19. Rob Lowe Duets with Snow White (1989)
The 1989 Oscars opened with an 11-minute musical number featuring Disney’s Snow White gladhanding celebrities, who reacted with bemused detachment or outright hostility. Then Merv Griffin sang about coconuts, and Rob Lowe appeared to perform a weirdly sexualised cover of “Proud Mary” with lyrics rewritten about Walt Disney. Lowe sounded strained as he danced alongside the cartoon character in a production that felt completely out of place.
The bizarre duet quickly became one of the most cringeworthy opening numbers in Oscars history. Lowe later admitted he did it as a “good soldier” for the Academy but felt it was a huge mistake. Viewers and critics alike cringed at the forced Disney-fied performance that clashed horribly with the evening’s glamour.
