On Sunday, First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the 85th Academy Awards where she presented the award for Best Picture via statellite from the White House. Ben Affleck accepted the Oscar for his politically infused movie "Argo" (and later celebrated by shaving his beard.)
Although, Michelle Obama became the first First Lady to present an Academy Award, unsurprisingly, her participation in the ceremony was met by sharp criticism from the Right wing. The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin wrote a critical review claiming that Mrs. Obama felt "entitled" to "intrude" on the big Hollywood night. She added that her appearance "makes both the president and the first lady seem small and grasping. In this case, it was just downright weird." Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh also attacked Michelle calling her appearance "unneeded" and "out of place."
In addition, an Iranian news agency was just as concerned about how the FLOTUS looked at the event along with their disapproval of what they percieved as a political endorsement of an anti-Iranian film. In a published photo of Mrs. Obama, Iran's Fars News added sleeves to cover her shoulders and raised the neckline of her dress to cover up her chest in order to make her appear more modest.
Despite the controversy surrounding her involvement at the Oscars, the LA Times reports on the all the effort it took to make her surprise appearance work and top secret.
The Academy Award producers planned to have the First Lady present an award months ago, even if that would have been Ann Romney. They went through extensive measures to contact Michelle O., but once she consented, it was discovered that she would not be able to attend the event in person since the White House Governor's Dinner was the same night.
As a result, producers had to put plan B into effect and figure out how and where they could stream her award presentation.
"Producers enacted a number of efforts to ensure secrecy," reads the LA Times report. "To reduce the risk of a leak, ABC News' political bureau, rather than its entertainment division, was involved in the physical production. Producers and the first lady's office also found a room that wouldn't be needed all weekend, since technicians needed to begin set-up on Saturday. The Diplomatic Reception Room - a space that has enjoyed myriad uses over the years, including the site for FDR's fireside chats - fit the bill."
In addition, the award producers "kept all but the top executives out of the loop; Disney's Robert Iger and Anne Sweeney were among the few not directly involved with the show who knew."
In the end, everything worked out and the First Lady was happy to partake in the ceremony.
"The Academy Awards approached the First Lady about being a part of the ceremony," Kristina Schake, communications director for Michelle Obama, said in a statement. "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."
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