Awkward Moments: Even Celebrities Flub

Awkward moments are something everyone has to face with sooner or later. Often people get into weird situations because of their own tongue. The only consolation one might have is that even celebrities have their awkward moments — and, well, they get more attention when they fail.

According to the Bustle’s recent report, there have been plenty of uncomfortable situations during the Critics’ Choice Television Awards night, and some of them were caused by wrong words.

“After announcing Frances McDormand as the winner of Best Actress In A Movie Or Limited Series, Bill Paxton stated that he would accept the award for the actress’ behalf. However, while letting the audience know he un-‘graciously’ flubbed the word ‘graciously.’ Things like this happen all the time, but Paxton made it even more awkward by not just laughing it off and moving on.”

Well, sometimes laughing things off just makes the whole situation look worse, especially when one’s flub can make somebody feel uncomfortable. It’s hard to stay decent, however, most celebrities manage to use their tongue once more to get themselves out of trouble. A good sample of this was provided by the Inquisitr in February, when Travolta’s random behavior on the Oscars red carpet was discussed.

“John Travolta made for an awkward moment last year as well, mispronouncing Frozen singer Idina Menzel’s name as ‘Adele Dazeem.’

Travolta later apologized and even poked fun at his pronunciation difficulties.

“I’ve been beating myself up all day,” he said afterward. “Then I thought… what would Idina Menzel say, She’d say, Let it go, let it go! Idina is incredibly talented and I am so happy Frozen took home two Oscars Sunday night!”

The awkward moment may have actually helped Idina Menzel. After the show, she was getting more buzz than any of the winners, and her already strong performance was made more memorable by Travolta’s flub.

It’s simple to get rid of all problems when one is a celebrity with a silver tongue. However, not all people manage to help themselves out in uncomfortable situations. That is exactly when bystanders can help. According to the Fast Company, it might take certain skills, however, the silent gratitude of the person who flubbed makes it worth the effort.

“By diffusing the situation, and redirecting the conversation. This is a master-level move. To bail someone else out of an awkward moment by changing the subject quickly—or better yet, anticipating their outburst and doing some conversational jiu-jitsu to keep them from falling into that trap—is the work of unsung heroes. Most people are just waiting for their turn to speak, instead of listening to what’s really being discussed. Practicing active listening reveals when to intervene.”

It’s only just that the listeners should help those who cause awkward moments — after all, not all of us are John Travolta and not everyone can cope on his own.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]