy have declined to comment. If he was trying to keep the whole thing under wraps, he has apparently failed. The ball is now in the Academy’s court, but the fact that it is direct promotion for a studio-specific film means that they might be likely to quash it. A possible compromise would be to allow him to do just the red carpet interviews as The Dictator.

This isn’t the first time that Sacha Baron Cohen has appeared in character at a public event or awards ceremony. In 2005, he hosted the MTV Europe Awards as Borat and then in 2009 there was the MTV Movie Awards stunt where Bruno “accidentally” dropped on top of Eminem. However, there’s a big difference between the MTV Movie Awards and the Oscars, and a publicity stunt like this could definitely ruffle a few feathers. What do you think, should Sacha Baron Cohen be allowed to appear in character at the Oscars or is it just tacky and inappropriate?