How did Travolta get so creepy?
It started as a moment of glory for John Travolta. Then things got weird.
But that often seems to be the case, doesn't it? We all remember last year when Travolta got up on the Oscars stage in front of the world and proudly introduced Idina Menzel as the “wickedly talented Adele Dazeem.”
You can't plan for a meme like that. Producers tried to strike gold again on Sunday night as they invited Travolta and Menzel to reunite to present best original song. Menzel appeared first. “Please welcome to the stage my very dear friend, Glom Gazingo,” she announced. Wild applause as an appropriately bashful Travolta walked out and wrapped Menzel in a big hug.
“I deserve that,” Travolta said, arm still tightly around her waist. Then he grabbed her chin with his hand and pulled her face close, cooing. “But you, you, my darling, my beautiful, my wickedly talented Idina Menzel,” he cooed, stroking her chin.
“You got it, yayyy,” Menzel trailed off uncomfortably as Travolta's hand still lingered on the chin.
Naturally, Twitter blew up as viewers were suddenly really weirded out. And just like that, Travolta became the joke of the Oscars. Also not helping? His touchy-feely picture with an unamused Scarlett Johansson (his former “Love Song for Bobby Long” co-star) on the red carpet.
So John Travolta — what's going on? How did you become the “creepy uncle” of the award show circuit?
Part of the reason may be his utter cluelessness that what he's doing is bizarre. Take his explanation of the face-touching incident after the ceremony on Jimmy Kimmel's Oscar post-mortem.
“Apparently, I played with her chin too much,” Travolta joked with Jimmy Kimmel of the incident, in apparent disbelief that there could be too much chin-playing.
In the same appearance, he tried to explain how the “Adele Dazeem” flub happened in the first place — he was distracted by the “sexy, beautiful” Goldie Hawn.
“As I get backstage I run into Goldie Hawn,” Travolta said, explaining his flustered behavior. “Now Goldie Hawn is charismatic, sexy, beautiful — got the amazing thing — and I was starstruck. I'm starstruck, hugging and loving her up, and forgetting I have to go and do this bit.”
Note: When everyone already thinks you're too handsy, probably don't talk about “hugging and loving her up.” But again, Travolta doesn't seem to get it, which makes him seem even more out of touch. He also took credit for Menzel's dynamite 2014.
“She's had one of the best years of her life, and she gives me credit,” he said. That was probably meant as a joke on Menzel's part ... unless she really thinks he's responsible for “Frozen.”
That leads to the other problem. Travolta, who shot to fame in 1970s with “Welcome Back Kotter” and “Saturday Night Fever” and continued with 90s hits like “Pulp Fiction,” has been out of the spotlight for a while. His last big movie was “Hairspray” in 2007. Though faded A-listers do elicit excitement and nostalgia, Travolta hasn't been gone quite long enough to really make us miss him. He hasn't earned his “wacky celebrity” stripes yet, though his goofy attitude suggests that he thinks he has.
Either way, his misguided attempts to be kooky aren't exactly working out — and by next year, he should really have some self-awareness of how his goofiness comes across on-screen.