Arts & Entertainment
‘Moonlight’ is first LGBT film to win Best Picture after ‘La La Land’ mix-up
PricewaterhouseCoopers apologizes for critical mistake
(‘Moonlight’ wins Best Picture after Oscars flub. Photo via Twitter.)
After the biggest mistake in Academy Awards history “Moonlight” won Best Picture, making it the first LGBT film to win the category, after a surprise mix-up that initially gave its awards show rival “La La Land” the honor.
Presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, who were reunited on stage in honor of the 50th anniversary of their film “Bonnie and Clyde,” announced the winner at the end of the more than three-hour long ceremony. Beatty opened the envelope and after checking the envelope twice, causing the crowd to chuckle, handed it over to Dunaway who announced “La La Land.”
While the cast and crew of “La La Land’ began giving their acceptance speeches, a stage hand could be seen running out to check the envelopes. “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz then took the correct piece of paper from Beatty’s hands and declared to the “Moonlight” cast, “You guys won Best Picture. This is not a joke.”
Beatty explained to the crowd that when he double-checked the envelope he wasn’t trying to be funny but was confused when he saw Emma Stone and “La La Land” written on the paper.
“I blame myself,” Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the 89th annual Academy Awards, joked to the crowd.
“Very clearly, very clearly, even in my dreams, this could not be true,” Jenkins said after the “La La Land” team left the stage and “Moonlight” finally received its recognition. “‘But to hell with dreams, I’m done with it, because this is true.”
I’m dead at this whole thing ?? #Oscars pic.twitter.com/3qN7Z9zdNL
— Funny Vines (@FunnyVines) February 27, 2017
U.K.-based accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has handled the Oscars’ ballot-counting for 83 years and manages “all aspects” of the voting process, apologized in a statement, CNN reports.
“We sincerely apologize to ‘Moonlight,’ ‘La La Land,’ Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture,” the statement reads. “The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”
“Moonlight” already had a decent winning streak from earlier in the night. Barry Jenkins received Best Adapted Screenplay along with Tarell Alvin McCraney, who penned the screenplay “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” for which the film’s script was based. Mahershala Ali also won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Juan making him the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award.
Other big winners of the night included Best Actor for Casey Affleck’s role in “Manchester by the Sea,” who beat out Ryan Gosling for “La La Land.” Gosling’s co-star Emma Stone took home a golden statue instead for Best Actress. Damien Chazelle also won Best Director for “La La Land” making him the youngest director to win the award at age 32.
Iranian film “The Salesman” won for Best Foreign Film but its director Asghar Farhadi was not present at the ceremony. Farhadi’s opted out of appearing at the show in protest of President Donald Trump’s immigration ban.
For a complete list of winners, visit here.
Best Picture: “Moonlight”
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for “La La Land”
Best Actor: Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea”
Best Actress: Emma Stone for “La La Land”
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight”
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis for “Fences”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Moonlight” by Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney
Best Original Screenplay: “Manchester by the Sea” by Kenneth Lonergan
Best Cinematography: Linus Sandgren for “La La Land”
Best Foreign Language Film: “The Salesman”
Best Animated Feature: “Zootopia”
Best Documentary Feature: “O.J.: Made in America”
Best Original Song: “City of Stars” by Justin Hurwitz
Best Original Score: “La La Land” by Justin Hurwitz
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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