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Slip shows Hollywood makes mistakes, too

Had it not been for the gaffe at the presentation of best picture, the 2017 Academy Awards, the ceremony would have been utterly forgettable as nothing more than the latest round of bashing of President Trump.

Speech after speech, comedy snippet after comedy snippet, featured Hollywood’s favorite topic since Nov. 8.

The controversy that has accompanied recent Oscars ceremonies over the lack of nominees and winners of color was set aside, thanks to the fine work in the adaptation of the August Wilson play “Fences,” starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (who won the best supporting actress Oscar), and the ensemble cast of “Moonlight.”

So, it would have been just another ceremony.

But, thanks to a mixup of envelopes and the apparent inability of actor Warren Beatty to notice that something was different about the “Best Picture” paperwork, the slipup was made. Musical “La La Land” was named “Best Picture,” and the speeches began.

And continued until someone stepped in and said “Moonlight” actually won.

While there was much hand-wringing in the days after the ceremony and surely some fall guy will be found in the Price Waterhouse accounting firm to pay for the screw-up with his job, the gaffe was a memorable reminder about karma, whether you believe in it or not.

Think of it as the old glass houses and stones metaphor.

For surely as Hollywood’s finest were tossing stones toward 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, their own panes of glass proved to be vulnerable to being just plain mistake-prone human beings despite their star stature.

A memorable night and a lesson, courtesy of something going wrong.

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