Phone Fails: The 9 Most Hilariously Awkward Moments For A Ringtone To Go Off (VIDEOS)

Whether you're giving a speech, performing a monologue, or playing a concert, getting thrown off by an obnoxiously loud cellphone ring is almost never a good thing. Perhaps the only exception is if you respond gracefully to such an interruption, as violist Lukas Kmit did earlier this year. Rather than tripping up in his performance, Kmit spit the Nokia ringtone right back out at the cellphone offender via his viola.

Of course, there are many other ways to handle such a situation, if you're not as clever as Kmit. We've seen public speakers call out offenders, musicians stop in mid-song, athletes get distracted in the middle of high-stakes matches; but our favorite reaction of all time has to be when an actor stays in character and incorporates the distraction into a performance.

Click through the slideshow to view the most awkward moments for cellphones to go off. Vote for the most awkward moment, and in the comments (below) tell us your most embarrassing story of a public cellphone fail.

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Comments

[Deborrah Cooper]

06:09 AM on 02/25/2012

My phone turns off if you hake it. don't have to press a button because I usually have the keyboard locked when its in my purse or pocket anyway. A gentle bounce iand its silent within 1/2 a second. These folks must not know about the VIBRATE feature. lol

[GeneralDisarray]

10:01 AM on 02/25/2012

Can,t just turn it off?

[Chris Cappiello]

05:31 AM on 02/25/2012

It's amazing people don't know a simple, yet handy thing, about cell phones. If you do happen to have yours go off when you should have had it silenced already, there's a very simple reaction EVERYONE should develop. You see, cell phone rings are silenced if you depress any button on the exterior of the phone. So next time yours goes off, rather than let it ring because you're too embarrassed to pull it out of your pocket and shut it off GRAB THE PHONE THROUGH YOUR POCKET AND PRESS A BUTTON!

[trambusto]

03:29 AM on 02/25/2012

it's funny if you think about it... people in Darren Criss' generation have never experienced life without cell phones.

[trambusto]

03:28 AM on 02/25/2012

all manners have gone out the window with cell phones in our lives.

[pepper1311]

06:39 AM on 02/25/2012

I just stare at those yelling into a plastic box. Those wearing ear things make think auditory hallucinations. I guess it many people have no boundaries.

[nowpolitics]

01:34 AM on 02/25/2012

That Nokia ringtone is great.

[american-dolt]

10:47 PM on 02/24/2012

Smart Phones, most selfish implement made by man,

[edgeninja]

11:25 PM on 02/24/2012

Well actually, if you wanna be accurate about it, the cellphone in general would be the most selfish implement by man.

[Jon Malone]

11:18 AM on 02/25/2012

money?

[lurkinman]

12:21 PM on 02/25/2012

If used improperly, perhaps.

[Lorraine Terry]

09:57 PM on 02/24/2012

bravo and touche'!

[elsquibbs]

09:26 PM on 02/24/2012

I liked the violinist and the tennis players.

[thecid]

09:19 PM on 02/24/2012

typical..ring tones going off at the wrong moment. Right wing propaganda at its finest.