Ashton Kutcher was the big winner at Saturday’s taping of the Teen Choice Awards, but even his five surfboard trophies couldn’t steal the spotlight from the plethora of unusual appearances at the show.
There was Kobe Bryant, accepting the Choice Male Athlete award for the fourth time just four days before his first hearing on sexual assault charges. “I’m going through some dark clouds right now,” he said, thanking his wife and fans for support.
There was 5 Cent, and no, that’s not a typo. It was Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer performing his own version of “In Da Club,” adding lines like “even Snoop calls me the bizzoss.”
There was Jim Carrey’s eyeball, dangling around the actor’s “scarred” face. “I’m sorry,” he said, unwrapping bandages off his face while accepting the Choice Comedian and Choice Movie Actor, Comedy award. “I’m in the middle of having work done.”
“I need to look younger to continue to appeal to the teen audience,” he added later, mocking rumors that he’s had plastic surgery.
And then there was the cockroach exterminator who chewed up and swallowed several of the creatures while Justin Guarini looked on in disgust. “There’s some terrible news from backstage,” Jimmy Kimmel said later. “The exterminator just ate Mini-Me.”
In between all this commotion onstage at the Universal Amphitheatre, Fox, Teen People and America Online managed to give out several surfboards, including Choice Male Hottie, Choice TV Reality Hunk, Choice Reality/Variety Host and Choice TV Actor, Comedy to Kutcher.
The “That ’70s Show” star, who also nabbed Choice Greatest TV Reality Moment for his tax-repossession prank on Justin Timberlake on “Punk’d,” did not mention his latest squeeze in his acceptance speeches, but he did shout out his date, her daughter Scout Willis.
After performing her new single, “Low,” Kelly Clarkson accepted the Choice Music Female Artist award, one of many “American Idol”-related wins. The show won Choice TV Reality, Paul Abdul won Choice TV Reality Babe, Ryan Seacrest won Choice Male Fashion Icon and Ruben Studdard being voted into the bottom two won Choice Scariest Reality Moment.
Elsewhere on the performance stage, the Donnas treated the young audience to “Too Bad About Your Girl,” and Evanescence – with guitarist Ben Moody sporting an “I Love Alyssa Milano” shirt – busted through “Going Under.” The latter capped off their appearance by winning Choice Music Rock Track for “Bring Me to Life.”
Winners in the several other music categories will not be announced until the show, hosted by David Spade, is broadcast on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox. Jennifer Lopez, 50 Cent and Eminem are leading contenders.
Other announced winners in movie categories included “Daredevil” star Colin Farrell for Choice Movie Villain, Hilary Duff for Choice Breakout Female Movie Star, Adam Sandler for Choice Movie Hissy Fit (“Anger Management”) and “The Matrix: Reloaded” for Choice Movie, Drama.
And lastly, Britney Spears, one of the many stars who attended the ceremony but avoided the blue carpet arrivals, crowned Queen Latifah with Choice Movie Actress, Comedy award for “Bringing Down the House.”