Who were the PwC accountants behind the Oscars 2017 La La Land envelope gaffe and who’s replacing Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz?
As the Oscars 2018 ceremony approaches we look back at last year's infamous envelope mix-up
THE Oscars are the highlight of any A-lister's calendar and often the source of controversy.
As the 2018 award ceremony approaches we look back at last year's envelopegate and the PwC accountants behind it.
Who were the PwC accountants behind the Oscars 2017 envelope gaffe?
Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan are accountants for the international company PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
They became embroiled in controversy after causing the envelope gaffe which led to the wrong film being read out for the Best Picture Award at last year's Oscars ceremony.
In the wake of the debacle, the pair had to be issued with bodyguards after information about where they lived was posted online.
PwC have been in charge of balloting the Oscars votes and keeping the winning envelopes for more than 80 years.
How did they mix up the Best Picture Award?
At the 2017 Oscars ceremony PwC accountants Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan were responsible for the embarassing mix-up that led to the wrong winner being announced for the Best Picture Award.
Brian handed the wrong envelope to presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway which stated that La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling had won when in fact the prize belonged to drama Moonlight.
Martha Ruiz, who was watching from the wings was supposed to have memorised all the winners and awards in the event of a mistake but she failed to notice that the wrong name had been called out.
Both Martha and Brian still work for PwC but have been banned from having a role in any future Oscar ceremonies.
MORE ON THE OSCARS
Who will replace Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz at this year's Oscars?
This year Brian and Martha have been replaced by Rick Rosas and Kimberly Bourdon who will be in charge of handing the envelopes to the onstage presenters.
PwC have also introduced additional precautions to ensure there is no repeat of last year's gaffe.
Rick and Kimberley will be joined by a third organiser who will also have to memorise the list and will sit in the show's control room.
The PwC team will also be banned from using social media so as not to distract them from the task at hand.
Rick and Kimberly have also had to rehearse what to do if something goes wrong - last year it took too long for anyone to notice there'd been a mix-up.