Entertainment

La La Land was best picture for 2 minutes 29 seconds. Here are some other Oscar numbers

Here's how Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony broke down by the numbers, from how many people watched to the number of Trump allusions during acceptance speeches.

Key numbers from Sunday's ceremony, from how many watched to the number of Trump allusions

La La Land's Ryan Gosling was on stage accepting best picture with the film's cast and crew when he found out the category's real winner was Moonlight. Here's his reaction. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/Associated Press)

Not many people griped about how long the Oscars ran overtime during Sunday's ceremony, thanks to the shocking best picture blunder that came at the show's tail end.

But the ceremony did have a few numbers worth considering.

Here are some key figures from the Oscars and how they factored into the show. (And in case you were wondering, it clocked in at three hours 49 minutes, ending around 12:19 a.m. ET).

2 minutes 29 seconds

That's how long La La Land was best picture — from the moment it was announced by Faye Dunaway to when La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz broke the news that a mistake had been made and Moonlight was the actual winner.

Huge Oscar mix-up: wrong best picture announced

8 years ago
Duration 2:49
Presenters Beatty and Dunaway given incorrect envelope by mistake

During those moments, the elated cast and crew of La La Land took to the stage, where Horowitz and fellow producers Marc Platt and Fred Berger delivered victory speeches, all while members of the show's staff and accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers scrambled behind them to correct the error.

"This is not a joke," Horowitz told the crowd, shortly after announcing the real winner and still clutching onto the trophy he had just been given. "I'm going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight."

600 per cent

The number of Google searches for Steve Harvey skyrocketed after Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel jokingly blamed him for the fiasco moments after it happened.

Harvey endured similar embarrassment in 2015, when he announced the wrong winner during the Miss Universe pageant. He offered advice to Dunaway's co-presenter Warren Beatty on Monday, telling him to handle the flub with "dignity and grace."

"Warren, I know your pain."

7 hours 47 minutes

O.J.: Made in America not only snagged the prize for documentary feature but also the distinction of being the longest film to ever win an Oscar, with a running time of seven hours 47 minutes.

It tops the seven-hour 11-minute epic War and Peace, which won best foreign language film in 1969.

2 Trump allusions

U.S. President Donald Trump was never explicitly mentioned during any of the night's 24 acceptance speeches. But two of the winners did allude to the U.S. president's controversial actions.

Asghar Farhadi, director of the foreign-language film winner The Salesman, skipped the awards ceremony to protest Trump's travel ban, which he called "inhumane." The ban affects Iran, Farhadi's home country, and six other countries, something mentioned in the director's statement read out on his behalf by Iranian-born U.S. engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari.

Moonlight's writer-director Barry Jenkins alluded to U.S. President Donald Trump during his acceptance speech for best adapted screenplay. (Al Powers/Invision/Associated Press)

Moonlight director Barry Jenkins also alluded to Trump while accepting his award for best adapted screenplay. He wore a blue ribbon in support of the American Civil Liberties Union and vowed not to forget those whose rights were threatened.

"For the next four years, we will not leave you alone, we will not forget you," he said.

Kimmel did refer to the president by name, poking fun at his behaviour and baiting him with a couple of mid-show tweets. Trump kept quiet during the show, but did weigh in Monday, telling Breitbart News the show had flubbed because "they were focused so hard on politics."

1st Muslim actor to win an Oscar

Sunday's show got off to a historic start, with the night's first prize (best supporting actor) going to the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar — Mahershala Ali for his performance in Moonlight. Ali didn't mention the milestone in his speech, but was asked about it in the press room backstage.

With his win for best supporting actor, Moonlight's Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim actor to earn an Academy Award. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/Associated Press)

He told reporters he didn't necessarily feel religion was relevant in this circumstance.

"I'm just an artist who feels blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had and try to do the most with every opportunity that's come my way."

32.9 million

That's how many people watched the broadcast, according to Nielsen. That's about a million less than last year, when 34.3 million people tuned in to see Chris Rock host.

It's also the show's smallest audience in almost a decade, dating back to 2008, when 32 million viewers watched Jon Stewart host.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Haydn Watters is a roving reporter for Here and Now, CBC Toronto's afternoon radio show. He has worked for the CBC in Halifax, Yellowknife, Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto, with stints at the politics bureau and entertainment unit. He ran an experimental one-person pop-up bureau for the CBC in Barrie, Ont. You can get in touch at [email protected].

With files from The Associated Press