Bitter at No Oscar Nod, Bill Maher Attacks 'Our Silly Gods' on Oscar Show

February 23rd, 2009 7:29 AM

The Oscar folks selected Bill Maher to hand out the Best Documentary awards on ABC on Sunday night (his old TV home before he mocked our "cowardly" pilots six days after 9/11), and he was quick to note his film "Religulous" was not among the nominated. He suggested it wasn't because he made a junky film, but because the topic was too controversial:

"Now as a producer and a star of my own documentary this year, the one about religion that didn't get nominated. I know, it's a touchy subject. But someday, we all have to confront the notion that our silly gods cost the world too greatly. But there I go, ruining the ending."

But if the topic was too controversial to be even nominated, let alone win, why was Maher allowed to come out and spew his atheism on ABC?

Perhaps Maher should have pondered that he might be the opposite of Sally Field. It's not about God. It's about you. They don't like you. They really, really don't like you.

Maher tried not to sound bitter as he hailed documentarians as our "windows on the world" (cliche alert) and claimed "They give us the truth." That is a very broad brush, like saying every comedy movie is funny.