And for the stars, this dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards is way more fun and less formal than Oscar night. They can get loaded on champagne then let the emotions fly on the podium. Plus it brings together film and TV, even though the TV folk get treated like minor league players.

The real blunder here was the attempt to suppress that the comment happened at all. I'm surprised and disturbed that the call to remove the comments without acknowledgment was made by Maclean's editors. One would have thought they would have a better sense of ethics and propriety.

At any rate, I commend Brian Johnson and the editors for the clarifying statement (and apology, although, as I said before, I believe it was an honest mistake).

However, I completely agree with MikeB's comment regarding altering the original article. That is COMPLETELY unethical. How can Maclean's editorial policy justify this un-remarked change.

Brian, you made a mistake. Note it and comment about it. You don't try to obliterate it from reality like a coward. Besides, as others have pointed out. That won't work either.

Clueless, maybe, but insensitive, no. Obviously he would not knowingly mock someone with cancer.

I suspect that he is mortified.