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Hollywood star Clint Eastwood may have scooped seven Oscar nominations for his boxing drama Million Dollar Baby, but he's also picked a fight for himself with disabled activists.

Several groups are reportedly planning Oscar night protests against the film, furious at its portrayal of a female boxer (Hilary Swank) begging to die after becoming quadraplegic in an accident. They say the image of Swank bedridden and neglected in a nursing home gives the impression that being disabled is worse than death.

Campaigners and have accused Eastwood of having a "vendetta" against disabled people. It's not the first time the star has run into trouble with disabled campaigners: in 1996 he was taken to court under the Americans With Disabilities Act for failing to make his Carmel-based hotel accessible, and he later testified in Congress in support of a bill preventing people from suing under the act without giving defendants 90 days to make alterations.

Let round two begin.