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Published On: Mon, Feb 25th, 2013

Harvey Weinstein pulled the strings to get Michelle Obama to present at the Oscars

The Golden Globes got Bill Clinton but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences got First Lady Michelle Obama at the Oscars Sunday – in part thanks to Harvey Weinstein. 

Before the ceremony, the White House was very “hush-hush” about the surprise appearance, according to pool reports Sunday. (con’t below)

Oscars-2013-Michelle-Obama-Makes-Surprise-Appearance-VideoAt the Oscars, Obama appeared via satellite to help Jack Nicholson introduce the Best Picture category and announce Argo as the winner. 

Afterward, the Obama staff put out a statement on how it came together: “The Academy Awards approached the First Lady about being a part of the ceremony. As a movie lover, she was honored to present the award and celebrate the artists who inspire us all — especially our young people — with their passion, skill and imagination.”

The idea of getting the First Lady on the show first came from Lily Weinstein, who mentioned it to her big Obama contributor dad Harvey, who suggested it to the Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Academy president Hawk Koch.

The group flew to DC a week and a half ago to put the logistics together with the White House. The Oscar producers told Deadline’s Pete Hammond earlier this week that they “were being like the CIA” about a couple of surprises on the show, keeping things top secret. In towns like Hollywood and DC where people love to talk, they pulled it off. There was no indication on the show’s rundown and most of the people on the Oscars had no idea who the secret guest would be. “I knew we could do it and we did it,” Koch told Deadline tonight about keeping Obama’s name under wraps.

The First Lady was actually handed the envelope with the winner’s name in it by the head of PricewaterhouseCoopers at the White House, where she and President Obama hosted a dinner for the nation’s Governors tonight.

Nicholson had a back-up envelope just in case.

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About the Author

- Stephen is a contributor and writer on The Dispatch. Stephen is the founder and editor for the Steven Spielberg Fan Club website and contributes to pop culture stories on The Dispatch, especially upcoming movie news. Beginning in 2016, Stephen took the role of Managing Editor for the Tampa Dispatch.

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  1. Donny Deutsch criticizes Michelle Obama appearing at Oscars, ‘monarch quality’ and an ‘intrusion’ - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] Piers Morgan continued a discussion that was brewing on Monday, especially from right-wing critics: First Lady Michelle Obama‘s surprise appearance at the Oscars. […]

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