Emma Stone Had Her Best Actress Envelope the Whole Time
At the Oscars Sunday night, the presenters accidentally announced “La La Land” won best picture when the winner was actually “Moonlight.” No one really knows how it happened, but one thing’s for sure: it’s not Emma Stone’s fault.
Apparently, the mishap was due to the two presenters, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, receiving the wrong category card.
After the uproar occurred, Warren returned to the mic to explain how it all went down:
“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.”
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This kind of settled the confusion, until Emma Stone stated during a backstage press interview afterwards that she had her Best Actress card the entire time.
“I also was holding my Best Actress in a Leading Role card the whole time,” she said. “I’m not sure what happened.”
So, what really happened then?
READ ALSO: They Actually Just Read the Wrong Name for Best Picture at the Oscars
After all the commotion settled a bit, Pricewaterhouse Cooper, an organization that tallies up all the winners for the Oscars, issued an apology:
“We sincerely apologize to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”
Still wondering how the hell they read Emma’s winning card if she had it herself?
Well, according to a story written by Valli Herman in 2016, there are two cards waiting in the wings on each side for each category.
READ ALSO: The Oscars Set a New Record for Black Winners Last Night
Turns out that for each category, there are two cards waiting in the wings, one on each side, as explained in a 2016 Los Angeles Times story by Valli Herman:
“In an undisclosed location, the partners tabulate votes and stuff two sets of winning envelopes, partly as another security measure and also to aid the show’s flow. Stationed with their signature briefcases on opposite sides of the stage, either [Pricewaterhouse Coopers partners Brian] Cullinan or [Martha] Ruiz can dispense envelopes to presenters. At the end of the evening, each accountant will have given out about half of the envelopes.”
There you have it folks! The surprising turn of events all happened just like that, but I don’t see the Oscars or anybody else letting this go anytime soon.
