“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Michael Bay said, and ran off the stage like he was being chased by a hungry tiger.
But Bay wasn’t apologizing for any of the terrible movies he’s directed, like “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor” and “Transformers” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” [Editor: Is listing five movies too mean? I didn’t even mention “Bad Boys” and I kind of liked “The Rock.” Shorten the list if you disagree.]
No, Bay was showing that even a man who makes movies featuring robots is all too human. Right at the start of a presentation for Samsung, Bay’s teleprompter broke down. His voice was already shaking—yes, even directors get stage fright—and with the loss of his safety net, things went from bad to worse. Here’s what Bay said:
How is everyone today? My job as a director is, I get to dream for a living…. I create visual worlds that are so beyond everyone’s normal life experiences. And Hollywood is a place that creates—a viewer escape. And what I try to do as a director, I try to, eh—ugh. The type is all off, sorry. So I’ll just wing this. We’ll wing it right now. I try to take people on an emotional ride. And, excuse me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
Or as Bay put it on his blog shortly thereafter:
Wow! I just embarrassed myself at CES – I was about to speak for Samsung for this awesome Curved 105-inch UHD TV. I rarely lend my name to any products, but this one is just stellar. I got so excited to talk, that I skipped over the Exec VP’s intro line and then the teleprompter got lost. Then the prompter went up and down – then I walked off. I guess live shows aren’t my thing.
But I’m doing a special curved screen experience with Samsung and Transformers 4 footage that will be traveling around the world.
So it sounds as if Bay’s relationship with Samsung will continue. Perhaps a pre-taped endorsement next time? Also, I’m still waiting for the apology for “Transformers.”