Director Adam McKay’s “The Big Short” has a big shot at the big Oscar. So how did “SNL’s” former head comedy writer spin from one-liners with Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon to mortgages with Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell?
“I’m no apologist,” he says. “I read lots of books. One whole night I read this entire book and couldn’t put it down. I know I’m a comedy guy and nobody would let me direct this and that I just had to get on with my life.
“But I couldn’t get it out of my head. Bundling mortgages together? Selling them to big institutions? When running out of good deals you then put in crappy ones? Brad Pitt’s production company had the rights, only nobody could get it together.
“Their script was pretty good. But I rewrote it and put the guys and our stuff in it. This movie was for everyone, not just Wall Streeters. We had to break the fourth wall. Talk to the audience. Let them know it’s confusing but hang with us. We won’t just tell. We’ll show. Let the story dictate what works.
“It was like science fiction. The banks kept getting bigger. I just deal in ideas. I knew what I was doing but the question was, can I get it to work? It couldn’t simply be OK. It had to work.
“I personally have a business manager. I try to diversify. I have a family member who lost a home. I have friends who’ve lost their jobs. Listen, I’m no financial expert. I’m in the stock market myself and already lost money.”
Nosh news from La-La Land
LA: Kris Jenner, Brittny Gastineau at Craig’s. A salad away, Melanie Griffith and Larry King . . . Also LA, Boa Steakhouse: After martinis, fish, shrimp and steak, Lainie Kazan asked event planner Larry Scott to be her Oscars escort . . . Everyone know Moby just opened a vegan joint out there where Californians consider grass a main dish?
Chips are in
ATTN: Charity poker evening. The Jed Foundation will give $2,000 in chips so even lousy players can sit in with Montel Williams, chef Rocco DiSpirito, “Rock of Ages” star Constantine Maroulis, guys from the Tennessee Titans, dudes from the Seattle Seahawks, Fox News’ Rick Leventhal, World Series poker queen Beth Shak and poker champ Jamie Gold. Feb. 23rd, 7 p.m., Cipriani Club 55.
Pol notes
Our candidate chorus line: Bernie Socialist, born before The World began 4.54 billion years ago, knows borscht internationally. Mention Syria and he thinks Aleppo is a spotted animal. Little boy Marco? You see him holding up this whole country? Standing up to Putin? He couldn’t even get there. His mama won’t wet him cwoss the stweet.
Snooze Cruz is a pig. It doesn’t rhyme but so what. He’s still a pig. Knocks New York from where 2 ¹/₂ candidates come — Hillary, Donny and maybe Bloomy. None from his Canadian hometown Calgary.
Arts-n-stuff
Triad theater, the 16th, audience warmer-upper Bob Perlow’s one-man show “Tales From Hollywood.” Backstage dish from “Taxi,” “Cheers” and Jay Leno’s heydays . . . Not last century’s Steve and Eydie but Steve Martin and Paul Simon’s singer wife Edie Brickell working together. They’ve written “Bright Star.” The musical showcased out-of-town before theater owner maybes and pale untanned Steve wore a suit. He said: “This is my resort attire. What I wear out in the sun.”
Democratic strategist: The GOP’s conservative party leaders are holding a hush-hush session. It’s a meeting of closed minds.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.