Warren Beatty: Oscars president should ‘publicly clarify’ best picture fiasco

As those involved with the movies up for the Best Picture award at Sunday’s Oscars were sitting on pins and needles, most people at home were just ready for the show to finally end.

The firm says partner Brian Cullinan mistakenly handed an envelope with the best actress victor to Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, who were presenting the best picture honor.

After Dunaway announced the victor as La La Land, Damien Chazelle’s musical ode to dreamers, the film’s producers, director, and cast stormed the stage and accepted their Oscar. And presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty did announce that the musical film had won the night’s biggest award.

Pricewaterhouse Cooper – the accounting firm in charge of tabulating the evening’s winners – has since taken full responsibility for the blunder, naming Brian Cullinan as the one to have given Beatty the incorrect envelope. When it became clear there was a mistake and that the film “Moonlight” had won instead, Horowitz didn’t hesitate. Perhaps this was because he was busy tweeting a picture of Emma Stone holding her Best Actress award, minutes before the gaffe. In the middle of the confusion, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel even quipped about Harvey. “I wasn’t trying to be amusing”, the Bonnie and Clyde actor said. In the press room, a dimly accusatory Emma Stone insisted that she kept her Best Actress envelope with her through the botched Best Picture announcement. “I can help Warren Beatty get through this”.

Steve Harvey knows all about announcing the wrong victor.

I want to tell you what happened.

Indeed, just hours after the ceremony, PricewaterhouseCoopers issued its own statement apologizing for the fact that “the presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope”.

Barry Jenkins, director of Moonlight, realizes what’s going on. There are, however, two sets of winning envelopes at the Oscar show by design.

La La Land won the highest number of Oscars with six wins, including Best Director for Damien Chazelle and Best Actress for Ms Stone.

Cullinan has been working for PricewaterhouseCoopers for 20 years, and now serves as United States board chairman and managing partner.