The end of the 89th Academy Awards was one for the ages — and that's an understatement.
"Moonlight" writer-director Barry Jenkins accepts the Academy Award for Best Picture. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
"Moonlight's" stunning upset victory over early frontrunner "La La Land" was made even more shocking by the fact that presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway initially awarded the Best Picture trophy to the wrong film. Thinking they'd won, "La La Land's" producers delivered their entire acceptance speeches — only to hand the award off when they realized what had happened.
In many ways, this moment was exactly what Twitter was built for.
The mix-up unleashed a tidal wave of snark, followed by chaos, followed by jubilation — all playing out in real time.
Initially, supporters of "Moonlight" — who were stung that a groundbreaking black queer coming-of-age story would likely be shut out by a conventional Hollywood romance — prepared themselves for disappointment.
Starting with a win for Best Production Design, it seemed like "La La Land" was poised for a clean sweep of the night's biggest awards.
Tweeters of color in particular — including some of the most prominent voices on black Twitter — were less than pleased, especially when "La La Land" appeared to have claimed the night's top prize.
Then it happened. "La La Land" producer Jordan Horowitz stepped up to the mic and announced the mistake. "Moonlight" had actually won.
At first, it seemed like it might be a terrible prank.
If this was a joke it's not fucking funny.— Akilah Hughes (@Akilah Hughes) 1488172341
But pretty quickly, it became clear Horowitz wasn't kidding. All hell broke loose.
News organizations had to adjust their breaking news alerts.
BREAKING UPDATE: Following incorrect announcement, 'Moonlight' has won Best Picture at the #Oscars.… https://t.co/kMdWfOS6ut— ABC News (@ABC News) 1488172501
Shock and disbelief reverberated across social media.
WOWWWWWWWWW RT @intjRj: @LowKeyUHTN https://t.co/AloQ6TjVk3— Low (@Low) 1488172701
Literally all of us tonight at the #Oscars https://t.co/stvZz0Lksm— Bustle (@Bustle) 1488173121
When the confusion died down, it became clear the seemingly impossible had happened.
"Moonlight" had won Best Picture. For real.
And the celebration began.
The shocking upset victory was hailed as a long-overdue win for marginalized groups of artists...
Black queer people have created popular culture since the beginning of time, and no one has credited us for anything. Till now.— Kima Jones ⏰🪜🔨💫✨ (@Kima Jones ⏰🪜🔨💫✨) 1488173045
...and for moviegoers who have waited just as long to see themselves on screen.
Take a moment and think about the reverberating effect of Moonlight's #Oscars win on all the Littles, Chirons, and Blacks out there.— Franklin Leonard (@Franklin Leonard) 1488184082
This is a win for so many. I'm amazed and elated. Let's celebrate this for a long time, y'all.— Raquel Willis (@Raquel Willis) 1488174112
Many saw a deeper symbolism in the chaos and confusion.
and this is nerdy to say but still saying it, what if now Moonlight also becomes a verb meaning getting your due despite white shenanigans 🌝— Ayesha A. Siddiqi (@Ayesha A. Siddiqi) 1488173327
Others praised the "La La Land" team for reacting to an enormously difficult moment with grace.
Most, however, were simply thrilled.
Y'all. WTF. My emotions. #Oscars— April (@April) 1488173457
This victory for "Moonlight" may or may not represent a sea change in the way the Oscars does business.
Time will tell whether the Academy is truly committed to rewarding greater diversity in film. And "La La Land" deserves all the awards it won and critical recognition it's received.
But last night, a small, gorgeous, unsparing, nuanced movie about the life of a gay black kid in Miami, written and directed by artists of color, took home the top prize. What's more? It deserved it.
Now, more than ever, that matters.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."