One of the most memorable moments at the 2022 Oscars (that wasn’t that moment) was when Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli took to the stage to present the Best Picture award together. Lady Gaga was praised for her kindness and patience with Liza, and fans of the Hollywood icon were thrilled to see her.
However, it’s now being reported by one of Liza’s close friends that the moment did not go according to plan and left the 76-year-old embarrassed and confused.
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During the 94th annual Academy Awards last month, Lady Gaga accompanied Liza Minnelli on stage to present the final award of the night in one of the show’s most memorable moments.
As People magazine reported, ” Lady Gaga requested that Liza present the award with her.”
As Liza hit the stage with Lady Gaga, the audience leaped to their feet.
“Do you see that? The public, they love you,” Gaga told Liza, to which she replied: “I don’t understand,” while sorting through her notes.
Gaga gripped her arm and assured Liza that she’s got her, to which Liza said: “I know.”
“You know how I love working with legends,” the ‘House of Gucci’ star said.
“And I’m honored to present the final award of the evening with a true show business legend.”
After the nominees for Best Picture were announced, Liza smiled to the camera and said: “Hi everybody! I’m so happy to be here, especially with you. I’m your biggest fan.”
Her smile alone was enough to melt everyone’s hearts.
Viewers at home were touched by Gaga’s patience and love for the 76-year-old.
Many people took to social media to praise the singer for her kindness and praise the example she set for young people everywhere.
However, it is now being reported that this sweet moment had a lot of pain and confusion behind it.
While chatting on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show,” Liza’s good friend and frequent collaborator Michael Feinstein explained the pair’s moment in more detail.
Michael got candid with his thoughts and accused the Oscars of sabotage.
“She was sabotaged. That’s a terrible word to use, but she only agreed to appear on the Oscars if she would be in a director’s chair, because she’s been having back trouble,” as per The Guardian.
“She said, ‘I don’t want people to see me limping out there.’ She said, ‘You know, I want to look good. I don’t want people to worry about me.'”
Michael explained that in the hour before Lady Gaga and Liza were to hit the stage, organizers were in a fluster following the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident.
According to Michael, a stage manager informed Liza just minutes before her presentation that she would be seated in a wheelchair and not in a director’s chair as she requested.
“She was nervous,” he said, “and it made her look like she was out of it.”
“Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t want to be seen? That’s what happened to her.”
That’s a heartbreaking thing to happen to such a Hollywood powerhouse, but I hope she knows how much fans enjoyed seeing her.
h/t: The Guardian
