Oscars flub eclipses black feat
AN OSCARS howler that saw best picture go to the wrong movie was blamed on an accountant losing track of his envelopes – and undermining a historic triumph for black cinema.
More than 30 million viewers witnessed presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announcing musical La La Land as the victor when coming-of-age tale Moonlight had actually won at Sunday’s 89th Academy Awards.
Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which counts and safeguards Oscar votes and results, took the blame after the evening ended in chaos, vowing to investigate what had gone wrong.
The company said that Brian Cullinan, a partner with years of Oscars experience, had mistakenly handed Beatty a duplicate of the envelope announcing Emma Stone’s best actress win for La La Land. Tim Ryan, PwC’s US chair, told trade magazine Variety he had spoken at length with Cullinan. “He is very upset. And it is also my mistake, our mistake, and we all feel very bad,” Ryan said.
The most shocking error in the Oscars’ 88year history largely overshadowed the significance of the achievement of Moonlight on a night of a record number of wins by black stars.
Not only did the underdog pull off a stunning upset against juggernaut La La Land, it was the first winner in history made by an African-American directing an all-black cast.
“It was a heartbreaking fiasco. You felt embarrassed for Beatty, who clearly knew something was amiss when he opened the envelope but didn’t know how to proceed,” wrote Entertainment Weekly critic Jeff Jenson.
Moonlight, the story of a young African- American in Miami, was seen as the antidote to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of the last two years.
One of its stars, Mahershala Ali, became the first Muslim acting winner in history while director Barry Jenkins and writer Tarell McCraney took their place among just four black recipients of a best screenplay Oscar.
The film took three prizes – best picture, best supporting actor for Ali and best adapted screenplay.
Until the final minute of the film industry’s biggest night, it had been business as usual, with plenty of political statements – mainly jabs at President Donald Trump – and lighthearted jokes from host Jimmy Kimmel.
Trump blamed the catastrophic finale on what he said was Hollywood obsessing about him rather than concentrating on running a smooth show, according to conservative website Breitbart News.
“It was a little sad. It took away from the glamour of the Oscars,” he told the site, which was previously managed by Steve Bannon, who now serves as Trump’s strategist.
“It didn’t feel like a very glamorous evening. I’ve been to the Oscars. There was something very special missing, and then to end that way was sad.”
It fell to La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz – already onstage and giving a speech after receiving the best picture statuette – to announce the error to a sea of confused faces amid scenes of chaos onstage.
“I noticed the commotion and thought something was strange. And then I was speechless,” the director of Moonlight said. “I’ve watched the Academy Awards before and have never seen that happen.” — AFP