Entertainment
The 15 Most Embarrassing Live Performances of 2013 (Move Over, Miley Cyrus!)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time for twerking, it was a time for forgetting lyrics. Most importantly, 2013 was a time of multiple, pointless awards shows, singing competitions, and random live performances aplenty. But the bounty does not runneth over. There were more than a few bad apples in this crop of performances. Click through to see the worst live performances from 2013. We recommend you bring earplugs.
Eminem Lip Syncs on 'SNL'
When Ashlee Simpson did it, we at least (sort of) understood. (After all, the woman is hardly Whitney Houston.) But Eminem? Just... why? His representative claimed that he didn't lip sync, but was, in fact, rapping over a vocal track, or "accent track." So... he was lip syncing?
Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus at the VMAs
Look, everything about this performance that needs to be said has already been said, and then some. Clearly, Cyrus got the reaction she wanted from it... but it was a hot mess.
'NSYNC at the VMAs
It was overhyped and underwhelming. Timberlake went through it like a champ, but the rest of the band's performance was far too short and far too uncomfortable. Keep up, Chris and Joey!
Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 at the Grammys
Not that this performance wasn't already going to be a snoozefest, what with Maroon 5 and Keys performing the generic song "Girl on Fire." But instead of letting Keys kill it in her natural environment on the piano, they decided to put her... on drums?
Daft Punk at the VMAs
After all the fanfare — MTV stole the band away from Stephen Colbert?! — you would think Daft Punk's performance would've been a little more than a teaser for the video for "Lose Yourself to Dance." But no, their biggest moment of the night was just presenting an award to Taylor Swift.
TLC on 'Good Morning America'
The TLC reunion performance on Good Morning America was highly anticipated. But it seems like the group lost their magic when they lost Left Eye. Pretty much everything that could've gone wrong did: There was lip syncing, mic issues, and weird choreography. It was not pretty. Or, rather, unpretty.
Zoanette Johnson's Audition on American Idol
Zoanette's audition for American Idol was pretty awkward. She had some er, interesting dance moves and forgot the words to the national anthem... but somehow, she got the golden ticket. Even worse, though, was her semi-finals rendition of "What's Love Got To Do With It." The performance only left us wondering about Season 12: What's actual singing got to do with Idol?
Lazaro, Burnell, and Devin on 'American Idol'
Speaking of Idol, Lazaro, Burnell, and Devin forgot the words to "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" and everything sort of went off the rails from there. They missed a cue, strayed off key, and worst of all, pissed of Nicki Minaj. Definitely a no-no.
Taylor Swift at the Grammys
Taylor Swift's performance at the Grammy Awards was middling — it was a little pitchy and the backing vocal track was a little loud. But the most cringe-inducing moment? The singer calling out Harry Styles via her bad British accent. Ouch.
Bruno Mars at the Grammys
Bruno Mars might have been one of the highlights of the Grammy Awards, but he started off his "Bob Marley tribute" with one of his own songs. Really, Bruno? Narcissism at its finest.
James Taylor at the World Series
James Taylor committed one of the most cardinal sins at the 2013 World Series: forgetting the National Anthem. He sang "America the Beautiful" instead. Understandable mistake, considering he started the year singing the latter at a much more anticipated event.
Lazaro Arbos on 'American Idol'
Thought we were done with Idol? Unfortunately, Season 12 gave us far too many terrible performances to choose from. Including Lazaro Arbos' "Close To You," which went so off-key, the judges couldn't even hide their mid-performance disgust. We want to remain far, far away from that performance, Lazaro.
Chris Brown at the Billboard Music Awards
Chris Brown sounded like he was going through puberty again at this year's Billboard Music Awards. He later said that he was "hoarse" on Twitter, but it's hard not to take a little joy in his failure.
Jason Mraz and Hunter Hayes at the CMAs
Jason Mraz and Hunter Hayes made their way through the crowd for the Country Music Awards performance, but the choreography flummoxed Mraz a little, and he forgot the first few lines of the song. What remedy does the "Remedy" singer have for public embarrassment?
Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator at the YouTube Music Awards
Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator's performance at the YouTube Music Awards could be interpreted as "performance art"... or it could be just a shaky, heavily censored concert video. Either way, it was clearly more fun to be there than it was to watch.
