It's Not What They Win, It's How They Accept the Oscar

March 6, 2006 — -- Pimping is harder than it looks and being out of touch is en vogue -- at least according to a couple of Sunday night's Oscar winners.

There were several acceptance speeches that will stand out in the minds of Oscar watchers -- Reese Witherspoon's earnest and humble tribute to her mother and grandmother, George Clooney's politically charged speech, "Crash" producers' surprise at beating out "Brokeback Mountain" for best picture, and, of course, the rap group clad in sneakers and jeans that couldn't believe its good fortune at winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Three 6 Mafia, the hip-hop group that took home the Oscar for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," a song featured in the movie "Hustle and Flow," politely censored itself for its live performance. But group members could barely contain their excitement when they beat out country legend Dolly Parton for the award.

D.J. Paul, Juicy J and Crunchy Black accepted the award with such enthusiasm that it prompted host Jon Stewart to tell the seasoned filmmakers in the crowd, "That's how you accept an Oscar."

"My heart was beating so fast, it nearly popped out of my mouth," Juicy J said after the show. "I couldn't believe it. He [his band mate] was running up there. I'm running behind him -- I'm like are the police chasing us or what?"

As far as cutting the profanity from the song, the group was more than happy to comply.

"It was OK. We didn't mind at all, man," Juicy J said. "It's like when they nominated us, we were so excited."

Besides, Juicy J added, "My momma's watching, man."

With all the Oscar hype and predictions surrounding "Brokeback Mountain," "Crash" producers, who made the film on a shoestring budget, never expected to garner enough votes to pull off a best film Oscar.

"I knew I wasn't [going to win]," said producer Paul Haggis. "I was ready to stand up and shake ['Brokeback Mountain' director] Ang Lee's hand. … We had all these people to work into a schedule and no time and no money. I wrote two pitches five years ago: 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Crash.' I never thought either would be made and then to see them both win."