Don't Forget, Alzheimer's Jokes Are Off-Limits At This Year's Oscars
Is there anything that tickles the funny bone more than Alzheimer's disease? Of course not. It's undeniable comedy gold. But thanks to best actress nominee Julie Christie and her big British mouth, there probably won't be any Alzheimer's jokes on this Sunday's Academy Awards. Last month, Christie won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's patient in the film Away From Her, and she's heavily favored to win the Oscar, too (despite the fact that we don't know a single person who's seen that movie). However, when Christie took the podium to make her victory speech back in January, she quipped:
And if I've forgotten anybody, well, it's just that I'm still in character."
Now Alzheimer's experts are up in arms and pleading with Oscar emcee Jon Stewart to avoid any humor about the disease during the telecast. So says Peter Braun from the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, "People don't laugh about cancer; people don't laugh about AIDS. We call on the academy to use this moment for good, as it has done for so many other social causes." Way to suck all the fun out of everything, guys! And we were so looking forward to Jon's five-minute musical number dedicated to The Savages and Away From Her where he keeps forgetting the lyrics.
Well, since Jon Stewart won't be doing any Alzheimer's jokes, we guess the burden falls on us. Here's one to tell your friends on Sunday:
A guy walks into a doctor's office. The doctor says, "Sir, I'm afraid I have some bad news. #1) you have cancer and #2) you have Alzheimer's." The guy replies, "Alzheimer's, eh? Well, at least I don't have cancer!"
You've been a great crowd. Good night!
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