First lady Michelle Obama’s announcement of the best picture winner at the Academy Awards on Sunday was the result of secret plans initiated by studio executive Harvey Weinstein, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
According to Academy president Hawk Koch, the plan came from Weinstein and his daughter, Lily. Koch and Oscar show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron loved the idea. And when it was pitched to the first lady, Zadan told The Hollywood Reporter that her response was, “Yes, I think it’s a great idea. We watch movies all the time at the White House. Let’s do it.”
So, two weeks ago, Koch and the producers borrowed Disney’s jet for a flight to D.C. They told their colleagues, though, that they had to go to New York for the day. “The planning of it was like Argo — it was a C.I.A. mission, it was so complicated. We didn’t even want anyone to know where we were going,” Zadan said.
