Actress Marisa Tomei at The Washington Post’s reception party before the start of the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton in 2013. But the stunning error and chaotic scene that followed also did something else: In a roundabout way, it appears to have vindicated a long-ago Oscar winner — Marisa Tomei. [Here’s the entire Oscars best-picture disaster, annotated]The 52-year-old actress was nowhere near the stage Sunday and was not affiliated with either benighted movie. He opened the envelope and read the name: Marisa Tomei. “Marisa Tomei, Joe Pesci’s wisecracking girlfriend in “My Cousin Vinny,” prevented the category from being populated entirely by foreigners,” wrote Ebert, who years later would defend Tomei as the rumor persisted.

Source: Washington Post February 27, 2017 22:43 UTC