Gowns and suits of all shapes and color cover the red carpet. Personal assistants are frantically making sure their celebrities make it to every important interviewer in perfect condition. Sealed envelopes and polished statues remain backstage waiting to be claimed by a lucky winner. It is officially awards season in Hollywood!
The Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards have come and gone, but the film industry’s biggest night of all is still months away. The Academy Awards honor the best in movies and highlight film roles talked about all year. While no two award shows are ever the same, the recipe is consistent. A playful host pokes fun of celebrities and current events. A standing ovation or two occurs for only the most talented actors and actresses. A winner admits to not writing an acceptance speech. Jennifer Lawrence falls or says something adorable. It is entertaining, and the recipe works. Aside from these usual occurrences, a few parts never get credit for turning even the most boring show into something worth watching.
1. Teleprompter fails
At the Golden Globes this year, Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie from “The Wolf of Wall Street” froze on stage as presenters when they realized the teleprompter’s script was for two different presenters, Aaron Eckhart and Paula Patton.
“I’m not going to lie to you. Right now they’ve put up the wrong stuff on the teleprompter,” Hill said.
A yellow sheet of paper with their script quickly came to the rescue, but the hilarious reaction of the celebrities created a lighthearted moment. Other errors with speed or tricky words have also created problems with presenters, but even the best in Hollywood can shrug it off.
2. The Reaction to a Loss
Reactions vary among celebrities. Viewers at home love to see other contenders in the category applaud the winner. After all, it is the classiest move out there. Sometimes cameras catch celebrities with a look of pure jealousy like Taylor Swift’s reaction to Adele’s win at the 2013 Golden Globes. It could be poor timing or true emotions, but every reaction is fair territory for the next big meme.
3. The Super-Sealed Envelopes
Sandra Bullock might have been stranded in space in “Gravity,” but her biggest challenge at last year’s Academy Awards was the envelope. As she struggled with the envelope to reveal the winner, she made a facial expression that can only be described as a combination of frustration and confusion. Viewers at home thought the awkward moment was a highlight of the entire show. Celebrities are awkward people, too. Who knew?
4. The Music that Signals the End
Acceptance speeches can range from 10 seconds of formal appreciation to one minute of personal anecdotes. Amy Adams from “American Hustle” tried to thank as many people as she could at this year’s Golden Globes and wanted to end by thanking her daughter. As the music played, she refused to let the awards bully her.
“You cannot play me out of talking about my daughter,” she said.
No one stopped her. Smart move, Golden Globes.
5. Instagram Posts of Celebrities Hanging Out
Whether cast members of “Downton Abbey” met P. Diddy or Heidi Klum photobombed Kaley Cuoco, seeing celebrities hang out with other celebrities is the best way to view the most famous people in the world in their natural habitat. It is a fresh look into the world of the rich and the famous.
While Leonardo DiCaprio in a suit is enough for many television viewers to tune in to awards shows, these underrated parts show a different side of Hollywood. The glamour is still there, but a glimpse of vulnerable celebrities and their awkward sides goes a long way.