Imma letchu finish, director of Music By Prudence…
Perhaps the only interesting moment in the entire turgid Oscarcast last night came when the director of Oscar-winning short doc Music By Prudence was
suddenly interrupted by some white lady who appeared to be a crazy
person. Across the country people thought a random drunk had rushed the
stage – maybe even someone whose doc had lost but who was confused or
angry.
It turns out that woman, Elinor Burkett, was the producer of Music By Prudence, and she wrestled the mic away from director Roger Ross Williams as the latest in a long feud between the two. Salon got the story, and here’s Burkett’s side:
What
happened was the director and I had a bad difference over the direction
of the film that resulted in a lawsuit that has settled amicably out of
court. But there have been all these events around the Oscars, and I
wasn’t invited to any of them. And he’s not speaking to me. So we
weren’t even able to discuss ahead of the time who would be the one
person allowed to speak if we won. And then, as I’m sure you saw, when
we won, he raced up there to accept the award. And his mother took her
cane and blocked me. So I couldn’t get up there very fast.
The
cane block technique! It’s not quite Marlon Brando sending an Indian to
the awards in his place, but it’ll do. And now you know the story of
the Great 2010 Oscar Moment of Interest.