Walter Kirn, the author responsible for 2001 novel Up in the Air — adapted by Jason Reitman into the George Clooney–starring Best Picture nominee — is understandably upset that he’s not been invited to March 7’s Oscar ceremony: “Caution to writers,†he tweeted yesterday. “Don’t expect that because you write a novel that becomes an Oscar-nominated film that you’ll be invited to the Oscars.†Also: “Novelists are like oil in H’wood: they drill us, pipeline us, pump us and then burn us.†(He’s since deleted that last one.)
A Paramount publicist tells the Post today: “The Academy has a process that we are following and we are respectfully waiting for them to allocate additional tickets. Of course, Walter Kirn is on our wish list for seats, as are producers and executive producers of our film who do not have seats yet.â€
We understand why Kirn feels slighted, but let’s play devil’s advocate: With Hollywood so short on original ideas, if the Oscars allotted seats to all of the authors whose work was adapted into nominated films this year, they’d probably have to disinvite the sound mixers and costume designers. Should Kirn — or Lynn Barber, Michael Lewis, and Sapphire, the other writers whose work became films nominated for Best Picture — fail to secure a ticket, we’d like to extend an invitation to watch the Oscars in our apartment on March 7. We’ll have dip.