Lady O handled that question perfectly.

Sometimes, the WAY you handle a situation is as informative as the facts themselves. Mo'Nique didn't like the way her family's appearance went down on the OWS. She said she attempted to talk to Oprah about that AT THE LEGEND'S BALL. Talk about poor timing.

We get it. Mo'Nique took a part in a low budget film as a favor to a friend, but the film ended up smashing all expectations and attracting attention from Hollywood heavy hitters and a major studio, who probably had no idea of her salary issues -- and they might not have cared, since she signed the contract to play the part. As one of the leads, she was expected to promote said film. Studios do NOT pay extra for that, though they cover accommodations. Ultimately, she wouldn't budge when it came to attending the Cannes Film Festival.

Huge strategic mistake. Any competent manager would have told her to get her a** on a plane to the festival. Her absence was conspicuous, AND she gave the power to explain her absence to a group of powerful people she had just pissed off.

Mo'Nique said on V-103 in Atlanta that when Oprah called to ask her to go to Cannes, "I told Oprah that I was in bed with my husband and kids watching cartoons." When other producers asked Oprah/Lee/Tyler why the star of the film wasn't at the festival, what do you think they said?