We all know it by now. That moment in our generation’s most entertaining film about a troubled musician, when the leading lady takes the stage and sings, finally, for the first time, the word we’re all waiting to hear.
“HOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!”
Ah, of course! Kelly Cantor takes the stage to sing “Coming Home” in the final moments of 2010’s Country Strong! I have chills (genuinely)!
Yes, before Lady Gaga stood on stage with Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow was standing up there by herself. Unfortunately, what remains a wonderful, tension-breaking moment for us — despite the fact that immediately after performing, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Kelly Cantor goes backstage and overdoses (fame and love can’t live in the same place, as she told Garrett Hedlund’s character Beau) — is the source of Gwyneth Paltrow’s “most terrifying” experience.
In a recent interview with Variety, Paltrow reminisced about the 2011 awards season, during which she performed songs from Country Strong at each of the Country Music Awards, Grammys, and Oscars. “The Grammys was so silly,” Paltrow said, “and I was with CeeLo and there were Muppets for some reason.” The CMAs were equally non-terrifying.
But, Paltrow said, performing “Coming Home” at the Oscars was very scary. “Oh my God, it was the most terrifying moment of my life,” she told Variety. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel my hands.” Oh no, Gwyneth!
“I have never felt like that in my entire life,” she continued. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to walk.’ I was hyperventilating and I thought I can’t walk to my mark. That’s how much my body was giving up.”
Unfortunately, it seems video of this performance is not available for viewing online. I remember it, however, and believe Paltrow did fine. In lieu of the Academy Awards’ performance, I invite you to watch her performance from the 2010 film Country Strong:
Incredible. We’re all “coming home,” indeed, to our favorite doomed-musician movie: Country Strong.
