So, apparently using an Academy Award acceptance speech as a platform for your political stance is the cool thing to do as long as you say the popular thing.

Tell that to Michael Moore six years ago. He didn’t play by the rules.

Along with the usual pretentious glitz and glamour, Sunday night’s Academy Awards broadcast brought with it overly political speeches by Oscar winners Sean Penn and “Milk” Best Original Screenplay winner Dustin Lance Black.

On the coattails of Proposition 8, both winners took parts of their allotted acceptance speech times to get up on their soapboxes and argue against the amendment. The film, of which both were a part, dealt with gay rights. While Black’s words were considerably less abrasive than Penn’s, the point is still clear: Both were applauded.

In 2003 when Moore took time out of his speech for “Bowling For Columbine” to tell the former president, “Shame on you, Mr. Bush,” he was booed.

Which is it, people? That was just six years ago.

Is it because Moore isn’t as pretty as Sunday night’s winners? It’s not a matter of liberal versus conservative; both acceptance speech topics fell under the bleeding-heart liberal umbrella.

On Monday’s broadcast of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” the anchor and Devin Gordon of Newsweek magazine debated the issue of “freeing speech.”

“Is it the effect of six years, of the changing times?” Olbermann asked Gordon in regard to the political acceptance speeches.

It has nothing to do with time, Mr. Olbermann; it’s a popularity contest. Six years ago, it was cool to support the Iraq war. Hollywood isn’t known for being particularly intelligent. Its residents live in a bubble of sparkle and pomp: a happy, shiny place where its people flip-flop on issues because popular culture tells them they should.

Even though real politicians are berated for doing so, when celebrities flip-flop, nobody blinks a perfectly mascaraed eye. As long as what’s popular is being perpetrated, it’s OK to be transparent.

The sad part is that these are real issues people deal with every day. If a celebrity jumps on the bandwagon, it shouldn’t make a difference in the attention the issues receive.

Perhaps I ask too much of Hollywood. The best place for good-willed celebrities is probably in the ads for “good causes.” Let them use their pretty faces and leave the debating to informed citizens.