February 27, 2017

I thought that Oscars mixup was some kind of political performance art.

I didn't watch the Oscars last night, and I'm sorry I missed the real-time WTF fun. I saw the news on my iPhone in the middle of the night, then slept on it before reading the details and seeing video.

As the NYT explains it, I don't think it was fake news: There's video, and there's a transcript of what happened. We've got Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway on stage and presenting, and the only reason I can think of why they'd give those two the honor of announcing the most important award is: White Privilege. Rich, old, white people. They rule America and they rule Hollywood. And of course, the white movie "La La Land" wins in their world. All the white La La people file up on stage to take the naked-man statuette, and they start blah-blahing about their la la-ing, and then it's: Oh, no, white people! There's a revolution! The real winner is "Moonlight," the black movie. All the black people come up on the stage. Yay! Victory! Things are not what they seemed! What you thought happened didn't really happen. Who you thought won didn't really win! Wake up from your nightmare! If only President Donald Trump were only a nightmare. Ha ha. La la. Blah blah.

Now, I know Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were Bonnie and Clyde. This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks. American outlaws. To put those 2 together is to wink: the rules don't apply. And Warren Beatty has some political wit. (Isn't Trump a bit like Beatty's Bulworth?) So Beatty hesitates over the card, then hands it to Dunaway and she finally says "La La Land." The NYT reports that Beatty says that the card they looked at was the card for the Best Actress award, which said "Emma Stone/La La Land." That's an explanation for why they said "La La Land" for Best Picture? Obviously, that would be the wrong card, though it is a (feeble) excuse for saying "La La Land." It's the only name of a movie on the card.

I said I thought the NYT did a good job of reporting, using transcript and video. And they've got a quote from Beatty:
“I opened the envelope, and it said ‘Emma Stone, La La Land.’ That’s why I took such a long look at Faye and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny. This is ‘Moonlight,’ the best picture.”
I trust that he said that, but I don't know that he's not lying. He might have wanted to make the big political gesture. He might have thought it's justified because the world in which Donald Trump is President is not a normal world. Fair is foul, and foul is fair. You can do it and you can lie too. It's art, and it's poetic justice. White people — unhand that Oscar. Donald Trump — ungrab that pussy. Unbreak America's heart!

Warren Beatty for President.

185 comments:

MisterBuddwing said...

Didn't see last night's Best Picture gaffe live - I was taking a nap. But it was all over the web in just minutes, of course.

It brought to mind a gaffe-that-wasn't at the 1985 Academy Awards, when Laurence Olivier announced the winner for Best Picture: "Amadeus." I remember audience members gasped when they realized Olivier was going to announce the winner without reading off the list of nominees first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKyMQEaEcsM

Word had it that a stunned Gregory Peck, one of the producers of the broadcast, wondered if Olivier had named the wrong movie, and how he began to mentally compose a press release explaining and apologizing for a mistake that wasn't - "Amadeus" did win.

Last night, Drudge wrote: "Beatty Blows It." Not really his fault, although ideally, he should have realized he was holding an incorrect envelope. I'm reminded of how Lucille Ball found herself "in trouble" as she presented the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1975:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmCwTYdN58Q

(Those were Milton Berle and Art Carney leaping onto the stage.)

Peter Irons said...

Who cares what happens at the Oscars? It is all so old.

Megthered said...

I thought their jobs were to read whatever lines were given to them. They can't even do that. A normal person would have read the card and when they saw Best Actress, anyone with an ounce of sense or intellect would have deduced they were given the wrong card. I didn't see the mess last night, but did she win for best actress? If so, wasn't the card already opened? Did someone just pick it up off the floor and hand it to him without looking at it and making sure it was the correct card for Best Picture? The stupidity of all of those involved were on display. These people who are in the entertainment business couldn't even get their own show to run correctly. And we are supposed to listen to their political ranting, like they are our betters?

MisterBuddwing said...

Warren Beatty for President.

I'll settle for U.S. senator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_m2N5Ak2os

tcrosse said...

I blame the Russians.

kevino said...

I saw about 15 minutes of it (only three sets of digs at President Trump), but it looked very tiresome.

A saw the video this am of Warren Beatty, and he looks as though he only has three functioning brain cells left. Hats off to one of the La La Land losers who offered to present the winners with the award. He showed grace -- something that the evening needed badly.

Bob Ellison said...

Two things: drunk and/or bad eyesight.

If drunk, Faye may have just said what everyone already knew was supposed to happen, without reading the card.

If bad eyesight, well, neither of them was wearing glasses, and older people tend to lose their near vision. I can't read a thing, even in 16-point, without glasses.

Fritz said...

My life long boycott of the Oscars continues unabated.

Michael K said...

I was trying to go to sleep and my wife had it on. I sort of half awakened when the white people were going on and on with long speeches,

Then it was the blacks turn.

My mother in law was in the movie business many years ago (She died a few years ago) and she referred to actors as "Talent."

It wasn't a compliment.

wild chicken said...

Maybe he was high. Boomers don't realize how stupid pot makes them.

rehajm said...

Clearly Beatty was flummoxed by the conflicting information and hoped Faye would bail him out.

Error as performance art is too cute but the Wrong-Card-in-the-Trump-Election daydream will help lefties make it through Monday.

I'm taking early odds on Deloitte winning the award for Oscar Show Accountants in 2018.

MisterBuddwing said...

Clearly Beatty was flummoxed by the conflicting information and hoped Faye would bail him out.

Agreed. Confronted with something that didn't look quite right, but didn't look totally wrong, Beatty went with it - to his regret.

Earnest Prole said...

The only thing better than this fiasco is if the mistake had gone the other way and the black performers had been forced to hand over their Oscars to the white performers.

Jason said...

"Moonlight" is a 'coming of age' story about a young gay black man in Miami.

I mean, was there ever any doubt?

Matt Sablan said...

Just... how does that sort of mistake happen? Did they print two sets of awards and stuff two sets of envelopes?

David Begley said...

Who was the person who handed him the wrong envelope?

MacMacConnell said...

So let's get this straight, Hollywood has been doing this for 87 years and fucked it up, but they criticise Trump for his first 30 days in office?

Martha said...

There were 2 sets of cards:

NYTimes:
In a blog post published on Medium this month, Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz of the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, explained the process of handling the envelopes for the Oscars. Mr. Cullinan wrote that he and Ms. Ruiz each had a full set of envelopes and stood on opposite sides of the stage, where they handed envelopes to presenters.

“It doesn’t sound very complicated,” Mr. Cullinan said, “but you have to make sure you’re giving the presenter the right envelope.”

Curious George said...

I watched the Blackhawks beat the Blues. Still trying to decide who should have won "Best Goal"...Patrick Kane or Jonathon Toews.

Original Mike said...

Our betters, people.

Darrell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt Sablan said...

.. Why would you have two sets of cards? You should have one set of cards to prevent exactly this sort of mix up. In fact, you should have one set of cards, and you should not seal the envelopes until you confirm that the right one is in the right envelope, and the envelope should be labeled with the event. You should seal it as you hand it to the presenters.

MisterBuddwing said...

Just... how does that sort of mistake happen? Did they print two sets of awards and stuff two sets of envelopes?

In point of fact: Yes.

http://pagesix.com/2017/02/27/pricewaterhousecoopers-issues-apology-over-best-picture-flub/

Who was the person who handed him the wrong envelope?

They're "investigating."

Darrell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt Sablan said...

At least this makes me feel a lot better. This is why Hollywood thinks "event planners" are such a big deal.

Because they can't handle a freakin' award show without screwing up.

Martha said...

Winning in the Trump era.

Hillary's gang will now claim duplicate ballots were used to give Trump the election.
White male privilege.

Laslo Spatula said...

A Musical with Ryan Gosling AND Emma Stone? "La La Land" screams White Privilege.

Denzel and Viola's movie "Fences" couldn't win because -- although they are black and respected -- they are black people that WHITE people like. No frisson there.

"Hidden Figures" couldn't win because -- though inspiring -- the three black women were only helping WHITE rocket scientists. Too old-fashioned.

"Moonlight" had black people that WHITE people never heard of, which is Authentic, and involved Gay, which Hollywood believes that some WHITE people are still uncomfortable with.

That is our Hollywood Lesson.

I am Laslo.

rhhardin said...

Where are the pics of red carpet side-boobs.

Matt Sablan said...

Darrell: No. My guess is that they both have a full set, and the presenters just grab the card from one of them at seeming random, and for whatever reason, one person got their cards out of order. Because they're running the show less effectively than high school graduations operate in ensuring the right person gets their diploma.

Ken B said...

There's a picture of Beatty holding a cord. It says Moonlight. So, when was it taken?

MisterBuddwing said...

With two different winners listed? Makes no sense.

At this point, the explanation that makes sense is that a backup envelope for Best Actress was inadvertently handed to Beatty and Dunaway.

Quayle said...

They don't call it La La Land for nut'n.

rhhardin said...

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were in Crazy Stupid Love, nobody from which I remember except Steve Carell. The actresses were generic.

Also, the dvd list says, Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei.

Moore must have been disguised because normally I'd recognize her.

Laslo Spatula said...

And the bit with the 'normal folk' from the Tour Bus being paraded in front of the Front Row Celebrities: it was like a fucking Petting Zoo for the Elite...

They actually touched a 'real person'! Look! We are just like regular people! Now get out of here, we have Awards to give...

Why do I suspect that all the Front Row Celebrities instantly reached for their Hand Sanitizers at the next commercial break...?

I am Laslo.

Original Mike said...

"Why would you have two sets of cards?"

Story I just heard is there is a set on each side of the stage so presenters can come from either side.

Roughcoat said...

Warren and Faye look as though they've each had a whole bunch of facelifts. They looked bizarre, as old people with facelifts almost always do. Like their faces are made of melting candle wax.

rhhardin said...

Actresses get ungeneric by being in a good pic somewhere.

Anne Hathaway from Get Smart
Julianne Moore from Laws of Attraction
Julia Roberts from Notting Hill
Meg Ryan from You've Got Mail
Sandra Bullock from Two Weeks Notice
Emily Blunt from Live Die Repeat

Good pic: I judge pics by their best moment.

Michael K said...

Many years ago, when I was in medical school, my close friend's father was the Price Waterhouse partner who handed the envelopes to the presenters every year at the Oscars.

He was the only one who knew the winners in advance.

Never made a mistake.

Now, of course, we have to have diversity. No more white males doing it.

Darrell said...

I'll accept their explanation. I came here from a news site that just said "wrong envelope." I deleted my commnents when I read Ann's full post.

Titus said...

Mahershala Ali-stunningly beautiful and perfect body.

Wince said...

Why not simply print the category at the top of each card to remove any confusion?

rhhardin said...

The way ungenericness happens is you get that one good moment in that one pic and look for flicks with the same actress. Something worth noticing if you're an actress.

Look for a film with a good moment you can be part of.

Quayle said...

"If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'.

rhhardin said...

The Oscars push the envelope.

traditionalguy said...

I demand a recount. It ain't over until the three judge Judicial Panel says it's over and Soros's money gives out. Then we will need a Special Prosecutor.

MisterBuddwing said...

Now, of course, we have to have diversity. No more white males doing it.

Charming sentiment, Doctor. White guys don't make mistakes, but if they do, it's because they're only human. A minority person makes a mistake, it's because they're ... minorities.

But since you're in the medical field, care to offer some thoughts on the occasional "gaffe" of an incorrect limb being amputated, or one patient being mistaken for another, or a whopping overdose of some powerful drug being administered?

Because, minorities...?

rhhardin said...

You don't get ungeneric by taking your shirt off, in particular.

Nothing's more generic that naked women.

Roughcoat said...

Instead of the Oscars my wife and I watched "Moonlight" last night -- an actor friend provided us with a copy given to her by the Academy so she could cast her vote for best picture. I found it inconsequential and boring, and too long. And, you know, the whole gay thing. But I said to my wife: this is going to win. Because: gay, and black.

Right as rain I was.

Curious George said...

"And the winner is...."

Me. For not watching.

rehajm said...

Why would you have two sets of cards?

In case one set gets stuck in traffic, for example. Or they are misplaced. Or stolen. Presenters moving from stage right or left at director's discretion.

A brief look at the who and a bit of what's involved: Last years Accountants

rhhardin said...

Bad pics: somebody with a drinking problem. Just stop fucking drinking. No need for an hour of agony and bad acting.

John henry said...

I saw about 10 minutes of it. Wondered into the living room where my son in law and daughter were watching.

When I sat down, they were just about to announce best foreign film. I bet my SIL a dollar that the Iranian film would win. It may be a great film or a piece of shit. I have no idea and don't care. The reason it won was because it was Iranian and gave the academy a chance to stick a thumb in President Trump's eye.

I then bet him a dollar that the accepter would talk about the horrible discrimination against muslims from Iran and the other 6 countries.

He had wised up by then and refused to take the bet.

The 10 minutes of so I saw reminded me why I pay no attention at all to this bullshit.

John Henry

William said...

In the fullness of time, I'll probably see La La Land, but Moonlight just doesn't look that appealing. I get the sense that it won Best Picture with the same dynamics that caused Obama to win the Nobel Peace Prize........I'd like to see a romantic comedy about a young Jewish boy and an older Gypsy man who meet and fall in love in a concentration camp.

mockturtle said...

I spent the evening re-reading Yeager.

rhhardin said...

I have a large of DVDs I've ordered on speculation (you may also like...) that go in the stack when, looking at the cover summary, I think maybe later, not now. Some have been there for two years.

Sydney said...

I figured it was an experiment to see if actors really do read anything that's put in front of them without thinking.

rhhardin said...

Next year the job will go to Goldman Sachs.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hollywood and the leftists who infect it think that their pre-written card is the outcome. It's that simple. It's on the card that THEY wrote.

They all supported the per-ordanied conclusion that the Clinton Crime Family would be ON THAT CARD, DAMN IT.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I didn't watch. Instead I watched old episodes of Doc Martin.

I didn't spend a nickle at the theater or the video store/downlaods on a single hollywood movie production this year. It was easy.

oh and Sophies Choice - that movie was horrid and Meryl Streep sucked. Fake accent was a distraction. She is over-rated.

Laslo Spatula said...

Day After the Oscars Hollywood Pitch...

A teenage black transgender teen fights prejudice in a town in rural Kansas, while falling in love with a Muslim Syrian Immigrant. Together they take on the Town's ban on teenage dancing by staging a high school dance on the outside of town, earning the respect of their rural white peers...

I am Laslo...

tcrosse said...

Is a person nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress according to their birth certificate or according to their chosen gender identity ?

Michael K said...

"Mister Buddwing" has his feathers ruffled.

Charming sentiment, Doctor. White guys don't make mistakes, but if they do, it's because they're only human. A minority person makes a mistake, it's because they're ... minorities.

No, the same guy did it for years. Never made a mistake.

I didn't know women were "minorities" mister genius.

Then, of course, you have to get your hate the doctor licks in.

Known Unknown said...

"Emily Blunt from Live Die Repeat"

That movie is called Edge of Tomorrow, which is a stupid title. Live Die Repeat was the tagline on the posters and is a better title for that movie (which is underrated.)

The title of the book from which it was taken is "All You Need is Kill" which they should've kept as the title instead of changing it.

Oh, and there's a sequel in the works.

MisterBuddwing said...

Is a person nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress according to their birth certificate or according to their chosen gender identity ?

I take it you're much too young to remember Linda Hunt winning Best Supporting Actress for playing Billy Kwan in "The Year of Living Dangerously"?

Michael K said...

But I said to my wife: this is going to win. Because: gay, and black.

Right as rain I was.


Yup. "Mister Buddwing" most affected.

Fernandinande said...

Jason said...
"Moonlight" is a 'coming of age' story about a young gay black man in Miami.
I mean, was there ever any doubt?


John said...
I bet my SIL a dollar that the Iranian film would win.


My agent and I are working on a comedy about a black passive "luti" in Iran who given 100 lashes and is then killed.

"It'll be funny because it's true."

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I made the Trump/Bullworth comparison during the general election fray. To paraphrase myself, the liberal progressive Hollywood love to portray straight-talking semi-crass politicians coming from nowhere to win because Harry Truman or something. But when the real deal comes along and captures the public imagination (and might win) they go all "Oh no Hitler" on him. Last night was a lot of pig-squealing disguised as genial comedy. I half-listened, writing at my desk while my wife watched the show, drawing my attention whenever she groaned at the lame lines Jimmy was dealing out. She groaned a lot.

MisterBuddwing said...

Then, of course, you have to get your hate the doctor licks in.

My father is a retired doctor. He rose to become director of surgery at his hospital. I'm extremely proud of him. And he - like me - is a minority.

Known Unknown said...

I'm a film buff. I went to an Oscar movie marathon last Saturday (no Moonlight, but saw a lot of the others). I like niche and indie and foreign films.

But I won't watch the Oscars. Too long and drawn out and tedious. Too political. Too self-fellating.

I watched "The Lives of Others" instead. It's on my all-time top 20 for sure.

robother said...

As far as Ann's take: generally I subscribe to the view that one should never ascribe conspiracy to what can be explained as incompetence. But there was a rehearsed exuberance to the La La Land producer's announcement that Moonlight won.

I can't imagine wanting to waste time watching any of these nominated "Best" films.

Jon Burack said...

Obviously, Putin did it. I mean he did rig the Super Bowl, after all.

dreams said...

I don't think so.

Fernandinande said...

MisterBuddwing said...
And he - like me - is a minority.


That's real swell, but the important thing nowadays is to not be cisgender.

dreams said...

The political views of actors tend to be childish. They've read a couple of liberal articles and feel like they're informed.

George M. Spencer said...

Calling Camille Paglia. She'll have a field day with this. Last night was Altamont for Hollywood. Everyone in Tinsel Town wishes they could gimme shelter. It's L.A.'s very own Tet Offensive with senile incompetents crawling over the embassy wall. If 'Bonnie and Clyde' marked some creepy karma shift for movies in 1967 signifying youthful, outrageous vigor to rob the banks of civilization and die in a dance of bullets, last night was surely the coffin lid coming down.

Moonlight ranked #133 among 2016's top grossing movies with $12MM. La La came in at #83 with $34MM. Nowhere to be seen--at the Oscars--were the top 10 grossing movies: Finding Dory (#1 at $486MM); Rogue One, Capt. America, Secret Life of Pets; Jungle Book; Deadpool; Zootopia; Batman v. Superman; Suicide Squad; and Dr. Strange. Clearly the recipe for big money in Hollywood is fish, cats, dogs, cute robots, comic books, and sadism.

rhhardin said...

Edge of Seventeen (2016) was good. You can't tell what good acting is all the time.

I'd give it to Woody Harrelson in the gag reel, where Hailee and Woody are breaking up for some reason on retakes and Woody wipes the smile off his face and puts on an instant really serious and concerned face appropriate to the scene and that itself breaks Hailee up. That instant serious face is great acting talent.

Lawyerly said...

I saw it in real time and while it's fun to imagine someone putting all kinds of thought into a piece of performance art with some deep political meaning, it's simply not the case. This was a genuine F-up by Pricewaterhouse. The guy from La La land that had been accepting the award held up the real card showing Moonlight as the winner of best picture. If you look at that card you could see how WB would be confused in exactly the way he was confused if he opened a duplicate envelope for best actress instead. The category is on the card but only in very tiny font at the bottom. I doubt he even noticed it before showing it to Faye.

Faye thought WB was being funny so when he showed her the card and she saw La La Land prominently at the top she just blurted it out and that was that. It took producers in head sets running onto the stage while others were giving speeches to get things sorted out.

Unfortunate for everyone really, La La Land people get all excited only to have the rug pulled out from under them, and everyone was so distracted by what had just happened that the Moonlight people never really got their moment.

John henry said...

Isn't there a remake of Bonnie and Clyde coming out soon?

Is that why Beatty and Dunaway were there?

John Henry

madAsHell said...

The award ceremonies have become boring. They need to bring a little more buzz to the awards. They saw what Steve Harvey did with the Ms. America pageant, and thought it might be a good idea.

LordSomber said...

But when the real deal comes along and captures the public imagination (and might win) they go all "Oh no Hitler" on him. Last night was a lot of pig-squealing disguised as genial comedy.

Shallow humour as a weak cover for butthurt entertainers -- they should make a movie about it. They can call it "The Day the Clown Cried."

Jupiter said...

MisterBuddwing said...
"My father is a retired doctor. He rose to become director of surgery at his hospital. I'm extremely proud of him. And he - like me - is a minority."

Wow. Must run in the family, right? How sad. Is there somewhere we can make a donation?

lemondog said...

Is a person nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress according to their birth certificate or according to their chosen gender identity ?

Could a transgender person win both Best Actor and Best Actress in the same year ....?

David said...

Pretty much blasted the political statements from the Hollywooders off the news. Thankful for small favors.

Jupiter said...

I was subjected to several minutes of the awards ceremony, through no fault of my own. I found myself idly thinking that a meteorite smashing through the ceiling of that room, say, about 2 meters wide, 10,000 kilos ... no, double that. Double it again.

The only way to be sure ....

MacMacConnell said...

At my house we watched the PBS series 'Victoria", they ran the whole pre-"final" episodes last night. It's a little soap opera like, but interesting.

MisterBuddwing said...

Is there somewhere we can make a donation?

No need. Dad was eminently successful.

buwaya said...

Wife and I were watching the "Bewitched" DVD last night.
Its better than I remembered, often enough. And more surprising.

One episode has a corrupt politician/crony capitalist in cahoots with a corrupt bureaucrat. "Deep State" matters in 1965. And much more "deep" stuff here than one would think.

The writing - language and themes - are surprisingly deep for such a piece of fluff. Much struck me, such as when Endora mentions Diogenes, in a sense such that the audience was expected to know who he was.

And the thing is soaked in feminism, which, along with "ethnic" difference, is the perpetual point of conflict. The feminism though is an ancient aristocratic sort - which seems to point to the elitist sources of feminism. They saw that in 1965. And the downsides of feminism, its solipsistic and amoral nature. Its interesting.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Everybody thouht La LA Land would win, but the polls were wrong. Warren Beatty tried to sluff off the respnsibility for deciding what to do to Faye Dunaway who didn't think. Besides, there was maybe a 50% chance it was the right answer.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Possible explanations or excuses for the loss by La La Land:

1) There was a recount.

2) They lost in the Electoral College.

3) There were too many illegal voters - only 70 people or so were purged from the rolls.

Static Ping said...

Honest Trailers did a preview of the Best Picture candidates. Moonlight was dubbed "All of the Oscar Things" given it was obvious and blatant Oscar bait. Recommended. (The Honest Trailer is recommended. The movie seems to be boring according to people I respect.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o-aEUulEDQ

Actually, it may be more Oscar bait than the parody "Oscar Gold" from Family Guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J5MtYNispY

It is interesting that the two top films were virtue signaling and a celebration of Hollywood. When given a choice, the academy went with virtue signaling. What a bunch of religious fanatics.

Christy said...

The real question is: Will this kerfuffle sell more tickets to Moonlight? I suspect not.

Static Ping said...

As for what I was doing, I was switching between "Ridiculousness," A TV show about making fun of YouTube videos with most of them either painful, disgusting, or horribly embarrassing, and reading King Lear. (The local theater is going to show Ran and I figured it would be a good idea to read the source material before I go see it.) I think both options were better use of my time.

F said...

Laslo @ 8:15:

I'm with you on this. My first thought was "they're mocking the people who spend money on their films. Stupid."

Then: "That's a cruel way to treat tourist who just hoped to have a quiet tour of Hollywood."

But the "petting zoo" is a nice label. I was embarrassed for the tourists AND the Hollywood gliterati. The Oscar producers truly lowered their game on that one, even if it's hard to be much lower than Jimmy Kimmel.

Bill Peschel said...

If it was PriceWaterhouseCooper that handed out the wrong envelope, that indicates a stupid lack of foresight.

There was no reason for it to happen. As each award is given out, the envelope that wasn't used should have been dropped into a trash can. It shouldn't have been anywhere near the stack of envelopes to be handed out.

It was also the last envelope. How could the PWC partner have one envelope left and not be the right one?

This shows why partners are the most useless part of any business.

Jose_K said...

"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Nothing's more generic that naked women.

Unless they also have a paper bag over their heads.

OSCARS? Ho hum. Movies that I have never heard of. That I will never see. With actors that I barely have heard of and who I don't care to see. T

The idea of going to a movie theater is appalling. There is no romance or glamor in a multiplex cinimax warehouse setting with uncomfortable seats. The people who go are rude, use the cell phones to text. They talk loudly, let their kids run wild....and leave trash everywhere. The price of the tickets is expensive. The popcorn is awful.

No thanks.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Is it sad that my first thought, while watching the epic fail, was "classic...". The oscars so beset with political/social commentary controversy absolutely Fs up the big moment they desperately wanted to celebrate: Moonlight (a whole lotta non-white, non-cis) wins best picture over LA LA Land (exact opposite - stereotypical "whitey" movie). Just what the academy needed after all the "oscars so white" BS. Couldn't even get that right.

BillyTalley said...

My question is why the pregnant pause? When WB saw that something was wrong, why didn't he flag it to FD and PW immediately? He clearly thought something was wrong, but stood there helplessly. Why helplessly?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

He clearly thought something was wrong, but stood there helplessly. Why helplessly?

Because he can't think or speak without someone ELSE writing the words for him and telling him how to deliver the speech. He is an actor. Like a trained seal or trick pony.

Jupiter said...

buwaya puti said...
"...such as when Endora mentions Diogenes, in a sense such that the audience was expected to know who he was."

I think at least part of the humor is supposed to be that Endora knows him personally.

"The feminism though is an ancient aristocratic sort - which seems to point to the elitist sources of feminism."

Now you've lost me. Feminism in a show about a woman who devotes her immense superpowers to changing Tabatha's diapers, while her nebbish of a husband abases himself for the privilege of selling trash to idiots who don't need it? I suppose you could argue that Bewitched displays an early form of the "Men are totally incompetent, women can do anything" meme.

Fernandinande said...

All Quiet on the Wizard
Anatomy of Oz
Annie Hard 2
Army of Fear Wars: Episode VII - The Grapes of the Waterfront
Battle The Bad and Love Of Evil
Battleship Potter the Force Awakenstein
Bicycle Third Max: Fury Road
Casablanches
Casablanchest
Citizen Kane
Cry-Babadooklyn
Dances With the Baby
Das Cabinet des Dr. Streetcar Named Desire
E.T. The Book
Flatlight of Oz
Gremlins 2: The Godfather
Hell or High Waterfront
It Happened One Nikita
L.A. Caligari.
L.A. Conformist
Lawrence of Evil
Man on the Bad and the Ugly
Miller's Crossing Kong
Nosferatu, a Slave
Singin' in the Water
Snow White and the Deathly Hall
Teenage Mutant Formist Picture Part 2
The Bad and Love Or How I Learned One Night
The Bonfire of Frankenstein
The Bridential
The Confire of Fear Window
The Extra-Terrestler
The Extrankenstern Times of Robinet Eve
The Force Awakenstein
The Night of the Ugly
The Seven Dward Day's Baby
Toy Strankenster

Clyde said...

As I noted downstream on last night's cafe thread, the only thing that Hollywood loves more than a love letter to itself is diversity. They eat that stuff up with a spoon. So of course a story about a young gay black man trumps a story about a heterosexual white couple.

Best picture in four years? A movie about the Texas transgender wrestler. Hollywood is gonna need a bigger spoon.

WisRich said...

Bill Peschel said...
If it was PriceWaterhouseCooper that handed out the wrong envelope, that indicates a stupid lack of foresight.....

This shows why partners are the most useless part of any business.

2/27/17, 9:33 AM


Perhaps it was actually a plot by PWC to make sure this Oscars flub would overshadow all of the anti-Trump rhetoric during the show.

They're secret Trump supports willing to take the PR hit for the greater good! MAGA

Michael K said...

"There is no romance or glamor in a multiplex cinimax warehouse setting with uncomfortable seats. "

The one thing I will miss about California is the Cinepolis theaters not far from the house in Orange County.

They were comfortable with reserved seats and even small meals and wine at your seat. The few movies we saw the past several years were at those theaters.

None in Arizona.

wwww said...

My question is why the pregnant pause? When WB saw that something was wrong, why didn't he flag it to FD and PW immediately? He clearly thought something was wrong, but stood there helplessly. Why helplessly?


Because he's expecting one thing -- this never happens. Brain Freeze.

His brain can't process it all in the instance. Millions of people watching while on stage. Brain Freeze. There are a few seconds to make a decision -- shows the envelope to Faye trying to make sense of the situation.

It would have been a "Thing" to call out "I think I've got the wrong envelope.

He'd better be sure it's a mistake because it'll ruin the moment of the BIG announcement for best pic. And HOW can he not have the right envelope? How could a stage hand give him the wrong envelope? Emma already got her award. Would be confusing.

By the time he processes all of that, it's over and Faye has already announced the wrong picture.

Jupiter said...

I guess if you consider it along with I Dream Of Jeannie, you could say that the theme is the fragility of the male ego. These incredibly powerful females have to suppress their natural abilities so that the men they love can have the dubious satisfaction of achieving their pathetic little goals by their own feeble efforts. Not sure that's exactly feminism, though.

dreams said...

"They were comfortable with reserved seats and even small meals and wine at your seat. The few movies we saw the past several years were at those theaters."

Here in Elizabethtown, Ky we have a theater like that coming this fall.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Robother @ 8:52

But there was a rehearsed exuberance to the La La Land producer's announcement that Moonlight won.

It's all marketing these films for more $$$$$$$. All leftists in hollywood care about.
Any wonder they wanted so desperately the ultimate money grubber Clinton, to win?


Left Bank of the Charles said...

Now there's a story they botched the in memoriam too, by mistaking a picture of a live Jan for a dead Janet.

n.n said...

As with the first winner of the Miss Universe pageant, La La Land is likely who the host(s) wanted to win. Most people would like to escape the Democrat's reconstituted [class] diversity schemes and establishment's popular portrayals. A little truth emerged from an environment known for fantasy, distortion, and fake reality.

buwaya said...

Feminism of the ancient sort, because the backstory is of an amoral superhuman race devoted solely to pleasing themselves.
This is pretty much the aristocratic ideal when divorced from duty, and typical of degenerate elites.

Birches said...

Static ping, I was about to link to that Honest Trailer too. It's hilarious and true.

I guess it's more Beatty's fault than Dunaway's, but she really blew it.

Of course the guys from LA LA LAND weren't going to make a fuss or act disappointed. They are woke and recognize their privilege.

rhhardin said...

I can't imagine going out to the movies, even with old-style theaters and crowds, when a nice dvd on your very own PC monitor is available. You can pause, take breaks, make food, and there's no hassle.

jeremyabrams said...

It could have been done on purpose, with none of the people on stage being in the loop.

Birches said...

None in Arizona

You mean none in North Mexico, which is what Tucson is. I bet Phoenix has some, actually I'm pretty sure Scottsdale has one (not same brand, but same concept).

buwaya said...

Actually, the theme of a powerful woman "marrying down" is extremely topical today also, and there it is in 1965, with all sorts of permutations examined. The fantasy isnt that it can't work (it has; interesting and rather realistic take in the new BBC "Victoria"; pity that sort of thing cant win US film awards) but that its not easy.

Daniel Jackson said...

"Where are the pics of red carpet side-boobs."

Monsieur RH HARDIN: you can find some here: http://idly.craveonline.com/2017/02/heres-a-bunch-of-2017-oscars-red-carpet-pics/#/slide/1

Although not a lot; most of the dresses are fairly staid though "elegantly" privileged. Rather a mixed message from our royalty.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Birches said...

You mean none in North Mexico, which is what Tucson is. I bet Phoenix has some, actually I'm pretty sure Scottsdale has one (not same brand, but same concept).

Yep. Doc should have done more research before he moved.

http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/aznightlife/top-5-drive-movie-theaters-check/

The Harkins theaters here are pretty nice, but not dine in.

FullMoon said...

Obviously a set-up by someone backstage in order to minimize the fact Meryl Streep was punished for disrespecting the President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump.
Oh, and for dissing the famous dress guy as well.
Nothing else matters.
Feel bad for the LaLa people, who had "won" a once in a lifetime trophy. Like winning the lottery, then realizing ten minutes later you misread the last number.

Michael K said...

I bet Phoenix has some, actually I'm pretty sure Scottsdale has one (not same brand, but same concept).

Maybe but not that brand. Tucson has two zones. South Tucson is close to what you describe. We are north of Ina Road which is red territory. Tucson has three populations. One is Mexican/Hispanic, one is U of A which is reliably leftist. The third group is retirees, military and retired military,

Drago said...

wwww: "Because he's expecting one thing -- this never happens. Brain Freeze.

His brain can't process it all in the instance"

Because he is a dopey, know nothing actor!

Which, of course, makes him an intellectual leader on the left. Sort of like an earlier generation DiCaprio.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

We used to enjoy going out to a theater in Chico Ca that was a beautiful retro survivor of the glamor days of Hollywood. The building was a work of art in the classic Art Deco style. I don't know if it still exists or is as beautiful. Probably not since that was 30+ years ago.

We would go to an early show with some friends and then go out to dinner or just drinks and snacks. We would then be able to sit and dissect, discuss and review the movie as a group. It was fun and a special event for all of us.

Now going to a theater is a disgusting, expensive for the quality of experience and inconvenient....as rhhardin says. I'd rather stay home and stream something or rent through Amazon. At least we can hear the show and be comfortable.

Michael K said...

Doc should have done more research before he moved.

25 years of research including about 6 years of a house on the east side. We are northwest because I commute to Phoenix and want to be close to I 10.

Tucson voting patterns.

Snark said...

This fails on PwC as the envelopes go right from their hands to the hands of presenters. It`s pretty absurd to think PwC would volunteer to participate in some kind of political theater that makes them look sloppy and incompetent. Not exactly what an accounting firm is going to embrace. This was clearly human error, and I feel pretty badly for everyone involved. One of those two PwC people made an awful, humiliating error, Warren B. was stuck trying to make a confusing judgement call in the middle of the climax of a live show that was already running late, Faye D. was trying to get to the point after misinterpreting Warren`s hesitation as humor and theatre, the La La Land people must have been crushed and embarrassed and the Moonlight people lost much of their moment to confusion and shock. I thought Jimmy Kimmel was very good all night and handled the screw up particularly well.

Anonymous said...

I don't know whether I'm more impressed with Dunaway for being able to read 'Ла-Ла Ланд' off the card, or disappointed that she didn't realize the Russians had hacked the award.

William said...

There's talent and genius in Hollywood, but you won't find it among the actors and scriptwriters. The true creativity of our age is found in the special effects. Comic book movies are populated with hammy actors and stupid plots, but the special effects are truly wow. Some movies are far greater than the sum of their plot points and character development, which are rather primitive. Transformers, The Fast and the Furious, Star Wars are terrific movies despite not because of the usual aesthetic rules. You get a sense of wonder and awe at some of the scenes. A movie without special effects is like an egg without a yolk, served without salt.........The Virgil of our era would not write epic poems, nor would our Dickens be writing serialized novels. And they certainly wouldn't be writing the dialogue for Moonlight or La La Land. My guess is that they would be busy with matte screens, creating and destroying whole civilizations for girls in tight t-shirts to save and redeem.

Snark said...

This post needs an Alex Jones tag. Seriously, WTF.

Static Ping said...

John said... Isn't there a remake of Bonnie and Clyde coming out soon?

I don't know of any. There was a mini-series on the History Channel in 2013 but that's not germane.

This is a movie they could remake, given that some historians have decided that Clyde was gay or bisexual. Therefore, it is vitally important communicate this to a modern audience. How accurate this is I don't know, given that some historians have basically declared so many people gay that it is a wonder that we did not go extinct almost immediately.

Snark said...

I`m not sure if anybody has mentioned that Beatty and Dunaway were presenting together because it was the 50th anniversary of Bonnie and Clyde. In that context, I think it`s quite reasonable that they were given a showy presentation spot.

JAORE said...

I watched - sort of - for the first time in years. Our son was home and turned it on. I scanned my lap top a lot more than watched the Oscars. What I saw reinforced why I never turn the show on.

And Kimmel was AWFUL. If you wanted to see how a once great event has been trivialized, he is the totum.

fivewheels said...

Seeing Faye Dunaway up there only reminded me of my favorite all-time sad/funny pornstar name: Faye Runaway.

fivewheels said...

Faye Runaway probably wouldn't have fucked it up.

George M. Spencer said...

Re: Static Ping's comment above...

Just finished reading up on the real Bonnie and Clyde. He was raped in prison and murdered his attacker. The movie's original script wrote the character as bisexual which apparently was not the case. (I'm sure that would have done wonders for Beatty's career and the box office in 1967.)

Fascinating how this movie turns a pair of truly evil monsters into folk anti-heroes.

The best scene in the movie is when Dub Taylor, the father of the simple-minded getaway driver Michael J. Pollard, slaps him silly and tells him to leave the gang (because he, the father, has turned them in to the cops).

Anonymous said...

No political theater there, just a mistake. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Kimmel was fantastic.

fivewheels said...

I don't know if Faye Runaway was ever a presenter at the AVN Awards, but she was nominated in 2008 for Best Group Sex Scene, Video.

Anonymous said...

"This post needs an Alex Jones tag. Seriously, WTF."

This post reminds me of the big "NIG" on the pajamas fiasco. Alternate reality.

Skeptical Voter said...

Like our host I did not waste my time last night watching the Oscars. But then I haven't wasted my time watching them for years now. To the extent that there is anything of substance there, I can read about it the next morning.

Frankly I can be more productive carrying the garbage out to the trash can--as compared to watching rich, mostly white, and very smug, trash spew political garbage. Their political sallies rarely rise above a four year old's taunt of "You are a poo poo face."

FullMoon said...

Speaking of Kimmel:
A a joke, he tweeted President Trump. His phone screen was broadcast live. Briefly, the big screen showed Trumps last two tweets. First, "Hosting Governors Ball tonight"
Second stuff about fake news. Pretty funny! Screen went out of focus pretty quick. A win for Trump, and he wasn't even playing.

Michael K said...

y guess is that they would be busy with matte screens, creating and destroying whole civilizations for girls in tight t-shirts to save and redeem.

The first of these was "Silent Running" which I took my son to see the effects were so good. He was about 5 and will be 52 next month.

It was the first and preceded Star Wars by years,

It was 1972. He was 7.

Michael K said...

I forgot the credit 2001 as the first although more of the action was indoors and fantasy. I saw that in a theater in Arcadia CA and the theater was full of marijuana fumes the last half of the movie. The kids all went into the bathrooms and lit up..

J2 said...

Entertainment/Politics:

When will George Clooney announce he is running for President? He has married a woman and is expecting adorable twins.

Brando said...

So the only excitement I missed by skipping a five hour telecast was the presenters screwing up the Best Picture announcement? Yeah I don't regret watching Netflix during that time.

dwick said...

Weak - desperately trying to be snarky or funny... or something.
Ms Althouse should at least have slept on it longer - better than that just let the urge pass altogether.

Earnest Prole said...

"[Bonnie and Clyde's] original script wrote the character as bisexual which apparently was not the case. (I'm sure that would have done wonders for Beatty's career and the box office in 1967.)

The 1967 movie portrayed Beatty's character as either incapable of or uninterested in doing the nasty with Faye Dunaway; you do the math.

Earnest Prole said...

We used to enjoy going out to a theater in Chico Ca that was a beautiful retro survivor of the glamor days of Hollywood. The building was a work of art in the classic Art Deco style. I don't know if it still exists or is as beautiful. Probably not since that was 30+ years ago.

Here, let me google that for you.

Yancey Ward said...

I also considered the possibility that the entire gaffe was, in fact, a staged act. I still can't discount, but no one has taken credit for it, so I now belief the gaffe was legitimate.

Anita said...

My 16-year old daughter watched, mainly to see what people were wearing. I was happy to hear her comment during one of the acceptance speeches: Why are you saying this? We don't care what you think!

Static Ping said...

St. George, I got that information from a History Channel documentary. It sounded like nonsense from the moment the "expert" said it. Apparently, the "expert" thinks that getting raped in prison means "bisexual." Such utter desperation.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

This is the kind of crap I have to deal with every day - fucking auditors!
(It actually seems like a pretty easy mistake to understand--they gave the 2nd Best Actress award envelope to Beatty instead of the Best Picture envelope.)

Bullworth is an ok movie, although street-talking Warren B. was grating, even then. Halle Berry was nice to look at back then, though, and the OldDirtyBastard song on the sndtrk is good.
Giving a loudmouth populist celebrity as much power as possible is no way to run a country, though. (Oops.)

Brando said...

"I also considered the possibility that the entire gaffe was, in fact, a staged act. I still can't discount, but no one has taken credit for it, so I now belief the gaffe was legitimate."

Hmm...maybe a way of showing that "white establishment Hollywood" will yoink the award away from a "white" movie to give it to a black movie, right in front of our eyes? If so, it'd be pretty cruel to those involved in "La La Land".

What seems odd is Beatty clearly should have noticed it was the wrong card, because it said "Emma Stone" and was clearly for the actress and not picture award. Why not simply say "wrong card" and get the right one? Was he confused?

Snark said...

Beatty clearly did notice there was a problem with the card. He removed it from the envelope and then looked in the empty envelope for another card. He started speaking and stopped. He looked at Faye. He looked behind Faye into the wings likely looking to see if anybody would signal a problem. It made me think what we know about authority from psychology, and how uncomfortable most are to question it. It seemed here that the authority of the process, of those black briefcases and decades of virtual seamlessness, perhaps too the authority of expectations given that La La Land was frontrunner - simply overwhelmed Beatty`s ability to act on his instinct that something was amiss. Kind of interesting really, in a cringey way.

Sammy Finkelman said...

He's not supposed to go off script and ad lib.

Krumhorn said...

Trump could have a field day with this. I'm surprised he hasn't already sent out a couple of biting tweets:

"Sneering, virtue-signaling Hollywood lefties have, by comparison, managed to demonstrate that my White House operates like a well-oiled machine"

"Imagine their horror had they reversed the films and had to take the Oscars out of the hands of black filmmakers giving their acceptance speeches and give them to the La La Land whiteys"

"Wanna see my surprise face that the Black Brokeback won?

<(oo)>

- Krumhorn

wildswan said...

Bill Peschel has a good question

"It was also the last envelope. How could the PWC partner have one envelope left and not be the right one?"

So three people made mistakes - Mr. Price Waterhouse, Beatty, Dunaway. Price Waterhouse was there to make the whole thing look as if it is carefully monitored but made a mistake which will impact their reputation for ever. So I don't think they were in on it. The next two were shown up as Hollywood airheads unable to see what is happening right in front of them, unable to handle a glitch. That makes all the comments all night long about Trump and Trump voters look silly. "Hollywood stars can't make show business work but they know everyone else's business better than everyone else", oh yeah.

At the same time - how could Mr. PWH end up with the wrong envelope when he should have been down to one? It could be that he is given a stack which he blindly works through. In that case, the mistake was made off stage and that does suggest to me that the "mistake" was some kind of stunt as Althouse suggests. White and Black, gay and straight, Hollywood and even Hollywood haters - we all were or are onstage, all part of the show. There's no bad publicity, they say. (to be continued - next year, someone will slip on a banana peel)

Or maybe Trump did it. Steve Bannon told him how to hack the Academy Awards. Russian agents carried out the plan. E-mails to be discovered soon. (to be continued)

Edmund said...

In fact, you should have one set of cards, and you should not seal the envelopes until you confirm that the right one is in the right envelope, and the envelope should be labeled with the event.

It is labeled. CNN showed a closeup of the envelope in their hands and it clearly said "Best Actress" on the front.

Brando said...

Also, why does the Academy need a major accounting firm like PWC to count ballots? Isn't counting ballots a pretty simple operation? Provided you have someone trustworthy couldn't you literally get a ten year old kid to do it?

I mean, it's sort of like getting the Dean of Harvard Medical School to apply an official band aid when the Queen of England gets a scratch.

Etienne said...

Beatty and Dunaway performed a coup de grâce on Hollywood. It was better than their Bonnie and Clyde film when redneck cops killed them off.

Buh Bye Hollywood. You worthless fucks!

n.n said...

It was a plausible setup, given that the event was framed as a false reality that distanced them from institutional [class] diversity, selective exclusion, anti-nativism, catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform (e.g. refugee crises, democratic redistricting), social justice adventures (e.g. elective regime changes, extrajudicial trials), conflicts of interest in the abortion industry, etc.

urbane legend said...

The Oscars, the Oscars; no, sorry, it doesn't mean a thing.

Snark said...

There are two full sets of cards for redundancy in the event of an issue with a presenter or card, one set with each PwC representative at each side of the stage. I don`t think it would be unusual for presenters to miss what is written on the outside of the envelope, and the category was written in really small font on the card relative to the name of the film and winner. See here. Just an unfortunate confluence of events. Easy to see how Faye Dunaway in not picking up the reason for Warren's hesitation and trying to get the announcement done simply read the name of the film and missed the category.

buwaya said...

"Also, why does the Academy need a major accounting firm like PWC to count ballots?"

For appearances sake (the process being blessed with the appearance of professionalism and probity), also its effectively a commercial for PWC.

Snark said...

The history of accounting firm involvement is kind of interesting. Apparently in the early Oscar years there wasn't the same kind of secrecy and security - the results were given to media beforehand with an embargo on publishing until after the ceremony. The LA Times (I think) ignored the embargo one year and from then one it was a highly secure and secret operation with the involvement of a third party firm.

Brando said...

buwaya and Snark--thanks! I figured as much.

Unknown said...

It's telling that something like this happens and many many people believe it was conspiracy.

Unknown said...

No worries. In the future, "La-La Land" will self-identify as an Oscar winner.

Snark said...

"It's telling that something like this happens and many many people believe it was conspiracy."

Trump derangement syndrome. Ahem. I find it fascinating though, like a big Rorschach test. All the human behaviour that goes into a mistake like this, and the analysis of it, is interesting.

SukieTawdry said...

Neither Dunaway nor Beatty were wearing glasses which I'm sure both need. I was surprised when I read they were the presenters for Best Picture and wondered if this year is some sort of Bonnie and Clyde milestone and, what do you know, it is-- the 50th anniversary.

Anyhow, this is just too funny and a deserved poke in the eye of the pretentious, aren't we wonderful Hollywood crowd. Didn't know anything about Moonlight and read that it's the story of a black Cuban gay drug dealer. Since it checks all the right boxes, how could it lose??!

Titus said...

BTW-Faye Dunaway does not rule Hollywood. Her career never recovered after Mommie Dearest.

SukieTawdry said...

Earnest Prole said...The only thing better than this fiasco is if the mistake had gone the other way and the black performers had been forced to hand over their Oscars to the white performers.

I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. Wouldn't that have been something!

SukieTawdry said...

Day After the Oscars Hollywood Pitch...

I attended one of those "a conversation with..." events featuring Vince Gilligan. He said his pitch for Breaking Bad was "I'm gonna take this guy from Mr. Chips to Scarface." Best pitch ever.

Drago said...

Titus: "BTW-Faye Dunaway does not rule Hollywood."

True. It' more like a Tammany Hall or mafia "Commission" arrangement.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Trump has weighed in.

At last!

http://www.thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/321415-trump-oscars-focus-on-politics-led-to-best-picture-snafu

Michael K said...

In the future, "La-La Land" will self-identify as an Oscar winner.

There is a long list of should-have Oscar winners.

When was the last time someone watched "Shakespeare in Love?"

Oscars are way over hyped. One of my college room mates had Clark Gable's Oscar for "It Happened One Night."

Gable gave it to him.

n.n said...

Beatty was honest when he stated that the Oscars are a venue for liberal elites to express the truth... in their opinion. The Press has a similar mandate, albeit in a different mode of entertainment. Anyway, they should do a poll to assess their effectiveness. Observation suggests that the entertainment industry has overexploited the fake reality segment and their credibility.

wwww said...

PriceWaterhouseCooper: You Had One Job.

A managing partner gave the wrong envelope to Beatty. 3 minutes before he posted a celebrity pic of Emma Stone to twitter.

Distracted tweeting. Don't celebrity tweet and audit? Aren't they an accounting firm?

n.n said...

the black performers had been forced to hand over their Oscars to the white performers

The symbolism is incongruent with the emotional appeal to [class] diversity. And without Catastrophic Anthropogenic Immigration Reform (e.g. refugee crises), they can't afford to lose any more of the domestic dependent demographic.

Unknown said...

"It's telling that something like this happens and many many people believe it was conspiracy."

Trump derangement syndrome. Ahem. I find it fascinating though, like a big Rorschach test. All the human behaviour that goes into a mistake like this, and the analysis of it, is interesting.


It's not just that, but also that people have become very suspicious that what they are seeing is contrived, fake, pre-planned. This is especially true with Hollywood, where one assumes that no one really ever goes off script (well, except for Mel Gibson). The immediate reaction is fake. That's probably a bad sign for Hollywood.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

No one seems to suspect that the prankster might not be Warren, Jimmy, or the accounting stiffs from PwC. Isn't the obvious person of interest Faye Dunaway? She gets her hands on the wrong envelope and manages to switch it with the correct one Warren has while they are both backstage. Being the man, he of course insists on carrying the envelope out on stage and opening it. He even tries to read it, but when he balks, even after some subtle and not so subtle prompting from her, Faye quickly reads it herself. And then she is gone.

You're so vain
You probably think this prank is about you
You're so vain,
I'll bet you think this prank is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?

Faye Dunaway for President!

Seeing Red said...

Or instead of faking it, or break the habit of reading what someone else wrote come hell or high water,


thinking on your feet and ASS-U-ME,

One of the 2 idiots could have said this is the award for best actress. Could someone please ....

Seeing Red said...

Or instead of faking it, or break the habit of reading what someone else wrote come hell or high water,


thinking on your feet and ASS-U-ME,

One of the 2 idiots could have said this is the award for best actress. Could someone please ....

FullMoon said...

Michael K said... [hush]​[hide comment]

In the future, "La-La Land" will self-identify as an Oscar winner.

There is a long list of should-have Oscar winners.

When was the last time someone watched "Shakespeare in Love?"

Oscars are way over hyped. One of my college room mates had Clark Gable's Oscar for "It Happened One Night."

Gable gave it to him.


Really?
Looks like L.A. Times got this story wrong:

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had sued to keep Gable's Oscar off the auction block, but a judge Friday ruled that the academy did not give proper notice of the hearing to Christie's and did not notify Gable's son, John, also named as a defendant.

The academy claims that, two years before his death in 1960, Gable signed a standard contract giving it first right to buy the statuette for $10 if it was ever sold. Christie's claims the signature on the agreement was a fake.

Ursula Hermacinski, the Christie's vice president who took the winning bids for both the Oscar and the script over the telephone, declined to identify the victorious bidder.

"I think the buyer is thrilled--pretty, pretty thrilled," she said.

The $607,500 included a "hammer price" of $550,000 plus the auction house commission."

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Michael K said...
Oscars are way over hyped. One of my college room mates had Clark Gable's Oscar for "It Happened One Night."
Gable gave it to him.

FullMoon said...
Really?
Looks like L.A. Times got this story wrong:


Fact checking the bullshitters, the end of the internet as we know it.

FullMoon said...

AReasonableMan said... [hush]​[hide comment]

Michael K said...
Oscars are way over hyped. One of my college room mates had Clark Gable's Oscar for "It Happened One Night."
Gable gave it to him.

FullMoon said...
Really?
Looks like L.A. Times got this story wrong:


Fact checking the bullshitters, the end of the internet as we know it.
Naw. He believed his room mate. May make him wonder what other interesting things from the past are not as they seem?

Jon Ericson said...

Settle down, boys.

EMyrt said...

Stopped watching the Oscars after sitting through the production number for Live and Let Die and squirming with embarrassment on behalf of everyone involved (it didn't win, The Way We Were did; that song sucks, too).

But this year I was out of town visiting family and staying in a hotel, so the Oscars were on in the bar. As I awaited my Manhattan, I watched Mel Gibson going on and on and on, but inaudible. I watched his female companion (wife, girlfriend, daughter?) looking about as bored as it is possible for a human being to do. Right then I decided I'd better take my Manhattan up to my room and rent Dr Strange (not nominated for anything). That was the right call. A fun, weird psychedelic flick with much better acting than I expect from a comic book. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfectly cast, as is Mads Mikkelson, the go-to OTT villain of the moment, and a bald Tilda Swinton as the guru. Lotta blue eyes there.

And my brother and sister, on opposite ends of the political spectrum, thought the petting zoo was sweet.