Six Odd, Off-Beat Oscar Speeches
For some, winning the gold man means that anything goes.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. <br/> Feb. 24, 2011 — -- The Oscar speech: it can be good, it can be bad, it can be ugly. Before the latest winners have their say on Sunday, check out six of the most offbeat Oscar acceptances from years past:
In 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow broke down in tears after winning best actress for "Shakespeare in Love." Photos of her sobbing on stage clutching her statuette made her a prime example of how not to look while accepting the biggerst award of your career.
"Titanic" filmmaker James Cameron took the not-so-humble road when he proclaimed himself "king of the world" upon winning best director in 1998. Sure, "Titanic" was the highest grossing film ever at the time (Cameron's Oscar-winning "Avatar" recently took over that title), but the hoots Cameron let out after anointing himself could have been swallowed until the after-parties, at least.
In 2001, best actress winner and "Erin Brockovich" star Julia Roberts scolded the "stick man" -- long-time Oscar band leader Bill Conti -- when he tried to usher her off stage. ''And sir, you're doing a great job, but you're so quick with that stick," Roberts feverishly commanded, "so why don't you sit, because I may never be here again.'' She then let out a yelp of a laugh that seemed less self-depreciating, more crazy.
Sally Field couldn't contain herself when she won her second Oscar in 1985 for "Places in the Heart." Indeed, the Academy really liked her.
In 1998, "Life Is Beautiful" director Roberto Benigni literally jumped for joy after scoring the best foreign film Oscar, climbing and hopping over the backs of seats to get up to the stage. (Later in the evening, after winning the best actor Oscar, the effusive Italian joked, "There must be some terrible mistake, I used up all my English!")
But Jack Palance's act of physicality has yet to be topped -- the then 73-year-old actor celebrated his best supporting actor Oscar win for "City Slickers" by doing one handed pushups. "Jack Palance, man," 2011 Oscar co-host Anne Hathaway told The Hollywood Reporter this week, "Jack Palance doing the pushups; I can watch that forever."
Go to Oscar.com for Oscar coverage before, during and after the awards.
