Sewage at the Golden Globes, and more ways to ruin an awards ceremony
Version 0 of 1. If you look closely – really closely – at the stars on the red carpet at last night's Golden Globes, you might be able to detect a hint of horror. That's not because they were about to settle into three hours of tedious smuggery, but because they might have been traipsing their expensive frocks through human waste. Moments before the red carpet opened, emergency crews were drafted in to mop up a flood. Some say a faulty sprinkler was to blame, but it's also been claimed that the flood was caused by a burst sewage pipe. If that's the case, it'd rank as one of the least glamorous awards show moments of all time, were it not for these. Christine Lahti, 1998 Chicago Hope's Christine Lahti famously wasn't around to accept her Golden Globe in 1998 because she was on the toilet. It was a mortifying moment, made more mortifying because Robin Williams valiantly tried to salvage her mistake by leaping on stage and having the sort of multi-part conversation with himself that you'd normally expect to hear from red-eyed lunatics at bus stops at 3am. Oscars streaker, 1974 The 1974 Oscars contained the single most 1974 moment in all of history; late-period David Niven refusing to be ruffled by the sight of a long-haired, moustachioed streaker jogging on stage and giving the peace sign. The entire Golden Globes, 2008 The Writers Guild of America's strike meant that the glitz and glamour of the Golden Globes was replaced with a staid hour-long press conference from a hotel. For a brief moment, we caught a glimpse of how efficiently an awards show could be run. Then, the following year, it was crying and dresses and backslapping as normal. Still, we'll always have 2008. Foaming red carpet, 2002 Holding an awards ceremony in London when the weather's at its worst is an act of unstoppable stupidity, but that's the Baftas for you. To make matters worse, in 2002 a combination of torrential rain and fire-retardant chemicals caused the red carpet to bubble and foam, which in turn caused Kate Winslet to pull a face like a terrified old man. Eddie Redmayne, 2013 Les Misérables star Eddie Redmayne was meant to present the Bafta for best original screenplay with Sally Field last year, but Field walked on stage alone. "Eddie is backstage puking his guts out," she told the legions of assembled dignitaries. Stay classy, Sally. Isabelle Allen, 2013 Redmayne's 10-year-old co-star Isabelle Allen didn't even complete the SAG awards red carpet last year. She was taken back to her hotel after reportedly contracting a bug and throwing up. Two Les Misérables stars vomiting at awards shows in the same year. Coincidence, or proof of what can happen when you're forced to listen to Russell Crowe sing? Maybe we'll never know. • Peter Bradshaw's reaction<br />• Hadley Freeman: 10 things we learned<br />• Xan Brooks: six surprises<br />• Guardian Film Show: 'What the hell?' Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |