Everything we know about the 2017 oscars best picture envelope mix up

The infamous 2017 Oscars Best Picture envelope mix-up! Here's everything we know about the incident:

What happened:

During the 89th Academy Awards ceremony on February 26, 2017, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway took the stage to announce the winner of the Best Picture award. Beatty opened the envelope, looked confused, and then handed it to Dunaway. She read out the name "La La Land" as the winner, and the cast and crew of the film took the stage to accept the award.

However, it soon became apparent that there had been a mistake. The actual winner of the Best Picture award was "Moonlight," a critically acclaimed film about the life of a young black gay man growing up in Miami. The "La La Land" team had already given their acceptance speeches and had begun to exit the stage when the mistake was discovered.

The investigation:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) launched an investigation into the incident, which was led by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the accounting firm responsible for tabulating the Oscar votes and preparing the envelopes.

The investigation found that the mistake was caused by a combination of human error and a flawed process. Here are the key findings:

  1. Envelope mix-up: The envelope for Best Actress in a Leading Role (which was won by Emma Stone for "La La Land") was mistakenly given to Beatty and Dunaway instead of the envelope for Best Picture.
  2. Lack of double-checking: The PwC accountants responsible for preparing the envelopes did not double-check the contents of the envelopes before handing them out to the presenters.
  3. Inadequate communication: There was a lack of clear communication between the PwC accountants and the Academy about the process of preparing and distributing the envelopes.

Consequences:

The envelope mix-up led to a number of consequences, including:

  1. Apologies: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway apologized for the mistake, as did the "La La Land" team and the Academy.
  2. Investigation: The Academy launched an investigation into the incident, which led to changes in the way the envelopes are prepared and distributed.
  3. Changes to the process: The Academy implemented new procedures to ensure that the envelopes are double-checked and that there is better communication between the accountants and the Academy.
  4. Lawsuit: PwC was sued by a "La La Land" producer for the mistake, but the lawsuit was eventually settled out of court.

Lessons learned:

The 2017 Oscars Best Picture envelope mix-up led to a number of lessons being learned, including:

  1. The importance of attention to detail: The mistake was caused by a lack of attention to detail and a failure to double-check the contents of the envelopes.
  2. The need for clear communication: The incident highlighted the importance of clear communication between the accountants and the Academy about the process of preparing and distributing the envelopes.
  3. The value of a backup plan: The Academy has since implemented a backup plan in case of an envelope mix-up, including having a second envelope ready to go in case of an error.

Overall, the 2017 Oscars Best Picture envelope mix-up was a major embarrassment for the Academy, but it also led to important changes and lessons learned that will help to prevent similar mistakes in the future.