Actor BILL MURRAY shocked guests at Sunday night's (29FEB04) Academy Awards - when he refused to clap as rival nominee Sean Penn was named Best Actor.

The LOST IN TRANSLATION star looked annoyed when Nicole Kidman announced Penn had won for his performance in Mystic River.

According to British newspaper The Sun, Murray later shouted at organisers, "If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have bothered coming."

The 53-year-old comedian has made no secret of his dislike of award ceremonies, and didn't show up to collect the Best Actor award at London's BAFTAS last month (FEB04).

Murray has said, "Awards are meaningless to me, and I have nothing but disdain for anyone who actively campaigns to get one.

"It's a really unattractive sight to see an actor or actress who really wants an OSCAR. And you often see it on the show - you see their faces and the desperation is so ugly."

02/03/2004 17:43