On the night of the Oscars, Hollywood cleans up its act for a few hours. Actors, actresses, and bearded directors put down the cocktails they started at the Golden Globes, shimmy into gowns and tuxes, and thumb acceptance speeches tucked into their pockets. Tonight, all eyes are on them.
Since the Academy Awards is such a highly publicised event, that makes the evening’s potential scandals all the more juicy. Instead of appearing on splashy magazine covers, controversy is everywhere. The best part? We get to watch drama go down in real time.
We can’t promise this weekend’s Oscars ceremony will be full of bad behaviour (a girl can dream), but luckily there’s a whole treasure trove of scandals from bygone years to delight in. Here are the best moments from Oscars history you wish you’d been around to witness.
Roberto Benigni Jumped (Literally) For Joy
I’ll admit that entry isn’t quite a scandal. Rather, it’s the purest distillation of gratitude that ever was, and is a delight that everyone should see at least once in their lives.
After his film Life is Beautiful won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999, director Roberto Bengini leapt onto his seat with a face of unbounded joy. Clamouring over the chairs, Bengini infused the stiff evening with his signature Italian exuberance. While onstage, Bengini spewed Dante and metaphors. Take the first few lines of his acceptance speech: “This is a moment of joy and I want to kiss everybody because you are the maker of the joy. He who kisses the joy as it flies lives in eternal sunrise...it’s a hailstorm of kindness, this gratitude for you.” We love you too, Roberto.
Angelina Jolie Kept It All In The Family
Before Angelina was the Mother Theresa of Hollywood, she was just an angsty teenager like the rest of us. Angsty teenagers have a knack for doing the unexpected. In 2000, she took family love a step past expectations, and probably sent a few sets of jaws tumbling to the floor.
After winning a Best Actress award at the Golden Globes, she and her brother, James Haven, shared a quick lip smack backstage. Then, she kissed Haven on the Academy Awards red carpet a few weeks later. The cameras went wild.
BEI/REX/ShutterstockAdrien Brody Got Handsy
Just to reiterate: we don’t condone kissing strangers. But, under the light and the sparkle of the Academy Awards, we can briefly bend the rules for Adrien Brody. After winning Best Actor for The Pianist, he took presenter Halle Berry into his arms and gave her a big smacker. Judging by Berry's smile, Brody defying of expectations was forgiven.
The Curious Case of Adele Dazeem
Perhaps John Travolta had slept through the Frozen fever that had swept the country in the months leading up the 2014 Oscars, but he sure didn’t know who Idina Menzel was. While attempting to summon Menzel to the stage, he jumbled her name’s vowels and consonants in a truly unforgettable way. Somehow, Idina Menzel became Adele Dazeem. After John Travolta made the name botch of a century, I got chills that were multiplying. I daresay I lost control.
Marlon Brando Said He'd Rather Not, Thank You
It’s not every day someone turns down an Oscar. In the year 1973, though, actor Marlon Brando did just that. Instead accepting his Best Actor award for his role in The Godfather, Brando sent up Satchem Littlefeather to say he would refuse the award on behalf of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans. Satchem is met with a tug-of-war of boos and applause; eventually, the applause wins out.
The Longest Standing Ovation That Ever Was
The first space walk was twelve minutes. That’s also how long the crowd cheered for Charlie Chaplin when he received an honorary award in 1972. On Chaplin's face is a kaleidoscope of awe, gratitude, and disbelief as the applause goes on and on and on.
Marisa Tomei’s Surprising Upset
Conspiracy theorists love whipping out their foil hats for this Academy Awards moment. The year was 1993. The Best Supporting Actress nomination docket had four actress of unbelievable prestige and past performances, and then Marisa Tomei. At the time, Tomei had only a few sitcoms and soap operas on her IMDB (which didn’t exist at the time, but you feel me).
To the room's complete shock, Tomei’s name was announced. Following the ceremony, a nasty rumor popped up accusing Jack Palace, the award presenter, of reading the teleprompter and not the card itself, implying that Tomei didn't actually win. With video playback, however, it’s clear that Palance read the card. The rumor that dogged Tomei’s entire career was, in fact, totally unfounded. People just couldn't believe a newcomer beat out a bunch of old pros.
J. Law Takes a Tumble
Our favourite cool girl does everything coolly, including fall up theatre stairs while accepting her award. To us, she looks a bit like Cinderella stumbling after breaking her heel. Moral of J. Law and Cinderella's plight? Maybe we shouldn't have to keep wearing shoes that are impossible to walk in.
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