Here’s How Oscars Officials Plan To Avoid Another Massive Fuck-Up In 2018

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Published

March 29, 2017

The accounting firm in charge of handling votes at The Oscars – and responsible for the jaw-dropping Best Picture fuckup at this year’s ceremony – has been retained by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, following an intense grilling from Academy chiefs.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which has worked in conjunction with the Academy for 84 years, has promised to introduce a raft of new measures to stop another potential La La Land / Moonlight SNAFU.

Here’s a quick reminder of what went down:

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway reunite to present Best Picture at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/iB2G8UpaMO

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 27, 2017

Yeesh.

Previously, PwC announced accountants Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz won’t be handing out the announcement cards at the 2018 ceremony after their prodigious cock-up this year. Notably, Cullinan was caught tweeting in the lead-up to his big moment, so PwC will confiscate all personal electronics from its accountants before the ceremony.

While only two people backstage have been privy to the winners before each announcement, the firm will now be stationing a third official in the show’s control room in case things go monstrously wrong. After all, it shouldn’t have to be up to the eventual loser to clarify that, yeah, there’s been a massive mistake.

Stunningly, accountants hadn’t been involved in rehearsals for the show; PwC, logically, is looking to change that, so that all of the kinks can be worked out beforehand.

Finally, the firm is bringing back partner Nick Rosas, who served as the card-handler for a decade’s worth of ceremonies leading up to 2013. They believe his steady hand will be less likely to, oh, we don’t know, palm off a card that clearly says Emma Stone to a host whose one job is to read the title of a film.

Notably absent: any talk on fixing up the confusing typography on the card itself, which inarguably made things a whole lot worse. We guess that one’s on the Academy, hey?

“Why #Typography Matters—Especially At The #Oscars” https://t.co/Yy9cywOQW8 #envelopegate pic.twitter.com/4wGw5v2Mq8

— benjamin bannister (@mrbenbannister) March 1, 2017

Regardless, props to the folks in charge for sorting this out, even if that spectacular bungle was the most entertaining awards show moment in living memory.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty.