Did Sandra Bullock's ScarJo Kiss Kill Her Great Speech?

In lieu of the softly-lit, super-serious newsmagazine interview route taken by some people, Bullock launched her post-scandal public comeback with an appearance that seemed just like her - funny, cheeky and decidedly unfussy, not to mention set at the absolute least serious of all the many, many awards shows in Hollywood: The MTV Movie Awards.

In a sparkling black Oday Shakar minidress and killer heels, Bullock returned as America's Sweetheart, gracefully accepting MTV's career honor and reminding us why we were so profoundly affected when her once-loving husband cheated on her with a tattooed gal named Bombshell. Bullock seemed brave under the circumstances, smiling and standing tall even while knowing that her every expression was being scrutinized, her every word hung on.

The Girls on Pop Dish on the Sandra-ScarJo Smooch!

And she delivered. To loyal fans, she promised her marital disaster wouldn't break her - or shatter her ability to do (romantic) comedy. "No matter what you might have heard or read or seen lately, I love what I do and I'm not going anywhere," she said.

In classic Bullock style, she apologized to co-presenter Bradley Cooper for the bomb that was "All About Steve" and guffawed when Betty White advised her against wearing her plunging backless dress backwards. She jokingly clarified out-there tabloid rumors, assuring us that she has never -- ever -- gone two weeks without bathing. It was a winning speech worthy of the standing ovation she earned en route to the stage -- until The Kiss.

Bullock phrased it perfectly when she turned to Johansson mid-speech and said: "This is so weird, Scarlett. I really love you and all but this is just really uncomfortable. Why are you here?"

Our thoughts exactly. Why was she there? ScarJo claimed she was filling in for her husband and Bullock's "The Proposal" co-star Ryan Reynolds, who was nominated alongside Bullock for Best Kiss. But it turned out she was really there for a standard-issue MTV girl-on-girl lip-lock.

When Bullock clutched Johansson and laid one on her, it was brief and tame. But it was also awkward and unnecessary in the context of Bullock's comeback "moment." It seemed so haphazardly inserted into an otherwise triumphant speech, that even Bullock seemed a little embarrassed. After it was over, though the crowd's hooting, Bullock threw up her hands as if to say 'There, MTV, I did it!'

As if "Sandra Bullock's Awesomely Classy Return to the Public Eye" wasn't an interesting headline for the movie awards, MTV appeared to dredge up a go-to gimmick: the faux-lesbian kiss!

Famously implemented at the 2003 VMA's in a three-way smooch between Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, the ladies-locking-lips shtick has drawn the ire of actual lesbians, who have argued that Hollywood's girl-on-girl stunts serve to trivialize homosexuality. Feminists, for their part, haven't been keen on the way the smooches seem to feature women kissing less because they feel like it -- and more to please heterosexual men. A True/Slant blogger was fine with Bullock gratuitously kissing another woman -- but felt it should have been Betty White instead.

To be fair, we don't know whose idea the kiss was. We also don't know why it was really necessary. In the case of Madonna, Britney and Christina jointly singing "Like a Virgin," a girl-on-girl-on-girl kiss was actually oddly fitting, considering the pop star personalities involved. When Bullock herself laid a big kiss on Meryl Streep when they tied for Best Actress at the Critics Choice Awards, she was using a little humor to make a bold statement -- that the women were not, as the tabloids claimed, cat-fighting their way to the Oscars.

The surprise factor was especially jarring given how reserved and composed Bullock has been throughout the past months, which were no doubt a nightmare for her. As Jesse James gushed to 'Nightline' about how his childhood woes forced him to cheat on her, Bullock stayed mum rather than fight back or try to retort. As 'Bombshell' McGee flaunted nude photos and told tales of her trysts with Jesse, Bullock opted for silence instead of anger -- once again, rising above the drama surrounding her private life.

So what was behind Bullock and Johansson's random lip lock? (If you have any ideas, let us know in the comments.) Even if Bullock was one of the most "mature" women in the room, her speech didn't need awkward spit-swapping to jazz it up. In our opinion, it was a glowing, sincere success all on its own. And it appears to be a huge win in your eyes, too, as 82% of PopEater readers dubbed Sandy's speech "amazing."

As Sandra said after the smooch: "Now that we have done that, can we please go back to normal?"

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