Virginia Sherwood/NBCYou think Ricky Gervais' Golden Globe jibes were over-the-top? Out of line? Mean?
Mean?!
You know what's mean? These cruel awards-show twists of the knife:
1. The 2009 Oscar Telecast Cuts From Jennifer Aniston to…Angelina Jolie! And then the whole world sees Jolie sitting there, smiling, and quite possibly merely trying to cheer Aniston through a hamfisted routine with Jack Black, but still… The gall of the producers! The shamelessness! (And, yeah, the brilliance, too.)
2. Kanye West Spoils Taylor Swift's…Well, You Know… There's nothing more to be said about this low moment from the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that hasn't already been said—by the ever-talkative West himself.
3. Cranky Critic Insults The Social Network and Just About Everything and Everyone Else at 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: So, the New York Press' Armond White is a man of strong movie opinions, but surely he'll keep his mouth in check when, as host of his critics' group's annual awards show, he invites filmmakers to his house, yes? No. You can read blow-by-blow accounts here and here and elsewhere, but basically, White went off, especially on the Best Picture winner, as he implored playwright and presenter Tony Kusher "to explain why The Social Network is good." Oh, and for bad measure, White made Annette Bening cry.
4. Obscure Documentarians Make Kanye West-Taylor Swift Moment Seem Comfortable by Comparison: Seriously, Swift seemed positively composed next to poor Roger Ross Williams, who can't seem to figure out what to do, or say, when Elinor Burkett, his presumed frenemy on their Oscar-winning documentary short, takes over his acceptance speech at the 2010 Oscars.
5. The 1994 Grammys Cut Off Frank Freakin' Sinatra! Awards shows shouldn't cut off any winner, and they really shouldn't cut off any lifetime-achievement recipient, but they really, really shouldn't leave the Chairman of the Board hanging (even if he is vamping).