After La La Land was pronounced the winner of the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture, the ceremony’s staff and crew stormed the stage and Warren Beatty stepped forward to explain that Faye Dunaway had announced the wrong winning film. In fact, it was Moonlight that won the Oscar—an upset realized in the most jarring way possible. (After all, the romantic musical La La Land received 14 Oscar nominations and landed the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, as well as Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards.) What made it even more jaw-dropping was that the La La Land crew had already read their acceptance speeches. As the packed stage awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, host Jimmy Kimmel tried to remedy the situation with some humor: “I knew I would mess this show up.” While an honest mistake is to blame, we can’t help but feel bad for the well-deserving cast of Moonlight as well as the cast of La La Land, who thought they had it in the bag. At least they’re all talented at putting on a brave face.
