By Kevin ReichThe Daily Northwestern

After Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA, told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann last week that Al-Qaida would “detonate a nuclear device inside the United States,” my roommate suggested that an attack at the Academy Awards’ Kodak Theater would be a bigger devastation to American democracy and culture than an attack on, say, the White House, or even Capitol Hill. So is the world of political Hollywood hegemony.

Beyond the staple fashion and glamour, Hollywood turned its focus and sent a message loud and clear: It’s the political vanguard.

Al Gore, Hollywood’s new sweetheart, presented an Oscar to the planet: The environmentally friendly Academy officially went green. Amid international concerns over global warming, the film industry knew its influence and told the people to be more environmentally conscious. More than 38 million people now know something needs to be done – something George Bush still doesn’t believe. While the House of Representatives still awaits a canceled global warming summit, Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” won the Oscar for best documentary.

The Academy also rewarded filmmaker Ari Sandel for his live action short “West Bank Story.” A parody of “West Side Story,” the movie is set among feuding kosher and Palestinian falafel stands. Sandel made the film despite Israeli attempts to stop it by dropping water from helicopters on the crew. By rewarding him, Hollywood collectively showed their gusto for international peace.

After Borat showed us how culturally retarded we can be, it’s no surprise that these were the most international Oscars ever. We saw some of the most breathtaking and controversial movies from directors like Stephen Frears, Alejandro González I