# Howard Berger (blabbermouth Oscar winner): Shut the fuck up & let your partner speak! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 6, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300 "2006-03-06T21:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/1 "2006-03-06T21:29:41Z")
IMO, the most jaw-dropping, blood-boiling moment in yesterday’s Oscars’ ceremony came during the acceptance speech of Howard Berger and Tami Lane for Best Make-Up in the Narnia movie. Wait. Let me reword that. I meant, during the acceptance speech of just Howard Berger. Oh yes, Tami Lane was given the award too. She went on stage, and stood patiently by as blabbermouth Howard thanked every person he’s ever met since grade school. On and on and on and on, Howard spoke, but Tami never interrupted him. Finally, as the get-off-stage music was playing, the corpulent windbag wrapped it up and backed away. Tami saw her chance and stepped up to the mic! Except the mic was dead, and the camera cut away as she began to mouth a speech that no one heard. Old Howard, you see, had used up all their time. Got some advice for you Howard, old boy, next time you have the opportunity to wreck the high point of your partner’s career (maybe even her lifetime): SHUT THE FUCK UP! I hope Tami had the good sense to beat the living daylights out of you backstage with her solid metal Oscar, and finds someone new to work with who isn’t such a friggin asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/2 "2006-03-06T21:33:19Z")
If I were her, I’d beat him with his own Oscar, thus not tarnishing mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/3 "2006-03-06T21:41:52Z")
I mentioned this in the “Live Oscar” thread. It pissed me off too, especially as she is clearly waiting for the microphone while he’s blathering on about his dead parents and Sendek and “Where the Wild Things Are”, etc… DUDE! THERE IS A COUNTER IN FRONT OF YOU TIMING DOWN! YOU can see how much (or how little) time is left to the second! He was just being a totally selfish ass. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/4 "2006-03-06T22:04:43Z")
Absolutely the ass of the night. I think someone else used up most of their - also female - co-winner’s time, but she at least was able to say something. But it just occured to me: Maybe he didn’t realize they had to split the time on the countdown? That when he was done, it would be reset for her? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/5 "2006-03-06T22:08:58Z")
Except for the Brokeback Mountain screenplay award, it seems like whenever the winners are a man and a woman, the man hogs the mic. Maybe it’s because the guy gets to the mic first, while the woman has to deal with a long dress and high heels. But yeah, it was rude. We might have missed the best Oscar acceptance speech ever! ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/6 "2006-03-06T22:22:35Z")
They should replay that Will Ferrell/Jack Black song at the beginning of every Oscar ceremony. It was running through my head all night. “No need to thank your parakeet…YOU’RE BOOOOOORRRRRRRINNNNNNNGGGGGG!” ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/7 "2006-03-06T22:23:50Z")
Oops, sorry: Will **Farrell**. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/8 "2006-03-06T22:51:31Z")
Actually, not to hijack this into a general Oscars pit thread, but the biggest ass of the night was whoever greenlighted the following copy (might have been in the preshow, but was definitely Official VO): “Transamerica, the story of a transsexual man who drives across country with his son…” ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/9 "2006-03-06T23:28:25Z")
…there was something odd all night with the timing of the speeches. When Kong won best Visual Effects, there is no way that Richard Taylor wasn’t going to speak. He started to move towards the mic when the music bellowed up, and they all left the stage. The same thing happened when Crash won best picture, someone else got up to speak when the music drowned them out. I know that all the nominees got sent a DVD that apparently explained they would only get a minute to speak, but something seemed to get lost in the translation… ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/10 "2006-03-06T23:39:02Z")
These people are in show business–how goddam difficult could it be to write your speech, stand there in front of a clock and _time it?_ What, do they think “we’ll fix it in post?” P.S. When did people start spelling “mike” as “mic?” How do you do pluralize and past-tense? “She was miced?” “They used mice?” P.P.S. I could have done without the trannie humor, including the _very first words_ out of Jon Stewart’s mouth. But I was steeled for it. “Easy joke.” It’s not like there are any openly transgendered people in show biz. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/11 "2006-03-07T00:03:14Z")
> [@](#): > > P.S. When did people start spelling “mike” as “mic?” How do you do pluralize and past-tense? “She was miced?” “They used mice?” …mic is a perfectly acceptable industry short-hand for **mic** rophone. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/12 "2006-03-07T01:09:47Z")
> [@Banquet Bear](#): > > …mic is a perfectly acceptable industry short-hand for **mic** rophone. Not by _me_ it’s not. “Mice?” “Micced?” “Mices?” Feh. There was nothing wrong with “mike.” ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/13 "2006-03-07T01:23:31Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Not by _me_ it’s not. “Mice?” “Micced?” “Mices?” Feh. There was nothing wrong with “mike.” I’m familiar with “mic” mostly via hiphop, so I think we have a case of parallel evolution. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/14 "2006-03-07T01:32:55Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Not by _me_ it’s not. “Mice?” “Micced?” “Mices?” Feh. There was nothing wrong with “mike.” I had to scroll my mice wheel up to re-read that one. I may have shouted out loud had the mikerophone been plugged in!Then I realized we were playing by your rules in this one and knew you were funnin’ with us. I laughed louder than a stampedeing herd of meese! Ah, that’s good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/15 "2006-03-07T07:31:12Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > P.P.S. I could have done without the trannie humor, including the _very first words_ out of Jon Stewart’s mouth. But I was steeled for it. “Easy joke.” It’s not like there are any openly transgendered people in show biz. Seriously. “Ladies, gentlemen, Felicity” – puh-leeze. Fortunately I got to the Oscar party late - though not late enough to miss Reese’s speech, in which she celebrated her win over Felicity by using the phrase “real woman” three times in sixty seconds. No doubt she meant nothing by it, but… ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/16 "2006-03-07T10:47:33Z")
She didn’t mean anything by it: she was emphasising that she’d been playing someone who had really existed and wasn’t a ficitonal construct. ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/17 "2006-03-07T11:04:17Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > …Feh. There was nothing wrong with “mike.” Unless your name is Michael. I rather prefer being called Michael. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/18 "2006-03-07T15:08:12Z")
The other problem with “mic” is that you see it and your head sounds it out phonetically as “mick”. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howard-berger-blabbermouth-oscar-winner-shut-the-fuck-up-let-your-partner-speak/347300/19 "2006-03-07T15:22:16Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > She didn’t mean anything by it: she was emphasising that she’d been playing someone who had really existed and wasn’t a ficitonal construct. That is correct. But it still made me try to tell her, through the screen, ‘Bad choice of words, Reese’.