Dec 23, 2004 • 1 min read

Madonna not so calm back in 91

A book on the Academy Awards by Steve Pond recounts Madonna losing her temper during rehearsals for her 1991 Oscars performance.

Presumably the new Kaballah-worshipping children's-book-writing Madonna wouldn't approve, but a new book on the history of the Academy Awards includes the story of how Madge lost it back stage when rehearsing for her performance at the 1991 Oscars.

According to Premiere journalist Steve Pond, who wrote the book, Madonna lost it when firstly one technician - due to drop a microphone on stage at a specific moment - fell asleep, and then later when the rehearsal had to stop because a camera woman had fallen into the orchestra pit and injured herself.

When told one technician had fallen asleep Madonna responded with "an astonishing profane tirade, despite the fact that the area below the stage was also occupied by a group of children: "Furious, she grabbed [the guy who had told her about the sleeping technician] around the neck and lifted him bodily off the ground, not relinquishing her grip until the trapdoor opened and she began to rise."

When told there would be a delay because on the injured camera woman she reportedly said: "But, she's just lying there. Can't we just do this?"

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