LOS ANGELES -- A group of New York City show-business heavyweights and politicians said Monday it no longer plans to ask that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences move part of the 2003 Oscar telecast to the East Coast.
The New York City Host Committee had floated such a proposal last summer, but committee spokesman Jeffrey Stewart said Monday the plan had died for this year.
"When New York City does things we do it right and we do it big ... for a variety of reasons (we're) not submitting a proposal to bring the Academy Awards here in '03," he said, declining to give details.
Stewart was responding to a report Monday in the trade newspaper Variety, which said the group still hoped to bring part of the Los Angeles telecast to New York.
Variety managing editor Todd Cunningham said the report was erroneous and would be corrected in Tuesday's editions.
Supporters last summer of a partial New York broadcast included Miramax Films co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, actor Robert De Niro, director Spike Lee, Cablevision chairman Jim Dolan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki.
Oscar officials have declined to comment on the proposals, but have noted that the Academy has a 10-year contract to remain in the recently completed Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Stewart said his group may try again another year. The committee was devised earlier this year to bring events to the New York area.
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