There are now strict backstage rules at the Oscars, following last year’s “La La Land” and “Moonlight” envelope fiasco
When normal people make mistakes, they try to forget about it or learn from it, and attempt to move on with their lives. But when a mistake is made on live television, and has the potential to change people’s lives, the reckoning is a little more serious. Following that infamous Best Picture flub at the 2017 Oscars — you know, about the envelope — some new guidelines have been put in place to prevent another mixup. Yeah, the Oscars now have new envelope rules to prevent another La La Land and Moonlight fiasco. Because as entertaining as it was, it would probably be best if something like that never happened again.
In case you somehow missed it, there was kind of a big mistake at the 2017 awards show when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty went on stage to present the winner of the Best Picture category. For a moment, La La Land was announced as the winner, and the cast and crew took to the stage to accept the award and celebrate. All seemed normal. However, all was not normal. Shortly after getting onstage,La La Land producer Fred Berger went to the microphone to announce, “We lost by the way, you know.” Obviously, it was awkward. But now, just in time for the 2018 Oscars telecast, it’s been revealed that there will be a lot of regulations put in place to prevent another mistake from happening on live television.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQn_FkFElI?feature=oembed
According to Vanity Fair, the Academy has banned the two PricewaterhouseCoopers partners responsible for the envelope flub last year, and have also banned the use of social media and cell phones backstage at the show, so don’t expect any backstage selfies ever again.
But that’s not all. VF also reports that, “As each envelope is handed off this year, both the presenters and a stage manager will confirm that it’s actually the one that corresponds to the category they are about to present.”
Basically, even though the Moonlight and La La Land mixup of 2017 was legendary and provided enough reading material for days, it’s clear that both the Academy and PwC aren’t keen on it happening again.