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Oscars 2014: Top 5 Best Acceptance Speeches

Brianne Tracy |
March 3, 2014 | 9:41 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

(Twitter, @KhaledBeyDoun)
(Twitter, @KhaledBeyDoun)
"And the Oscar goes to…" 

Just these five words can make even the coolest of Hollywood stars tremble in their seats. Winning an Oscar for most actors is the ultimate recognition of their career in which they have one chance not to mess up when all eyes are them, unless you're Meryl Streep and must be getting a little used to winning after the third time. 

It's expected of award shows to have winners pull out crumpled pieces of paper from their pants or bra, list a long string of names at a million miles per hour in thanks and be encouraged to exit the stage. It has been said that unscripted television makes for the best television, and the 86th annual Academy Awards didn't fail to deliver. 

Oscar speeches can range from funny to heartful to straight-out obnoxious and everything in between. Here's our roundup of the top 5 most memorable speeches at the 86th annual Academy Awards: 

5) Best Original Song - "Let it Go"

When Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez accepted the Oscar for best original song for "Let it Go" from "Frozen," it made for what could be the most adorable acceptance speech of all time. It was part rhymed, part rapped and part song of pure wonderful. 

As they thanked rhyming names, the pair trilled, "Happy Oscars to you, let's do 'Frozen 2.'" 

4) Best Actor/Actress - Kate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey 

The fourth spot for memorable speeches is a tie between Kate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey. Blanchett won her award for her portrayal of a mentally ill woman in "Blue Jasmine," and McConaughey won his for his role as a homophobe who has aids in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Blanchett gave an incredibly witty speech and paid tribute to each and every one of her competitors. Someone who jokingly tells Julia Roberts to "Suck it" deserves a spot on this list for pure guts alone. Before finishing up, Blanchett made it known that there is definitely a place in Hollywood for women. McConaughey's speech was semi-bizarre, but it wouldn't have been complete without his classic "Alright, alright, alright." 

3) Best Documentary - "20 Feet From Stardom"

Most Oscar acceptance speeches follow in a similar fashion in which they drag on forever and make us feel slightly uncomfortable- but then there's the speech from Best Documentary winner "20 Feet from Stardom."

It was a normal acceptance speech until Darlene Love took a note from Diane Keaton at the Emmy's and decided to take the forget-this-speech-im-going-to-sing-now route. Fitting of the attention that backup singers normally miss out on, Love broke out into song proclaiming "I sing because I'm happy." Singing her way into Oscar history and into the hearts of everyone watching, Love made this speech one of the most memorable of the night.  

 2) Best Supporting Actor - Jared Leto

Jared Leto's took home the night's first prize for best supporting actor for his work as a transexual in the Texas AIDS drama "Dallas Buyers Club." His heartfelt speech reached out to HIV and AIDS victims and he thanked his mother, also his date for the night.

He shared his mom's story of growing up in Louisiana as a teenage mom with two sons. His mom was single and a high school dropout, but that didn't stop her from making a better life for her and her two sons. "Thank you for teaching me to dream," Leto said. 

1) Best Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o

Not an eye was dry in the audience (we see you, Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch) as the Oscars' very own Cinderella, Lupita Nyong'o, took the stage to accept her award for best supporting actress for her work in "12 Years a Slave." Nyong'o broke out into tears as she told director Steve McQueen that her involvement in the film "has been the joy of my life."

The beautiful starlet recognized the importance of the film's source material in her speech and commended the director by saying, "I'm certain that the dead are standing around you and saluting you." Nyong'o thanked her co-star and brother and finished the stand-out speech with a touching piece of advice. "No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid." Almost a year ago, most people had never even heard the name Lupita Nyong'o, and her acceptance speech was a perfect reminder that there's a long history of how she got to be on that stage.

Reach Staff Reporter Brianne Tracy here.



 

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