Sacha Baron Cohen Dumps 'Kim Jong Il's Ashes' on Ryan Seacrest at Oscars

Sacha Baron Cohen dressed as his character General Aladeen dumps 'ashes' onto the Red Carpet at the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

In the span of a week, Sacha Baron Cohen went from being banned from attending the Oscars dressed as his latest character "the Dictator" to getting a last-minute reprieve from the Academy to … dumping what he said were Kim Jong Il’s ashes on Ryan Seacrest during E!’s live red carpet coverage of the event. 

Emerging from a limo flanked by two women and dressed as General Aladeen, the fictional ruler of the Republic of Wadiya invented by the comedian, Cohen marched straight up to Seacrest and declared, "Death to the West!" before "accidentally" dumping an urn of the North Korean ruler’s ashes all over a seemingly stunned Seacrest. 

Cohen’s explanation for having the ashes – referred to as "Bisquick" later by Seacrest – was that it was Kim Jong Il’s "dream to come to the Oscars and be sprinkled over the red carpet, and Halle Berry’s chest." 

As Cohen slithered off, Seacrest took it all in stride, saying: "I had an idea something was coming, I didn’t know in what fashion or form … Now you know why this isn’t taped. Anything can happen, and it most certainly did—all over my lapel."

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Sacha Baron Cohen Will Not Be Banned from Oscars

Academy Lifts Sacha Baron Cohen Oscar BanAstrid Stawiarz/Ray Tamarra/Getty Images

Sacha Baron Cohen will be allowed to attend the Academy Awards on Sunday night after all.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would not release Cohen's tickets to him unless he promised not to pull any stunts on the red carpet, after it learned that he intended to attend the event in costume as the tyrannical title character from his forthcoming film, The Dictator.

The Academy denied issuing any ban, telling CNN on Friday that although they would love to have Cohen at the awards, "We have expressed [to Cohen] that we don’t like our red carpet to be used as a promotional stunt."

Following a barrage of in-character threats from Cohen, the Academy has apparentlly relented and issued the actor his tickets. And while they will no longer prevent him from attending in costume as General Aladeen, they have reportedly asked his team to inform them of any planned hijinks so that they can prepare the proper security and facilities.

Oscars producer Brian Grazer told Extra on Friday that Sacha Baron Cohen would be welcome at the event. "We're thrilled to have him and he'll be on the red carpet dressed as The Dictator," he said.

As statement was posted to General Aladeen's Twitter account in response to the decision:

"VICTORY IS OURS! Today the Mighty Nation of Wadiya triumphed over the Zionist snakes of Hollywood. Evil and all those who made Satan their protector were vanquished and driven into the Pacific Sea. What I am trying to say here is that the Academy have surrendered and sent over two tickets and a parking pass! TODAY OSCAR, TOMORROW OBAMA!"

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Sacha Baron Cohen Reportedly Banned From Oscars

Sacha Baron Cohen walks to the "Dictator" movie set in Midtown Manhattan.

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen may be banned from attending the 84th Academy Awards, Deadline Hollywood reports, even though he is an Academy member and one of the stars of Hugo, which is up for 11 awards at the ceremony. Cohen had planned to attend the event in full costume as the title character from his forthcoming film, The Dictator.

"Unless they're assured that nothing entertaining is going to happen on the red carpet, the Academy is not admitting Sacha Baron Cohen to the show," a representative of Paramount, the studio for Hugo, told Deadline Hollywood. Unless Cohen agrees to these terms, his tickets will not be issued.

Photos: Random Notes

The Academy frowns on actors alluding to future projects at the Oscars; when presenters are introduced, no mention is made of their upcoming projects. Sources suggested that Paramount may be feeding the controversy by claiming it can't control its star, who plays a tyrannical dictator in the new film.

"We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea," a representative of the Oscars told Deadline Hollywood about the matter. "The red carpet is not about stunting."

The Academy has denied Deadline Hollywood's report. “We would love to have Sacha Baron Cohen at the Oscar show," a spokesperson for the Academy told CNN this morning.. "We have expressed [to Cohen] that we don’t like our red carpet to be used as a promotional stunt. We’re waiting to hear from him. We’ve put the ball in his court."

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