The Oscars are intended to be a celebration of fame, celebrity, and the great cultural icons of our times. It's a luxurious event, but even the opulence of the Dolby Theatre can't stop celebrities from slipping up every now and then. The 2017 Oscars had enough awkward moments to last a lifetime, and offer a gentle reminder that even the most accomplished actors are just regular people.
The Oscars has a long history of awkward moments, and it almost seems as if the Oscars are specifically designed for maximum awkward potential. You have actors reading flat, professional dialogue off of far away teleprompters, comedic bits that are as likely to fail as they are to succeed, and plenty of names to get wrong. What other awards ceremony would think John Travolta was the best candidate to introduce Idina Menzel — or, as John Travolta referred to her, Adele Dazeem?
The 2017 Oscars mark the end of the 2016 film awards season, and after a year of white people having no idea that Hidden Fences isn't a real movie and trying to see if Questlove DJ-ing could improve the Golden Globes, the Oscars closed off the season with a fantastic display of Hollywood awkwardness. Here are the highlights:
Michael Shannon During The Opening Number
Michael Shannon could, and did, stop the feeling.
The Unfortunate Mic Throw
It may have been part of the joke, but this mic toss quickly took all the air out of the room.
Jimmy Kimmel's Moonlight Joke
Kimmel's Moonlight joke, referencing the movie's iconic beach scene, didn't quite stick it's landing and the audience wasn't receptive. Kimmel tried to play it off, saying the audience clearly hadn't seen the film, but sometimes jokes just don't work.
Getting Pushed Off The Stage
While the makeup team for Suicide Squad accepted the award, the producers of the ceremony deployed a brand-new method for ending speeches. Gone are the days of walk-off music, because apparently now they just send out people to gently nudge award winners off the stage.
Auili'i Cravalho Taking A Flag To The Head
A small choreography hiccup may have been awkward, but it wasn't enough to stop Auili'i Cravalho from masterfully performing "How Far I'll Go."
Zootopia's Cut Off
While most of Zootopia's award winners for Best Animated Film got the change to give a speech, one winner was bombarded by walk-off music before they had the chance to get a sentence out.
Everything About The Bus Segment
The tourists, Jimmy Kimmel making fun of people's names, everything going on far too long — Possibly the single most awkward Oscar bit of all time.
50 Shades Of Awkward
What was supposed to be a cute bit of banter didn't quite land, and left the audience in confused silence for a few moments before 50 Shades Darker stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan stopped worrying about being funny and just worried about giving out awards.
Nicole Kidman's Hands
Maybe they just clap differently in Australia.
Casey Affleck's Acceptance Speech
Despite being the frontrunner, it seemed that Casey Affleck hung on tightly to his "I don't really know what I'm doing and I'm out of place" act that propelled his Oscar campaign. In a night full of inspiring speeches, listening to Affleck ramble and mumble likely left the whole audience wishing they could be listening to Denzel Washington's victory speech.
Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty Pulling A Steve Harvey
At least she didn't say Hidden Fences.
