Hold Up, Roger Ross Williams, I'mma let you finish…

But my Oscar speech is the best speech of ALL TIME!

So if you, like me were watching the Oscars while drinking heavily and chatting with various peoples on Al Gore’s Internets (some of you probably were hanging out on Jezebel; I was hanging out with those crazy kids at Pajiba), you probably saw that crazy ass white lady jump on stage with Roger Ross Williams, the producer and director of Best Documentary short winner Music by Prudence, and quite literally grab the mic from Williams so she could ramble her thanks.

I mean, what the hell was that?

I was sitting at home like “Dayum!  She went straight Kanye on a brutha!  Can’t a black man accept an Oscar in a white man’s world without some crazy white lady getting all up in his shit?” I actually didn’t say anything close to that, because let’s face it, I rarely speak in a “Negro dialect” (Harry Reid™) and it’s really no longer a white man’s world because Obama is president (holla!!!) and racism is, therefore, dead.  But still, it was pretty shocking when that lady pulled a Kanye Interruptus.

Apparently, Williams and Burkett hate each others’ faces and never had a discussion about the Oscar deets–who should speak, when, and for how long.  Instead, they seemingly raced each other to the stage with Burkett elbowing her way on stage.  What the hell was that all about, you’re wondering?

Well, Salon has a story about the incident in which the crazy white lady, Elinor Burkett, explained her actions:

People are already saying you “pulled a Kanye.” What happened?

BURKETT: 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.

Can you explain the reason behind the conflict?

BURKETT: The movie was supposed to be about the entire band, Liyana. And the [band members] were very clear they did not want to participate if it ended up being just about one person. The director and HBO decided to focus solely on Prudence . . .

And that led to the rift. But didn’t you see him at other events to discuss what would happen if you won?

BURKETT: He won’t talk to me! This whole week, there have been events thrown by the International Documentary Association, and he hasn’t passed any of the invitations on to me.

The movie was my idea. I live in Zimbabwe. Roger had never even heard of Zimbabwe before I told him about this. And you know, I felt my role in this has been denigrated again and again, and it wasn’t going to happen this time.

How do you feel about the final product?

BURKETT: The final product, it’s not that it’s bad. It’s not what I envisioned when I came up with this project. And it’s not what we promised the boys in the band. It’s just not what we wanted it to be.

And here’s Roger Ross Williams’ side of the story:

How did that happen?

WILLIAMS: Only one person is allowed to accept the award. I was the director, and she was removed from the project nearly a year ago, but she was able to still qualify as a producer on the project, and be an official nominee. But she was very angry — she actually removed herself from the project – because she wanted more creative control.

But couldn’t you decide ahead of time who would speak?

WILLIAMS: That was handled by the publicist for the academy. I don’t know what they told her. The academy is very clear that only one person can speak. I own the film. She has no claim whatsoever. She has nothing to do with the movie. She just ambushed me. I was sort of in shock.

You seemed to run up there pretty fast. Didn’t you see her coming up the aisle? What did you think was going to happen when she got there?

WILLIAMS: I just expected her to stand there. I had a speech prepared.

She claims she found the movie’s story, that she brought it to you.

WILLIAMS: No, not at all. The truth is that she saw the band perform [in Zimbabwe], and told me about that, and then I opened up a dialogue with the [King George VI School & Centre for Children with Physical Disabilities] school and went on my own – which you would’ve heard about in my speech — and spent $6,000 going to Africa shooting myself. And when people expressed interest in the film, I asked her to come on board. And then I regretted that decision. Then she sued.

It was quite a tussle. Does this diminish the Oscar at all?

WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. It’s such a career achievement, to win an Academy Award. This is what the business is. There are times when there’s disagreement and dispute and you always hope that people will rise up to the occasion. It doesn’t diminish it. She disowns it and doesn’t want any part of the film. I’m so proud of the movie .

OK, did your mother try and block her with her cane?

WILLIAMS: My mother got up to hug me. And my mother is 87 years old. She was excited.

What are people saying about it?

They’re saying it looked like she pulled a Kanye.

WILLIAMS: She did! She pulled a Kanye. And it’s a shame, because this is such positive, happy film.

OK, so raise your hand if you think Burkett sounds completely psychotic?  I mean, did she really just say that Williams had never even heard of Zimbabwe before he met her?  I mean, seriously?  A black filmmaker has NEVER HEARD OF ZIMBABWE?

Sounds like she was being a controlling asshole during film production, threw a tantrum and removed herself from involvement with the project when she didn’t get her way, sued (probably didn’t get shit), and then saw her chance to have the bright lights shine on her crazy ass head, if only for a moment after Williams went and made the film he wanted to make without her crazy ass.  For the love of Cruise, she accuses the dude’s 87 year old  mom of trying to trip her with a cane!  What the crap!?  She sounds delusional.

Moreover, the movie won a gottdamn Oscar and she is still trashing the movie?  It wasn’t what you wanted it to be, Crazypants McInterruptsalot?  Well maybe that’s a good thing, you douchecanoe.  Seems like Williams’ end product was exactly what he wanted it to be, what it should have been, and the Academy agreed.

What do you think of this he said/she said battle?

[via Salon & Pajiba]