Post by mikef6 on Mar 4, 2024 20:30:23 GMT
With the 2024 Oscar night coming up quickly, I thought if would be fun to look back at one (of many) of the most embarrassing events in Oscar history.
First, a little background. During the film festival season leading up to 2016 general releases, the cast, directors, and production heads of “La La Land” and “Moonlight” met and became friendly at the Telluride Film Festival in the Colorado Rockies. They continued to keep in contact up to Oscar night 2017.
Because 2017 was the 50th anniversary of “Bonnie and Clyde,” Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were picked to present Best Picture. They would come on last, right after Best Actress was revealed. Two accounting company auditors with the all-important sealed envelopes were stationed at stage-right and stage-left. They each had a tray with identical envelopes. If presenters approached, they were to hand over the new style envelope and explain how to open it. On the other side of the stage, the accountant would remove his unused envelope and drop it into a briefcase.
The presenters for Best Actress came from one side of the stage with their envelope. On the other side, the accountant had picked up his Best Actress envelope and was still holding it when Dunaway and Beatty walked up. He picked Best Picture from his tray, gave his explanation of opening it, then handed Beatty the wrong one. After Emma Stone had picked up her Best Actress Oscar and left the stage, Dunaway and Beatty were announced. After the usual banter and the review of the nominees, Beatty said, “And the Oscar goes to…” He took out the card and saw Emma Stone for La La Land. He stared at it trying to make sense of what he was looking at. Finally, he showed it to Dunaway who took a glace and announced “La La Land!”
That wasn’t the end of the #&!@-ups. There were clear protocols for what would happen in a case like this. The accountant was supposed to immediately go out and make the correction. Instead, the guy who should have gone went in search of the stage manager resulting in a commotion backstage which could be heard by the “La La Land” bunch making their speeches. When the truth finally came out, the audience didn’t know what to think. Was this a joke? Then, in the ego driven universe of Hollywood, something of a small miracle took place. “La La Land” executive producer Jordan Horowitz, holding the Oscar, went to the microphone and said, “I am going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight’.”
I have never been Ryan Gosling’s biggest fan but I will always respect him for his reaction when he heard the news: he burst out laughing. Then, he went to the bottom of the steps leading up to the stage and shook the hands of the “Moonlight” crew as they passed him on the way up. A shocking display of sportsmanship and lack of ego shown by the “La La Land” cast and producers.
But the “La La Land” band weren’t the only good sports. Dunaway and Beatty returned the next year to present Best Picture and, as they joked, to get it right this time.
If you want a lot more detail on the lead-up and aftermath, check out my source: “The Oscar Wars: A History Of Hollywood In Gold, Sweat, And Tears” by Michael Schulman (2023).
First, a little background. During the film festival season leading up to 2016 general releases, the cast, directors, and production heads of “La La Land” and “Moonlight” met and became friendly at the Telluride Film Festival in the Colorado Rockies. They continued to keep in contact up to Oscar night 2017.
Because 2017 was the 50th anniversary of “Bonnie and Clyde,” Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were picked to present Best Picture. They would come on last, right after Best Actress was revealed. Two accounting company auditors with the all-important sealed envelopes were stationed at stage-right and stage-left. They each had a tray with identical envelopes. If presenters approached, they were to hand over the new style envelope and explain how to open it. On the other side of the stage, the accountant would remove his unused envelope and drop it into a briefcase.
The presenters for Best Actress came from one side of the stage with their envelope. On the other side, the accountant had picked up his Best Actress envelope and was still holding it when Dunaway and Beatty walked up. He picked Best Picture from his tray, gave his explanation of opening it, then handed Beatty the wrong one. After Emma Stone had picked up her Best Actress Oscar and left the stage, Dunaway and Beatty were announced. After the usual banter and the review of the nominees, Beatty said, “And the Oscar goes to…” He took out the card and saw Emma Stone for La La Land. He stared at it trying to make sense of what he was looking at. Finally, he showed it to Dunaway who took a glace and announced “La La Land!”
That wasn’t the end of the #&!@-ups. There were clear protocols for what would happen in a case like this. The accountant was supposed to immediately go out and make the correction. Instead, the guy who should have gone went in search of the stage manager resulting in a commotion backstage which could be heard by the “La La Land” bunch making their speeches. When the truth finally came out, the audience didn’t know what to think. Was this a joke? Then, in the ego driven universe of Hollywood, something of a small miracle took place. “La La Land” executive producer Jordan Horowitz, holding the Oscar, went to the microphone and said, “I am going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight’.”
I have never been Ryan Gosling’s biggest fan but I will always respect him for his reaction when he heard the news: he burst out laughing. Then, he went to the bottom of the steps leading up to the stage and shook the hands of the “Moonlight” crew as they passed him on the way up. A shocking display of sportsmanship and lack of ego shown by the “La La Land” cast and producers.
But the “La La Land” band weren’t the only good sports. Dunaway and Beatty returned the next year to present Best Picture and, as they joked, to get it right this time.
If you want a lot more detail on the lead-up and aftermath, check out my source: “The Oscar Wars: A History Of Hollywood In Gold, Sweat, And Tears” by Michael Schulman (2023).
