The first invitation to an Oscar-night party just arrived in my in-box. While it may not be Vanity Fair’s A-list soiree at Morton’s, this one promises to be more exciting.

“You are cordially invited to the 2006 Anti-Oscar Party, Sunday, March 5th, at Kennedy’s Restaurant, 327 West 57th Street, 7-10 p.m.”

The invitation also suggested that guests bring along classic movie trivia questions to stump fellow partygoers. If you’re interested in attending, please contact me.

It’s nice to know I’m not the only former film buff planning once again to boycott the no-longer-interesting event in La-La land. If I were younger and not planning to host my own Oscar-alternative bash, I’d definitely attend this snub at the Hollywood telegala.

I suspect there are more anti-Oscar events this year because of the nomination of “Brokeback Mountain,” a drama depicting sexual love between two cowboys. But that’s not why I’m skipping the awards show. The Academy of Arts and Sciences Award lost all credibility with me when it became obvious in 1999 that intensive marketing trumped excellence in the film industry. Thus “Saving Private Ryan,” which brilliantly portrayed the sacrifice of the military in World War II, was bested by “Shakespeare in Love,” which had been heavily promoted by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. It was also evident that the Oscars reflected the personal agenda of the Hollywood community rather than an objective judgment on the quality of the nominees. The following year, “American Beauty,” an amoral film that glamorized underage sex, trumped “The Sixth Sense,” a unique, audience pleasing feature.

Hollywood has so completely isolated itself from the mainstream audience that it is extolling politically charged films, even though most of them bombed at the box office last year. George Clooney seems to fancy himself the Rosa Parks of Hollywood, challenging the vast right-wing conspiracy. He wrote and starred in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a biased and ultimately misleading film about Edward R. Murrow and his takedown of Senator Joe McCarthy. I have yet to see Hollywood accept the blame for the blacklisting of actors and screenwriters accused of Communist party ties by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The blacklist was, after all, self-imposed by cowardly studios for whom the bottom line, then and now, was money, not principles.

Mr. Clooney is also the executive producer of “Syriana,” a political thriller set in the Middle East, where the villains are – surprise, surprise – Americans. Also up for an award is a Palestinian film, “Paradise Now,” a sympathetic portrayal of suicide bombers. Vanessa Redgrave must be tickled pink.

The gay community is only mildly excited about “Brokeback Mountain,” which it claims does not have enough sex, while conservatives claim it has too much. Stephen Hunter, one of my favorite novelists, is also the film critic for the Washington Post. In an incisive review he asked if the film is agenda-driven or not. Mr. Hunter claims that the film idealizes the gay lovers through cinematography while depicting their family lives with wives and children as bleak. He concludes that the director, Ang Lee, “has made his point viscerally; he’s not in a pulpit, but he’s no innocent, either. He’s speaking louder with images than most of his ideological opponents do in words.”

Film is a powerful medium, and ever since George W. Bush took office, Hollywood stars have been exploiting their influence on the political stage. Alec Baldwin just called Dick Cheney a terrorist. Richard Dreyfuss is calling for President Bush’s impeachment. These fading luminaries spout their anti-Bush rhetoric to any tabloid reporter. They have a right to do so, but their lack of any intellectual grasp of important issues hasn’t stopped them from mouthing their uninformed pronouncements to an ever-dwindling audience.

I wish they would emulate Harrison Ford. He refuses to discuss his politics in public. “I’m only operating out of my own box,” he has said, “and I don’t have any expertise.”

Ironically, the star of “Capote,” Philip Seymour Hoffman, is the frontrunner for the Best Actor award. Truman Capote had a very low opinion of actors, allegedly calling Marlon Brando so dumb it would make your skin crawl. What Capote actually said was, “the better the actor, the more stupid he is.” He also said, “It’s a scientific fact that if you stay in California, you lose one point of your IQ every year.”

I won’t be watching, but I’m rooting for “Capote.”