Last year it was Joaquin Phoenix – the arty artist refusing to campaign on the grounds of artistic integrity, bitterly disillusioned by the Hollywood marketing machine, surly at times during interviews when pressed by the studio though, to be fair, still gracious and humbled by his nomination. This year it’s Ryan Gosling with a decidedly less grumpy, less awkward approach. Not surprisingly, Ryan also isn’t interested in fellating any power players in an attempt to steal Oscar gold from Forest Whitaker. Ryan Gosling in fact didn’t even bother showing up to the Nominees’ Luncheon…and NO ONE misses the Nominees’ Luncheon – not even Joaquin. But it wasn’t a stand for the sake of making a stand, he wasn’t too cool for showbiz and too cerebral for celebrity, Ryan was simply busy with something else. In war-torn Uganda. Pre-production for his new movie The Lord’s Resistance Army (he is writing, directing, and starring – Rachel is also reported to be on board) chronicling the lives of child soldiers, Ryan was joined by Jimmy Brigs, an expert in the field and John Prendergast with the International Crisis Group. They met with locals, they toured hospitals and relief centres, and then they called Amnesty International asking for help: At one hospital, the trio met a 3-year-old girl whose village had been attacked and destroyed by the child soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army. She had been thrown into a fire to burn to death. But she managed to wriggle out. The child soldiers grabbed her, wrapped her in a rug and threw her back in. But she managed to crawl out again, stay hidden in the brush and survive. She was just 18 months old. She’s still alive but is horribly burned. The carpet is embedded in her head. She has a cerebral infection and is in terrible pain with every movement and every breath. She cannot grow because her skin is so scarred. The brave little girl needs more help than the Doctors Without Borders can provide and her only hope now is to get to the US and be given long-term treatment at a Burn Center. Ryan, Jimmie and John are determined to get her out of Uganda and flown to the US for specialized care and (Amnesty International) is trying to arrange airfare and medical care as fast as (they) can. So will Ryan Gosling win an Oscar one day? Absolutely. Will he win one this year? Not likely. But seriously…who the f&ck cares? Thanks to SLG for the link. Source