Sandra Bullock's 'MTV-manufactured' return
Did a staged kiss between Sandra Bullock and Scarlett Johansson ruin the tabloid-battered Bullock's return to the Hollywood spotlight?
At Sunday night's MTV Movie Awards, actress Sandra Bullock made one of her first public television appearances since splitting with her adulterous husband, Jesse James, in March. "No matter what you might have seen, or heard, or read lately," said Bullock, while accepting the MTV Generation Award, "I love what I do. And I'm not going anywhere." Near the end of her speech, however, Bullock embraced award presenter Scarlett Johansson for a scripted gay kiss, then asked everyone to "please go back to normal." Did this faux-lesbian gimmick tarnish Bullock's otherwise "graceful" return? (Watch Bullock kiss Scarlett Johansson.)
The kiss was just a hackneyed PR marketing ploy: Bullock's "winning speech" was "worthy of the standing ovation she earned en route to the stage," says Michelle Ruiz in Pop Eater. But "did Bullock really need an MTV-manufactured girl-on-girl smooch to prove she's 'back to normal?'" I "think not." The kiss was "so haphazardly inserted ... that even Bullock seemed a little embarrassed." Bullock has thus far handled herself just fine. She "didn't need awkward spit-swapping to jazz it up."
"Did Sandra Bullock's ScarJo kiss kill her great speech?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Believe it or not, some of us enjoyed it: Unlike other "surprise" celebrity girl-on-girl lip locks in the past, says Luisita Lopez Torregrosa in Politics Daily, "there was nothing fake or sleazy about" the Johansson-Bullock kiss. Bullock is "America's Sweetheart" and Johansson is a known "lesbian muse." The kiss was a "dream" matchup for fans of these leading ladies. And despite her "personal ordeal," Bullock "looked great." What more can you ask for?
"Sandra Bullock and Scarlett Johansson on MTV: The perfect kiss?"
Bad move — but not that bad: The "painfully scripted" kiss, says Tracy Clark-Flory in Salon, did seem "a rather sad attempt to remind the world that Bullock's still got sex appeal, despite having been cheated on and publicly humiliated." That said, Bullock "certainly could have done worse than to distract from her scandal-ridden personal life with antics that seem downright wholesome in comparison." Either way, Bullock is, thankfully, here to stay.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'What is this Hungarian model they so admire?'
Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published