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Time.com's list of awkward moments from 09.
Time.com's list of awkward moments from 09.
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Created 02/05/10
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1
Ballon Boy Spills the Beans
On Oct. 15, the U.S. sat transfixed as a silver Mylar balloon, believed to contain 6-year-old Falcon Heene, soared out of control through the skies above Fort Collins, Colo. Falcon's father Richard Heene, an amateur storm chaser and aspiring reality-TV star, told authorities that his son had accidentally climbed inside the balloon, which the family had been constructing in the backyard, and set it aloft. After the balloon touched down — empty — near Colorado Springs and Falcon was discovered hiding in the attic of the family's home, skeptics were quick to suggest that the Heenes had purposely unleashed the balloon and concocted the tale to kindle publicity for a reality-TV series they were gearing up to pitch. The plot was undone by Falcon's candor in a surreal appearance on CNN's Larry King Live. When fill-in anchor Wolf Blitzer asked the boy why he'd hid, Falcon turned to his parents and mumbled, "You guys said we did it for the show." The scam soon unraveled, much to the chagrin of the Heenes and of peeved Colorado authorities, who spent more than $60,000 chasing the craft. On Nov. 13, Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public official, while his wife copped to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944766,00.html#ixzz0ei0WWfZ0
2
Kanye West Doesn't Let Taylor Swift Finish
It's not an MTV Video Music Awards show unless Kanye West causes a scene, but the self-aggrandizing rapper outdid himself in 2009. As pop-country crooner Taylor Swift accepted her award for Best Female Video, West rushed the stage to snag the mike and spoil the moment. "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time," he declared. Spreading his arms in a "Hey, what do you expect from me?" way, he ceded the microphone back to the stunned star and slunk offstage to scattered applause. Beyoncé, who cringed at the outburst, later invited Swift onstage during her own acceptance speech so Swift could finish her address. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944768,00.html#ixzz0ei0d666z
3
The Beer Summit
The July arrest of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge, Mass., police sergeant James Crowley would have been incendiary enough — an African-American scholar charged with disorderly conduct by a white cop — without the involvement of the first black U.S. President. But President Barack Obama poured fuel on the fire by calling the arrest "stupid" on national television. To defuse tension and extricate the White House from a controversy with surprising staying power, Obama invited Gates and Crowley to hash out their differences over drinks on the Rose Garden patio. Burnishing his regular-guy credentials by quaffing a Bud Light, Obama — with Vice President Joe Biden in tow — joined a polite, undoubtedly stiff 40-minute chat, during which Crowley slugged a Blue Moon and Gates downed a Sam Adams. While many mocked the photo op, it appeared to have paved the way for a genuine reconciliation between the primary players. In October, Crowley and Gates continued the conversation over a meal at a Cambridge pub. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944770,00.html#ixzz0ei0p1qZG
4
Artie Lange Steals Joe Buck's Show
Joe Buck Live debuted with high expectations. The late-night HBO program, a fusion of sports talk and sketch comedy, was billed as a vehicle for the laconic announcer to expand his empire behind the sports realm. Joe Buck scored a coup by landing quarterback Brett Favre — who was then wrestling with whether to return to the NFL — as a marquee guest for the inaugural episode. But after Favre's appearance, the show careened off course. During a panel discussion, comedian Artie Lange, a frequent sidekick to radio shock-jock Howard Stern, hurled a series of caustic barbs at the stunned host. The lewd, homophobic jokes made audience members squirm. "It's refreshing to see white-on-white crime," former Dallas Cowboys wideout Michael Irvin, a guest on the show, cracked after the debacle. The nadir of the exchange came when Lange acknowledged that he had torpedoed Buck's debut. "Sorry to ruin your great f____ing show," he said. "I appreciate the apology, because you have," Buck replied. HBO later blacklisted Lange, saying, "We didn't expect the guy to hijack the segment for his own personal gain." Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944772,00.html#ixzz0ei0worbY
5
Mark Sanford's Mea Culpa
It's pretty rare for politicians to abandon their regimented schedules, so when aides to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford accounted for their boss's weeklong disappearance by claiming he had taken a few days to recharge by hiking the Appalachian Trail, it was pretty clear something was amiss. His wife Jenny spurred further speculation by admitting she didn't know her husband's whereabouts. When Sanford finally turned up, he bewildered a rapt crowd with a rambling speech in which he referenced his opposition to President Obama's stimulus package, explained his struggle to abide by the Bible's strictures and apologized to everyone but his mailman for an as-yet-unexplained transgression. Eventually, after several tearful, baffling asides, Sanford cut to the chase and copped to traveling to Argentina for a tryst with paramour María Belén Chapur. Sanford remains in office, but not in his wife's good graces; she packed up the couple's four children and moved out of the governor's mansion. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944774,00.html#ixzz0ei11RQfJ
6
Ryan Seacrest's Regrettable High Five
Scott MacIntyre is a classically trained pianist whose mellifluous voice wowed judges and inspired audiences during the eighth season of American Idol. He's also blind — a fact that Idol host Ryan Seacrest appeared to forget when MacIntyre emerged from the audition that won him a ticket to Hollywood. After being mobbed by family and friends, a jubilant MacIntyre joined Seacrest for the obligatory exit interview. Then the host offered a high five. When MacIntyre left him hanging, it took a second for Seacrest to grasp the situation. "Well, I'm giving you a high five," he said, grabbing the beaming musician's hand, which remained at his side. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944776,00.html#ixzz0ei18fyS2
7
Joaquin Phoenix Bombs on Letterman
Late-night host David Letterman has done his share of bizarre celebrity guest interviews, but a February Late Show appearance by actor turned aspiring rapper Joaquin Phoenix was one for the books. The Walk the Line star ambled onstage in what might charitably be described as a catatonic stupor, sporting a tangled mane, bushy beard and dark shades. Seated, Phoenix offered clipped, monosyllabic responses to Letterman's questions, picked at his clothes and gazed aimlessly at his lap. At one point he even took his chewing gum out of his mouth and affixed it to the host's desk. As the segment drew to a close, Letterman hurled one of his greatest-ever quips: "Joaquin, I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight." Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944779,00.html#ixzz0ei1Ip690
8
The Colonel Is in the House
In one of the year's most audacious publicity stunts, an actor dressed as KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders — who died in 1980 — breached security at the U.N.'s headquarters in New York City and posed for photographs with a beaming official. The white-maned, goateed imposter, clad in Sanders' trademark white suit and black bow tie (later identified by KFC as an actor named Robert Thompson), infiltrated the building and earned an audience with U.N. General Assembly President Ali Treki. "It should not have happened — that I will stress, and very strongly," said U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas. The ruse was part of the fast-food chain's marketing campaign to have "Grilled Nation" certified as the body's newest member state. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944781,00.html#ixzz0ei1TOpVY
9
Joe Jackson Works the Red Carpet
Joe Jackson isn't winning any Parent of the Year awards — his reputation as the domineering, abusive patriarch behind the Jackson 5 is the stuff of legend — but to those still grieving over Michael Jackson's June 25 death, his behavior at the BET Awards was beyond the pale. Instead of mourning his son or commiserating with fans, Joe, 80, used a red-carpet interview just three days after the King of Pop's demise to plug his fledgling record company. After brushing off a series of questions about how the clan was coping in the wake of Michael's death, Joe steered the conversation toward business. "I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here," he told CNN reporter Don Lemon. "Marshall and me own a record label called Ranch Records ..." His partner then jumped in to offer the full details about the technology behind the label. Fans of the late singer, unsurprisingly, were outraged. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944784,00.html#ixzz0ei1tZm2a
10
Categorizing Caster Semenya
For track stars, winning a gold medal means you've reached the pinnacle of your profession. But for South African sprinter Caster Semenya, it's been awfully lonely at the top. At the World Championships in Berlin in August, Semenya blazed past the field to capture the 800-m title in a lightning-quick 1:55.45, trouncing her closest competitor by more than two seconds. But instead of cementing the 18-year-old's status as track's newest star, Semenya's sprint drew attention mainly to her muscled, masculine physique — and touched off a heated controversy over whether she was running in the right race. "These kind of people should not run with us," said Italy's Elisa Cusma. "For me, she is not a woman. She is a man." The International Association of Athletics Federations admitted that Semenya had been forced to submit to gender testing the day of the race, though it declined to confirm reports in an Australian paper that the sprinter has both male and female genitalia. The organization has yet to determine whether Semenya will be permitted to keep her medal or continue racing as a woman, though South Africa's Sports Ministry declared on Nov. 19 that the young star would not be forced to relinquish her prize. Read more: https://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944763_1944787,00.html#ixzz0ei26x9iK
[source: Time.com ]
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