Oscars nights have their own charm. Oscar speeches – even more so. I believe the recipients are given 45 seconds for their speech. That’s it. Forty-five seconds. To recollect Andy Warhol’s famous saying, every celebrity has only fifteen minutes of fame. And I guess those forty-five seconds form the cream of the fifteen minutes package.

I have good recollections of watching the Oscars on television. I’m not a TV person but I’ll admit, it’s one of those shows that I rarely miss. Not because I’d like to watch celebrities in their fancy – or sometime bizarre – clothing, but because I’m a movie buff (or at least I pretend to be one) and I’d like to see my favorite movies get their due recognition.

Of course there are always questions about credibility of the awards and wrong selection of winners. Well, I had my doubts too in few stages but I think they’re OK. At least, compared to other popular awards. And as usual, I have my own share of grievances about the winners but I’ve come to accept them eventually. Except one which I will never accept – 1994 Best Picture going to Forrest Gump and not Shawshank Redemption (both movies are among my top favorites by the way).

Coming back to Oscar speeches. Some are funny, some prepared, some spontaneous and many of them emotional. Remember those forty-five seconds? Well, it must be the most precious forty-five seconds of their careers. And I’m surprised to admit, most of them just screw up big time. They speak garbage, comment on presenter’s clothing, say something totally irrelevant and so on. Some get their prepared list of names to thank and read them like a telephone directory. I like speeches that are spontaneous or well thought out. Speeches that reflect how thankful and worthy they are and how much it means to them.

So what’s my favorite of them all? Well, I have to say, I’m not too familiar with speeches pre-1980s. So mine will be restricted for the past three decades. A quick Google search and the popular speeches that throw up are of Julia Roberts (Best Actress 2001 – Erin Brockovich), Tom Hanks (Best Actor 1994 – Philadelphia), Halle Berry (Best Actress 2002 – Monster’s Ball), Michael Moore (Best Documentary 2003 – Bowling For Columbine), Marlon Brando (Best Actor 1973 – The Godfather), and so on. The first two were OK but not really touching in my opinion. Halle Berry’s speech was too emotional for my liking; Moore’s speech was off-topic and of-course, Marlon Brando rejecting his award to show support for Native Americans.

Anyway, here’s my top 3.

#3 – Martin Scorsese (Best Director 2007 – The Departed): Well, I must say this one is biased. I was literally pumping my fist when Marty won it – he being my all-time favorite director. He was nominated for best director *seven* times before but never won it. He finally made it in his eighth attempt – and that made it special. Not a spectacular speech per se but it’s just a personal favorite.
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#2 (Tied): Russell Crowe (Best Actor 2000 – Gladiator): To quote his speech “If you grow up in the suburbs of anywhere, a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable. This moment is directly connected to those imaginings. And for anybody who’s on the downside of advantage, and relying purely on courage, it’s possible.” I think he said it all.
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#2 (Tied): Adrien Broody (Best Actor 2002 – The Pianist): The speech was more famous for the impromptu kiss with Halle Berry than the speech itself. Firstly I liked the way he said, “Cut it out, cut it out. I get one shot at this” when they start playing the music indicating time’s up. I think the speech was humble, direct and showed it meant a lot to him.
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#1: Cuba Gooding Jr. (Best Supporting Actor 1997 – Jerry Maguire): I bet most of you expected this. Yes, without doubt, it’s by far my personal favorite. Some people say it was over the top. C’mon, it’s just pure joy to see him refusing to stop his speech even as the orchestra was being played and shout, “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love y’all”. Made everyone stand up and applaud. Make sure you turn up the volume a little to really feel his excitement.
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