This year's Academy Awards ceremony is slated to take place on February 24th from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. However, the mood has been dampened, as many unanswered questions have caused a black cloud to form over the big day.

Will the awards show take place? If it does take place, will any of the nominees show up? But most importantly, what is up with Norbit being nominated for an award?

“I will not be attending this year's Academy Awards ceremony, I feel it would be highly inappropriate to go considering the current situation,” said first-time nominee Viggo Mortensen, up for a Best Actor nod for his role in Eastern Promises.

When questioned about whether he feels the writer's strike will be over by the time of the ceremony, Mortensen responded, “There's a strike? No wonder I haven't been working. I was just mad about Norbit being nominated. Damn that movie was awful.”

Fellow nominees such as Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Cate Blanchett echoed Mortensen's sentiments. Best Actress nominee Ellen Page (Juno) even went so far as to offer a tearful plea to the Academy to withdraw her name from consideration, as she feels being associated with this year's Oscars could do irreparable damage to her fledgling career. Eddie Murphy quickly replaced Page in the category for his role as the comically obese woman Rasputia Latimore in Norbit.

In addition to his role as Rasputia, Murphy plays four other characters in Norbit, including a Chinese man. Critics panned the film, some saying it's release cost Eddie Murphy a shot at a Best Supporting Actor award at last year's ceremony.

As former Oscar winner Kathy Bates read off the list of nominees for the Achievement in Makeup award, she appeared to be taken aback by the selection.

“And the nominees are La Vie en Rose.....Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.....and Norbit — wait, that can't be right, can it? Alright, who has been screwing around with the envelopes? Seriously, Norbit? I mean sure, no one gives a rat's ass about this category, but come on, this is the freakin' Oscars! Screw this, I'm outta here,” said a somewhat surprised Bates.

Not only are current Oscar nominees embarrassed about Norbit's nomination, but so are several winners from the past. The coffins of John Wayne, Marlon Brando and Katherine Hepburn were dug up shortly after the announcement (they are routinely dug up every Tuesday), and it was revealed that the legendary stars had actually rolled in their graves.

One day before Norbit's Academy Award nomination was announced, it received an astonishing eight Razzie nominations, honouring the worst in motion pictures. No rage has yet been expressed over that development.

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