UPDATE: There were exactly two complaints about billboard ads for the French film “Les Infideles” according to Noemi Fuento of JC Decaux, the international billboard company. Fuento laughed when we discussed the story. “It’s not a scandal,” she said. “We’re changing the ads tomorrow. But it’s no big deal.” She added: “We are all very proud of “The Artist and Jean DuJardin.”
EARLIER: Well, it wouldn’t be the last leg of the Oscar season without an another attempted “smear” aimed at front runner “The Artist.” Now The Hollywood Reporter has been convinced that “Artist” star Jean DuJardin is hurting his Oscar chances by appearing in “provocative” ads for a new French movie called “Les Infideles.” As usual, THR–the unsophisticated stepchild of US Weekly–has missed the point. DuJardin appears in a couple of very French, very “Saturday Night Live”-Esquire magazine parody ads for the movie. Trust me, there is no “French outrage.” A friend of mine at Paris Match magazine didn’t even know what was going on until I emailed her, and then laughed when she heard about it. The ads are tame. The smirk on DuJardin’s face in the ads is considered ironic–a wink at the audience– nothing more than Steve Carell or Ryan Reynolds would do here for a tame sex comedy. Plus, in France, believe me, there is very little outrage over anything mildly sexual. Someone is stoking this fire (I wonder who could it be.) Sacre bleu? What’s next? Stories of Uggie the Dog leaving croissant crumbs on the sidewalk? “The Artist” is a little bit of genius, DuJardin’s Screen Actors Guild Award is evidence that American actors “get” his tongue in cheek performance. Mon dieu! PS The “offending” ads are being changed. And nothing, I am assured, has been “censured.” Let’s get a grip. This was considered “provocative” 20 plus years ago: