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2011: most bizarre live telly moments

TEN's Belinda Heggen became global news after she told a sports presenter what she thought of his manhood. But what were 2011's other live TV moments?

In the final retrospective on the year that was 2011, we look back on those priceless moments of Live Television.

Here in no particular order are moments that left us baffled, amused, and entertained. Moments that can’t be recreated.

You can click on the link to read them in their original form.

Oh Ricky you’re so fine
Ricky’s Golden Globes gags may have been scripted, but if it hadn’t been live could he ever have gotten away with saying of the President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk, “I just had to help him off the toilet and pop his teeth in”? And to think they’re gonna let him do it all over again.

“How can something so small be so impressive?”
TEN’s Adelaide News presenter Belinda Heggen became global news after she told sports presenter Mark Aiston what she thought of his manhood. Later she explained, “Mark is always cracking jokes and catching me off guard and I think I thought he was going to say something, so I just figured: `I’d better get in before he does.’” Heggen also made news when trying to cross to later stories but conceded that “we seem to have gremlins in the system.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Bc7eRTdWY[/youtube]

Dodi’s the dead one sorry.
One of the more bizarre commentary moments from the Royal Wedding would have to go to Nine’s team when they mistook the King of Tonga for Dodi Al-Fayed. “Dodi’s the dead one, sorry,” said one Royal expert.

Grammy Reporter in slurry tongue-twister
Nobody knew what to make of KCBS reporter Serene Branson after a night at the Grammys when she told viewers she was having “heavey bertations.” It turned out she was suffering a migraine, which can sometimes mimic the symptoms of a stroke. Not funny, but definitely bizarre.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC2nC6NPYp4[/youtube]

Today, Karl and those “long, stabby things.”
When Karl Stefanovic told viewers he kept a “long, stabby thing” by his bedside in case of intruders his asked he co-presenters if they had any similar weapons in case of emergencies. Lisa Wilkinson said she had a sword and a steel baseball bat. Georgie Gardner said partner Tim was her long, stabby thing. Touche.

Q & A: “Will You Marry Me?”
On Valentine’s Day, Q&A host Tony Jones threw to a member of the audience, Michael, who got down on bended knee to his girlfriend. “My question’s not actually going to the panel tonight, it’s going to this beautiful girl next to me. I just want to say, Sam, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” He then produced a ring to which the blushing Sam said “Yes.” Awww.

Dancing with the Twitter-storms
In its first episode of 2011, new Dancing with the Stars judge Josh Horner critiqued Brynne Edelsten’s dancing, as “a bedazzled potato sack rolling down stairs.” Meanwhile Sonia Kruger told her, “I think it’s nice you get on so well with your dad,” -a remark about husband Geoffrey Edelsten. Twitter lit up with reactions to both, which was a job well-done really…

Kerri-Anne planking
Before it became socially irresponsible, everyone on telly was planking, including Kerri-Anne Kennerley. Matched only by her moment in an “inverted straddle.” And to think they shut down the KAKster.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uDVhscn868[/youtube]

Wilfred visits American Idol
It was a plug for his US premiere, but probably only Jason Gann could get away with wearing a dog suit in the audience of America’s biggest TV show.

7PM Project live telly moment twists Ricky Nixon story
The Project got a scoop they never expected when St. Kilda schoolgirl Kim Duthie told Dave Hughes off-camera, “Everything I just said I lied about.” The team anguished over whether to air the footage, but it was too good not to use.

Anderson Cooper loses it laughing over Gerard Depardieu
Anchor loses it on air in a fit of the giggles. Audience loves him all the more as a result.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq1eCF3crO8[/youtube]

Meat Loaf all revved up with no tunes to go
.
Meatloaf. AFL Grand Final. No further explanation required.

‘Morning Glory’ on Sunrise
Melissa Doyle kept a straight face during a segment while someone behind her held up a sign that said ‘Morning Glory’ complete with a drawing of a penis.

Oops. Nine’s live cross … with a Seven plug
Don’t you just hate it when you’re doing a live cross on your News bulletin and a bus passes behind you with a great big ad for the other guys?

Counting too darn tricky for The X Factor.
“One thing for sure is I’m not going to go to Deadlock,” X Factor judge Mel B told host Luke Jacobz. But mathematics got the better of her when choosing between Audio Vixen and Johnny Ruffo. She made her choice and caused a deadlock after all along with puzzled looks from her fellow judges.

Harry Belafonte dozes through TV interview
It was 6:43am when 84 year old Harry Belafonte was due to chat with US news anchor Layla Santiago from KBAK. But at 84 you’re probably entitled to do whatever the hell you like. Zzzzzz.

News anchors shocked as sports reporter wins live $2.5m lottery
Two US news anchors were shocked when they realised the winner of a $2.5m lottery draw was their very own network sports reporter. So they rang him up to tell him.

US morning hosts interview then mocks Kardashians
Mike Jerrick from this Philadelphia morning show, Good Day made fun of Kim and Kourtney Kardashian following a live interview. They could probably still hear him via the link.

Republican candidate forgets the script
Not the words you want to be saying when running for the Republican candidacy: “It’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education and… the um…what’s the third one, let’s see….”

Greek MP walks out during live cross on Insight
When George Charalampopoulos, MP for Greece’s Pasok party, walked out during a live cross, Insight host Jenny Brockie was left to soldier on with the remaining guests.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEo6ZNISOT4[/youtube]

Sunrise snigger in live cross.
They insist it was a sneeze from Natalie Barr, but it sure sounded like one of the Sunrise team was sniggering at David Koch when he said of the Hadrian Temple in Greece, “This little thing was built about 2000 years ago.”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck vs Bill Maher
The View‘s Elisabeth Hasselbeck put Bill Maher in the firing line when she hassel-ed him over being the punchline to one of his own gags. You get the feeling she would make it onto a list like this every year.

“Excitment” on Nine.
Nine’s promo department got so excited by their 2012 shows they left out the letter “E.”

Sunrise ‘cash cow’ winner: “I wake up with Today.”One viewer had all her bases covered when Sunrise rang her to reward her with their Cash Cow prize, for being a loyal viewer. “I wake up with Today,” was how she answered the phone -a contest run by the other mob.

Stephen Conroy drops the “F” bomb
At the National Press Club in Canberra, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said, “If a tax goes up, God, that is sovereign risk. But if a tax goes down, that’s f—ing fantastic. Excuse me.”

Paul Biongiorno “can’t find sex.”
TEN’s Paul Biongiorno gave viewers just a little too much information when he attempted to explain that he couldn’t find the six politicians who were tipped to shift from Gillard’s camp to Rudd’s. “I’ve been searching all day and I can’t find sex.” In Canberra?

10 Responses

    1. Initially I had a few others on the list, like Kochie tweeting about the “peaceful overthrow” in Egypt… or John Elliott’s offensive terms on Can of Worms -but these were not live television.

  1. Great list but you forgot one of my favourites – Paul Burt (9 News beach reporter in Qld) on the Today Show as a ‘shark expert’ trying to catch a shark on the Gold Coast but instead getting a duck.

    youtube.com/watch?v=FzmAEQzZJ5Q

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