At the height of the war on Iraq, Oscar organizers made it clear that the show must go on. The 75th annual Academy Awards in New York had all eyes watching this year as many stars came wearing anti-war badges. Yes, this year was no different as the world watched interviews on what were the latest trends and the tuneful protests the stars demonstrated.

Despite the many fears of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, “The Lord of the Rings” director: Peter Jackson and Will Smith, who said it would be “inappropriate” to attend, the turn out was still up to par. Other anti-war activists like Susan Sarandon and husband Tim Robbins flaunted peace signs when arriving on the red carpet.

However the show still went on as “Chicago”, cleans the Oscar awards as the musical turn movie won the award for best picture. This dazzling musical stole the show, which leaves no surprise why Catherine Zeta-Jones took the award for best supporting actress. Then Adrien Brody took the best actor award for his role as a survivor in the Holocaust in “The Pianist”. “The Hours” also led to Nicole Kidman’s award for best actress in a leading role, as she plays a suicidal author.

Like many, Kidman did not hesitate to express her thoughts towards the war and the Oscar Ceremony. “Why do you come to the Academy Awards when the world is in such turmoil,” Kidman said. “Because art is important. And because you believe in what you do and you want to honor that, and it is a tradition that needs to be upheld.”

While many tried to forget the war, others said whatever was on their chest. The award winner for Documentary Feature, Michael Moore, took his 35 seconds and then some, to express his feelings on the war against Iraq and President Bush.

The documentary maker won his first Oscar for “Bowling For Columbine,” and made his nobility of free speech and made it public. “We like non-fiction and we live in fictitious times,” Moore proceeds. “We live in a time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president”. Bold, but not fictitious words.

The Oscar Awards, broadcast live, might have stopped other celebrities from speaking out, but not Moore. He went against the social convention the Award organizers had made for all stars. And unlike the other celebrities, Moore clearly described that the world we live in isn’t as perfect as we all dress it up to be. People might like to go shopping and get their hair done, but the reality is this; we are at war and we can’t hide in a corner hoping it will all just go away.

And not surprisingly, the audience did not agree as boos clouded the stage when Moore ended his last remarks concerning the war. “Shame on you, Mr. Bush. Shame on you.”

But that’s not all of the prohibitive acts the stars fed to the world concerning the war. The high light of the evening was the performance of U2’s nominated song, “The Hands That Built America,” as the lead singer Bono, slipped in a final verse that was is not in the original version.

The new additional words expressed their political view on the war against Iraq. “Late in the spring / Yellow cloud on a desert skyline/ Some father’s son/ Is it his, or is it mine?”

Click Here for A List of All the Winners