Let’s face it. The Oscars haven’t even started this year and it’s already a disaster.
From trying and failing to introduce a new ‘popular’ film category, to being host-less after the whole Kevin Hart debacle, to then even cutting some awards from the broadcast, before quickly reversing the decision. All these decisions were met with public scrutiny and the Academy are seemingly contempt to try and wing it this year. It’s a mess.
But when has it ever run smoothly? Here are five moments to show you it hasn’t:
‘La La Land’ or Moonlight?
They didn’t do a great job on this one.
Cast your minds back to the 2017 Academy Awards and this is probably the first thing that pops into your head. It was the award for ‘Best Picture’, arguably the most important award of the night. And they messed it up.
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were given the envelope for ‘Best Actress’ by mistake and Beatty’s pause before his announcement tells you everything. La La Land was read out and the thank you speeches commenced. The realisation that they actually lost when the real envelope was brought to the stage was just painful to watch, coupled with the fact that it was producer Jordan Horowitz who read out the real winner, ‘Moonlight’, and presented the award that a few moments ago, he thought he’d won.
The image of Horowitz holding up the envelope with the true winner became a meme shortly after, and that tells you everything really.
The 1974 Oscars Streaker
The Oscars don’t have much luck with the ‘Best Picture’ category.
Host David Niven had just welcomed Elizabeth Taylor to the stage who would present the award but got more than he bargained for.
American photographer and activist Robert Opel ran on stage and the only part of his body that was covered was his upper lip thanks to his 70s ‘stache. He held up the two-fingered peace sign as he ran and inadvertently became the brunt of one of the best one-liners, as Niven said: “Isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”
There’s no coming back from that one.
“The one and only Adele Dazeem”
John Travolta doesn’t mix well with the Oscars and is behind many uncomfortable, and frankly weird moments.
It was the 2014 Academy Awards and all Travolta had to do was welcome Idina Menzel to the stage to perform her Oscar-winning song from Frozen ‘Let It Go’. No-one knows who he announced…
“Please welcome the wickedly talented, one and only Adele Dazeem.”
To make matters worse, Travolta was invited back the next year and came face-to-face with ‘Dazeem’, and it was even more painful than before. They performed a skit, mimicking past events and as Travolta tried what he failed to do last year, pronouncing her name, he started caressing her face. Her smile, a cry for help. At least he got it right the second time of asking?
“I’m the king of the world!”
It’s the 1998 Oscars and Titanic had swept up a record-equalling 11 awards.
James Cameron took to the stage to accept the award for ‘Best Director’. The speech started off like every other, stating his pride and his thanks, only to then exclaim at the top of his lungs the quote from his film: “I’m king of the world” before whooping like a kid who’d just won an egg and spoon race during a sports day and celebrated ungraciously.
The delivery by Cameron didn’t have quite the same effect as when Leonardo Di Caprio shouted the same line in the film. People weren’t swooning, they were cringing.
Jack Palance’s one-handed press-ups
Jack Palance won the award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his role in ‘City Slickers’ at the 1992 Academy Awards and the 73-year-old stole the show.
He started out by stating to Oscars host and co-star Billy Crystal: “Billy Crystal? I crap bigger than him,” a reference to one of the lines in the film, before running over to the opposite side of the stage, dropping down and showing the world his one-handed press-ups. The action sent the audience into raptures and rightly so! Not bad at all for a 73-year-old.
By Cristian Bratu