Oscars Mistake: Warren Beatty Announces Wrong Winner

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The 89th Academy Awards was on Sunday, February 26th, 2017. Every year, they make a disclaimer stating that because it is in fact a live production, despite their best efforts, they never really know what's gonna happen. Needless to say, this year, there was definitely one big mistake that everyone noticed.

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It was time for the most prestigious award of the night. The "Best Picture" award. This award is given to the film that is the greatest out of all of the films in the category, but what is actually the best about it, is up to the Academy. Whether it's directing, acting, cinematography, whatever. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were the to chosen to announce this award, and everyone noticed there was something wrong as soon as Beatty opened the envelope. He stood there for a few seconds, confused as he saw Emma Stone's name and "La La Land" written on the envelope, and finally, Dunaway took the envelope for him and announced it for him. The whole cast and crew started to come on stage and say their speeches, but stopped as soon as they noticed their mistake, and as people in the background starting handing envelopes to people.  

“There’s a mistake. ‘Moonlight’ you guys won best picture,” Jordan Horowitz said to the shocked audience. “This is not a joke, come up here” the producer added. “Moonlight has won best picture.”  

After all of that confusion, Beatty came back on stage to clarify, here's what actually happened: Beatty and Dunaway were actually given the wrong envelope. Instead of it being the best picture envelope, they were given the best actress envelope, so that's why it had solely Emma Stone's name on it and the movie she starred in on it. Beatty then returned to the microphone to explain: “I want to tell you what happened. 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.”

"Moonlight" beat out 8 other amazing movies, they included“  “La La Land,” “Hidden Figures,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Arrival,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Hell or High Water,” “Lion,” and “Fences.”  

N.M.