Swan impersonator attends Oscars despite Quinn warning

According to the Hollywood Reporter, which posted a full version of the letter on its website earlier this week, Los-Angeles based Quinn Emanuel partner David Quinto warned Ukranian prankster Vitalii Sediuk that if he attempted to attend the invite-only event on 24 February he would “be arrested and prosecuted”.

In response, Sediuk, who successfully crashed the Grammy Awards ceremony two weeks ago, tweeted back: “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences lawyer thanks for a letter! It inspired me to wake up today at 5 and direct a short ;).”

The entertainment reporter then released a Youtube video mocking Quinn Emanuel’s warning, which opens with a copy of the letter before showing the 24-year old running through the woods dressed in a swan dress and carrying a bucket of trophies. He did not make it on to the red carpet in this outfit, a copy of the swan dress Icelandic singer Bjork wore in 2001.

Quinn Emanuel, which is listed as the only legal counsel to the Academy on the Oscars website, has long advised the organisation.

Quinto, who was unavailable for comment at the time of writing, has previously defended the Academy’s right to determine whether films nominated for an Academy Award satisfy the Academy’s eligibility requirements, as well as determined that the ‘Oscar’ is not in the public domain and “should be given the strongest possible protection against infringement”.