LOS ANGELES _ In a sort of pep talk to members, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs acknowledged the risky nature of live television and made a promise about the mix-up heard 'round the world Sunday night: Never again.
She also praised best-picture Oscar presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and laid blame for the end-of-show disaster pointedly at the feet of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
"(W)e all know that that wrong envelope and the problems that ensued were caused by the failure of PwC's accountants to follow established protocols and their delay in immediately remedying the situation," Boone Isaacs said in the email, obtained by Deadline . "PwC has accepted full responsibility for the error. Rest assured changes will be implemented to ensure this never happens again."
Accountants Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz didn't lose their jobs at PwC, but were axed earlier this week from their flashy Oscars-envelope gig. Cullinan was the one tweeting a backstage picture of Emma Stone around the time he should have been wrangling the best picture envelope, and Ruiz failed to react when the wrong winner was announced.
Boone Isaacs gave a shout-out to those who did react, praising "the professionalism of the crew and stage managers, led by Rob Paine, who handled everything remarkably from the set collapsing during dress rehearsal to the rather chaotic ending of the show."
The academy president was also lavish in her praise of the home team, thanking host Jimmy Kimmel and show producers Jennifer Todd and Michael De Luca.
"(W)e are all proud of the spirit and enthusiasm of all the presenters, including Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, and filmmakers, especially those from 'Moonlight' and 'La La Land,'" Boone Isaacs said. "The grace and humility they demonstrated onstage, with the world watching, shows the strength of the bond that connects all the artists in our community."
Including a video recapping the show in two minutes, she said the 2017 Academy Awards "reminded people around the world why we love the movies."
