With Marisa Tomei receiving her second Oscar nomination this year for her role in The Wrestler, it's time to attempt to put to rest one of the top Oscar urban legends: "Marisa Tomei didn't really win the 1992 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in My Cousin Vinny. One of the four British nominees really won the award, but the announcer said the wrong name, and the Academy wouldn't correct him in front of worldwide live tv, would it?"
Well, yes. Yes, it would.
Contrary to popular belief, the TelePrompTer does not have the name of the winner on the screen because the person writing the presenter's script does not know the name of the winners. Any of them. Only two guys from the accounting firm AMPAAS retains know the names of the winners. They fill out the cards in the envelopes the presenters take on stage. They stand on either side of the stage during the awards presentations. If, G-d forbid, a presenter says the wrong name as the winner, the accountants would indeed stop the show and correct him or her. Tomei's triumph was a huge upset, but the Britons she ran against probably offset each other, allowing Tomei's vote count to rise to the top. Also her romantic drama Untamed Heart opened Feb. 13, 1993, just as AMPAAS announced the nominations. This helped her immensely. Good for Tomei. She deserved it.
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