How Television Award Acceptance Speech Controversy Mines Comedy Gold

We all know how much Kanye West loves to shake things up. The hip hop music star isn't shy, and he's definitely not Taylor Swift's best buddy. However, when he stole her thunder at the MTV Awards, as she gave her acceptance speech, he did something comedians love. He created a moment which mines comedy gold for years thereafter.

Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson took Kanye West's comedy diamond in the rough and polished it to a fine shine. Scores of stand up comics also used it to forge potent laughter. There have been other moments. The Academy Awards streaker, where David Niven instantly morphed the incident into comedy by cracking on the man's "shortcomings", comes to mind. The mirthful bottom line: Hollywood's adoration of entertainment awards like TV Emmys and Oscars for movies, provides golden chances for long running chuckles.

One of the most memorable ever, owing to the incident itself and the comic giant involved, is when comedy legend Milton Berle got a bit too cocky. If anyone has a right to be a little full of himself, it was good old Uncle Miltie. Called Mr. Television for his pioneering TV success. However, when you tangle with a sharp writer and actor like Joe Flaherty - who's winning an award for comedy acumen - you should go easy.

During the 1982 Emmy Awards, Milton Berle and veteran actress and comedian Martha Raye (Alice) presented the Outstanding Writing Emmy. It didn't go so well. In fact, it was a true disaster.

Berle interrupted the Emmy winner from Second City Television, Joe Flaherty, during his acceptance speech. As Flaherty fired off jokes, Berle icily cracked, "Oh, that's funny." Flaherty returned with a smile and a soothing, "Go to sleep, Uncle Miltie" It caused Berle no small amount of consternation. An uncomfortable Mr. Television could only retort with, "What?" The incident proved great comedy fodder, as SCTV wrote a scathing skit around it. In the bit, Joe Flaherty beats up a Berle clone, screaming savagely, "You'll never ruin another acceptance speech, Uncle Miltie!"

Kanye West recently announced that he's written a song for Taylor Swift to apologize for his boorish behavior. Not only did Swift gain sympathy for the debacle, but she's got a hit songwriter gifting her with music. If TV history is guide, we'll have more awkward moments, when pushy stars make a political stand, or simply ham it up too much during a televised award acceptance speech. The celebrities who are target, or take the brunt of such rudeness may experience a fleeting moment of resentment, but are now part of a lifetime of classic comedy.

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