Oscar Envelope Flub: The Loser Is...The Accountant

LOS ANGELES, CA — The PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants responsible for the most notorious mistake in Oscars history, Sunday's erroneous Best Picture award, won't be invited back to the show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday.

PricewaterhouseCoopers quickly apologized for the error, which created chaos at the 89th Academy Awards when "La La Land" was awarded Best Picture even though "Moonlight" actually won. However, the accounting company may not get a shot at redemption.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told The Associated Press the Academy is still deciding whether to stick with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has handled Oscar vote-tabulation duties for 83 years.

Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz, the accountants who were responsible for handling the winner envelopes during Sunday night's ceremony, won't ever work the Oscars again, added Isaacs.

PricewaterhouseCoopers was quick to place the blame on Cullinan the morning after the disastrous awards ceremony. Isaacs insisted he was distracted when he handed the wrong envelope to actor Warren Beatty, whose co-presenter, Faye Dunaway, announced the best picture winner as "La La Land." Around the same time Cullinan would have been handing off the envelope, he was tweeting since-deleted backstage pictures of Best Actress winner Emma Stone.

Instead of giving Beatty the envelope with the name of the best picture winner inside, he handed him a duplicate of the envelope for best actress — Emma Stone of "La La Land."

After some visible confusion on stage, Dunaway wound up announcing "La La Land" as the winner of the best-picture Oscar, which was actually won by "Moonlight."

Cullinan had made multiple Twitter posts from his perch backstage at the Academy Awards. His Tweets have since been deleted.

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Meanwhile, the Academy on Wednesday apologized to Australian film producer Jan Chapman, whose photo was included in the "In Memoriam" segment of Sunday's telecast, even though she is still alive. Chapman's photo appeared on screen with the name of costume designer Janet Patterson, who died last year.

"We sincerely apologize to producer Jan Chapman, whose photo was mistakenly used in the Oscars 'In Memoriam' tribute for her colleague and dear friend, the late Janet Patterson," the Academy said on its Instagram account. "Janet, an Academy member and four-time Oscar- nominated costume designer, was beloved in our community. We extend our deepest apologies and condolences to the Patterson family."

The apology was accompanied by a photo of Patterson. The statement also noted that the Academy has posted an updated version of its "In Memoriam" video online and in its online gallery at www.oscar.com.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: (L-R) 'La La Land' producer Jordan Horowitz holds up the winner card reading actual Best Picture winner 'Moonlight' with actor Warren Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel onstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/89th Annual Academy Awards/Getty Images)