Oscars: 14 completely awkward moments from past telecasts

Hollywood’s top players are usually flawless on screen, but at the Academy Awards, they’re bound to say or do the unexpected. We’ve compiled a list of squirm-in-your-seat uncomfortable moments from past Oscar ceremonies.  (From left: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times; Stan Honda / AFP / Getty Images; Sebastian Artz / Getty Images; Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When Sean Penn opened the envelope to announce the best picture at the 87th Academy Awards, he asked, “Who gave this son of a ... his green card?” before revealing “Birdman” as the winner. In a year when the Oscars were being scrutinized for the lack of diversity among the nominees in the top categories, some felt Penn’s joke about director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s nationality fell flat.

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After hosting the Emmys and the Tonys, jack-of-all-trades Neil Patrick Harris took over Oscar duties in 2015 with mixed results. In addition to butchering actors’ names and making an ill-advised joke about Edward Snowden’s absence, Harris strained the patience of even the most faithful viewers with a running gag involving a magic box holding his winners predictions.

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

During a red carpet interview actress Melanie Griffith admitted she had not yet seen daughter Dakota Johnson’s performance in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” implying she was uncomfortable with some of the scenes she would see. When Griffith continued to refuse even the possibility of watching the film, a flustered Johnson responded “All right! You don’t have to see it!”

  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

John Travolta was tasked with introducing Idina Menzel to perform the Oscar-nominated (and later Oscar-winning) song “Let It Go” from “Frozen” at the 86th Academy Awards. Unfortunately, he ended up introducing “Adele Dazeem” in what would become the flub of the night. Ever the professional, Menzel still nailed her performance.

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Host Ellen DeGeneres rounded up high-profile celebs for a selfie that set records for retweets. What fans missed was Minnelli joining from behind, too short to be seen. Later, Minnelli tried to hug winner Lupita Nyong’o before some of Nyong’o’s cast members could.  (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

The academy took a gamble by having Seth MacFarlane host the 85th awards. Some people thought the many moments that MacFarlane relied on jokes about race or women were inappropriate for the occasion, including his cringe-worthy opening number, “We Saw Your Boobs.”  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Jennifer Lawrence proved she is just as human as the rest of us when she tripped on the stairs on the way to accept her best actress Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. After making it to the stage to a standing ovation, she confronted the situation head-on by saying, “You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you.”

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Sacha Baron Cohen walked the red carpet of the 84th Academy Awards in character as General Aladeen from his film “The Dictator.” He also carried a gold urn he claimed contained the ashes of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, which he dumped over Ryan Seacrest.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The 84th Academy Awards hit a hurdle when producer Brett Ratner resigned and his planned host, Eddie Murphy, stepped down too. Billy Crystal seemed like a safe choice to host. But Crystal fell back on an old bit impersonating Sammy Davis Jr. and later made racially charged joke.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

James Franco and Anne Hathaway were paired to host the 83rd Academy Awards. Unfortunately, most people agreed the show was a bust. Hathaway gave an honest effort, and even looked like she was trying to overcompensate for Franco, who at best could be described as not mentally present.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston ended their five-year marriage in 2005 amid reports that linked Pitt romantically to Angelina Jolie. The 81st Academy Awards was the first time all three were publicly present in the same room.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

When Glenn Hansard and Markéta Irglová won the award for original song for “Falling Slowly” at the 80th Academy Awards, both were overcome with emotions. Hansard took the mike first. When Irglová leaned in to give her own thanks, the show cut her off. Host Jon Stewart later called her back.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Ryan Seacrest wanted to interview Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner, but Gary Busey was not having it. Busey first called out to Seacrest, delaying the start of the interview. Later, Busey surprised Garner with a hug and a kiss on the neck.  (Stan Honda / AFP / Getty Images)

The 77th Academy Awards assigned stand-up comedian Chris Rock to the hosting post, foreshadowing a night of ruder-than-usual digs at celebrities for laughs. Take this for example: “Who is Jude Law?” Perhaps actor Sean Penn thought that Law forgot his armor, stepping onstage to defend his peer.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Apparently, when overcome with happiness, actor Adrien Brody’s primal instinct tells him to latch his lips onto the pretty lady who gave him the news. Brody took everyone by surprise (especially Berry) when he kissed her after winning a lead actor Oscar for “The Pianist.”  (Brian vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Most winners don’t even have time to finish their thank-yous before the cut-off music switches on, but filmmaker Michael Moore managed to squeeze in a whole political rant after snagging a best documentary win for “Bowling for Columbine.” The boos and cheers were very, very audible.  (Lee Celano / AFP / Getty Images)

Gwyneth Paltrow’s skimpy 2002 Oscar outfit seemed to be missing some vital components. (Was she not cold? Look at how bundled up everyone else is outside the Vanity Fair after-party.) In later years, the actress admitted that she wished her bits were covered better, citing the mistake as one of her worst red carpet looks.   (Sebastian Artz / Getty Images)

That Oscar trophy wasn’t the only one smooched by Angelina Jolie’s famous lips at the 72nd Academy Awards. The actress planted a kiss on older brother James Haven with a force that set rumor-mongers atwitter with word of an incestuous relationship. It didn’t help that the excited Jolie launched into her acceptance speech for lead role in “Girl, Interrupted” with an ode to the sibling: “I’m in shock, and I’m so in love with my brother right now,” she giggled. “He just held me and said he loved me and I know he’s so happy for me.”  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

To open the 1989 Academy Awards, an off-key Rob Lowe sang a duet with actress Eileen Bowman as Snow White as part of an elaborately hokey musical medley that lasted more than 10 minutes and left seated stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr. and Sigourney Weaver scratching their heads in confusion. How bad was it? Disney filed a lawsuit against the academy for unauthorized use of its character.

  (Randy Leffingwell / Los Angeles Times)