This Week on The 5: Randee Neumeyer’s Five Best Jim Carrey Award Show Appearances
Vancouver based writer and comedian, Randee Neumeyer just released “Bad Baby”, her debut album from 604 Records. Randee brings a dark vulnerability to the stage, where her set-ups are as surprising as her punchlines. Covering everything from her resting bitch face to her eight-legged roommate she named Blake, Randee’s subversively creative one liners are effortless.Randy has performed at JFL NorthWest, Comedy Waste Festival and Smash Comedy Festival, and regularly performs at Little Mountain Gallery, Yuk Yuks, Kino Café and Laugh Gallery in Vancouver. And she hosts the So You Ruined the Party Again Podcast with comedian Bobby Warrener where they talk about their worst and sometimes best party ruining stories with hilarious guests. She also writes a hilarious blog, Eyebrows & Anecdotes.
“Bad Baby” is available now, anywhere good music is sold, and she contributed this week’s edition of The 5.
Before the internet melted my brain, I was obsessed with watching awards shows. I never missed one, I even had my mom record the 2006 Oscars while I was away on a working holiday. My teens/early twenties now feel like the heyday of awards show comedy, when huge comedic actors would stage elaborate sketches while presenting or accepting awards. Hearing that Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Adam Sandler were in attendance always guaranteed something fun, and knowing Jim Carrey was there kept me from taking any bathroom breaks so I wouldn’t miss anything.
When Jim Carrey attended an awards show he always had some kind of comedic hyjinx planned. It didn’t matter if he was presenting an award, winning an award, or he was in the audience trying to kiss Will Smith, he had everyone in hysterics. There are many appearances to choose from but I narrowed it down to the top five:
MTV Movie Awards 1997
In 1997 Jim Carrey won an MTV Movie Award for his role in the comedy Liar Liar. If you’re my age and have an older brother then you saw Liar Liar numerous times, even when you didn’t want to. Carrey plays a dishonest lawyer who doesn’t spend enough quality time with his family, which leads his son to wishing that Carrey can’t lie for 24 hours, obviously just in time for an important court case.
When Carrey delivers his speech he takes on the same curse as his Liar Liar character, he’s unable to lie about what he thinks about the other nominees, his fans, agents and awards shows, all in jest of course.
The Golden Globe Awards 2016
When Carrey started taking on dramatic roles he won a Golden Globe two years in a row for The Truman Show and Man on the Moon respectively. Since then he’s been nominated three times without any wins. As he walks up to the microphone the announcer calls him, “Two time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey.” Carrey remarks on his two Golden Globes and talks about how different his life would be if he had won a third, but the best part is the camera constantly cutting to an amused Denzel Washington.
AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards 2004
Out of all of Carrey’s Award show appearances this one is the most sincere and fun. At the AFI tribute to Meryl Streep he delivers a heartfelt complimentary speech, performs impressions of Bruce Dern, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, and walks through the audience yelling the lyrics to the song Simply the Best.
All of the pageantry causes Streep to become bashful, while sending her on a giggling spree. And when you think Carrey couldn’t get funnier he still manages to publicize their movie Lemony Snickets and a Series of Unfortunate Events.
The MTV Movie Awards 1999
The MTV Movie Awards truly became Carrey’s playground when it came to awards shows. One year he gave his speech telepathically (voice over), another year he walked on stage with a group of angels like he was a God, and then there was the year he dressed as a biker.
When Carrey accepted his award as a biker, he had a beard, long hair, and affected a deep voice, never breaking character like a true method actor. And he accepts his award the way a biker would, talking about pussy and Foghat, while hitting on Courtney Love.
The Academy Awards 1999
In 1999 Carrey won the Best Dramatic Actor Golden Globe for The Truman Show. Historically, winning that award means you are destined for an Oscar nomination but instead he was harshly snubbed.
While Carrey presents the Best Film Editing category he pretends to become emotional, crying over his snub, which makes the A-list audience roar with laughter.
He then changes gears and pays tribute to that year’s Oscar golden boy Roberto Benigni, who won Best Actor for Life Is Beautiful. This is my favourite appearance because of the line Carrey says in reference to Benigni, “He has jumped into my ocean!”
