Conspiracy Theories and Meryl Streep’s Best-Actress Upset

It was a surprise that Meryl Streep trumped Viola Davis for the best-actress Oscar -- but it was no shock. The "Doubt" co-stars were neck-and-neck the entire season. Rooney Mara winning: That would have been freaky.

On Sunday night, the major races had been called, the supporting categories had gone as predicted, and at the 11th hour Streep beat Davis. On Feb. 28, latimes.com's Steven Zeitchik used the upset to spin conspiracy theories about the race under the headline "What Was Behind Meryl Streep's Upset Win?"

Zeitchik actually quoted snippets overheard in an elevator on Oscar night -- because no studio executive ever lies to the face of a movie star in a moving box. According to latimes.com, Disney/ABC Television President Anne Sweeney shared the lift with newly minted Oscar winner Octavia Spencer. Sweeney confessed that she was "upset. I feel bad for Viola." When Spencer asked how it could have happened, Sweeney reportedly said, "I have my theories." But Sweeney did not share them. And, besides, it sounds more ominous without elaboration.

Only two days before, Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty came clean about his "Streep Problem" in a pre-Oscar pile-on. McNulty got his knickers in a twist about how none of his friends wanted to see "The Iron Lady" with him. They would rather see "Shame" (which is interesting because they share a writer: Abi Morgan) first, or "Pina."