User:Coin945/Oscar speech

It is traditional for recipients of an Academy Award to deliver an Oscar speech. Whilst this is common for all types of award ceremonies, it is particularly pertinent to the Academy Awards, due to being such a huge stage with a wide-reaching audience. Oscar speeches have been very influential in the past, and can often make or break an actor. NineMSN explains "If you're an Academy Award-winning celeb, you can either give a boring run-of-the-mill acceptance speech, a touching acceptance speech, or a crazy O.T.T. acceptance speech". The New Yorker said "Common pitfalls include self-aggrandizement (King of the World James Cameron), excessive weepiness (Gwyneth Paltrow), and sheer who-invited-this-person weirdness (Melissa Leo). Some are passive-aggressive (Shirley MacLaine, who thanked Debra Winger for her “turbulent brilliance”). Some are strident (Vanessa Redgrave, who chided “Zionist hoodlums”). Some are unsettling (Angelina Jolie, who declared herself “so in love with my brother right now”). At their best, they offer a jolt of liberating mania (Roberto Benigni), or a banquet of finely calibrated self-deprecation, gratitude, and poise (Meryl Streep, whose speeches are perfect and deserve their own awards)."

Sometimes a confusing or ambiguous statement said in a speech can attract lots of attention in the media. In Angelina Jolie's Best Supporting Actress speech in 2000 for Girl, Interrupted, she said "I'm so in love with my brother right now!", leading to accusations of incest.

The New Yorker graded the speeches in the 2013 Academy Awards, a common practice amongst news outlets. Christopher Waltz' "short and classy speech...without condescension" was graded an A- while Quentin Tarantino's "rubber-faced self-mythologizing" was graded a C+.

Many lines from Oscar speech have become iconic, entering the pop cultural vernacular as quotes. They are often spoofed in other media. Some speeches comment on the film industry ("We are part of an artistic family ... and most actors don't work, they have to practice accents while driving a taxi. And some of us are so lucky to work with writing, to work with directing. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost, and I am proud to share this with you" - Dustin Hoffman 1979). Some are heartfelt messages to friends, family, and supporters. Some raise awareness for sensitive topics ("Tonight I am asking for your help. I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being to prove that we are a human race. To prove that our love outweighs our need to hate. That our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame". Elizabeth Taylor 1993 on AIDS) and other are funny insights.

Sometimes people who unexpected things during their Oscar speeches. For example, when Jack Palance accepted an Ocsar for Best Supporting Actor in 1992, he did one-arm pushups on the floor to demonstrate his physical strength and counteract the view by executive of not wanting to "risk" hiring an elderly person for fear they may die during the shoot.

The Oscar speeches are restricted to a time limit of 45 seconds, which is to prevent on-stage rambling. There is play-off music after an actor has reached their time limit, and there are reminders on the teleprompter. If they take too long, the microphone cuts out. In one year, Jack Black and Will Farrel performed a song to the tune of the the piece of music.

In 1973, Marlon Brando famously refused an Oscar due to his support of the Native Americans. A part of his speech was read on stage by Shasheen Littlefeather.

There are certain recurring themes in people listed in Oscar speeches. This can range from an actor's agent to the film's director, to their co-stars, to God, to their idols, and to their parents.

External links

• Oscar speech database