Forget Moonlight and La La Land, N.B. woman real Oscar winner
Joseph Tunney | CBC News | Posted: March 1, 2017 3:02 PM | Last Updated: March 1, 2017
Sara Hayward was stunned when a security guard gave her a piece of the red carpet from Academy Awards
A Saint John woman feels like the real winner of this week's 2017 Academy Awards.
Sara Hayward was visiting the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday, when a security guard gave her a piece of the red carpet from the Oscars, held on Sunday night.
"I was in awe," said Hayward, who was on her way to Las Vegas when she made a pit stop in Los Angeles.
Hayward had wandered into the theatre, where the names of all the best picture films lined the walls.
Afterwards, she walked over to the building's entrance, which was gated off. Crews were busy tearing down the decor and security was keeping a close watch on the area.
It was there she spotted a small piece of carpet, which had to be removed.
"A female security guard must have sensed my excitement to see it," said Hayward. "Never in a million years did I expect her to walk over, pick it up and hand it to me with a smile."
Hayward said the carpet is about 12 centimetres wide and 60 cm long, and she knows exactly what she wants to do with the strip of history.
"I'm going to make it into coasters," she said.
A dream come true
Not only is Hayward excited to have part of the red carpet from the Oscars, she said it's extra special because of the prominent mistakes at the 2017 awards.
I could just imagine walking the red carpet. -Sara Hayward
In the first incident, a photo of the still-living producer Jan Chapman was used instead of the late costume designer Janet Patterson during the memoriam section of the broadcast.
And then there was the best picture gaffe: La La Land was announced the winner instead of Moonlight.
"It's one that's going to be talked about forever," Hayward said. "Steve Harvey, who cares that he announced the wrong Miss Universe after this?"
Hayward, who loves the Academy Awards, has always wanted to see the Hollywood sign and wanted to make sure she visited Los Angeles while on vacation in the U.S.
"You could still feel the energy of the Academy Awards, the biggest night in Hollywood," she said. "I could just imagine walking the red carpet."