Academy Boots Both PwC Accountants From Next Year's Oscars

Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz, the two PwC accountants who worked on this year’s Oscar telecast that ended in chaos when the wrong Best Picture was announced, will not be working on next year’s show, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced Wednesday.

Cullinan, a 32-year veteran of the accounting firm formerly known as Pricewaterhousecoopers, had worked on the Academy Awards for four years; Ruiz had worked on the Oscars for three years.

Cullinan shouldered much of the blame for handing the wrong envelope to presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway backstage, which resulted in “La La Land” incorrectly being announced as Best Picture instead of actual winner “Moonlight.”

Also Read: Why Did Oscars Take So Long to Fix Best Picture Flub and 7 Other Questions From Night's Epic Fail

Cullinan may have been distracted by social media — just a few minutes before the fateful mishap, he tweeted a photo of Best Actress winner Emma Stone (which was subsequently deleted).

In a since-deleted Feb. 10 blog post by the Academy on Medium, Cullinan explained how the process works — at least, when it’s operating correctly.

Also Read: Oscars Stage Manager Details PwC Accountants' Incompetence: 'They Froze' (Exclusive)

“The producers decide what the order of the awards will be,” Cullinan said. “We each have a full set. I have all 24 envelopes in my briefcase; Martha has all 24 in hers. We stand on opposite sides of the stage, right off-screen, for the entire evening, and we each hand the respective envelope to the presenter. It doesn’t sound very complicated, but you have to make sure you’re giving the presenter the right envelope.”

Also Read: Oscars Flub: Was the Academy's New Envelope Design Partly to Blame? (Photos)

He also explained the importance of paying attention to detail, especially with the whole world watching.

“We check things dozens of times, recounts and double-checks,” he said. “We’ll have staff go back two and three times to make sure, and then Martha and I will review and recount to ensure there are no differences between what we have and they had. So far, there’s never been a problem.”

21 Best and Worst Oscars Moments of 2017, From Viola Davis to Warren Beatty (Photos)

This year's Academy Awards featured an insanely cute kid, some uncomfortable name-shaming -- and one of the biggest flubs in the nearly 100-year history of the ceremony
Getty Images
WORST: People Magazine editor and red carpet host Jess Cagle revived this year's Golden Globes faux pas, mentioning "Hidden Fences" as one of 2016's extraordinary films.
ABC
BEST: Jimmy Kimmel honors Meryl Streep with a standing ovation and a tongue-in-cheek homage to an actress who "has stood the test of time for her many uninspiring and overrated performances"
Getty Images
BEST: "Moonlight" star Mahershala Ali gives a touching speech honoring his grandmother and four-day-old child after winning the Oscar for Best Actor
Getty Images
WORST: Critically panned superhero flick "Suicide Squad" wins an Oscar for makeup, giving the film as many Academy Awards as "Citizen Kane"
Warner Bros.
BEST: The cast of "Hidden Figures" brings out one of the film's true-life inspirations, NASA scientist Katharine Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson in the movie)
Getty Images
BEST: The rich get richer: Jimmy Kimmel floated bags of sweets to the crowd with a massive balloon drop
ABC
WORST/BEST: "Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho got hit in the head with a flag while performing the song "How Far I'll Go" from the Disney film, but the 16-year-old wasn't flustered and brought down the house with her singing
Getty Images
BEST: "Fences'" Viola Davis gives an emotional speech honoring her family and August Wilson after accepting her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Getty Images
BEST: After Iran's "The Salesman" won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, director Asghar Farhadi (who boycotted the ceremony) explained his reasons in a heartfelt and pointed statement read by an Iranian-American engineer and astronaut
Getty Images
BEST: Jimmy Kimmel brings a bus full of Hollywood tourists to the front row of the Academy Awards -- and Denzel Washington unofficially marries an engaged couple
Getty Images
WORST: Jimmy Kimmel makes fun of one of the tourists' name, while saying "now that's a name" to her husband, named Patrick
Getty Images
WORST: Seth Rogen (poorly) sings "Hamilton" songs while presenting the Academy Award for Best Film Editing alongside Michael J. Fox
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BEST/WORST: Kimmel conducts a brief interview with "Lion" star Sunny Pawar, but an homage to Disney's "Lion King" comes off a little awkward
Getty Images
BEST: Kimmel tries to engage the President on his preferred medium: Twitter
Twitter
BEST: The host unveils an Oscar-themed version of one of his late-night show's signature bits, Mean Tweets
ABC
BEST: Kimmel introduces presenters Ben Affleck and erstwhile rival Matt Damon as "Ben Affleck and guest," and has Damon played off by the orchestra during his announcement of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
Getty Images
WORST: Halle Berry incorrectly pronounces "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle's name as "Shazeel" when announcing his win for Best Director
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BEST: "Manchester by the Sea" director Kenneth Lonergan wins his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and says his film is "about people trying to take care of each other in terrible diversity" in a heartfelt speech
Getty Images
WORST: Emma Stone wins the Oscar for Best Actress for musical "La La Land," despite her lack of top-end singing skills -- and a field including Isabelle Huppert, Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman
Getty Images
WORST: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway had one job -- correctly announce the Best Picture winner -- and screwed that up, mistakenly naming "La La Land" instead of the actual victor, "Moonlight." Oscars accounting firm PwC later apologized, saying the wrong envelope had made its way into their hands.
Getty Images

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Beatty’s Best Picture flub was one of the biggest Oscar bloopers of all time

This year's Academy Awards featured an insanely cute kid, some uncomfortable name-shaming -- and one of the biggest flubs in the nearly 100-year history of the ceremony

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21 Best and Worst Oscars Moments of 2017, From Viola Davis to Warren Beatty (Photos)

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