Oscar politicking disturbs Streep

Meryl Streep has poured scorn on the race for Oscar glory, saying the movie industry’s most celebrated event has almost deteriorated into a “political campaign.”

Streep is a double Oscar winner who could break the record for most nominations next week. But she said she found the quest for Academy Awards distasteful.

“I find it alarming that all the campaigning for Oscars is getting like a political campaign,” she’s quoted as saying in Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. “It really is distasteful. It won’t be long before they start paying for television commercials for best picture, best actor and all those things.”

The 53-year-old performer is in the running for a best actress nomination for the literary drama “The Hours” and supporting actress for director Spike Jonze’s “Adaptation.” Streep has been nominated for an Oscar 12 times and won twice, for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) and “Sophie’s Choice” (1982).

She shares the record for nominations with Katharine Hepburn.