Sunday, December 27, 2009

Best & Worst Manners List 2009

In a year where there was many a battle of class vs. crass, we decided to weigh in on some of the year’s best and worst moments in manners. In 2009, celebrities, politicians and athletes all made the list and so did a few unknowns desperate for their five minutes of fame. From Captain Sully to Kayne West, we’ve compiled our take on the most civil and uncivil behavior that inspired us or made us cringe.


Best Manners List 2009


1. Taylor Swift. Rather than let the ridiculously rude Kayne West steal her big moment, the teenage beauty acted with grace and poise when Kayne jumped the stage, grabbed her mike and interrupted her acceptance speech.
2. Beyoncé. For graciously giving Taylor Swift back her moment by inviting her up on stage to complete her acceptance speech later that evening.
3. The Queen of England. For always maintaining dignity, elegance and charm with everyone from the President and the First Lady to Lady GaGa.
4. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. For being a hero and remaining calm during complete chaos. The US Airways pilot miraculously managed to land the distressed plane flat on the water in the Hudson River and avoid nearby Manhattan. He saved the lives of over 150 people making him a hero to all.
5. Hugh Jackman. For having patience and stopping a Broadway performance midway to take on an audience member's ringing cell phone.
6. Daniel Craig. For supporting his friend and co-actor Hugh Jackman and refusing to continue the performance until the patron answered their phone.
7. George Clooney. For his take on manners. He states, “To my mind, there is a golden rule in society, which is quite simple and makes everything in the world go round. It is this, treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself." Words to live by indeed.
8. Electronics Company LG. - For getting teens to think twice before they text. The electronics company created a marketing campaign of humorous sketches featuring teens and bad mobile manners such as sending racy pics, bullying and spreading rumors all of which can be viewed on YouTube and Facebook.
9. The Presidential Dog, Bo. The six-month-old Portuguese water dog has impeccable manners thanks to behavior lessons by a dog trainer. Apparently, he sits and stands at the command of the First Daughters and according to the Los Angeles Times, makes no toilet errors, and does not chew on any White House furniture.
10. Lady GaGa. We may not love her outrageously risqué attire, but her manners were impeccable as she prepared for a recent visit with the Queen. After being briefed about etiquette at the Palace, Lady Gaga made sure to leave a very good first impression.

Worst Manners List 2009


1. Kayne West. For the biggest offense of red carpet manners at the MTV Video Music Awards. Lord knows what possessed Kayne to run up on stage, grab the mike from Taylor Swift who was graciously accepting her award and proclaim Beyoncé the bell of the ball. He is now regarded as a laughing stock in the music biz.
2. Serena Williams. For extremely bad sportsmanship at the U.S. Open. Maybe John McEnroe can get away with it, but a woman must always maintain her composure in public. No matter how she felt, Serena should have never spewed such profanity at the line judge. All it did was tarnish her reputation as a talented athlete and diminish her stance as a role model for young girls.
3. Congressman Joe Wilson. For exemplifying blatant disrespect and heckling the President during his health care speech. Congressman Wilson let his emotions get the best of him and his outburst cost him considerably. He wound up having to apologize profusely and do major damage control.

4. The Salahi's. For trespassing on the White House property and crashing the State Dinner. Tareq and Michaele Salahi, upon speculation of appearing on "The Real Housewives of DC" reality show, took it upon themselves to crash a VIP party they were not officially invited to. As much as this was insanely wrong to do, I do give them kudos for at least looking like they belonged.
5. Tiger Woods. For infidelity and avoiding responsibility with a series of lies. After years of playing golf, a sport known for its decorum and manners, it’s amazing that Tiger would lose all sense of composure in his personal life. He has not only made a disgrace of himself with his family, but he has forever stained his character in the eyes of the public.

6. The Balloon Boy Hoax. For staging a publicity stunt that usurped international media attention. Just three days after the Heene family claimed that their 6 year old son Falcon was trapped in a runaway balloon, authorities discovered that the whole story had been fabricated. Richard Heene, later admitted that the incident had been staged to attract publicity for a reality TV show. It's scary what some folks will do for their 5 minutes of fame.
7. Ivana Trump. For being belligerent towards children and flight crew. On a plane departing Palm Beach just after Christmas, Ivana Trump was physically removed from a Delta Airlines commercial jet bound for New York. Apparently, she was unhappy with her seat and frustrated by some children who were running up and down the aisle. I have two words for her, private jet!!
8. Elizabeth Lambert. For ferocious play. The New Mexico women's soccer player was suspended indefinitely for committing a series of excessively rough plays, including yanking a BYU forward to the ground by her ponytail. I know that soccer can be an aggressive game, but I don't believe hair pulling is in the soccer rule book.

9. Adam Lambert. For sexually suggestive choreography. Adam Lambert claimed it was the heat of the moment that caused him to kiss another male on the American Music Awards. Pushing the envelope is more like it! P.S. I thought the same thing about Madonna and Britney Spears' kiss on the MTV Video Music Awards almost seven years ago.
10. Christian Bale. For yelling at a crew member on the new Terminator movie set. The actor went ballistic and delivered a series of rants against the director of photography who had accidentally ruined a scene by walking onto the set. Perhaps anger management courses should be in his list of resolutions for the New Year.


**A special nod to Larry David and Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 10 for continuing to make us laugh by understanding the comedy of manners that defines our daily lives. Everything from the table read where George defiled Larry's pen, to the crazy text messages Larry received from a nine-year-old daughter of a co-worker, to his getting annoyed by his friend Funkhouser who just showed up on the set of the Seinfeld reunion, to Larry getting accused of leaving a water stain on Elaine's table, we didn't stop laughing all season long!

No comments:

Post a Comment