A day after Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and his wife Christina won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for “Inside Job,” they issued a statement saying how “humbled they are by winning.”
As executive producers and co-financiers of the behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street and the financial meltdown of 2008, the Luries also helped spur on director Charles Ferguson, who accepted the golden statue Sunday along with producer Audrey Marrs.
The Luries chose to skip the Oscar ceremony, but may be regretting that now. During his acceptance speech, Ferguson didn’t thank the Luries, who put up about $1 million through their company, Screen Pass Pictures. He did not even remember to thank them backstage until prompted to do so by Marrs.
Friends of the Luries say that they were very upset about the snub. One friend said, “Christina felt like she was slapped in the face. She is very guarded and really extended herself to Ferguson.”
Ferguson himself told Metro in an earlier interview that the “Luries were fantastic to work with – helpful and encouraging without trying to interfere. Christina Lurie, in particular, knew a considerable amount of people in the financial industry and she was very happy to introduce them to me.”
In a statement yesterday, Ferguson said, “In the brief 45 seconds we are allotted to give our thanks at the Oscars, there are many people I wish I had thanked that I inadvertently left out. Fortunately the Luries know how grateful I am to them for what they brought to this project.”
Comcast presence
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Steve Burke, head of Comcast’s NBCUniversal Division, were very visible at the Academy Awards ceremony. One Hollywood insider said, “Roberts and Burke were very approachable. They made it clear that talent was welcome at NBC and that they were open to all ideas. Nothing was off the table.”
