Oscars 2017 marred by huge mistake and controversy as wrong winner announced and Casey Affleck wins Best Actor

THIS year's Oscars was marred by controversy and a huge mistake with the Best Picture award.

The glittering ceremony for the 89th annual Academy Awards show began with a performance from Justin Timberlake before host Jimmy Kimmel launched into his hilarious monologue with jokes about President Donald Trump and Moonlight's happy ending going down particularly well.

However, it wasn't long before controversy was stirred as Casey Affleck received a standing ovation after winning the Best Actor Oscar despite the sexual harassment reports surrounding him, and an epic mistake that saw the wrong film given Best Picture award.

La La Land was originally announced as winner by actor Warren Beatty, before producers had to step in to correct him as Moonlight actually won the trophy.

There was widespread shock in the audience as host Jimmy Kimmel tried to explain what had happened with the major gaffe.

Oscars producers had to step in on stage to reveal the mix up, forcing the La La Land producers to hand over the award to the Moonlighting producers.

Bonnie and Clyde stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced La La Land had taken the best picture prize until the film’s producer Fred Berger said: “This is not a joke. Moonlight is best picture,” and showed the camera the card that revealed the winner.

Pre-fail, talk show host Jimmy said he knew the country was divided and he had been encouraged to say something that would unite people.

Opening the show he said the ceremony was being watched around the world by "countries that now hate us" adding: "The country is divided right now, I've been been getting advice that I need to say something to unite us.

"Let me say something. I can't do that. There is only one Braveheart in this room and he's not going to do that either."

He added: "I want to say thank you to President Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? It's gone!"

The first winner was Mahershala Ali taking home the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Moonlighting.

He embraced the film's director Barry Jenkins on his way up to the stage where he said: "My Grandma would want me to button up.

"Wow, I want to thank my teacher and my professors, they told me is that it's not about you, it's about the characters, you are in service to your character and your stories, I'm so blessed to have had this opportunity."

The actor welcomed his first child Bari Najma on February 22 and thanked his wife Amatus Sami-Karim saying: "My wife was in her third trimester doing awards seasons, we just had a daughter four days ago. I just want to thank her for being such a soldier through this process."

Viola Davis was the second major award winner to be announced as she took home the best supporting actress gong for her role in Fences.

The actress received a standing ovation and cheers as she won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Fences.

Davis, who has been nominated twice before for Doubt and The Help, had been the frontrunner for the prize all through awards season.

Holding her statue she said: "There is one place that only people with the great potential are gathered and that is the graveyard.

"People ask me all the time 'What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, of people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition, people who fell in love and lost.

"I became an artist and thank god I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life."

Paying tribute to her co-star and director Denzel Washington, she said: "Oh captain, my captain, Denzel Washington, thank you for putting two entities in the driving seat, August Wilson and God and they served me well."

In the best actor category, Casey Affleck's sexual harassment controversy was pushed aside by the Academy, and he took home the gong for his role in Manchester By the Sea.

Earlier in the evening pale, sequinned gowns with flowing capes are proving to be an early trend as the stars make their way down the red carpet at the 89th Academy Awards.

Though Meryl Streep did take an unfortunate tumble on the red carpet.

Emma Stone, nominated for La La Land, snatched all the best dressed list spots with her stunning golden Givenchy gown.

La La Land's Linus Sandgren won the Oscar for cinematography, saying: "This film was made with so much love and passion and struggles and it was all thanks to Damien (Chazelle, the director). "You're a poetic genius and I'm so happy I met you and I really love you.'' mfl

French star Isabelle Huppert, who is nominated for the best actress Oscar, opted for a long sleeved, pale pink sequinned gown by Armani Prive, while her fellow best actress nominee Ruth Negga opted for a red Valentino dress, teamed with an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ribbon.

Model Karlie Kloss chose a long Stella McCartney white dress and cape, which she also accessorised with a blue ACLU ribbon on her hip, while model Chrissy Teigen, who is married to La La Land star John Legend, opted for a pale sequinned dress with a cape by Zuhair Murad.

Hailee Steinfeld continued the pale trend by opting for a sheer pink Ralph and Russo floral gown while Emma Roberts showed off her newly red hair with a black and white lace Armani Prive dress and Octavia Spencer, who is nominated for the best supporting actress prize for Hidden Figures, chose a pale blue Marchesa gown with a feathered skirt.

Her co-star Taraji P Henson bucked the trend for pale dresses by choosing a black velvet Alberta Ferretti gown with a dramatic neckline, while her fellow co-star Kirsten Dunst chose a black strapless gown with pockets.

Lion star Sunny Pawar, eight, kept things a little more casual as he teamed his smart tuxedo with black and green shoes with bright yellow shoelaces.

Unfortunately Dakota Johnson led the worst dressed list after she turned up in someone's old curtains.

Stars arrived on the red carpet at a politically charged Oscars where musical La La Land could make history after earning a record-equalling 14 nominations.

Actress Ruth Negga, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda arrived at the ceremony in Hollywood wearing ribbons supporting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The organisation was among the first to launch a legal challenge following President Donald Trump's travel ban, which barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries entering America.

Miranda, who wrote the Oscar-nominated song How Far I'll Go from Moana, told ABC: "They're doing great things and they're fighting an incredible fight."

Irish Ethiopian star Negga, who is nominated for her role in drama Loving, described the film as a "once in a lifetime opportunity".

She told E!: "Films you've either watched or been in, they stay with you and leave residue with you.

"This is one of those films, I don't think it'll ever leave me."

British music star Sting is nominated for best song for The Empty Chair which played during Jim: The James Foley Story, a documentary about the American journalist captured and beheaded by Isis.

He told ABC: "This is my fourth nomination. I've never won one.

"I think this is one of the most important songs I've ever been involved in because of the subject."

Jenkins, who could become the first black man to win the best director Oscar, said other black film-makers had done work worthy of winning at past Academy Awards.

"There's nothing special about me," he told Entertainment Weekly's live stream.

Octavia Spencer, nominated for best supporting actress for Hidden Figures, paid tribute to actor Bill Paxton, who died on Sunday aged 61 following complications from surgery.

She told ABC: "I wish I had met him. I was a big fan.";

She added: "We're so uptight about what's going on in the world. Right now I want to take a deep breath."

Isabelle Huppert, who is nominated for best actress for her role in psychological thriller Elle, told ABC: "I feel so thrilled about this film in particular. The whole road has been amazing.

"There's a wonderful atmosphere. It's all about being happy here."

Jackie Chan, who won an honourary Oscar last year, was holding two panda toys as he walked the red carpet.

The movie star is a panda ambassador and also owns two of the bears in China.

British star Andrew Garfield, who is nominated for best actor for Hacksaw Ridge, said he had been trying not to cry for most of the day.

The former Spider-Man star said he had attended the ceremony with his parents and his friend Ellie, a friend he had known for 15 years from drama school.

He told ABC: "We've been looking at each other trying not to cry all day."

Garfield said his mother was "cool as a cucumber" about attending the Oscars.

He told E!: "She's one of those perfect mothers that would love me if I was a murderer, and she would come visit me in jail, and she would bring me cookies, home baked, and she would not look at me any different.

"She might say I'm a bit disappointed in you for killing all those people."

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