Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were reportedly handed the wrong envelope to open for the best picture award; they had been given the “best actress” envelope, listing Emma Stone and “La La Land,” when the actual winner was “Moonlight.”
But “best picture” was the last award to be given for the evening. So how was there more than one envelope left to choose from? 
On the main Oscars 2017 thread, it is cited that there are TWO sets backstage - a main one and a backup.
So the question is: why was the backup accessed when the main stack was being used?
There are two PwC accountants, each on one side of the stage, each with a complete set of envelopes. Somehow, the second Best Actress envelope was given to Warren Beatty.
By the way, if it seemed like a clusterfuck last night, that’s because it was.
So, how’s that “We don’t have a contingency plan because we never fucked up before” working out for you, Brian?
I blame Bender.
As I said in the other thread, I blame Mr. Peanutbutter.
In deference to aging stars, too vain to wear their glasses, inside the printing is quite large for them to read. However, on the outside of the envelope that Warren was handed, somewhere in smaller, discreet writing it WAS labelled at Best Actress. He either didn’t even glance at what envelope he had, or without his glasses could not read it.
But at least he knew something was amiss when he opened it, and just stared at it. His copresenter then read out the wrong name, as a result.
He knew something was wrong, so I think this is really her fault!
(This is my best guess at what really went down! But who really cares? It was entertaining anyway! And it all got sorted!)
Sadly, my faith in Price Waterhouse Cooper has been shattered. Permanently, I fear.
Don’t they keep the envelopes in a sealed mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnell’s porch?
Methinks a couple of CPAs should be polishing up the old resume…
Or at least making sure it doesn’t say “Emma Stone”.
In a future interview for a job:
“I am stoned… I mean, I *was *stoned when that happened!”
The Ballad of Warren and Faye
You’ve read of the Oscar of Marisa Tomei
Of all the mean things implied
If you’re still in need of something to read
Here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde.
Now Bonnie and Clyde are Warren and Faye,
I’m sure you all have read
How they read the wrong winner on Oscar day,
And now they both wish they were dead.
There’s lots of untruths to these write-ups
PricewaterhouseCooper screwed up—
They all felt it right, with Oscars So White,
That La La Land was runner-up.
The blogs call them senile morons,
They say the misfire was their fault,
But soon we will learn, that some unpaid intern,
Just was not worth his or her salt.
They announced La La Land, which was pleasant and bland,
When everyone wanted Moonlight.
But Faye jumped the gun, said, “hand it here, hon,”
While Warren just froze with stage fright.
The Klieg lights get brighter and brighter
Sometimes you can hardly see
When Faye saw “Emma Stone,” she should have known
It wasn’t what it oughta be.
Such heartbreak poor Horowitz suffered
When they snatched his award right away,
But all in all, his troubles are small
Compared to poor Warren and Faye.
In the ‘60s they costarred together
But all we can talk of today:
La La Land came to grief, for Moonlight it’s relief,
But it’s death for Warren and Faye.
It sounds like the guy was tweeting, and presumably was distracted by that, and so handed off the wrong envelope. The Best Picture Debacle May Have Been Caused By A Tweet About Emma Stone
BRAVO! I read it in the original voice, but for those who may not know, that’s a take-off of a poem the real Bonnie Parker (played by Faye Dunaway) wrote while she was on the lam with Clyde Barrow (played, of course, by Warren Beatty).
Here’s the original. I’m asuming it’s in Public Domain.
It probably didn’t help that the PwC guy was handing the wrong envelope to a couple of people who, at 75 or 80, are too vain to put on their reading glasses.
I’ve been assuming Brian was just a screw-up. But given those remarks, made a few days earlier…is there any possibility that Brian will be collecting a large pay-out on a bet? It would have to be through an intermediary, of course: who would take a bet from the guy with the power to make the unlikely eventuality (wrong winner announced; Brian appearing onstage) come true?
I’m just saying, I hope interested parties keep an eye on ol’ Brian’s spending habits from here on out.
Brian’s a partner at PWC. I suspect the Oscars gig is a perk rather than scut-work, so I doubt he needs to place a shonky bet to buy a new Ferrari.