Post the historical debacle of announcing the wrong winner at the 89th Oscar Awards 2017, there's finally an explanation as to how it happened. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm in-charge for tabulation of the Oscar ballots and the envelopes announcing the winners, have taken full responsibility of the flub.
Few hours after the shocking mix-up that mistakenly announced La La Land won the Best Picture; the accounting firm has now released a statement apologizing to La La Land and Moonlight producers. The statement reads:
"We sincerely apologize to 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land,' Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation."
The accounting firm is investigating the incident.
According to a Forbes article, two copies of the winner cards are made. Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz, the leaders entrusted with handing over the sealed envelopes to presenters, are deployed in both sides of the stage with a copy each. With Emma Stone revealing that she already had a copy of the Best Actress card, it is possible that the second copy were given to Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, instead of the Best Picture card.
While Beatty did not notice the Best Actress written on the card in place of Best Picture, he knew something was wrong as he stared at Dunaway for a while before she announced the winner.
The Wrap reports that the PwC balloting leaders are instructed to immediately stop the show if an incorrect winner is announced. However, it wasn't until a full two minutes the mistake was identified by the stage manager Gary Natoli.
While we wait for an official clarification and the story behind the goof up, there is no doubt the incident will go down in the history of the Oscar as the biggest mistake to ever take place in Academy Awards night.
