American comedian MIKE MYERS has infuriated Hollywood's sound technicians - with comments he made while presenting an award at last month's (25MAR01) OSCARS ceremony.

The AUSTIN POWERS star's quip at the 430-member branch of Tinsletown's film-making community has prompted ROBERT REHME, president of the ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCE, to issue an apology to the academy's sound branch, stressing that the organisation "will certainly endeavour to see that this doesn't happen again". At the star-studded awards show, Myers, on stage to announce the winners in the Best Sound and Sound Editing categories, joked, "Now I know you're asking yourself: Will the winner this year be CHET FLIPPY or TOMMY BLUB-BLUB, or perhaps even CHAD? We don't know, but what I do know is that what's in this envelope is gonna send shockwaves through the industry." Rehme has now invited all three sound branch governors to appear tomorrow (10APR01) before the academy's annual 'post-Oscar' awards review committee meeting to air their complaints. One complainant writes, "What makes this even more insulting is that the insult was delivered as an introduction to an award." (RGS/LAT/MCM)

Source: WENN