When Eminem said he was going to take time off this year, he meant it. That includes bagging on one of the biggest entertainment events of the year.

Em, nominated for an Oscar in the best song category for the massive "8 Mile" hit "Lose Yourself," will skip the Academy Awards on March 23, an Interscope spokesperson said.

The song is nominated alongside such heavy hitters as U2 ("The Hands That Built America") and Paul Simon ("Father and Daughter"), but Em is sticking with his plan to stay out of the public eye for a while, the spokesperson said.

Among the five songs nominated in the category, only one performance has been locked in for the event so far, according to a spokesperson for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Lila Downs and Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso will perform "Burn It Blue" from "Frida." The spokesperson said the academy had not yet been notified that Eminem was declining the invitation.

With the exception of his Grammys performance (see [article id="1470103"]"Eminem Delivers Rousing 'Lose Yourself,' Clash Get A-List Tribute At Grammys"[/article]) and an all-star hometown gig scheduled for July 12 in Detroit (see [article id="1469897"]"Em's Hometown Concert In July Might Be The Eminem Show"[/article]), Eminem is keeping busy in the studio (see [article id="1470346"]"Eminem Losing Himself In The Studio With 50 Cent, D12"[/article]) and gearing up to take the "Anger Management" tour to Europe this summer, his spokesperson said.