When famous people say the dumbest things on live telly

1. John Travolta calls Idina Menzel "Adele Dazeem" at the Oscars

Travolta completely butchered Idina Menzel's name when introducing her performance of "Let it Go" at the Oscars. Those listening must've have noticed the slip-up but thankfully, the singer didn't mind. Travolta felt bad about it and he was quoted saying. "I've been beating myself up all day.

How to avoid this: Always bring a cue card when making a speech or an introduction. On the card, you must write important details, such as names, in case you might forget. Another tip is to say the name over and over. Once you have it, don't let it go. 

2. Sarah Murdoch guessed the wrong winner in Australia's Next Top Model

During the life finale of the sixth season of Australia's Next Top Model, Sarah Murdoch announced the wrong winner. She guessed that Kelly Martinovich was the winner whilst waiting for the info to relayed in her earpiece, to her horror it was actually Amanda Ware. 

Murdoch was quoted saying, “Oh my God, I don’t know what to say right now,” Murdoch said during the live broadcast. I’m feeling a bit sick about this. No. I’m so sorry about this. Oh my God. I don’t know what to say. This was a complete accident."

“It’s Amanda, I’m so sorry. It was fed to me wrong. Oh God. This is what happens when you have live TV, folks. This is insane. Insane, insane, insane.”

How to avoid this: Learn how to buy more time when speaking in public. Having presence of mind is important especially if you're waiting for the teleprompter to give you information. This can be done through adding stories that's relevant to the topic/situation or blurt out a joke (just the way Obama did in #5)

3. Tom Hanks' academy award speech screw up

In his acceptance speech for winning best actor for the movie Philadelphia, Hanks thanked his former high school drama teacher, Rawley T. Farnsworth as one of ‘the greatest gay Americans’ he knows. 

So what’s wrong with it? The elderly, former drama coach had never come out of the closet! Until Tom Hanks announced it to millions of viewers.

How to avoid this: Understand the seriousness of a secret before telling or announcing it to the public. 

4. The wrong violinist went on stage to collect an award...and it was awkward

The announcement of the winner resulted in a rather painful situation as jury president Arie Van Lysebeth did not pronounce the winner's name clearly. Another South Korean finalist, Lee Ji Yoon, first thought she had won, raced onto the stage only to realise her mistake.

How to avoid this: Examine the name. Try sounding it in your head first as this can help a lot with your pronunciation. If that's not helping then ask around. Don't be afraid to ask the person yourself. Odds are if you don't know, people butcher their name all the time. 

5. President Barack Obama left speechless after aides forget to load teleprompter

Even the most seasoned teleprompter readers get caught (pun intended). Just ahead of making his first public comments about the recent controversy surrounding government surveillance programmes, President Barack Obama teased his staff for forgetting to put his comments on the podium. The audience laughed along with the president as his staff appeared to hurriedly gather his printed remarks and deliver them to the stage.

How to avoid this: Always have a printed copy of your speech just in case the teleprompter isn't working or is unavailable.