This year’s Oscars will be remembered in Hollywood history as an insurmountable disaster. It’s possible that in a short time no one will remember CODA was the winning movie of the night, but everyone will consider the so-called slapgate, the backlash, caught on cameras, that Will Smith had in front of him. Joke made by comedian Chris Rock at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

And now new nonsense is known, as what was one of the few successes of the concert production, Lady Gaga’s appearance with Lisa Minnelli to present the Best Picture award, appears to have been a “sabotage” that left the legendary star nervous and stunned seconds before appearing on the Dolby stage before the eyes of the world.

This was explained a few days ago by singer Michael Feinstein, a friend of Minnelli, on the radio show The Jess Cagle Show, in which he told behind the scenes at that moment that all the records of that night featured as one of the most positive sequences of a night to be forgotten.

The image of Lady Gaga accompanying Minnelli – an icon in her own right, the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, two of Hollywood’s greatest legends – with care and tenderness touched many as much as it disturbed them. The artist’s apparent state of confusion. According to Feinstein, who was a backstage present at the Academy gala, Minnelli was “forced” by the production to appear seated in a wheelchair, despite the fact that she made the most anticipated class presentation at night to be able to appear on stage seated in the director’s chair.

“I know the talk about ‘sabotage’ sounds a bit strong, but Lisa only agreed to go to the Oscars if she showed up sitting in that chair, because she has some back problems. He told them, ‘I don’t want you to see me lame. I want to look lame’. Well, I don’t want them to worry about me. However, literally five minutes before we got on stage, with her already sitting in the chair, I think because of all the party fanfare, the assistant director said she had to get out of the wheelchair.” To Smith’s incident and how it affected, According to him, on all the plans for the Oscars.

Although Minnelli, his friend says, initially refused the change, there was no time to make the production change its mind. The dispute logically caused a lot of tension and annoyance for the actress, who won an Oscar for her role in the movie Cabaret.

“She was shocked and confused by all the changes and so she gave the impression that something was wrong with her but it wasn’t. Lisa is doing very well,” said Feinstein, who, like his former press agent, Scott Gorstein, referred to some of the artist’s physical ailments.

As Gornstein told the New York Post, Minnelli, who has had four hip replacement surgeries, three knee surgeries and one spinal operation in recent years, “is enjoying life without having to be on camera.”

“Since her birth, she has been under pressure to work and that is why in recent years she has had the opportunity to relax and have a good time, without stress,” explained the actress, who encouraged her to accept the invitation from the academy, at the express request of Lady Gaga.

“Lisa is a legend and deserves to be at the Oscars,” judged his friend, who, like the rest of the world, had no way of foreseeing that such an appearance would be marked by the most disastrous Oscars. seen.