Poor Madonna. Her first performance at the Brit awards in 20 years and she marked it with a truly stunning tumble. To her credit, the 56-year-old musician smoothly dusted herself off and carried on, proving that nothing fazes a genuine entertainment veteran.
The Queen of Pop is human after all – if you prick her does she not bleed? If her cape fails to untie, will she not tumble down the stairs like a baby in roller skates? Unscripted mishaps are often the highlight of an awards show – if not the entire tedious awards season – offering a peek beneath the bonnet of what is usually such a well-oiled machine. So this list is for Madonna and all those entertainers forced into stilettos or strappy dresses or too-skinny jeans for the sake of art when really they’re just a recipe for a face plant.
J-Law blesses the Oscars steps
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence made contact with the hallowed steps of the Dolby theatre when she went to accept a best female actor Oscar, for her turn in Silver Linings Playbook. “You guys are only standing up because I just fell and that’s really embarrassing,” she said to a sympathetic audience.
Culprit: voluminous rolls of white dress fabric
Olly Murs is signed, sealed ... and injured
Midway through his cover of Signed, Sealed, Delivered at the 2012 Guilfest, singer-songwriter Olly Murs took a classic Funniest Home Videos-style tumble down the stairs, disappearing behind a black divider. “I’m alive, it’s alright,” an invisible Murs told the crowd.
Culprit: singing on staircases
Naomi Campbell does Bambi
Models going down on the catwalk are a dime a dozen, but perhaps none so stunning as the fall season of 1993 in which supermodel Naomi Campbell graced the Vivienne Westwood catwalk. Watch her most excellent impression of a newborn foal.
Culprit: Geisha-like high heels no human should ever be expected to walk in
Iggy Azalea is not so fancy
Azalea was rapping her song Fancy at an MTV party in 2014, when she took one too many steps backwards and fell right off the stage. The Aussie battler was assisted by security guards back onstage and carried on with the song – giving the cheering audience a sly little smile.
Culprit: in the words of every parent ever, not looking where you’re going
Nick Cave is in the house
At the 2014 ATP festival in Iceland, Nick Cave proved that being the dark prince of cool doesn’t mean you’re immune to taking a tumble. Having just completed an epic onstage thrust session with those slender as a whippet hips, watch Cave go down like the Titanic at the 8.40 mark.
Culprit: that old occupational health and safety issue – the overthrust
J-Law at the Oscars (again)
A year after her first trip up to the Oscars podium, Lawrence stumbled on the 2014 Oscars red carpet after she failed to spot a safety (or not so safety) cone. “They shouldn’t have those laying around, I’m the same colour as a cone,” she said in an interview.
Culprit: forget the cone – Lawrence walking in any long dress
