The Academy Awards ceremony is often criticized for being stuffy, overly long and unfailingly predictable, but that was not the case last year. In one of the most memorable moments in Oscar history, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope and announced La La Land as the winner of the night's top prize instead of real Best Picture winner Moonlight. Now it looks like the two are getting a do-over as Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway will again be presenting the award for Best Picture at this Sunday's ceremony.
Despite the black eye for everyone involved last year, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are back and will once again be presenting the award for Best Picture to this year's wide-open field. As TMZ reports, the two actors have already rehearsed their lines for the presentation. The lines aren't yet finalized, but as expected they will likely see the presenters having a bit of fun at their own expense after last year's debacle. I don't know if the envelope handoff is being rehearsed, as well, but you can bet that it's being triple-checked before being handed to the presenters this time around. Although the presenters will be the same, suffice it to say that the Academy and PricewaterhouseCoopers are taking every step necessary to make sure that such an epic blunder does not repeat itself.
We all make mistakes. Thankfully most of our mistakes do not happen on so grand a stage and in so public a fashion. This highly public snafu had to be incredibly embarrassing for the two legendary actors so good on the Academy for giving them a much-deserved mulligan. The mix up at last year's Oscars ceremony will never be forgotten, but it just wouldn't seem right for Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway to not get another chance for fear that they would somehow screw it up. After all, they were given the wrong envelope and there is more than enough blame to go around.
Letting Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announce the Best Picture winner again also should add an extra bit of levity to the moment. As long as the Oscars don't run the jokes referencing the mix-up into the ground it should be fun. When Hollywood's most serious awards show can laugh at itself while still honoring the best in film it makes for a more entertaining watch. I'm sure Beatty and Dunaway will get tons of cheers too, befitting their status in the industry and lifting them up after last year's chaotic scene.
You can catch the 90th Academy Awards this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Check out the full list of nominees and be sure to follow along with us during the broadcast as we break down all the winners and losers from Hollywood's biggest night.
