‘Moonlight’ takes top Oscar after stunning mix-up

HOLLYWOOD: Coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” won the best picture Oscar on Sunday, but not before the film industry’s biggest night was marred by one of the worst fiascos in its history, as “La La Land” was mistakenly handed the award first.
Until the final minute the film industry’s biggest night had run smoothly, marked by plenty of political statements — mainly jabs at President Donald Trump — and light-hearted jokes from host Jimmy Kimmel.
But the stunning final stumble was a nightmare of a Hollywood ending that no one wanted to see.
Tinseltown legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were meant to give the best picture Oscar to Barry Jenkins’ film.
But after the pair were apparently handed the wrong envelope, Dunaway mistakenly called it for “La La Land,” Damien Chazelle’s nostalgic musical.
Scenes of confusion and embarrassment followed after the “La La Land” crew — already on stage and delivering speeches — suddenly realized the mistake and announced themselves that “Moonlight” had actually won.
Eventually PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for tabulating Oscar ballots and safeguarding the results until they are announced, apologized.
“Moonlight” was a shock winner for best picture, after Chazelle’s runaway favorite “La La Land” — a modern take on the all-singing, all-dancing Golden Age of Tinseltown’s studio system — had taken six prizes for best director, actress, score, song, production design and cinematography.
The most intriguing race was for best actor, with “Manchester by the Sea” star Casey Affleck, taking the trophy.
The Miss Universe Twitter account quickly let the Oscars know they felt their pain. “Have your people call our people, we know what to do,” the tweet read.
Trump’s controversial (and now halted) travel ban led Iranian director Asghar Farhadi to opt out of attending — but a statement from Farhadi was read when his “The Salesman” was named best foreign language film.