Althouse: "Two people knew instantly that ‘La La Land’ didn’t win. Why did it take so long to announce?"

February 27, 2017

"Two people knew instantly that ‘La La Land’ didn’t win. Why did it take so long to announce?"

A good question.

Can the answer be: The whole thing was intentional theater?

62 comments:

glenn said...: Whole generation of folks out there who can't ... just can't. You name it. ..... Can't.; 2/27/17, 9:14 PM
madAsHell said...: To ask the question.....; 2/27/17, 9:22 PM
MisterBuddwing said...: I'm thinking there was no procedure in place for such an occurrence. What were the PWC people supposed to do? Run out waving their arms, screaming, "It's a mistake! It's a mistake!"? Or do they tell someone who tells someone else who tells someone else until it gets to the person in charge of the telecast?; 2/27/17, 9:22 PM
madAsHell said...: Oh dear God...What theater!! I hadn't seen the video before, and now I see a lot of poor acting. This was planned.; 2/27/17, 9:25 PM
Titus said...: No. Stop it althouse. Don't be a conspiracy freak. It is very unattractive. It was a fucking mistake. That is all.; 2/27/17, 9:26 PM
David Begley said...: No way would a partner at a major accounting firm be a part of a stunt.

Look at the pictures. He's upset.; 2/27/17, 9:28 PM
FullMoon said...: No way. The acceptance speeches were too sincere.
Also, notice the way the loser grabs announcement out of Beatty's hand. Loser was very pissed off.; 2/27/17, 9:29 PM
FullMoon said...: Sympathy for losers/winners tempered by Meryl losing again. 3 for 20. Sad!; 2/27/17, 9:30 PM
n.n said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/27/17, 9:36 PM
n.n said...: It was the highlight of an evening where liberals stepped over each other to express their sincere support for [class] diversity, including institutional racism (i.e. judging people by the "color of their skin").; 2/27/17, 9:38 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: The Parallax Corporation was behind it.

I am Laslo.; 2/27/17, 10:00 PM
Paul said...: The whole thing was intentional theater?

Napoleon Bonaparte: "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

I go with stupidity on this one!; 2/27/17, 10:03 PM
Sally327 said...: I read somewhere (Daily Mail?) that the guy who handed Beatty the wrong envelope had just moments before tweeted a pic of Emma Stone who'd just won Best Actress. Apparently he'd been doing that most of the night, snapping pics of celebrities to post online. So this is the fault of social media. It distracts, makes people forget what they're supposed to be doing.; 2/27/17, 10:04 PM
Wince said...: "If people would do business the right way... there'd be no fuck-ups like this."; 2/27/17, 10:10 PM
whiskey said...: I finally watched it, and there's no way. That's too cruel to Moonlight if true. They don't get their authentic moment. They have to steal it from someone else, to be seen as the usurpers. They are seen rejoicing as others who thought they won are leaving the stage, and then they have to listen to Beatty explain how he got it wrong? It's beyond condescending. If I were Moonlight, I'd rather lose than have been awarded in that manner.; 2/27/17, 10:29 PM
Peter Irons said...: No one cares about this. Please see the drop in tv ratings for the dopey awards show, and please post less about this.; 2/27/17, 10:29 PM
Mark O said...: Fear. Nothing but fear.; 2/27/17, 10:34 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Encouraging your commenters to embrace wacky conspiracy theories is like leaving a bag of heroin in the television room of a halfway house.; 2/27/17, 10:37 PM
FullMoon said...: Earnest Prole said... [hush][hide comment]

Encouraging your commenters to embrace wacky conspiracy theories is like leaving a bag of heroin in the television room of a halfway house.

And yet, not a single commenter sees a conspiracy.; 2/27/17, 10:49 PM
chickelit said...: The guy grabbing the envelope out of Beatty's hand acted like a high strung asshole. His little virtue signal afterwards didn't help either.; 2/27/17, 11:04 PM
Earnest Prole said...: And yet, not a single commenter sees a conspiracy.

That’s what they want you to think.; 2/27/17, 11:06 PM
Phil 314 said...: I was struck by Beatty preaching about"truth" before opening the wrong envelope. And of course the rich irony of the black picture getting robbed of its moment in the spotlight.
#oscarsowhite; 2/27/17, 11:11 PM
Phil 314 said...: Didn't our president have something to say about fraud in the votes in California?; 2/27/17, 11:12 PM
Mark said...: Intentional theater by the Oscar/anti-Trump people?

No. The CF over the winner has destroyed the intended narrative coming out of the telecast, which was supposed to be about all the Trump bashing.; 2/27/17, 11:19 PM
Gahrie said...: Don't be a conspiracy freak

Yah gotta admit...if anyone knows anything about conspiracies and freaks...it's Titus........; 2/27/17, 11:21 PM
Kevin said...: "You know what wakes me up in the middle of the night covered in a cold sweat? Knowing that you aren't any worse than anyone else in your whole screwed up generation. In the old days, you know how you got to the top? Huh? By being better than the guy ahead of you. How do you people get to the top? By being so fucking incompetent, that the guy ahead of you can't do his job, so he falls on his ass and congratulations, you are now on top. And now the top is down here, it used to be up here... and you don't even know the fucking difference."; 2/27/17, 11:32 PM
buwaya said...: If there was a conspiracy to see, I would see it. I see all the others after all.

Not a conspiracy. There would of course have been a conspiracy about a coverup, had there been a way to have a coverup. Or a coverup of a coverup. Or a coverup of a coverup of a coverup. Thats the best kind.

But no, no conspiracy. Yet.; 2/27/17, 11:38 PM
Kevin said...: Come on conspiracy theorists, we can do better.

Perhaps the Russians hacked the Academy Awards to make the Liberals look bad?; 2/27/17, 11:50 PM
Achilles said...: The Oscars are stupid. A bunch of empty people giving out awards for movies I have never heard of much less watched. And best movie goes before best actress? how do you get the wrong envelope? It was dumb before they started telling us how stupid their political views are.; 2/28/17, 12:14 AM
eddie willers said...: Welcome to the Affirmative Action Academy Awards.; 2/28/17, 12:16 AM
Etienne said...: Jan Chapman was shocked to find out she was dead.

The Memoriam for Janet Patterson (who is dead) had a blaring photo of Chapman.

Hollywood is finished; 2/28/17, 12:16 AM
wwww said...: Can the answer be: The whole thing was intentional theater?

PriceWaterhouseCooper looked really bad & it's bad for their brand. What's in it for them?; 2/28/17, 12:18 AM
traditionalguy said...: Freudian slips and Dreams come easy in LaLa Land. Imagine your best Dream... and become a Pretty Woman good hearted streetwalker who marries a handsome young Billionaire that adores you.

Best line is that the problem was caused by 3 million illegally registered votes; 2/28/17, 12:25 AM
Krumhorn said...: I've been in the film and TV business for a very long time. It is unlikely to the point of vanishingly incalculable odds that this was planned.

1. The Academy Awards is the Cadillac of awards shows with significance to industry insiders that cannot be overstated. As ridiculous as it may be, an extraordinary amount of money is spent and effort expended to get one of those statues. There is no chance that they would intentionally deface that iconic trademark with such a rich history by fabricating a clusterf*k.

2. It makes them look supremely incompetent and stupid. They go to great lengths to keep this event polished and shiny. There is nobody in the industry who will not be conscious for a great deal of time that they are each tarred with this mess. Every pious and sneering statement of their elite superiority will be met with a simple reference to La La Land

3. As rabid libtards, they are consumed with the appearance of racial issues that peaked last year. They even changed the membership rules to let in more minority voters and , in the process, eliminated the voting rights of a great number of long time (white) Academy members who are no longer actively working in the biz. To go to this much effort to scrub out the presumed stain of #oscarssowhite, the last thing they would do is intentionally screw up the award to black filmmakers of the best picture by ostentatiously dragging up a bunch of white filmmakers to make acceptance speeches that should been delivered by the melanin enhanced producers of Black Brokeback.

4. They had absolutely nothing to gain. Does anyone seriously believe that interest in the show will rise in the future just in the hope of seeing another train wreck and taking such risks in the process?

No chance, Ann.

- Krumhorn; 2/28/17, 2:07 AM
Dave in Tucson said...: "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

Wilde's aphorism was never more true than for Hollywood.; 2/28/17, 2:09 AM
BudBrown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/28/17, 2:45 AM
gadfly said...: Kabuki Theatre ... or maybe not, depending upon whether or not you are left-leaning.; 2/28/17, 4:08 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: Me: "I'm thinking there was no procedure in place for such an occurrence."

I take it back. There was a procedure. But when it's one you've never had to use before, perhaps it's understandable that people were a little slow on the uptake.; 2/28/17, 4:13 AM
rehajm said...: Conspire to dump your firm's reputation and place it and the thousands of lawyers, CPAs and MSTs who work there in economic harm?

Listen to Titus, hon.; 2/28/17, 4:14 AM
Big Mike said...: @Althouse, are you trolling us? Or simply overthinking the episode? At least one of these explanations is true.; 2/28/17, 4:47 AM
PB said...: It is interesting that such a mix-up occurred on the final award. Presumably when the number of remaining envelopes are at a minimum.; 2/28/17, 4:52 AM
Big Mike said...: @BudBrown, Beatty figured -- correctly! -- that something was wrong. Dunaway made the incorrect announcement; why do you give her a pass? Is it because she's a female and you have the soft bigotry of low expectations?; 2/28/17, 4:53 AM
Darrell said...: I demand $5000 for pain and suffering.; 2/28/17, 5:27 AM
Goddess of the Classroom said...: As my school's drama director, I organize the annual Talent Showcase. It is a VERY big deal in our community, and there are usually about 20 acts. I plan each entrance--stage left or stage right, or waiting center stage for the curtain to open.

If I can do that with a bunch of junior high kids, certainly the Oscars could plan from which side their presenters enter.; 2/28/17, 5:42 AM
J said...: Because this was actually the plan of the super smart dirty tricks department of Trumps new MI department headed up by the Fat man who only I know is Gillette Penn.This comment is really not here.It self destructed five seconds ago.; 2/28/17, 5:44 AM
donald said...: He ain't fat no more.; 2/28/17, 5:58 AM
George M. Spencer said...: Poor Warren Beatty. He is 79 years old.

Yes, he should not have passed the ball to Faye Dunaway, 76.

And, boy, as chicklit above says, that bald guy really tripled his humiliation by stepping in front of him and truly making him look doddering.; 2/28/17, 6:25 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Released from her old job's modest demands for critical thinking Althouse has become unmoored, her tethers to reality frayed and worn she has drifted off into a part of cyberspace where the moon landing was a Hollywood plot.; 2/28/17, 6:53 AM
Michael K said...: If Mister Buddwing will promise not to go apeshit again, I'll point out once again that there used to be one guy who did it every year. Now there two, one woman and one man who seemed to spending the evening taking selfies.

My uncle used to say, "If you have one boy working for you, you have one boy, If you have two boys, you have half a boy. If you have three boys, you have no boys at all."

"Diversity" struck again.; 2/28/17, 6:58 AM
Brando said...: "Intentional theater" is highly unlikely. Why make the accountants, announcers and the whole production look incompetent while making the La La Land producers humiliate themselves by starting their speeches to be cut off and marring the Moonlight producers' big moment all at once? That's a high price to pay for suspense.

Seems Althouse likes to see grand designs at work and does not like to consider that sometimes people can be very incompetent. Reminds me of Andrew Sullivan's habit of seeing hidden brilliance (or "three dimensional chess") behind everything Obama did.; 2/28/17, 7:01 AM
Megthered said...: My husband explained it as just two actors reading lines on a paper. They have been told not to think about it because that would screw things up, just read what we give you. These two are too old now to change.; 2/28/17, 7:18 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Althouse tosses out a quirky question, and some here go crazy about it.

Maybe it's a weeding process. It's that time of year. Everyone show your proclivities!; 2/28/17, 7:23 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: If Mister Buddwing will promise not to go apeshit again, I'll point out once again that there used to be one guy who did it every year. Now there two, one woman and one man who seemed to spending the evening taking selfies.

My uncle used to say, "If you have one boy working for you, you have one boy, If you have two boys, you have half a boy. If you have three boys, you have no boys at all."

"Diversity" struck again.

The original "one guy" retired. That's something most of us get to do if we're lucky to live that long.

They're dumping the blame on the relatively new guy, a "Matt Damon-lookalike" (he does!) named Brian Cullilan, who apparently was taking pictures backstage and tweeting them.

No one has accused the woman, Martha Ruiz, of doing any such thing, despite your attempt to conflate them.

I still don't know how "diversity" is to blame here. Incompetence is incompetence, whether it's one person or two.; 2/28/17, 7:25 AM
Biff said...: I don't know if it was intentional theater or not, but when I finally saw the video, I found the on-stage reactions of the La La Land group to be surprisingly uniform and lacking dramatic emotions, given the supposed importance of the award.; 2/28/17, 7:40 AM
J said...: Donald-SShh don't tell Hollywood.They all know fat guys are only good for comedy .Gillette in his new slimmed down config is perfect for his new job.; 2/28/17, 7:42 AM
Hagar said...: And these are the people criticizing the trump administration for incompetence?!; 2/28/17, 7:53 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Probably. beyond self-congratulatory strutting and bubble-dweller ego-licking, Hollywood needs to sell tickets to their crap movies.; 2/28/17, 8:05 AM
David said...: Intentional theatre? Remember, this was Hollywood. When Hollywood does theatre intentionally, it's more boring than this moment was.; 2/28/17, 8:16 AM
khesanh0802 said...: I like the picture: the guy at the mic looks like he's constipated, Beatty looks like he hasn't a brain in his head and Kimmel is chewing his fingernails like a first grader caught in the act. Hollywood! Our betters.; 2/28/17, 8:25 AM
dreams said...: I think it was sabotage.; 2/28/17, 8:57 AM
PB said...: If it was theater, it was bad theater.; 2/28/17, 10:05 AM
Unknown said...: I was suposed to watch lala land yesterday but some friends gave up.

maybe today.

those mistakes can happen very often. remember miss universe ?

Come and share with your friends; 2/28/17, 10:35 AM